Getting Past the Fear of AIP Reintroductions: Podcast Season 2, Episode 6

“I was feeling so good doing AIP. I was really scared of then having a negative reaction and going backwards in my healing.”

Laura Morrow, the autoimmune protocol treasure hunter behind the subscription box service, Simply AIP, chats with me about her experiences surrounding the natural fears that can come along with the AIP reintroduction phase.

Laura, also a psychology major in college, lends us her tips and strategies for moving past these fears, as they can be blocking our healing progress. We also talk about the difference between these natural fears and the eating disorder, orthorexia.

Laura created the AIP Made Simple Online Program to teach people how to simply incorporate AIP into their everyday lives.

You can also find Laura in her fun, lighthearted Simply AIP support group on Facebook!

You can use the audio player below to listen.

Please scroll down for the episode transcription and show notes.

SHOW NOTES

*Please note that this automated transcription contains errors, omissions, and spelling mistakes.*

We’re back with another podcast today, and I’m super excited about today’s guest because I love what she is doing for the AIP community.

I’m a huge fan of her simply AIP boxes, and I know you’ve seen me share them on my blog and social media and stuff.

Let me introduce you to Laura Morrow. She’s the founder of Simply AIP , an online business that supports women with auto immune disease by showing them how to manage their symptoms with diet and lifestyle using the autoimmune protocol , also known as the AIP.

Laura began suffering from an autoimmune disease after the birth of her son . She found little help from doctors, and searching for an alternative answer, she found AIP and was able to significantly reduce her symptoms in just a few weeks .

She wants simply AIP to provide people with the support they would need to make AIP as simple as possible so that they could focus on healing.

Laura created the AIP Made Simple Online Program to teach women how to simply incorporate AIP into their everyday lives .

Laura , I’m so grateful for what you’re doing for a community . And I’m really excited to have you here today . How are you doing today?

Great! I’m excited to be here . Thanks for having me .

And you’re looking lovely today. So I’d love if you could tell me a little bit more about your simply AIP boxes . And how do you pick them out ? What goes in the box that month, the behind the scenes kind of stuff .

Yeah . So it is really fun putting the boxes together . And I always just choose products that I’m excited about .

I do tons of research because there’s I found like there’s certain products that , like everybody who’s on AIP or if you’ve been on it for a little while that that you know about right, like certain brands . Um , but then there are a lot of things out there that maybe just , you know , they’re marketed is a key , but they haven’t really gone mainstream with it yet .

But then there’s a lot of brands out there that don’t even know about AIP . They just happen to be AIP. And so that’s the really fun ones to find , because then I introduce them to a whole new market of people .

And , you know , then all of the AIP people find , ah , whole new product that they never knew existed before . So I love making that connection between the two . Like I always feel like it’s like it’s almost like a great discovery .

I just do it by looking at a lot of things that are paleo, but market is a key. I do it kind of Internet research , but I also go to out like conferences and trade shows of like , natural food products .

So there’s just tons of different and my like people in my Facebook group will recommend finds. So I’m just always I spent a ton of time researching things , and I try each month to come up with products that kind of go together and make sense together . And sometimes you can use them together.

Um , but what’s funny is I think that some people think that , like there’s just this big a catalogue of foods , and I just put through what I just select what I want for that month and that is just so not true . Besides , communicating with the people is just locating the vendors and then going through the process of even like explaining to them what AIP is , what a subscription box is , you know , getting them excited to be a part of it , and then figuring out which month .

So even once they’re on board , it’s like , Well , they might not have that type of inventory to do hundreds of products for it might be three months from now or they might want to wait until the Christmas season , or whatever it is . So it’s like every month feels like putting a puzzle together of , um , you know what I want in the box , but what they could go and all that .

So it’s really fun , but it takes a lot of work to do . But I’m so happy to be able to bring that to our community .

I love how you describe that the process of hunting it down you’re like an anti inflammatory treasure hunter!

Yeah , it’s so cool! Because I’m educating a lot of these brands about AIP, and some of them have even made changes to their formulas , you know , because of what I’ve talked to them about , or some of them have even come out with new products because they know that the market is there , um , or that they’ve started , you know , marketing to more .

People are putting their things in different stores , you know , because now they’re more aware , which I just love , And it’s just so cool just since I’ve been doing , There’s this , um , for a year and 1/2 there’s been an explosion of a key products out there , and I like to think I haven’t least a little part of that , which is really fun , definitely .

I mean , not only are you helping to raise awareness within our community and helping , um , individuals that are doing a i p or wanting to get into it , you know , the , you know , consuming air P products . Hey , there’s more stuff out there . You’re actually getting in touch with companies that had no idea that their product helps people heal.  

