Interested in healing your body with the AIP diet, but don’t know where to start? This free one week AIP meal plan has everything you need to get started! A whole week of AIP breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks already laid out for you– what could be easier?
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Welcome to this FREE one week AIP meal plan! I’m so happy you’re here! If you’re looking to heal autoimmune disease naturally, the AIP diet could be a great place to start!
The AIP diet can be super tricky. There’s a huge list of foods you can’t eat AND a variety of foods you should be eating every day or week in order to heal. This easy AIP menu for a week will give you everything you need to get started with no hassle. Your whole week is planned out for you following Dr. Sarah Ballantyne’s approach to AIP. I’ve designed this AIP meal plan specifically so it includes the optimal amount of vegetables, bone broth, fish and seafood, organ meat, and more. In just one week, you could feel more energtic, vibrant, and healthy!
So let’s get started! Below I’ve listed a series of FAQs that will give you all the information you need to have a successful week on AIP. I recommend that you read through those for optimal benefit. If you have any additional questions, feel free to comment below and I’ll be sure to get back to you! Good luck! 😃
Tip: If you’re new to AIP, be sure to download my free AIP Food List Wallet Sized Printable! This super useful cheat sheet has all the foods you can eat on one side and all the ones you can’t on the other, so you’ll stay AIP compliant no matter where you are! Grab this exclusive printable for free by signing up for my newsletter below (I’ll never spam you plus I’ll send you lots of awesome AIP freebies, gifts, and tips!)
>> ENTER THE FREE WELLNESS LIBRARY <<
Disclaimer: Please be aware that I am not a doctor, registered dietician, or nutritionist. I am not qualified to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease or condition. You should always consult a qualified health professional before starting a new diet. This post is for informational purposes only, should not be considered nutritional advice, and does not guarantee any results. See full disclaimer here.
How to Get Started with the One Week AIP Meal Plan:
1. Read through all the directions.
2. Look through the 7 day meal plan and bookmark the recipes.
3. Download the free AIP Food List Wallet Sized Printable to make sure you stay AIP compliant on the go.
4. Visit ShopAIP to buy the ingredients. Visit your local grocery store for the remaining ingredients.
What can I eat on the AIP diet?
This menu plan follows Dr. Sarah Ballantyne’s approach to the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). You can check out her free AIP start guide here. If you’re brand new to the AIP diet, I highly recommend you read through the guide thoroughly. It will teach you exactly what you should and shouldn’t eat on AIP.
Please note, this AIP meal plan isn’t associated with or endorsed by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne in any way. I simply used the resources available on her website The Paleo Mom to create an example of a one week AIP meal plan following the guidelines listed there. I am not a doctor, registered dietician, or nutritionist and have created this post for informational purposes only. I am not qualified to diagnose or treat any conditions. Remember to always consult a qualified health professional before starting a new diet.
How does this AIP meal plan work?
This is a free AIP menu for a week! All you have to do is follow this AIP meal plan for 7 days and you’re all set! Here’s some important information you need to know:
- I’ve designed this AIP menu plan based on Sarah Ballantyne’s recommendations. Throughout the week, you’ll be eating a variety of nutritionally dense and healing foods. I’ve included an average of 8-12 cups of vegetables each day, 4 servings of fish and shellfish during the week (Dr. Sarah recommends at least 3), and 5 servings of organ meat and offal during the week (Dr. Sarah recommends at least 5). I’ve also included bone broth everyday, a limited amount of fruit, and a variety of probiotic and fermented foods. Every recipe and product on this AIP meal plan is 100 % AIP compliant– no guesswork!
- This AIP diet meal plan uses a combination of recipes AND store-bought items. This is so you can have a plan that is both cost-effective and convenient. While you should aim to cook your meals from scratch as much as possible, there is still value to pre-packaged AIP products. They’re convenient, and easy to take on the go. I would rather you eat some store-bought foods throughout the week than fall off the wagon because you’re so stressed with cooking. All your lunches and dinners will be cooked from scratch, but occasionally a snack or breakfast item will be pre-packaged. All pre-packaged items are minimally processed, 100 % AIP compliant, and available for purchase at ShopAIP. Store-bought items are either single servings or used multiple times throughout the week so that you can get the most use out of them. You can continue using these items throughout the rest of your time on AIP, so nothing goes to waste!
