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AIP Kitchen Tour is a month-to-month characteristic by which we profile a member of the AIP group and their kitchen setup in hopes that it’ll additional encourage us to get our kitchens organized and arrange for achievement! We’ve interviewed people who’re making the AIP way of life a actuality in all the things from school dorms and small metropolis flats, to massive households with non-AIP members of the family, and all the things in between. By means of these interviews, we hope to share how they make it occur throughout quite a lot of budgets and residing conditions, and provides the group a wealth of inspiration. Learn extra Kitchen Excursions right here!
Identify: Jennifer Thompson
Location: Illinois
Most popular pronouns: she, her
AI illness: hidradenitis suppurativa
How lengthy have you ever been consuming AIP? 3 years
Have you ever efficiently reintroduced any meals?
I’ve had a couple of profitable reintroductions and some fails and setbacks. I’m most thrilled about cacao and low. I do nonetheless attempt to restrict these treats, however love having them again. I additionally did okay with all types of peas and located a inexperienced pea pasta that may be a savior! I did nice with black pepper and vodka as nicely. Ghee didn’t go so nicely however I hope to strive it once more quickly. I’ve had a couple of sicknesses and extremely traumatic instances which have delayed my reintroductions, however hopefully quickly I’m attempting new issues once more!
How has the AIP modified your life?
AIP has given me a wholly totally different mindset and adjusted so many issues in my life. I’m not in ache on a regular basis. I suffered from joint ache, fatigue, pores and skin flare ups, mind fog, and abdomen points that I had no concept could possibly be managed with altering the way in which I ate. The bizarre a part of feeling sick on a regular basis is simply that, you’re feeling it on a regular basis. It turns into your regular and when issues started to carry away the extra I modified my food plan, I had a complete new perspective on meals and my life. The best way your mindset and vitality adjustments when the ache is gone, it’s completely value by no means consuming “usually” once more for me. My physique doesn’t need struggling again.
Additionally it is a little bit tougher to open up about, however I struggled with binge consuming and having a horrible relationship with meals. I used to be hitting the scales simply over 350 lbs and steadily gaining each week. Studying about my autoimmune illness and the way meals may impact my signs, compelled me to actually take a look at what how I used to be consuming and the voids I used to be attempting to fill with meals. I needed to cease killing myself with a fork. I’ve misplaced round 130 lbs on my therapeutic journey. I’ve by no means felt higher and now have a more healthy relationship with meals. I could prepare dinner for a household of 4, however I’m not consuming for a household of 4.
Dimension of your AIP kitchen: 15 ft x10 ft
Favourite factor about your kitchen:
I like that my kitchen has a lot counter house. It has nearly 15 toes of counter house. Some AIP recipes require a variety of prep work and devices, you’re going to wish some room. I don’t have to maneuver my massive air fryer or blender that I exploit each single day to make room for what I have to do subsequent. I’ve bought room for some crops and herbs I wish to have round. There may be sufficient house to have my produce tucked within the nook, my home equipment I want and room to dry the by no means ending dishes. Which, sigh, leads us into the what I’d change immediately if I may.
Least favourite factor about your kitchen:
I want I had a dishwasher. I do know they’re not terribly costly anymore, however hear me out. I’ve customized cupboards that had been constructed within the 60’s. Nothing measures to plain sizes lately and I’ll probably want somebody to come back rework my cupboards and drawers out. I’m a single gal on a good funds so I’ll hold scrubbing away. AIP means a variety of dishes, like A LOT. I’m solely cooking for one, however I attempt to batch prepare dinner and make life simpler. I’m at all times washing dishes. I am keen on my little home and kitchen, however a dishwasher… a woman can dream. I’d additionally improve my range, change the flooring, add greenhouse home windows… the want checklist of updates grows. What I do have, I’m grateful for.
Are there any low-cost devices or little instruments that you’ve discovered make AIP simpler?
My favourite devices that had been below $10 are my hand juicer and garlic press. I exploit my citrus hand juicer each single day, whether or not it’s for lemon water or including lemon to smoothie or recipes. I like this factor and I’d advocate it to everybody that loves lemon. I additionally use my garlic press very steadily. I admit, I’m not the perfect at mincing garlic and this protects me time. My greatest recommendation right here, discover one which opens up for simpler cleansing. Mine has a little bit door that unlocks and swings open so you may actually get all of the garlic bits out. Garlic and lemon add a lot taste and these guys assist me do it sooner and simpler. Additionally, a very sharp knife. You’re going to be chopping a variety of issues.