Exactly exactly. It’s really fun . And every box to I try to have a balance of foods . I like to have at least like two or three things that are just like straight snacks , at least one or two things that are like ingredients like looking olive oil are , you know , something like that , like cassava flour , something that you can make a recipe . Um , I like to have , like , one or two sweets . Salty or crunchy things. Sometimes a beverage . I try to always have a protein in there so that it’s not just like all you know , whatever .

There’s a good variety and you’re getting a balance in each box . So that’s part of the puzzle to is , is putting it together with with this balance each month .

You do a great job . The boxes that I’ve received for me open on that was like , Oh , it’s like Christmas in July and I didn’t even know about this product and what I was really cool . Um , I mean , it’s all shelf stable , obviously , because it shipped . Um , and we went on a trip overseas to Japan last , and I hoarded some of the things that were in the last couple of boxes , and I’m like who ? There’s some olives that didn’t have liquid in it so I could take it on the plane on Didn’t know . I mean , I requested a gluten free meal for my 12 and 1/2 hour flight , and I’m like , I’m gonna be stuck on a plane with nothing to eat . So I brought one of those Wild Zora…the instant meals ? Yes . And , uh , fortunately , I  was able to eat what  they serve me on the plane . I just picked off a lot of the gluten free bread because I don’t do well , too much of it .

But it was nice to know that I had that with me for when I got there and just pour some hot water in it and and then all the little snacky things just really came in handy . So thank you for for making my trip to Japan easier .

Yeah , well , that is exciting . I’m so glad you got to go to Japan . That’s amazing . I would love to go there , but yes , that is exactly how I feel because one of the biggest things is I’m kind of in this way of my whole life , but especially after getting autoimmune symptoms like when I get hungry . Like I need to eat now like I get like I used to be able to , like , stretch it out like , oh , wait until after whatever . And but it’s like I just can’t really do that cause I just start getting , like , really like lightheaded and nauseated and just just total lack of energy.

And so that’s fine . This is so great is that these air products that that that’s why I created the whole company is because I needed food right then and I would go to buy the Cabinet , and I’m like , I cannot eat anything in care . So I’ve got to find things that I could grab and go and be able to eat whenever that hunger strikes . And it was just really difficult , Like I just had to dig like I was saying to find things . Um , and I was like , I if somebody could just send me something like just send me the food I could eat Light would be so But as easy , uh , and then I thought , Well , if I’m having this issue , maybe other people rto And that’s how the whole concept was born . And especially when you’re traveling like you said , it could be really stressful .

I always bring like , I literally bring a whole carry on a food whenever I travel for more than , like , a dares , and it doesn’t usually bring some hold . Like I usually have extra , but I don’t want to feel like I’m gonna starve . You know , I don’t want to feel like I’m gonna be deprived . I would rather bring so much more and , you know , have plenty , then be like , Oh , I’m , like , pursuing this out like , a little bit . It can’t find anything , so it just makes it a lot less stressful . And that’s so important to me these days .

You don’t have to worry about , you know , 7 11 nachos .

Heh. Exactly .

That’s so awesome . You said you’ve done AIP yourself . Obviously , that’s what got you into this initially . Um , so I was wondering when you started to do the elimination phase . Did you have , like , a set number of days that you like ? Say , I’m gonna do this for 30 days ? Or did you go more for the approach for some people like yours truly did .

Well , I wanted to do it until I noticed a difference in my symptoms because I had had these symptoms of auto immune for a couple of years , and I got too many doctors appointments or whatever . And even though they found inflammation, I like they couldn’t discover the cause . Um , and I am still actually undiagnosed , like they found out inflammation , but they could never figure out what it waas .

Eventually I just quit going because it was just seem pointless . It just frustrated me and just it was just bad . Um , So it was my chiropractor who recommended AIP for me , And , um , I had just gone in for just , like , a regular adjustment , and he was like , So what’s going on with you ? And I just ended up just like spilling it all out with joint pain and the , you know , the brain fog and the exhaustion and headaches . Then I had , like , tingling in my wrist . Then , um , and he was just like , we’re gonna get this under control . This is the kind of thing that will just get worse if you don’t do something about it . And so he introduced me to a i P . And he recommended that I do it for at least two months , and I really agree with that because I didn’t really start seeing much of a difference until about three and 1/2 weeks then .

And I think if I was in the mindset , that I was just gonna quit after 30 days . Like when I was just seeing the very beginning of symptoms after 27 days like that just wasn’t enough for a lot of healing to go on . So the the difference between 30 days to 60 days , I noticed a huge improvement in that amount of time . So I had the mindset that I was going to keep going , even after you know that initial time .