- I’ve designed this AIP menu plan for ONE person, so you will be eating each recipe you cook twice throughout the week. This is so you can save money, spend less time cooking, and minimize waste. After you cook each recipe, I recommend that you eat one serving, store one serving in the fridge for later in the week, and freeze the rest! That way, you have plenty of tasty AIP meals in your freezer for the coming weeks! How’s that for convenient? If you need to feed more than just one person then serve the recipe as is and skip freezing the leftovers.
- Unless otherwise noted, you should eat ONE serving of a recipe for a meal. If you’re super hungry, you can eat one more serving.
- This AIP menu plan is easy. It takes the guesswork and stress out of figuring out what to eat, what not to eat, how to fit in all your servings of XYZ, etc. It’s already written out for you, so you can see what a week on AIP could look like!
- I basically consider this to be an AIP sample menu for a week, so that you can get an idea of what a typical week on AIP should look and feel like. It’s intended to give you inspiration about recipes, products, and other things you could try on AIP. If you choose to follow AIP, you should consult with a doctor or registered dietician who can determine if a plan like this would be safe or effective for you and help you customize it to your needs.
Where can I buy AIP compliant products?
For your convenience, all the links to pre-packaged products in the one week AIP meal plan are from ShopAIP. This is so you can batch order everything from just one website and get free shipping. ShopAIP offers free shipping for orders over $49 and orders ship on the same day when ordered by 1 pm ET. ShopAIP is an awesome resource for anyone on the AIP diet because every single item they sell is AIP-compliant, so there’s no guesswork involved!
Use the code SHOP to get 10 % off your first order at ShopAIP by clicking here!
At the end of the AIP menu for the week, I’ve included a ShopAIP grocery list with all the pre-packaged products used throughout the week. This is for your convenience, so you don’t have to hunt for them in the AIP menu plan.
In addition to ShopAIP, here are some other online stores I recommend for AIP products:
Thrive Market (get an extra 25% off your first order using my link!)
Wild Mountain Paleo Market
One Stop Paleo Shop (use code FREESHIP for free shipping on orders above $49)
Amazon (also check out the post 6 Addicting AIP Snacks You Can Buy on Amazon)
What if I’m still hungry?
If you find that you’re not getting enough food on this AIP menu plan, no worries! Here are a few options for you:
- You can always add more green vegetables if you’re hungry. You should be aiming to eat as many vegetables as possible each day, so feel free to add as many extra servings as you need to feel full!
- Add more fiber. Check out Fantastic Fiber for tips on how to add more fiber to your diet.
- You can double the servings of recipes (i.e. eat two servings instead of one).
- You can add a starchy vegetable to your meal, such as sweet potato, butternut squash, or beets. I didn’t include many starchy vegetables in the AIP diet plan because I wanted you to be able to add them based on how many carbs you need to feel full.
- Drink some bone broth or collegen peptides. These both contain protein and essential nutrients that will help fill you up.
What if I’m too full?
You do not– I repeat DO NOT have to eat every single food on this AIP meal plan. It’s more of an AIP sample menu, so you can see and experience what a typical week on AIP would feel like. If you’re full then feel free to skip the snack! The snack is totally optional. You can also cut down on portion sizes, if you find them to be too big. The one thing I would NOT cut is the amount of veggies you’re eating each day. Sarah Ballantyne recommends at least 8-12 cups of veggies a day on AIP for optimal healing. If you find that you’re too full on this plan, I would eat your veggies first before the rest of your food to make sure you get your daily servings in.
What about bone broth?
Bone broth is a very healing food. It’s glycine-rich, nutrient-dense, and extremely filling! Read more about the health benefits of bone broth here. I’ve included bone broth in every single day of this AIP menu for a week. You have the choice between store-bought for convenience or homemade for cost-effectiveness. If you use store-bought, you have the option between beef or chicken single serve bone broth (sooo convenient– just add water and go!) You can also get both beef and chicken to mix it up!
