Recently I interviewed Julie Michelson, as she discussed AIP diet tips and troubleshooting. If you would prefer to listen the interview you can access it by Clicking Here [1].
Dr. Eric Osansky:
With me, I have Julie Michelson, who is a national board-certified functional medicine health coach, bestselling author, international speaker, and the host of the Inspired Living with Autoimmunity podcast. Through her journey of overcoming more than a decade of decline with rheumatoid arthritis, Julie became passionate about functional medicine and using lifestyle to create healing. Julie is an expert in supporting others achieve the changes necessary to experience true healing. Thank you so much for joining us, Julie.
Julie Michelson:
I’m excited to be here. Thanks for having me.
Dr. Eric:
You are welcome. I am excited to have you as well. We are going to be discussing diet with a focus on autoimmune paleo (AIP) diet, giving some tips and troubleshooting. Before we dive into this, I would like to have you talk a little bit about your background, how you became an AIP-certified health coach and how you got into what you do now, helping people with autoimmune conditions. Of course, we said a little bit in the intro because you had rheumatoid arthritis, which I’m sure ties into that.
Julie:
It does. It is just one of the diagnoses I had. When I was in my early 30s, newly single mom with three little kiddos, I was diagnosed first with rheumatoid arthritis. I was told when I was diagnosed to expect to decline. There was nothing I could do except take the medications they gave me. On their end, what they would try to do was slow my decline as much as they could and keep me as comfortable as possible. Unfortunately for me at the time, I believed that. I had great doctors. Everyone seemed to agree. When you are diagnosed with something like that, that’s your fate.
I of course did decline for over a decade because that’s what I was expected to do. I kept piling on the prescriptions. I was on 10 prescriptions at the end of 11 years at once. I was taking 10 at a time. It wasn’t working. I was unable to work. I was resting while the kids were at school, so I could handle that afterschool to bedtime window. I had severe brain fog. I was in severe pain. They were trying to get me to put a handicapped placard on my car to save energy and steps. That was the current conversation at the time that I luckily had my aha moment, my dark moment, my light moment, whatever you want to call it.
My youngest daughter begged me, “Please don’t die and leave us.” Obviously, I couldn’t promise her that. What I said that changed my life, and hopefully a lot of people’s lives because this is why I do what I do. I promised her, “I would try everything.” In that moment, I realized I hadn’t tried everything. I tried every medication they had me try, thinking that was everything.
Luckily, I had the history of a little bit of improvement with diet change that I had done on my own. That was where I started with diet. At the point I made that decision, I was already gluten-free. My son had been diagnosed with Celiac a few years before that. To support him, I went gluten-free with him. We would do it together. I noticed my joint pain had gotten a little bit better by going gluten-free. Come to find out, I had Celiac.
I remember even back then, asking my doctor, “Wow, if this helped a little bit, what do you think about dairy? I’ve read that nightshades can be a problem.” “No, nightshades is one in a million. It’s not really a thing.” Back then, I believed her. It was enough. It was stuck in my head, and that’s where I decided to start on my own.
It took me years. AIP wasn’t around yet. I was uneducated. I thought I was eating Paleo at that point. I was still eating corn. I didn’t know corn was a grain. I was eating loads of sugar. I was still avoiding fats, even healthy fats, because I still had that mindset of fat is bad. It took a long time. It was a process.
I am really fortunate that without even managing my other underlying causes, just over the years, by continuing to tweak diet and learn, I was able to get well enough to reduce the brain fog, so I could learn more and continue down the journey. It has become my life’s calling not only to help people but also to shout from the rooftops, as you do all the time, that we can heal. People need to know that autoimmunity is not a death sentence; it can be turned around.
Dr. Eric:
Well said. I definitely agree. Your rheumatoid arthritis is under control?
Julie:
I have no symptoms. I have been symptom-free for about six years, maybe longer now. Time keeps marching on quickly.
