EOE: AIP Diet, Substitutions and Supplements

At this point last summer, we were racking our brain and exhausting Google searches trying to find out what was wrong with our Beaudozer. On top of his usual respiratory and eczema issues, he began frequently choking and vomiting. Six months later, an endoscopic biopsy confirmed he had Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EOE).

We began with a natural treatment plan by placing him on an elimination diet of the top 8 allergens (wheat, eggs, soy, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish). We were praying for a clean scope after a few months of this diet, but unfortunately his eosinophils level lowered only slightly. So we began swallowed steroids two months ago and also placed Beau on the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet, which naturally helps to fight inflammation.

It’s been a long two months trying to fill up our little guy up with meat, fruit and veggies. And like most kids, we’re limited on the amount of green veggies he will eat. The AIP diet seems like a very hard long-term diet, especially for a child, but we are hoping to see a big decrease in his count during his next endoscopy.

Autoimmune Protocol Diet for EOE

In a nutshell, the AIP diet is a stricter version of the Paleo diet and is highly touted for addressing inflammation associated with autoimmune diseases such as EOE. For Beau, we layer the top 8 elimination diet on top of AIP, which means we also eliminate fish and shellfish. The AIP diet attempts to reduce inflammation and help heal the immune system and the gut, and is basically the next step for those who don’t respond to the top 8 elimination diet alone.

So what CAN Beau eat?

• Quality meats: We buy organic grassfed beef and organic free range chicken from Costco and have purchased a month’s worth of AIP meals from PaleoOnTheGo.com for last-minute meals. Processed meats aren’t encouraged, but we buy local homemade sausage or natural bacon and sausage that is nitrate-free. I also purchase Applegate hotdogs and deli meat for easy lunches.
• Limited fruits: AIP suggests that fruit is limited to about 20 grams of fructose per day. But this is sooooo hard because so much fruit is in season in the summer and because Beau’s diet is so limited. I do give him avocados almost daily because they have less sugar than most fruit and the higher fat content keeps him fuller longer. He simply carves them out with a spoon and eats them plain.
• All veggies except nightshades: Nightshades include tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, eggplant etc. Thankfully Beau will eat sweet potatoes, so he doesn’t miss white potatoes, but I miss cooking with tomatoes. And lately Beau has asked to eat sliced tomatoes or guacamole with tomatoes and it’s heartbreaking to tell a kid no to healthy vegetables.
• Certain fats: olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil and bacon grease from quality bacon (no nitrates or additives)
• Coconut products: Coconut oil, coconut flour and flakes, coconut butter/manna, canned full-fat coconut milk and cream (without guar gum), coconut aminos, homemade coconut milk yogurt (I have yet to make it) etc.
• Non-seed herbs
• Vinegars: Apple cider vinegar, coconut vinegar, balsamic vinegar, etc. Just no added sugars.
• Arrowroot powder and tapioca starch: Thickeners similar to cornstarch

EOE Food Substitutions and Superfoods

No-mato sauce: Beau loves most all foods, and of course ketchup is at the top of that list. Though I’ve found several no-mato ketchup recipes using beets, carrots or pumpkin, I haven’t taken the time to make Beau his own special ketchup just yet.

Coconut aminos: I did purchase a three-pack of coconut aminos right when he started the AIP diet and we call it his Beau sauce. Whenever someone else pulls out a condiment such as ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, steak sauce, etc., we bring out the Beau sauce so that he doesn’t feel to deprived. I also use it as a substitution for teryaki or soy sauce when I cook.

Turmeric: Turmeric is a great anti-inflammatory superfood for EOE. I often use turmeric as a replacement for cumin (which is seed-based and off limits on AIP) in AIP taco seasoning. I’ve also pinned a couple recipes with turmeric that I plan on trying soon:

• Turmeric Morning Smoothie
• Turmeric Chicken No Noodle Soup
• Anti-Inflammatory and Healing Turmeric Gummies

Ginger: Similar to turmeric, ginger also has many anti-inflammatory properties. There is a lot of buzz about EOE patients taking both ginger and turmeric capsules, but for now I am simply incorporating these superfoods into my cooking. I made this AIP meatball recipe that uses fresh ginger for our last RV trip everyone gobbled them up.

Grassfed Gelatin: There are many versions of gelatin on the market, but AIP supports grassfed, pasture-raised beef gelatin. This is a product I need to experiment with more. I made some pancakes using a gelatin egg and they came out very gummy. But I also used a gelatin egg when I made AIP donuts and they turned out pretty good, especially if you try not to compare AIP donuts to regular donuts.

Kombucha: Though other probiotic foods such as fermented vegetables and fruits are recommended on the AIP diet, kombucha is the only fermented food he will eat. We call it fizzy juice. James and I used to brew our own kombucha, but for now we buy it

Natural Supplements and Superfoods

Besides the AIP diet, we are also giving Beau natural supplements and incorporating superfoods into his diet. Every morning, I mix probiotics, aloe juice and slippery elm into a small cup of watered down juice. We’ve also heard good things about DGL licorice (soothes inflammation and stimulates repair) and Glutamine (rebuilds intestines), but am holding off until after Beau’s next endoscopy in a couple weeks. We also have the name of a integrative/holistic doctor who I will reach out to after we know more about his levels and the effect of his AIP diet coupled with swallowed steroids.