What if I don’t like offal?
Offal is an important aspect of the AIP diet. Sarah Ballantyne recommends at least 5 servings a week of organ meat and offal. The more the better! This is because organ meat is the most concentrated source of just about every nutrient, including many vitamins, minerals, healthy fats, and essential amino acids. You can read more about it here.
In keeping with Dr. Sarah’s protocol, this AIP diet plan does contain 5 servings of offal and organ meat throughout the week. I’ve chosen the best AIP diet offal recipes and I promise they do taste very good. A lot of people think they don’t like organ meat (myself included) but once they try it, they actually enjoy it! I highly encourage you to at least TRY one of the offal recipes and keep an open-mind about liking it.
That being said, if you absolutely cannot stand eating offal then you can swap out those recipes for other AIP diet recipes. I recommend replacing the offal recipes for beef, lamb, or pork instead of chicken (due to high omega 6 content).
How many vegetables should I be eating on AIP?
Sarah Ballantyne recommends at least 8-12 cups of veggies per day. She also recommends that you eat a variety of them. I’ve incorporated many servings of vegetables into this AIP menu plan each day, but you can always feel free to add more!
Throughout this AIP meal plan, you’ll often see a recipe with “____ servings of veggies on the side”. I purposefully chose not the specify the type of vegetable, so that you can 1) eat a variety 2) eat what you have available in your house and 3) eat what’s seasonal. I’ve given you the freedom to choose many of your own vegetables sides in this AIP sample menu, so that you can create your most nutritionally dense week.
What about starchy vegetables?
You’ll notice that this AIP menu plan does not include many starchy vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash, beets, turnips, plantains, and cassava. This is a deliberate choice. Everybody has different starch and carbohydrate needs.
Starchy vegetables have a different nutritional profile than green vegetables, so I defintely recommend that you include some in your diet. Sarah Ballantyne suggests “as much variety as possible and the whole rainbow” for veggies. This is why throughout the week, you’ll often see a recipe with “___ servings of veggies on the side”. This is so that you can choose a variety of starchy and non-starchy vegetables to include in your AIP menu for the week.
What’s the deal with fermented/probiotic foods?
Dr. Ballantyne recommends fermented/probiotic foods on the AIP diet for optimal gut health. This includes fermented veggies, kefir, coconut milk yogurt, and kombucha. You can also try probiotic supplements (always consult a doctor first).
This AIP protocol meal plan includes several servings of fermented veggies per week (sauerkraut for convenience, but feel free to mix it up), as well as coconut yogurt or kefir. You can add more if you so choose.
What if I don’t like or can’t eat one of the recipes on the AIP meal plan?
No problem! Just swap out the meal you don’t want for any other AIP diet recipe from the blogs listed below Day 7. You should try to keep the protein and general nutritional profile the same (i.e. if it’s a salad with salmon, try to swap out the recipe for another salad with fish). The recipes in this AIP menu plan are chosen deliberately to provide nutritional variety and follow Sarah Ballantyne’s protocol. It’s carefully designed so that you get a certain amount of veggies per day and a variety of proteins throughout the week. Just make sure you keep this in mind when you swap out recipes and you’ll be fine!
Does this AIP menu plan include sweets?
Sweets are controversial during the AIP elimination phase. Dr. Ballantyne’s approach does allow some sweets (derived from maple syrup, honey, dates, molasses, or unrefined cane sugar) in moderation. As a rule, you shouldn’t eat too many sweets on AIP because sugar in any form contributes to inflammation. Some people choose to cut sweets out all together during the elimination phase, while others choose to enjoy the occasional treat.
This one week AIP meal plan does include a few sweets as snacks throughout the week. These are completely optional and if you’re choosing to avoid sweets, you can either skip snacks on those days entirely or swap the sweet snacks out for savory snacks, such as Zora Bars or bone broth. If you’re unsure of whether to include sweets during the elimination phase of AIP or not, use your personal judgment. Observe how your body reacts to sweets and decide from there. Remember, everyone is different and healing is very individual. Do what works best for you.
