You may be wondering “what can I eat on the vegan AIP diet”? Here is a list of foods allowed on the Vegan AIP (the vegan autoimmune or anti-inflammatory protocol diet).
The most important thing about doing a vegetarian or vegan AIP diet is to know what not to eat. That list includes all animal products (meat, fish, shellfish, poultry, all dairy, and eggs), nuts, seeds, grains, legumes, and nightshades (eggplant, white potato, tomato, goji berry, all peppers (except for black, white and pink pepper, which are not nightshades – although note that Ballantyne says none of these either, at first), and tobacco). Note that even the AIP diet for carnivores and omnivores prohibits all dairy and eggs. For a more comprehensive list of not-allowed foods, see our Foods to Avoid on the Vegan AIP diet here.
So, just what can you eat as a vegan doing the AIP diet? As it turns out, quite a lot! (For some ideas, check out our easy to make, vegan AIP friendly recipes!)
You can eat all leafy greens (lettuce, kale, spinach, etc.), all cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc.), root vegetables (beets, carrots, cassava, sweet potatoes, turnips, etc.), and most fruits (including avocado and olives) and berries (but not goji berries, Cape gooseberries (also known as ground cherries), or Garden huckleberries (which are different from regular huckleberries)).
As it turns out, you can eat quite a lot of things, and pairing or preparing them creatively can be fun! For example, a few days ago we took riced frozen cauliflower, and simmered it in our homemade coconut milk (making coconut milk is incredibly easy if you have an Instant Pot and a high-speed blender, and it’s way better for you than commercial coconut milk because it contains no additives at all!), seasoned it with salt and black pepper, and whaddaya know, it was deeeelish! Spinach, mushrooms, asparagus and broccoli are not only tasty on their own or paired with other things, but they are high in protein! We also eat a lot of sweet potatoes here, and in a lot of different ways (baked is one of our favorites)!
We always try to eat as cleanly as possible, and try to eat organic as much as we can – after all, nobody does the AIP diet just on a whim, people do the AIP diet because there is something going on with their body, so it only makes sense to try to minimize the chemicals the body is having to deal with.
Here is our list of foods allowed on the vegan AIP diet. If you think that we have missed any, drop us a comment and let us know!
List of Allowed Foods While on a Vegan AIP Diet
VegetablesAll Summer Squashes (Zucchini, etc.) |
FruitsAll Berries (except Goji, Goose, and Huckle) |
Herbs & SpicesBasil |
OilsAvocado SweetenersCoconut Sugar |
Flours & ThickenersAgar |
BeveragesTea MiscellaneousCapers |
Avocados Capers Coconut Garlic Onions Olives |
Hi 😊. I’m so happy to find you. I was really sad when I was told that I HAVE TO eat animals in order to do the AIP diet. Thanks a lot 😊. I was reading the list that you provide for the food that I’m an allowed to eat, but for some reason the last Column to the right I cannot read it because I cannot move it to the left ..I don’t know if you understand what I say. I think is about herbs. Another one thing that I would like to ask you is if by any reason you have a menu for a week to figure it out how to start with this diet. Thanks
Hello, Sonia! We’re so sorry, we only just saw this question! But no, we do not have menus, that’s a great idea though!
Where is protein coming from?
Victoria, it can be more challenging, but by no means impossible, to get protein when doing a vegan AIP diet; the AIP diet generally (and certainly the vegan AIP diet) is not meant to be a long-term lifestyle, it is to get to a determination of what foods are causing inflammation/autoimmune issues for you. That said, there are plenty of sources of protein that one can eat; these include mushrooms, broccoli, spinach, asparagus, artichokes, and sweet potatoes, among others.