Um , but then the big thing that happened is so after two months , I went back to see him again , and he was like , While you’ve made a lot of improvement in two months and I was , like , all excited to get started with three intros and now and he was like , I think you could get I think you’re doing so well that you could even get more healing done . So I want you to keep doing it for another 2 to 3 months . Um Yes . So when he said I needed to keep going with AP for a few more months , I was just like , honestly , I was completely devastated in the beginning . Like why ? I was already doing intros and it was November . So Thanksgiving and Christmas were coming up , and I was just like , I don’t know if I could do that , but I got home . Tells me , hasn’t Hey , he was , like , a little bit like , unsure about that at first too .

But then I was like , You know what ? I know I’m not completely where I need to be with us . Um , so I’m just gonna do it . I’m gonna keep going with it . And it’s so funny , like from months to rip . It was so much easier than the 1st 60 days and then all of a sudden , it just I mean , I think because , you know , I knew all about a P . I was doing it , I was living it . I bought all the stuff on and it was already a routine , and so it just honestly got easier and easier as I kept going with it .

And I did keep feeling better and better to the point of like , after a couple more months . It was so much a part of my routine and so much a part of my life . And I was feeling so good that I kind of didn’t want to do reintroduce anymore . It was it was completely weird because I have been so ready to do it after a couple of months , like dying to do it . And all of a sudden I was like , you know , I’m fine . I’m good . And I just completely was , like , not excited about it . Um , So it was just interesting how my It was my mindset , that was what shifted over that time .

I feel ya there . Um I did my elimination phase A i p for about eight months , and it was difficult at first , but once it became more of a routine and it became regular and you know where your spices were in which you could and couldn’t have .

And I’m like , Okay , well , this isn’t so bad , but of spice in the flavor that I missed the most was cumin because we had done growing up so much Carne asada and tacos and things like that . I did miss sort of like cayenne . I wasn’t able to use black pepper for even a couple . 234 How many years before I did the elimination ? So I didn’t miss that . But I did notice . You know , that heat hit without it being ginger . And I missed cumin . So I chose to do , uh , cuman , I think was one of my very first re introductions was the seed spice .

Is there something that you , after looking at the guidelines you decided ? I want to try this first ?

Yes . Oh , Okay . So , to be honest , there were a couple of things . There was green beans and black pepper that I never took out at all person because they were , like , borderline things . They had been in a P and then they were taken out and I ate was regularly and I never really felt like they were issues , so I just decided , like , I’m okay . They’re borderline like I’m okay with not doing that . So I never eliminated those in the first place . And then I will say , I think I’m about three months . It was coming up to always almost New Year’s , and I had an appointment with my chiropractor and he was like , You know , I don’t really want you to start like , main re interest , But what’s the one thing that if you could have back like that , you would really want ?

And I just kind of jokingly was like , wine was like , You know , I think you’ve gotten far enough in your healing that if you wanted to have , like , an occasional glass , like for new years or something like that , I think you would be okay . And I was like , Oh , really ? Oh , it was It was the first thing that I kind of like reinterred , I guess . Um but I will say that it’s not a complete success in terms of when I do drink a , um , I do like my fingers .

My hands will be stiff in the morning when I wake up and some things maybe , like I can feel some of effects . But I just don’t drink it regularly . I’ll drink it for , you know , out with friends , special occasions , things like that . But , hey , that is the first thing that was excited about . After that , it was it was egg yolks , and I just kind of went you know , just started going through the process of the faces over ancho .

I think eggs make such a big difference if you can have eggs .

Yes , it just opens up so much more like you can actually order some breakfast food out places or it just gives a lot more variety .

Yeah , it’s nice with that first scrambled egg that you can have after her is like as the best egg I life .

Yes .

Yeah , I believe the egg yolk . I can’t remember . I know I wrote it down , and I’ve got it buried somewhere in these piles of electronic files that I have my old reintroduction notes and how I felt in this and that and what I did first and how long I waited . And , um , I was really excited when I first started to reintroduce them . And in my case , I had seen some improvement in the first , um , a few weeks and I wantto it’s been a while . It’s like 2015 . When I started a I P Yeah , but I did notice , like eczema went away within a couple weeks and he was almost immediate . It was miraculous . And , um , my anxiety was lessoned . That’s something that I’m just like a busy , crazy person . So that’s probably never gonna fully go away . Okay , But then I still , um I started having health crashes even after I started a I . P . And have a talk about this in my first podcast . If any of y’all wanna listen.

Um , but I I needed to address things other than my autoimmune issue . Like I had Candida , I had parasites . I had what I’ve done research into I haven’t confirmed cholesterol stones in my liver because I don’t have a gold letter . And there are a lot of things that a i p help me with , but there are a lot of things that a i p could not fix , and it’s not ape’s fault for that , But I was hoping the whole time that I was doing a I p that that was gonna be it . And then I kept actually losing foods . I was tolerating less and less foods that we’re even a I p friendly , like I was down like five different vegetables and a couple of boiled ground meats that I could have in life was very sad . Yeah , definitely . But after I , uh you know , in that time , I was able to safely reintroduce a couple things that were not a P , but looking back , I mean , of course , I only knew what I knew . I did the best I could because I wasn’t getting , you know , advice other than my own research . And the doctors I had were just not the greatest .