What’s the greatest factor that modified in your kitchen setup while you adopted the AIP?
After I started AIP, issues didn’t change rather a lot at first in addition to eradicating all the things on the nope checklist. After a short while, I spotted the storage container part was rising and rising whereas the pantry was not filled with processed snacks. I reorganized all of the areas to make extra sense. I began using my historical lazy Susan nook cupboard for canned items and snacks as an alternative of the pantry house. The pantry is utilized so a lot better now with my storage containers organized and home equipment I don’t use typically.
If somebody was simply beginning to put money into some helpful however costlier kitchen instruments, which one would you inform them to purchase first?
My most helpful costly kitchen software is arms down my blender. There are recipes which might be going to require a excessive powered machine to demolish these robust root veggies. I make a smoothie for breakfast on daily basis. I’m spoiled, my blender was a birthday reward and a celebratory AIP journey reward from mates. I don’t know in the event that they understand how invaluable it as change into. I make soups, desserts, my tomato sauce substitute, my queso sauce, and so many different scrumptious issues that make AIP simpler. I’d additionally advocate one which works as a meals processor, this protects a lot prep time too.
Are there any tips you’ve realized to make AIP work in your house?
Organizing needs to be my greatest trick to make AIP simpler in my kitchen. Having my pots and pans organized by how typically I’ll use them, my storage containers simply accessible, and all my flour substitutes so as make cooking a lot simpler. I didn’t actually have a necessity to prepare like this earlier than. My kitchen was at all times filled with able to eat meals and now it is stuffed with complete substances to change into my meals.
How do you cope with meals for members of the family that aren’t AIP?
I’m form of fortunate, I don’t have to actually cope with non AIP meals in my kitchen. I reside alone so I’ve the entire kitchen to myself. When household or mates come over, they’re probably bringing their very own meals or consuming AIP with me. I suppose if I discovered somebody worthy of sharing my house with, possibly I’d give him a couple of cabinets within the fridge and a shelf within the cupboard. And I’d drool over the goodies however remind myself that my journey is larger than the momentary pleasure of a Reese’s cup.
Are there any instruments or home equipment that you just’ve stopped utilizing now that your food plan has modified?
Since I started AIP, I broke up with my Keurig machine and my rice cooker. I didn’t have a necessity for espresso to start with stage, plus the Okay-cups had been so dear and filled with dangerous issues too. I switched to utilizing a kettle to make sizzling tea. The rice cooker can be utilized as a sluggish cooker as nicely, however in fact I’ve a type of too.
What are your favourite meals to batch prepare dinner?
I’m at the moment hooked on Brussels sprouts roasted with child carrots and pink onion. I drizzle balsamic and maple syrup over them and might’t get sufficient of those candy savory veggies. I’ve been making a big pan of those and utilizing them for lunch prep for weeks on finish. I normally pair this with roasted rooster or pork. It has been actually heat right here and sizzling meals for lunch hasn’t been interesting, so I’ve additionally thrown collectively a veggie, prosciutto, inexperienced pea pasta salad that’s tremendous tasty and simple to batch prepare dinner. A few of my different go to taste enhancers I attempt to hold available are “queso” sauce, tomato sauce sub, and a mayo sub. I at all times attempt to have a protein able to go as nicely, normally grass fed floor beef.
What are your favourite AIP and Paleo cookbooks?
The Autoimmune Protocol Consolation Meals Cookbook by Michelle Hoover is my favourite. I grew up with consolation meals and he or she covers so a lot of my childhood meals. I’ve a couple of memorized already, just like the stroganoff and biscuits and gravy. I spend method an excessive amount of time on Pinterest saving recipes too. There are such a lot of unbelievable blogs and sources on-line for recipes, I may spend all day itemizing them.
Do you’ve any ideas for these beginning an elimination food plan and establishing their AIP kitchens for the primary time?
My greatest tip for beginning an elimination food plan might be out of sight out of thoughts. To start with, the temptations are stronger, nicely for me they had been. It was simpler to eradicate issues in the event that they weren’t sitting round me. The gadgets I knew I couldn’t have but however would be capable to reintroduce quickly, went into the again nook of the cupboards. I put them in trip. I felt like I couldn’t mess up if I didn’t have issues in entrance of me and it actually helped. Meals is actually throughout us and such an enormous a part of life, nevertheless it doesn’t have to harm us.
You’ll be able to join with Jennifer on her web site, Don’t Feed the Fats Woman and on Fb.
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