Dr. Eric:
True. You mentioned AIP wasn’t around. Same thing when I was diagnosed with Graves’ in 2008. There was no AIP then. I started out with more of a modified Paleo diet, you could say. I was still eating nuts, which I had to eliminate later on because I was having some issues. I wasn’t 100% certain it was due to nuts, but when I cut them out, I progressed further.
Why don’t we talk about AIP? Could you give a brief overview of what the diet entails?
Julie:
Absolutely. I want to start right away by saying when people hear AIP, they think diet. We are going to focus on food today, but AIP is a lifestyle. It’s important for people to understand that they may dial in their diet perfectly, but if they are not actively managing their stress, not sleeping well, not in community and connected with others, not handling toxins, not moving properly at the level for their body. If one thing is perfect without the rest, I can guarantee you it won’t get you the results you’re looking for. To me, diet is a low-hanging fruit and such a big driver. It’s not just a diet.
What AIP is, as far as the food plan, it contains a comprehensive elimination diet, where we are eliminating all of the most common drivers to autoimmunity. I say “most common” because usually by the time most of us are diagnosed with an autoimmune condition, we know we have leaky gut. When we have leaky gut, we have food sensitivities. A lot of them can be to really healthy, nutrient-dense foods that aren’t on an autoimmune list, things like spinach. I try to stop saying kale because people are tired of hearing about kale. There is no one written plan that is going to be optimal for everybody. But AIP is so comprehensive that we now have great scientific studies behind it.
As you mentioned, it’s a Paleo diet. It’s just beyond that. The key, and the part I think gets the most misunderstood, is yes, the elimination phase is very restrictive. It’s supposed to be a phase. It’s not supposed to be a lifelong thing unless someone really needs to be avoiding all of those foods long-term. You mentioned Paleo. It’s completely grain-free. Yes, even oatmeal. These are the things people like to negotiate all the time. I know we will get into that later. It’s sugar-free. It’s sweetener-free. No legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, nightshades, alcohol. What else am I missing?
Dr. Eric:
Paleo allows eggs, nuts, and seeds. You mentioned those are not allowed.
Julie:
No dairy.
Dr. Eric:
No nightshades, grains, legumes, alcohol. Of course, it goes without saying: no unhealthy oils.
Julie:
No processed foods. All of those additives and chemicals, we’re talking about a whole real food eating plan.
Dr. Eric:
Even certain spices are not allowed, correct?
Julie:
The ones that aren’t allowed are either nightshades or seeds.
Dr. Eric:
Speaking of coffee, would you say that falls under the legume category?
Julie:
It is a bean. Coffee may technically actually be a seed. I can’t remember which category it’s in. Full confession: I have coffee right here. It’s earlier here than it is where you are. I have done my reintroductions, and I am okay with coffee although I am not okay with other legumes. I don’t eat legumes.
Dr. Eric:
In your situation-
Julie:
Where we start is not where we end up ideally. That restrictive phase is a phase.
Dr. Eric:
I agree. I look at AIP as more of a starting point. It’s a phase. When I have someone start on an AIP diet, and I can’t say I have every single one of my autoimmune patients start there, but for those who do start there, I usually will try to encourage them to go at least three months. Even 30 days is better than nothing. But a minimum of three months. What do you have to say as far as duration of that phase?
Julie:
It’s individualized. It’s going to depend on response. I’ve had the rare occasion where we’re working toward a full AIP elimination, and someone feels phenomenal. If someone is feeling amazing, then I will say, “Okay. I don’t need to get more restrictive.”
I agree. It depends on where they are. What are their symptoms like? How long have they been struggling? It usually takes at least a good 60 days. Here’s the thing I find. I will start with an at least. I don’t say 90 days to anybody because I don’t want to scare them off. I do say, “This will depend on you.” Nobody believes me when I tell them this, but I always tell them, “I promise, I will be encouraging you to do reintroductions. You are not going to want to.” At the beginning, it sounds really hard and overwhelming. When it is the right thing, and you feel amazing, nobody wants to put those things back in because they don’t want to feel crummy again.