Yeah , yeah . Um , I’m grateful you had a good doctor . I mean , I went to a primary care physician and I went to a rheumatologist . I had all these , um , test done . And they were like , I mean , initially , they were like , uh when I got my initial blood results back , they call them back and was like , um , they were like , Yeah , all your results were normal . I was like , Okay , so what’s the next step to figure out what’s going on ? And they’re like , Well , there is no next step . You’re fine . And I was like , I am not fine . I am impaling . They were like , uh oh . Okay . Um , they just like , didn’t know what to Dio and even the rheumatologist was like she was very dismissive of me . I mean , a lot of it was like I was looking around the waiting room and everybody else was over 80 years old .

And then there was me . And when I walked in , I could just see the look on her face like , Okay , what’s this lady in here for ? She looks perfectly fine . And so yeah , it was just I mean , I’m just thankful that my chiropractor just happened to have used Ap himself , and it was a believer in it . So I got lucky there . But my actual leg positions on my care team that should have been taking care of me like , totally just missed the boat

That , sadly , the norm I I read a lot about people who have arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis . They go thio rheumatologist , and they don’t get any answers . Um , and then they or , you know , people with thyroid  issues , Goto , endocrinologist . Then they laughed them off when they bring up diet . And it’s very sad . Um , it’s very sad situation . The people that we want to be able to trust the most way we end up distrusting in the end because we end up having to become our own advocate . And I’m glad that you had someone show that to you , you know , because it’s not something that you just opened up in The news is like , Hey , try this new anti inflammatory . You take 80,000 different types of food groups out of the a t o see how you feel . But I’m glad you got your answers because everyone deserves to feel good .

Yes , I was wondering because I had some foods that word . Like I said , a I p compliant and some that weren’t when I tried reintroducing them after losing and losing , Um , that were not successful . And then that did give me what I believed to be a completely natural fear off trying something again . Because when I put it in my mouth and the next morning , my guts and terrible pain , my joints are stiff . My whole body feels like I’ve been injected with the flu poisoning or something . And , um , it’s like , Well , maybe I don’t want to try that again . You know , d j . Any moments like that , where something caused you like a reaction when you tried to return it . Yes . So I have definitely had some re introductions that didn’t work like , um , almonds . Didn’t seem to be , you know , so great for me And like some other nuts that I tried . Um , and it’s so funny because I do see people all the time who have , like , these big obvious reactions right away and mind seemed to be more like the next day . Or just like , I’m just kind of feeling blah like tired and not so great . And that just always makes me question so much like , Well , was it the thing that I ate or was it just something else ? You know , like , and I think that makes me has made me more hesitant to realities things , since there’s not like it would almost be better if there was a clear , like , Okay . Yep . Can’t have that e thing . It just makes me more like , Well , how do I know this is so tough ? So that’s definitely one of the things I think that has kept me from reintroducing more things . Um , the other thing that I’ve noticed , though , is that a lot of times I would have kind of flares . Come on , that it just seemed like it would have been eating a piece of even eating , been normal stuff like I don’t understand . I need to take more stuff out of my diet , What’s what’s going on and what I’ve learned over time . Is that what I need to look at for instead of just always going straight to food , like what food is causing this ? I need to look at the other parts of a key like number one . Am I getting enough sweets when I get worn down ? I noticed huge differences in my help , and I mean , I used to be the person who in college would pull all nighters and on Lee sleep a couple hours of night during exam week and all . There’s a horrible , horrible stuff . I’ve always been a huge night at all , staying up until two in the morning or whatever , and I can not do those things anymore . I have to rest . I have to get sleep , and it’s so hard for me because I love being up late . I just have to care for myself in that way because I will fill it and then the other thing is , am I stressed l which is usually yes , because stress definitely causes Mi Teoh built terrible . Not like physically terrible , unfortunately , noticed that travel really does it to me because you have the combination of when you’re traveling . A lot of times you’re sleeping less and you’re stressed you about all kinds of different things with it . And so when I get back from a trip , it’s just a lot of times terrible days of recovering from it . And I love to travel , so that’s so hard to know . So I just have Thio take a little bit more easy when I’m traveling like really planned things out and not just jump back into regular life when I get home . Thio I have to give myself a little bit of buffer time like not scheduling a point . I’ve made that mistake of just scheduling appointments right after I get back and whatever , and I just can’t see that . Yeah , it just can’t pretend like everything’s just normal , you know ? I just have to give myself that Greece , and that time I

I feel you there . Um , I don’t travel like I used to Like that trip I mentioned before was the biggest one I’ve done and probably I don’t know how . How old am I ? When was the last time I went overseas ? It has been a long time . So definitely clearing the schedule furred the week after was like a big thing . I’m like , I know I’m gonna feel terrible or , you know , I don’t gonna even feel even worse if I like . Oh , let’s go to the doctor and bring the dog to the vet . And do you know one of my daughter’s activities or , you know , you know what I mean

Oh , yeah , Exactly . Exactly .