Please note that if you’re following Dr. Amy Myers AIP diet, you should avoid sweets entirely during the elimination phase.
How can I learn more about AIP?
If you’re eager to learn more about AIP, I recommend checking out Dr. Sarah Ballantyne’s online course, The AutoImmune Protocol Lecture Series. This is a comprehensive course that will teach you everything you need to know to rock AIP! The course doesn’t start until September 9th 2019, but I recommend joining the waitlist here to be notified when enrollment opens on July 1st.
There are also many books about AIP that I’ve found extremely helpful. Click the links below to check them out on Amazon:
A Simple Guide to the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol by Eileen Laird
The Paleo Approach: Reverse Autoimmune Disease and Heal Your Body by Sarah Ballantyne
The Autoimmune Wellness Handbook by Mickey Trescott and Angie Alt
The Autoimmune Solution by Amy Myers
Remember to grab your free AIP Food List Wallet Sized Printable so you can stay AIP compliant anywhere you go! Grab this exclusive freebie by signing up for my email newsletter below.
>> ENTER THE FREE WELLNESS LIBRARY <<
You can also check out the other AIP posts on this blog for more helpful information:
100 + Easy AIP Recipes for Every Occasion
Eating Out on the AIP Diet (my most popular post!)
6 Addicting AIP Snacks You Can Buy on Amazon
3 Genius Ways to Make Any AIP Meal Taste Delicious!
FREE One Week AIP Meal Plan
Day 1
Breakfast: Apple-Sage Pork Breakfast Skillet with 2-3 servings of sautéed vegetables
Lunch: Steak Salad with Arugula (only make half the recipe if serving just youself) and bone broth (homemade or store-bought)
Dinner: Offal Stew (makes 12 servings– keep one serving in the fridge for Day 3 and then freeze the rest for later) with 2-3 Bang Bang Cauliflower Tacos and sauerkraut (or other fermented veggies)
Snack: Paleo Angel Vanilla Power Balls with 1 serving of fruit
Day 2
Breakfast: Instant Farina with 1 serving of fruit
Lunch: Basil Avocado Baked Salmon (makes 4 servings– cut recipe in half so you have two servings, one for today and one for tomorrow) with 3-4 servings of steamed vegetables with a small drizzle of avocado oil
Dinner: Simply Grilled Protein (4-6 oz of chicken, fish, beef, pork, etc. with olive oil, salt, and herbs) with 2-3 leftover Bang Bang Cauliflower Tacos plus bone broth (homemade or store-bought) and sauerkraut (or other fermented veggies)
Snack: Wild Zora Apple Pork Bar
Day 3
Breakfast: Leftover Apple-Sage Pork Breakfast Skillet with 2-3 servings of sautéed vegetables
Lunch: Leftover Basil Avocado Baked Salmon (can be eaten cold) with a large salad (at least 3-4 cups of veggies) with Honey Butternut AIP dressing and bone broth (homemade or store-bought)
Dinner: Leftover Offal Stew with Shaved Brussels Salad (eat half the salad today and save the other half for dinner tomorrow)
Snack: Paleo Apple Pie Bars (this recipe makes 9 servings, but it freezes really well– keep one extra serving in the fridge for Day 5 and freeze the rest for later!)