For me, the whole purpose of AIP is information and power. It’s not about the elimination. It’s about the reintroductions and really learning what each of those foods is doing. People don’t understand. I have people ask me all the time, “Are we creating a food sensitivity? I have been eating tomatoes my whole life, and now they bother me.” I liken it to because I am over 50, that fuzzy TV screen, those of us in my age group remember when the antenna wasn’t just right. You have so many little sources driving your inflammation that you can’t feel what just one is doing. That is the beauty of this protocol.
I know we may touch on some other eating plans. The thing I love, I am working on my Bredesen certification, and I have worked with a Bredesen-certified physician. That’s an Alzheimer’s plan. Anyone familiar with the Wahls protocol. All of these things come down to the same thing. They are all grain-free, dairy-free, nutrient-dense, loads of veggies, lots of good healthy fats, and no sugars. All of the higher-level diets have some level of ketosis involved. There is a crossover. I study all of them and see these are the things that must be important no matter what your diagnosis or symptoms are.
Dr. Eric:
I agree. I want to talk about grains. Toward the beginning, you picked a little bit on oatmeal. Before the interview, we were chatting a bit. That is one of the things patients like to introduce. Oatmeal, rice is common. As you mentioned, a lot of these diets avoid grains. Why are grains not part of AIP or a Paleo diet or a ketogenic diet? Keto might be different. You are trying to get into ketosis, so there are different reasons.
Julie:
I think that’s still part of it. There is more than one answer, and there is overlap. We will start with the easy part. Grains are going to increase your carbs. At some point, for everyone, carbs become inflammatory. Just that alone, without the other reasons, is why someone who is dealing with chronic inflammation needs to be careful of their carbs.
I have gentled as I have aged and coached more and more. I did pick on oatmeal. The reason I picked on oatmeal is most people think oatmeal is really good for them. It’s marketed really well. I had a client recently who was a type one diabetic who was eating oatmeal every morning for breakfast. She had no idea that was bumping her blood sugar. Easy reason #1 that carbs can be a problem for people.
Also, certain gluten-free grains, because gluten is another thing- Everyone who works in the autoimmune world will agree that gluten is a problem, especially for those with autoimmunity. One problem with other grains is molecular mimicry is a thing. They can send similar signals and trip similar immune responses. Some of those proteins are similar. That’s another piece of the problem.
I go by what I see. When I first started coaching elimination diets, we would introduce gluten-free grains all lumped together. We would do oats, rice, and corn. I don’t do that anymore. We need to know exactly what each particular driver is doing. I do have clients that are okay with rice when all is said and done. Even those clients can’t eat rice every day, or they will bump their inflammation back up. My kids would tease me, “Not all grains are evil.” I did used to be so, “No, grains are bad!” The ones I think sometimes people can eventually handle in moderation are rice (cook it, cool it completely, then it becomes a resistance starch, and you can eat it) and oats here and there. I don’t eat oats. I will occasionally have sushi if I pour MCT oil on it. It really does depend.
Through coaching hundreds of people through this process, corn is a big problem for people. They typically have no idea. That is another reason why I think the gluten-free movement is not that great. I thought it was great with my son before I knew better, but that food is just loaded with junk and high-sugar stuff and corn.
Dr. Eric:
Some people might say it’s organic, so it’s GMO-free. It’s not just the GMOs. It’s the corn itself. Even if you have organic corn, it’s something you still want to avoid, arguably not just when trying to restore your health, but generally. It’s difficult because so many products, especially if it’s packaged and gluten-free, will usually have corn.
Julie:
Humans were not designed to be able to process grains, from the way we chew. There are a lot of reasons when we look back. If we think of paleo, that’s this approach. How did we eat in Paleolithic times? What are we designed for? We weren’t sitting around eating carbs all day. We weren’t sitting around all day either. When you think of what that mindset means, that’s what it means.
Dr. Eric:
They didn’t sit around eating popcorn, speaking of corn.