And then once you get going again , it’s really hard to stop . So definitely the after vacation is still part of the vacation . I think every time exactly . You need a vacation from your vacation

Yes , exactly .

So other than travel and managing your stress , I was wondering if there any further healing or holistic steps outside of the I P and the diet , or do you feel that you needed to approach any underlying issues before trying any other re intros ? I’m just curious because there’s something that happened to me , and I’m like , Was there any a little you know , healing tips

Yes , yes . So I’ve started a few supplements that I’m taking . I take magnesium . I wasn’t sleeping well at night . Like even after I would get to sleep , I would wake up several times and not feel like I was in a very deep sleep and be tired all day on . And I think that that has gotten a lot better since I started taking them and museum . I wake up a lot less during the night , which is helpful , and I take a I started taking a probiotic , and it’s a pre biotic and a probiotic at the same time , because before , actually , I’m one of the people that before 80 my digestion was pretty good . Like that wasn’t one of my symptoms . Um , but after 80 like that guy , uh , like , more out of whack . And so , um , it got better , I think after my buddy adjusted to the new way of eating . But it still wasn’t great , though taking that has really helped things just , like , really even out . And then I started taking B 12 supplements . This spraying , which I think is I haven’t noticed his big of a difference with that . But I think it’s helped a little bit . So yes , so I’ve been doing some supplements .

A lot of the other things that I do are kind of within a P , but not the food part . I think that’s a big mistake that a lot of people make is they focus so much on the food and not the other parts of a P of , for instance , exercise . I was before a P I was into sort of like the hospital style exercise boot camp kickboxing , like I always wanted to push myself so hard . Especially like after having the baby I wanted to like , get back in shape and get back out there . And I just kept pushing and pushing myself and my car Proctor was like , You’ve got to back off . You can’t You can’t do that like you’ve got to do like low impact . I’m like , What ? That’s so boring . No , no , go hardcore me . I was gonna be hard core , Um , and I was just so afraid of , like gaining more weight back and getting out of shape and whatever , but it’s funny .

What I found was actually after I started AP and I started moderating my exercising and watching what I was doing . I actually started losing more weight than I had . Bet you’d like , but I needed to . So , um , I I was like , Oh , wow , this work thing is great . I don’t have to punish my body in order to get results . And so I just have to really be careful in the gem of doing things that are more like stretching and , you know , like moderate strength training , moderate car radio and not go all out because when I do , I can really feel it . But on the bright side , if I’m not exercising regularly , my joints start getting more stuff . I don’t sleep well at night , and a lot of my anxiety comes out . So I really need that exercise to regulate those things , I have to just keep it at this good balance . So that’s been really important with my healing to focus on . And then , like I said , like the with the stress . That is a constant thing that I’m working on with myself of how thio like , I guess , de clutter stress from my life .

Like get rid of the things that are stressing me out and trying to change situations and trying not to overload my calendar and just simplify things as much as possible . That’s been just an ongoing thing with me , and I think those were the biggest things I’m and I will say I do want to still find a like a functional medicine doctor because I know my health still isn’t 100% where I want it to be , but I just haven’t I know that that’s gonna be like another journey to , and it’s sometimes almost even overwhelming to think of , like starting bigger those appointments again and get tests and whatever when I’m doing pretty well now , e . I think it would help at the same time . So that’s something that I want to explore a little bit more to . As other things I could be doing now.

Those appointments can get overwhelming really quick  You know , you’re already busy when you own your own business . Even when you do what you love , it can still become overwhelming at times , especially when I don’t know if you’re doing a lot of it on your own . I’m assuming you are , so you’re taking on the biggest chunk of the job and then you add in just regular life things and that gets complicated . And then it’s like , Oh , now you have it . You gotta go manage your health and see a professional like I was feeling fine , Okay ? Not really . Yeah , it’s good . It’s a good next step for you and anyone else thinking about , um , you know , I still don’t feel optimal . Or this is not how I imagine feeling healthy would be . There’s something missing . A love , the idea of going toe functional , doctor . It’s like they put all the little puzzle pieces together . So good . I’m glad to hear that .

Thank you .

So we talked a little bit about how I was afraid of trying a couple of things . Um , after the pain and stuff and I was wearing , Did you feel a sense of fear with any particular food or just in general with the reintroduction process ?