Day 4
Breakfast: AIP Morning Smoothie
Lunch: Chicken Liver Fried “Rice” with bone broth (homemade or store-bought) and sauerkraut (or other fermented veggies) plus 2-3 extra servings of steamed, sauteed, or raw veggies drizzled with avocado oil
Dinner: Pork Chops with Asian Pear and Caramelized Onion (serves 4, so put one serving in the fridge for tomorrow and freeze the rest for later) with leftover Shaved Brussels Salad
Snack: Berry Terrine (this recipes serves 12, so feel free to cut this recipe in half or even a quarter if you’re only serving yourself– we’ll be eating this snack once more during the week, but it keeps well so you can eat it next week too!) with coconut milk yogurt or kefir
Day 5
Breakfast: Instant Farina with 2-3 strips AIP compliant bacon (make sure it’s cured naturally with no sugar or nightshades) and 2-3 servings of sauteed green veggies
Lunch: Leftover Pork Chops with Asian Pear and Caramelized Onion with a large salad (at least 3-4 servings of veggies) with Honey Butternut AIP Dressing plus bone broth (homemade or store-bought)
Dinner: Leftover Chicken Liver Fried “Rice” with Easy Oven Roasted Baby Bok Choy (try to eat all the bok choy, but if you have leftovers you can eat them with breakfast tomorrow)
Snack: Leftover Paleo Apple Pie Bars
Day 6
Breakfast: Jicama Breakfast Hash (eat half, save the rest in fridge for Day 7)
Lunch: Asian Veggie Noodle Bowl (serves 2, so cut recipe in half for 1 serving) with Simply Grilled Protein ((4-6 oz of chicken, fish, beef, pork, etc. with olive oil, salt, and herbs)
Dinner: Healthy Lemon Baked Shrimp (cut recipe in half to make 2 servings– save one serving in fridge for Day 7) and Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic “Mayo” with 2-3 servings of green veggies plus bone broth (homemade or store-bought) and sauerkraut
Snack: Leftover Berry Terrine with coconut milk yogurt or kefir
Day 7
Breakfast: Leftover Jicama Breakfast Hash
Lunch: Leftover Healthy Lemon Baked Shrimp with a large salad (at least 3-4 servings of vegetables) with Honey Butternut AIP Dressing and bone broth (homemade or store-bought)
Dinner: Hidden Liver Paleo Meatloaf (eat 1-2 servings and then freeze the rest for next week) with 3-4 servings of steamed of sauteed vegetables
Snack: Wild Zora Lamb & Veggie Bar
The recipe links in this AIP meal plan were from the following blogs. Check them out for more AIP recipes and tips!
Autoimmune Wellness
The Paleo Mom
Unbound Wellness
Phoenix Helix
ShopAIP Grocery List for AIP Menu Plan
Single Serve Beef Bone Broth
Single Serve Chicken Bone Broth
Organic Sauerkraut
Paleo Angel Vanilla Power Balls
Instant Farina
Wild Zora Apple Pork Bar
Wild Zora Lamb & Veggie Bar
Honey Butternut Dressing
Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin (for the Berry Terrine– they also sell single serve packets if you only want to use it once; please note you’ll need at least 2 single serve packets to make the recipe)
Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides (for AIP Morning Smoothie– they also sell single serve packets if you only want to use it once)
Avocado Oil
Did you make it through the week?? How do you feel? I’m so proud of you for taking this important step toward better health! I hope you enjoyed this free one week AIP meal plan. Remember to always listen to your body and consult with your doctor whenever necessary. Best of luck on your healing journey! ❤️
BONUS: AIP FOOD LIST WALLET SIZED PRINTABLE
If you’re overwhelmed with all the foods you can and can’t eat on AIP, you’re not alone! It’s a complicated diet that causes a lot of confusion, even for those who have been on AIP for years. Don’t you just wish there was tiny AIP cheat sheet you could carry with you at all times? Your wish is granted!
Introducing the free AIP Food List Wallet Sized Printable! This handy business card sized AIP food list has all the foods you can eat on one side and all the ones you can’t on the other. It’s a ton of important AIP information in a convenient size that fits in your purse or pocket! For a limited time, you can grab my free AIP Food List Wallet Sized Printable by signing up for my email newsletter below. As a bonus, you’ll also receive instant access to my free wellness library filled with tons of helpful AIP resources!
>> ENTER THE FREE WELLNESS LIBRARY <<
If you found this post helpful, you will also like:
Eating Out on the AIP Diet (my most popular post!)
6 Addicting AIP Snacks You Can Buy on Amazon
10 Minute Guided Breathing Meditation
3 Genius Ways to Make Any AIP Meal Taste Delicious!
A Complete Beginner’s Guide to Working Out at Home
5 Paleo Blogs with Mouthwatering Recipes Everyone will Love!
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