Julie:
My daughter was just teasing me about that. When I said I was doing Paleo all wrong. I thought I was eating Paleo, and I was having popcorn almost every night, when I had that treat mentality still. No, they weren’t watching movies and eating popcorn.
Dr. Eric:
Some people might be able to get away with some gluten-free grains, possibly rice and maybe oats. The thing is you never know how someone is going to respond. When someone is trying to negotiate, it’s up to the person. We can’t force people to follow any type of diet. We just give recommendations. What I always say is if you deviate, it’s ultimately up to you. You might progress fine. But we just don’t know. If that’s a risk you want to take, if you go 30 days or a few months, then you hit a road block. If you hit a road block, we don’t know for sure that you’re eating bad food. If you’re eating rice, we don’t know for sure that’s why you’re not progressing. If you’re eating strict AIP, we can’t blame it on certain foods. If you’re eating that food, then we don’t know.
Julie:
It’s the scientific approach. That is why I believe wholeheartedly the proper reintroductions are the most important part. Then you’re not guessing what does rice do to me? I don’t always coach AIP straight as it’s written. We use it as a framework. If you ask Sarah Ballantyne, that’s what it was designed for. In order to be a resource for people, you have to give them the framework.
I just had a potential client come to me until she told me she was vegan. I said, and I know you have a question about that, that I was not the right coach to help her heal unless she was willing to incorporate some animal protein into her diet. Luckily for both of us, she said, “I will do whatever you tell me to do. Let’s get started.” As a vegan, some of her really high sensitivities were things like soy and a bunch of the wonderfully nutrient-dense vegetables she was eating.
Here is where I love the food sensitivity panel not only as a backup but how to get a vegan not to eat soy. You show them data that their body is having a problem. For me, it made that part of my job so much easier. She just reintroduced kale last week. She did a full elimination diet and has been very slow to reintroduce. “Please, can we do kale now?” “Sure.” She can’t eat kale; it’s not her friend. And she loves kale. It doesn’t even have to be an evil food, like my kids think I think, on that list of things. Now, her body has told her that. If she had been eating that the whole time, she wouldn’t have gotten the results she got on her elimination phase because she would have had inflammation the whole time.
Like you said, it’s so important to take it out, and then to really feel. I’m one of those. I get it. I was eating gluten my whole life. I didn’t have gut issues. I thought it was fine. When they wanted to test me for Celiac, they told me, “You have to eat two pieces of wheat bread a day for a week or 10 days” in order to get an accurate read before the biopsy. That’s where I learned that. It didn’t happen. I couldn’t. I was that sick. That’s that sense of your body can tell you. Had a health coach told me however many years ago that was, 15 years ago, I shouldn’t eat gluten, I probably would have still dabbled in gluten. Feeling what it does to my body, it’s a never ever food for me.
Dr. Eric:
Definitely listen to your body. One thing I want to say about soy. You do a food sensitivity panel, and soy comes back positive. The one flaw with that, in my opinion, is if it comes back negative, you’re not just avoiding soy because you’re sensitive to it.
Julie:
Which is why it’s on AIP.
Dr. Eric:
Exactly.
Julie:
I run into that all the time. I try to explain I’m doing that panel for extra data. I’m looking for things like kale on that panel.
Dr. Eric:
You’re looking for foods that are allowed on AIP.
Julie:
That are nutrient-dense that I would normally encourage you to keep eating. To clarify, I take soy away from everybody all the time. That’s not usually one they argue with me a lot about. It’s usually dairy. “I only eat cheese.” I will offer to everyone contemplating, whether it’s AIP or any eating plan, to take a week and become truly educated about what you are eating. I have had so many people say, “I avoid dairy,” and there is dairy in the products they are using even if they are not eating straight dairy. I’m not picking on dairy. My family was in the dairy business, so I love cows. It’s not about that.
Dr. Eric:
Even dark chocolate. That is also not allowed on AIP. Some people might think they are eating dark chocolate, but it will have milk chocolate in there without saying. If you look at the label, it will say so.