Yes , I have had a lot of fear around the introductions , and for me it wasn’t about a particular food , but it was just because I was feeling so good doing a P . I was really scared of then having a negative reaction and going backwards in my healing . And I was worried that if I started re introducing a bunch of stuff , I was gonna put the weight back on that I had lost during a key . And I was worried that I wouldn’t recognize when I was having a negative reaction . That would be something that was slowly build and then all of a sudden I would be back in the same place I waas . And honestly , I was afraid that I was gonna lose control . Thio like I did really well when I had certain rules that I was following and it was very black and white , but I was afraid if , like Okay , well , if I start eating this in this in this am I just gonna start going crazy and eating all the food ? He Oh , um , said that kind of worried me , too , and just be the stress of , like , keeping track of it all . And what I mean , I knew very well what I couldn’t couldn’t eat when I was just on the AP , but then it was like , Okay , I’m getting all the stuff in , and then , you know , it’s just more to think about . I think I was also worried what other people were going to think , too , you know , because I was out there , you know , representing a key and telling other people about it and teaching them . And then well , what if they saw me eating something that wasn’t like strict elimination even though we’re supposed to reintroduce like , I still kind of felt that pressure . But then what ? I realized I realized a few things is that yes , people are watching me , but at the same time , people need to watch me do a key through all the phases to not just the elimination phase , and so that kind of helped me sort of get over that . But , um , I think to get over the years , just like when you get started with the AP , you really need a big reason why you’re getting started with a P . Like if you just have some little reason like , Oh , I just want to generally be healthier . You’re not going to stick with it , right ?

And you need a big reason to reintroduce till of light why you’re doing this . What it’s gonna do for your life . Like so if you have a trip that you want to go on like that was a big thing for me . My husband and I wanted to go to Prague for our 10th anniversary and for my 40th birthday . And I knew that traveling was gonna be so much harder if I hadn’t reintroduced anything . And so that gave me a goal toe work towards to start making some re introductions or if you’re gonna have a family event or just knowing that you know , it will make things a little be easier for your family if you don’t have quite a strict of a diet . I think that’s another thing that’s that’s motivated me . Is that you know , what would my life look like if I can safely eat some of these other foods ? It’ll give me more convenience . It’ll give me more of a social life . It’ll just make things a little let’s run a little bit smoother . So just having those goals is something that has really helped me get past the fears .

I love that . You added , you know , a goal for travel and because that is important when you wanna just experience life without kind of being hooked on the plantain chips , so to speak . And I would like to be able to enjoy something you know , to go out , to eat or shop in a store . And , you know , not just look for apples and pork and celery right there . There’s a lot more to air P than that , but you know , it can feel very restrictive , even though with a lot of people , they end up eating a lot more different kinds of vegetables and fruits and meats in the about described . But if you already used to eating a lot more variety , and then it’s like , Oh , I can’t have bell peppers now like you that fear can hold us back I think from trying things .

I know that there’s a talk going on right now , a lot about orthorexia and A I P being blamed for a lot of it, and it means a lot to me to kind of mention it .

What we’re talking about the fears because I believe it’s totally natural toe . Have some fear when you know that it’s gonna cause your body pain or you may have you know , 12345 any of these other issues like , you know , even just worrying about gaining some little weight back or or some people maybe even afraid of losing weight because they’ve been able to put weight back on . So having a natural fear of pain to me is not equivalent to an eating disorder One of my friends Kerry Jeffery from Emotional Autoimmunity she mentioned some talking points .

Were like , Okay , if you feel you have orthorexia do this kind of checklist Is this this this And I was like , No , it wasn’t any of that . I was just totally afraid of my body going again , head turning back into , like , the fibromyalgia monster . So I would love to know your thoughts on that . Like , how do you feel about that ?

So . I was a psychology major in college . I’m e I mean , I’m not a psychologist or a therapist , but I do have a background in that . And what it , my background tells me , is that eating disorders are not about the food , and they’re not about your weight . They’re about control . And when you’re feeling , ah , loss of control in your life is ah , lot of people look to that as being something that they can control what they do and don’t put into their bodies . I think you know , especially for people who have an auto immune disease .

You know , you do feel like your life is at a control , right . You feel like your life is out of control , you feel like your body is your out of control . And when you come across a key , this is something that you can control . There’s there’s rules , right . Those rules there’s bound to use , you know , whatever . Um and so I see that if you are going to have an issue with that , I think that if it didn’t come out because of a key , it’s going to come out somewhere else . It’s all stemming from the lack of the lack of control , so it’s not a key causing at that’s just the surface thing .

So I think that’s why it’s very important why one of the big things with a key is to have a good positive relationships and connections with other people that not only understand your illness but also understand a key as well . And a lot of times you don’t have those people in your life that totally relate with both of those things , like they might be supportive of you , but they don’t really get it because they haven’t gone through it .