Julie:
But they will have casein added, which is a dairy protein. I had that recently with someone, “I am eating these dark chocolate keto things.” “What’s in them?” “Oh, there’s milk in here.” If you have one takeaway from this conversation today, the starting point for everybody is really being truly aware of what you are eating because often we think we’re avoiding stuff, and we’re not.
Dr. Eric:
Quick question about food sensitivity testing. I personally don’t do a lot of it. Do you do IgG testing?
Julie:
I do IgA and IgG testing. I do the combo.
Dr. Eric:
You have them do the blood draw first without doing any type of elimination diet.
Julie:
The panel I use, they will send a kit right to the house. It’s a finger prick test. There is plenty to eliminate just on AIP. Most of the time, unless somebody is, “No, I want to go all in right away,” we’re stepping toward that, whether it’s slowly or rapidly, anyway. We get started right away while we are waiting for those results to come back.
Dr. Eric:
Let’s talk about constipation. That’s a common problem, where people are used to eating whatever they eat, whether it’s fast food, or maybe not eating a lot of unhealthy foods, but are eating grains and legumes, etc. Not necessarily a vegan/vegetarian, but a person in general who gives up all these foods. All of a sudden, they are experiencing constipation. What tips do you have for them?
Julie:
I’m going to go way back. I just had this conversation with a physician I work with. Sometimes we forget to start at the beginning. Are you drinking enough water? We jump to, “What can I take to help me with constipation?” There is often an adjustment period. It is interesting. I don’t experience that very often with the clients I walk through AIP. It could just be the way we handle that transition into the full elimination. It’s very rare actually for me. I know it is a big problem in the AIP community in general. #1 is how much water are you drinking? We have to be flushing things out. Look at that first. It sounds so basic, but it is so important. This could be why I don’t see a lot of it in my practice. AIP, we focus on the elimination phase and what you’re avoiding.
The other important piece is what you’re including. We’re including a lot of nutrient-dense vegetables. Here’s that crossover with AIP and Wahls and the Bredesen recode. Lots of vegetables and a variety: leafy greens, colors, cruciferous veggies. Those all have fiber. That could be a good reason why we don’t see a lot of it. I am not going to say my clients within a week are eating nine cups of veggies. That’s not true. But it is important, and it does help. “I need my oatmeal so I can poop.” We’ll find another way.
I’m not a physician. I work with a physician. Typically, if there is an adjustment period, we encourage people to make sure they are getting magnesium. They may have to increase that intake for a little bit to keep themselves regular. Typically, then they can back off. Most of us are deficient in magnesium, and there isn’t a part of your body that doesn’t love it. Tell me what you do for constipation.
Dr. Eric:
Similar to what you said. Make sure they’re hydrated. Make sure they’re eating plenty of vegetables. Like you said, it can sometimes be challenging because they are not used to eating a lot of vegetables at first. They are not making the transition to eight or nine cups a day initially. They might only be eating two or three servings a day. That can be helpful to increase the vegetable intake. Magnesium, I agree. If you’re constipated, citrate-
Julie:
Or a blend if you don’t want to go overboard. I’m guessing you would do the same, but for those listening who don’t know how much magnesium to take, it’s a brief, maybe unpleasant experience. You want to keep increasing your dose until you have too much motility, and then you back off. If you’re taking capsules, you drop it down one. That’s usually how we do it. You can do it gently. Then the beauty is once you get the veggie intake up, and the body is adjusted, you can drop down. It’s a really important supplement. We all need magnesium. I personally love blended forms. Different parts of the body like different forms of magnesium.
Dr. Eric:
I don’t recommend citrate for most of my patients. It’s just for-
Julie:
Motility, yeah. Absolutely.
Dr. Eric:
I like glycinate and other forms of magnesium, like malate. Just focusing on constipation, I would say citrate. You could also take a blend. Nothing wrong with that.
I will also say movement. I had this conversation recently with someone who experienced constipation after following AIP. She wasn’t moving around enough. I told her my experience. I was really sluggish when I was in my early 20s. I would have a bowel movement almost once or twice a week. My diet was horrible growing up. These days, I have regular bowel movements. Sometimes it’s on the sluggish side. But if I am sitting too much, which I try not to do—I have a treadmill desk, so I can walk and work at the same time—if I start moving, it’s usually not a problem. But if I do everything else, and I’m not moving, that can be a problem when it comes to constipation.
Julie:
I’m so glad I asked you. It’s like the water. These are things our body needs to be doing. When we were talking about Paleo, they were moving all the time. Whatever that level looks like for you, it doesn’t mean you have to go out and do a HIIT workout. Get up.
Dr. Eric:
Exactly. I don’t know how many patients you see with Hashimoto’s or Graves’. Hashimoto’s is more common.
Julie:
Yes, more common. It’s such a common crossover, I find, whether it’s a secondary or primary diagnosis in autoimmunity. Definitely ¾ of someone sharing a different diagnosis also has Hashimoto’s. Not as much with Graves’.
Dr. Eric:
I’m bringing that up because there is controversy in the world of thyroid health with iodine. I wanted to get your thoughts about sea vegetables, which are really high in iodine. Do you recommend sea vegetables to your patients with Hashimoto’s?
Julie:
I do. I know everybody takes a different path. They are nutrient-dense. We do need iodine. Most of us aren’t getting iodine in our diets elsewhere. They are not hopefully eating iodized salt anymore by the time we are getting going. We are looking for other good sources to support them.
We also use labs a lot. I work with a functional medicine physician. Whether it’s in my program or with the patients at the clinic, we are always doing labs as well. Working with the women I work with, one of the things that we see a lot, women who have cystic breasts need iodine. Sometimes supporting iodine in them will clear something. We look for signs and test as well.
Sea vegetables, people aren’t usually coming in and saying, “I eat a ton of these. Is that okay?” That won’t be the bulk of somebody’s diet. I think it’s really good to incorporate.
Dr. Eric:
Just to confirm, you are not really seeing problems with your Hashimoto’s patients as far as sea vegetables go?
Julie:
We don’t. A lot of it comes down to how many are they eating? I’ll qualify that. He doesn’t have Hashimoto’s, but I have a client right now who is an avid podcast listener and reader and learner and loves wellness. For the people who think they should be eating a ton of sea vegetables and are intentionally trying to do something good, that can be a problem. Everything in balance is what I will say. I don’t have people that really need to be avoiding sea vegetables.
Dr. Eric:
In the last few minutes, I want to do something I haven’t done before.
Julie:
Oh boy.
Dr. Eric:
I want to do a rapid-fire round, where I bring up a topic and have you give your opinion for 30 seconds.
Julie:
Let’s do it!
Dr. Eric:
Ashwagandha and AIP?
Julie:
I say no.
Dr. Eric:
Because it’s a nightshade?
Julie:
Yep.
Dr. Eric:
Pea protein powder and AIP?
Julie:
No, it’s a legume.
Dr. Eric:
Bone broth powder and AIP?
Julie:
Bone broth and AIP, yes.
Dr. Eric:
I knew you’d say yes to bone broth. I am purposefully bringing up the powders because there are so many. I’m sure you get, “I don’t have time to make bone broth, but I will add this bone broth powder to my smoothie.”
Julie:
I will ask what is in your bone broth powder? It’s the trick answer to the trick question. It’s about becoming a label reading master. There are AIP-prepared bone broths. I understand not everybody wants to make their own bone broth. Going back to my formerly vegan client—who still identifies as vegan. I said, “You can’t say you’re vegan when you eat salmon four days a week and drink bone broth and eat eggs. You’re no longer a vegan.” If you can’t handle chicken feet, there are reasons. I would never ask her to make her own bone broth. She hasn’t jumped to the beef world yet. You have to read your ingredients and know what’s in there.
Dr. Eric:
What’s your favorite cooking oil?