Um , so that has been what has helped me so much is finding these groups on the Internet , especially on Facebook , of people who really get at , you know , I do think you have to be careful , cause some Facebook’s groups are a little bit . I think , uh , they’re so strict there . So it’s just all about the food , and it’s all about what’s compliant or not . Those could be a little bit overwhelming , But then there are other groups out there that are just super supportive and talk about the mental health aspects of it and or just very encouraging . And I think this could be so great to help you feel like what you’re going through is is normal , that you have people who get you , who have people who can recommend things , and I think that that’s the kind of thing that can help you . I feel a little bit more in control and can help you not get so far . I think it’s when you’re just really lonely and you’re just putting all your energy into this is when it can get really out of control .

Yes , it can feel overwhelming . It can feel all consuming , huh ? And also kind of boring because youre doing it by yourself . And you’re just focusing on the food . And I’m saying this not in a shaming way or anything , because I’ve been there. Chronic illnesses . So isolating already . And then you’re trying to use the precious energy that you have left to prepare meals so you can feel better . And then it’s what you feel like . You don’t have time for anything else . And for me personally , support groups really helped a lot . Social media helped a lot , But then , as you mentioned , you know , there are some rotten apples out there , some very militant types and even groups .

Of course , it’s not like , you know , 50,000 people out of a 50,000 member group are all going to be that way . But , um , my suggestion for people’s if you feel it’s constantly negative . Just get out of that space .

Yeah , yeah , You got the freedom to leave and don’t feel bad about it .

Just delete and block .

Yeah , And I think that the really big groups are good for information because you can ask a question and it will be like 50 people who know the answer . You know , that will jump on and give comments . But I think sometimes the smaller groups are better for the connection because you can build those relationships within them . Exactly . And you’ve got a Facebook group now for Simply AIP.

Yes . Uh , exactly . So I mean , our theme is all about trying to keep AIP as simple as possible . Like simple recipes like just life . I mean , because sometimes they get on these sites and it’s all about like , I don’t know , growing all your own vegetables and making all your homemade kind of stuff . And if that’s something that you’re into and excited about , that is great , you go for it .

But if you’re doing it out of a sense of obligation like I should be doing these things and it’s overwhelming and it’s stressful . Then that’s where it crosses the border and , you know , gets to be a problem . And so we try to keep things as simple and light and convenient and supportive as possible . And a big time line is like progress , not perfection . You don’t have to be perfect to make this work and to go through your healing journey .

I love that . And you know it’s not fun anymore . When you’re turned to be perfect and I ate , I understand the fear is like where you’re like , Well , maybe I developed this auto immune because of the chemical and toxin exposure . So let me try to eliminate that . And , you know , I’ve been down that path where I’ve made a lot of my own stuff . But then I’m like , I’m spending every waking moment of my life trying to make everything so I don’t get worse

Or so my family members don’t get sick and I’m like I there’s products out there I can buy . They might . They might cost a little bit more than melting my own bees wax lavender oil , which I still do . Sometimes if I can make , um , 20 chopsticks Well , sorry . Shouldn’t say Chapstick If I can make 20 lip balms and , uh , you know , for a dollar 25 versus , you know , $5 per two . I’m gonna , you know , go that option .

But , um , I’m not going to be militant towards myself . I’m not doing the things that I enjoy , because that is the whole point of getting better . So you enjoy your life again . You know ?

Exactly . Exactly . And yes , Like , I’m not saying you shouldn’t do , like , go for it . Like , if you like doing that stuff and it’s working for you , then that is awesome . But a just think that , like , I feel like there are , sometimes people feel pressured into doing that stuff or that they’re not gonna be a good AIP  lady unless I’m , you know , going all these extra miles down that road . And , you know , you just have to figure out what your own line in the sand is with what is You know what’s gonna make me feel better . But if it starts stressing you out and using all your energy and using all your time to the point that it’s making you feel worse than you’ve got to figure out what your own line is on that .

Amen to that . Yeah . And I do want to reiterate to I’m not making fun of anybody who makes your own stuff out of beeswax at all!! I have.

I’m glad people have figured that out . And , you know , some people have started their own companies doing it and whatever . When I am able to be in business , you know , s O . I mean , I think it’s great , but you just have to see where that line is on your own help , what’s working , what’s worth it . And some things are and what’s not worth it . You know , because I mean , there’s all kinds of things you can do . You make your own clothing and , you know , whatever . But , you know , you just have to figure out what you can physically do.

Yeah , time that we have the time and dishes and the energy that we have to exactly . I feel like , you know , grateful that I do have more energy than I used to . Of course , it waxes and wanes cause I’m gonna feel like a fragile little being sometime . That’s like , Oh , I got a cold . So now you know I’m not able to eat as much because I’m congested . And then when I don’t eat as much , my adrenals get irritated because I’m , you know , out of balance with my blood sugar and then I don’t sleep . And it’s just just like one thing sets off a whole spiral . So it’s like right now as much as I did , like making those little chapsticks little more

Exactly . Exactly . It’s all about moderation . Just like I was saying with the exercise , you know , I had to figure out what the right level waas for me to feel good .