Julie:
Depends on what I’m cooking and how. I love avocado oil. To me, it’s a middle of the road oil in the sense that it doesn’t taste like coconut. It doesn’t have an intense flavor. It’s very mild, and it can handle a higher heat than olive oil. I don’t like cooking with olive oil; I like dressing with olive oil. Coconut oil as well, we use.
Dr. Eric:
Chlorella and spirulina in AIP?
Julie:
Again, it’s going to be a non-answer. It’s an individual thing. I’m a fan of chlorella. I mentioned I occasionally take sushi. I will take chlorella when I eat sushi to try to bind some of those nasty things. It’s going to depend on your autoimmune pathways as to whether you can handle certain things or not. Those are not typically a problem for people. It’s almost like the sea vegetable thing. There is such good stuff in both of those things. For the most part, people can handle it, but I would be aware. I would take them as an introduction. I would take them when you’re feeling well and eating clean, and you see how your body feels about it.
Dr. Eric:
I bring it up because I’m pretty sure Sarah Ballantyne says not to eat it. It’s a No on that list.
How about AIP and ghee? Which I asked you about when you interviewed me on your podcast.
Julie:
You must get this question a lot. The answer is yes, we allow ghee. If you know you have a dairy allergy, don’t do ghee. The proteins are gone, so it’s one of the ways to make AIP more successful for people is to allow them to have ghee. I almost added it in my list of cooking oils. I don’t know if it’s an oil oil.
Dr. Eric:
Last rapid-fire question. Reintroducing gluten and dairy if remission has been achieved.
Julie:
Yes. I believe everybody should reintroduce everything. Gluten and dairy are absolutely the last two on the list. When I have people reintroduce dairy, I have them do different dairies at different times. I will have them do goat separate from cow. Goat might be an occasional food for someone, and cow may be a never. I want people to feel what it does so that six months later, they don’t end up at a birthday party where they accidentally had the birthday cake. It was loaded with gluten and sugar and dairy, and now they are in a flare with no idea what it was. I do believe everybody should reintroduce everything. I will reiterate because I have to: I believe they should avoid gluten for the rest of their lives.
Dr. Eric:
I didn’t expect that response. How about if they reintroduce gluten, and they feel perfectly fine?
Julie:
I cry. It has happened to me literally twice out of hundreds of people. It’s very rare, and I cry. Then I explain. We review leaky gut and autoimmunity and how this all happened to begin with. I still remember you talking about the occasional pizza. For them, I say have a little gluten in Italy. It seems to be less of a problem there. Don’t make it a part of your regular diet.
Dr. Eric:
Thanks for that. I know we are just about out of time. Anything I didn’t ask that I should have asked? Any last words you want to give to someone who is thinking about following AIP and isn’t sure they will be able to stick with it?
Julie:
I can say it can sound overwhelming, and it will be way easier than you think once we get into it. I think we may have talked about this on my podcast, but as you make changes, you will start to feel better. You will have more energy to make more changes, which is why ripping off the Band-Aid and just jumping in from a standard American diet to a full AIP elimination is probably not going to work.
Look for support, whether it’s someone doing it with you. Find a coach. This is why there are coaches. You want to really be supported through that process.
I would say if you’re thinking of it, but it seems overwhelming, and you’re still eating gluten, then go gluten-free. Take one step. Look at the elimination plan. I always tell people to start with the easiest thing. What is the easiest thing they think they can eliminate successfully, so they can start to build some momentum?
Dr. Eric:
Thanks for that. How can people learn more about you and your services, Julie?
Julie:
The easiest place to find me is JM.Coach. That can then take you to my free mini course, my website, my social handles, my podcast. It’s my gateway to anything you might want to know. JulieMichelson.com is my website.
Dr. Eric:
The name of your podcast is Inspired Living with Autoimmunity.
Julie:
Come check it out. If you need more Dr. Eric, we did a great episode there.
Dr. Eric:
That was fun. This was fun, too. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts on AIP and other diet aspects.
Julie:
Thank you so much for having me. I always enjoy chatting with you.