You know , I meant to mention something about that . But now that you brought it up again , noticed most people with auto immune tend tohave , cardio intolerance or intolerance to the type of exercise that they were doing before , and turns out things like yoga and Pilates and stretching and things like that actually end up boosting the immune system in a positive way in a relaxing way . And you also get some meditation and at the same time , like if I could do this in the sun if it wasn’t 112 F out. I could get everything done at once.

Yes . Honestly , even for a little while , I couldn’t even do yoga . And that sounds crazy , but , um , they there’s a lot of things where your head is , like , inverted like , upside down . And that would make me really lightheaded aid . And sometimes the breathing deep breathing actually would kind of make me feel a little dizzy . And so even being in the yoga class would it was it was just too much at times . So I just had to do is my own just little simple stretching and just walking and just being very slow on the treadmill kind of thing . And until I could even build up to doing yoga and I know it , that sounds silly , you know , But it’s okay if you’re at that point where that even that is too much . But I still think that some gentle movement and some gentle stretching for pretty much everybody is important to keep your body lose , like to keep your muscles and joints . I’m not getting stuff , and just for your mental health as well . I think that’s so important to try to do what you can .

Amen to that . Because I know my health starts getting worse when I don’t have even just a little movement . Every a , um , even if it’s just , you know , going up and down the stairs a couple times , which I have to do if I’m going anywhere or the whole sitting on the couch and letting my body just sort of deteriorates is not doing me any favors . And I’m glad you touched on that , because it’s it’s important that we exercise , you know , just to our ability.

Yep , Exactly , exactly

Well , I did have one more thing to touch on with you if you got time . So we’ve talked about fears . Is there any tips that you have or that you use to help move forward past healing blocks and let go of these fears because these fears can block us .

Uh huh . I totally agree . I mean , I think first of all that you have to be in a place where you’re really ready to do re introductions . You feel like you’ve made improvements in your healing . So that’s the That’s the most important thing . I don’t think that you ever want to rush that . But then once you’ve determined that , yes . But you know , this would be a good thing to go ahead and deal Like I said earlier , I think just having a bigger reason why something that is more than just you are like this is what if he says I need to dio are I feel like I should do re introductions .

You have to have something that’s driving you to do that . That might be like if it earlier like going on a trip , It’s not even just going on a trip like , Why’re you going on that trip like for me ? It was I was , Yeah , I wanted to see Fog . That’s cool . But I wanted to spend that time with my husband . We hadn’t been able to go off and just be the two of us and connect like that in years . And so for me to be able to do that with less stress Waas . That was a big motivator for me . Um , for other people , it might be because , you know , how would that make a difference for your family if you didn’t half thio be quite a strict with what you were eating . You know , that could make a big difference in just how you make dinner , even eat dinner . So I gotta Oh , are you know how you’re able to go to different family events are that you’re able to go out to restaurants a lot easier or you’re able to go out with your funds again , or even other people’s houses like that kind of thing And just really looking at instead of focusing on what’s gonna be scary about this if I make these reductions focusing on what could be good in my life if I do that and I , like , actually , like , make out a list and write it down like good get all detailed about what could my life look like if I had some successful re introductions ? What could be ? And I think when you when you switch that focus , when you switch your mindset , that’s when you can release that fear and go forward . And I think that when you are able to have a successful reintroduction or two , you know , like start with something that’s like , easier , that’s you know , maybe not something that you think it’s a good problem when you have a couple of successes that makes it easier to keep going along that path .

Wise words . And I’m like , nodding when you’re saying all these because that you’re reminding me of , You know , my own progress went from being just making fun of myself . It’s a bedridden troll , almost and then being able to grow and enjoy life and see life getting better before it actually did . You know , visualizing . And I love that you brought up list cause it’s so important for us to I think not just for now , like a visual , but for later to look back on and say , Wow , look how far have come like it’s really powerful .

Uh huh , Yeah , exactly . I agree .

I’m so glad that you were able to share all this with us . Some really important topics . I know a lot of people out there are afraid of re introductions , completely natural fear . But just to sort of clear the air like you’re not the only one , we’ve been there too . Yeah , and then it is possible there may be some extra steps that you have to take along the way like Laura and I have had to do . But you know for sure there’s there’s deeper healing with AIP . And it’s cumin and egg yolks and wonderful things .

Thank you so much for being here , Laura . I really appreciate your time . I know you’re busy lady, and I will see you around the blogosphere and social media.

Okay , Thank you so much .

Thank you too, hun.

Bye!