Chronic inflammation is at the core of many modern health issues, including autoimmune disorders. While acute inflammation helps protect the body from infection and injury, chronic inflammation can persist and contribute to widespread symptoms—fatigue, joint pain, skin flare-ups, and brain fog. These symptoms often go unaddressed in conventional medicine.
As a functional medicine physician and former autoimmune patient, I have witnessed how dietary choices directly influence immune function, gut health, and inflammatory responses. Two nutritional strategies—the anti-inflammatory diet and the autoimmune diet (AIP)—are powerful tools for supporting the body's healing process.
This article outlines the key differences and similarities between the anti-inflammatory diet vs. autoimmune diet. Whether you are newly exploring holistic health or seeking relief from an autoimmune condition, understanding the purpose of each approach can help you choose the path that aligns with your needs.
Both diets are rooted in functional medicine principles, which emphasize addressing root causes rather than suppressing symptoms. They also focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods and eliminate inflammatory triggers. However, the level of restriction, personalization, and intended outcomes vary.
Why Diet Plays a Key Role in Managing Inflammation
Inflammation is a natural immune response that protects the body from pathogens and injuries. In a healthy system, this response resolves quickly. However, in many individuals, the inflammatory response becomes chronic and begins to attack the body’s own tissues. This is often the case in autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, and multiple sclerosis (1).
The digestive tract plays a central role in regulating immune activity. Nearly 70 percent of the immune system resides in the gut (2). When the intestinal lining becomes compromised, a condition is often referred to as leaky gut. Additionally, immune dysregulation and systemic inflammation can follow. The foods you eat have the power to either heal or harm the gut lining.
In a functional medicine approach, food is foundational. Nutrition works in synergy with lifestyle changes and targeted supplements to restore balance and resilience. The right diet can reduce inflammatory markers, support gut repair, and help the immune system recalibrate (3).
Learn more about the inflammation epidemic with Dr. Will Cole on this episode of Take Back Your Health™.
What Is an Anti-Inflammatory Diet?
Let us start by looking at the broader and more flexible of the two approaches: the anti-inflammatory diet. This diet emphasizes whole foods that naturally help promote a healthy inflammatory response and support overall wellness.
1. Focus on Whole, Nutrient-Dense Foods
The anti-inflammatory diet prioritizes leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, wild-caught fatty fish, extra virgin olive oil, and antioxidant-rich fruits such as blueberries and raspberries. Herbs and spices such as turmeric, ginger, and rosemary also play a central role due to their inflammation-modulating properties.
These foods provide vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and healthy fats that support the immune system without overstimulating it.
2. Flexible and Accessible for Most People
The anti-inflammatory diet is suitable for those seeking a preventative or general wellness approach. It does not require strict elimination phases or detailed reintroductions. This makes it a sustainable lifestyle plan for those looking to maintain long-term health and reduce their risk of chronic disease.
3. May Still Include Some Common Triggers
Because this diet is not specifically tailored to autoimmune conditions, it may still include potential triggers such as eggs, nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and eggplant), nuts, seeds, gluten-free grains, and legumes. For individuals with food sensitivities or autoimmune flares, these foods may need to be evaluated more closely.
What Is the Autoimmune Diet (AIP)?
Now, let us explore the AIP diet, which is more targeted for people with diagnosed autoimmune conditions. The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) is a specialized elimination diet designed to reduce inflammation, heal the gut lining, and identify food triggers that may exacerbate symptoms.
1. Designed to Help Identify Food Triggers
The AIP diet plan starts with a strict elimination phase, where known inflammatory and potentially immune-reactive foods are removed. These include gluten, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes, grains, nightshades, processed foods, additives, caffeine, and alcohol.
After a period of stabilization, foods are reintroduced one at a time, with close observation for symptom recurrence. This structured process helps identify personalized triggers and allows individuals to make informed dietary choices.
2. Temporarily Eliminates Common Inflammatory Foods
The elimination phase is temporary. Its purpose is to calm the immune response, reduce inflammation, and restore integrity to the intestinal barrier. Once symptoms improve, the reintroduction phase begins, guided by the body's responses.
The AIP diet supports long-term wellness through a sustainable maintenance phase tailored to each individual's tolerance.
3. Focuses on Gut Health and Immune Support
The AIP diet includes nutrient-dense foods such as grass-fed meats, wild-caught fish, organ meats, bone broth, fermented vegetables, and coconut-based products. These foods supply essential nutrients such as collagen, glutamine, zinc, and vitamin A, which are critical for gut repair and immune regulation (4).
This approach is central to The Autoimmune Solution™ Protocol, which I developed to help individuals restore immune balance from the inside out.
Key Differences Between Anti-Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diets
While both diets support immune system balance and reduce systemic inflammation, they differ in purpose, structure, and intensity.
1. Level of Restriction
The anti-inflammatory diet is moderate. It eliminates processed foods and emphasizes whole-food nutrition while still allowing a variety of foods based on individual tolerance.
The AIP diet is more restrictive at first. It eliminates a comprehensive list of potential triggers to create a clean slate. This allows for greater clarity during the reintroduction phase.
2. Purpose and Personalization
The anti-inflammatory diet is a wellness-focused strategy suitable for most people. It supports longevity, heart health, and metabolic function while helping maintain a healthy inflammatory response.
The AIP diet is intended for individuals with autoimmune conditions who are seeking to identify food-based triggers and reduce symptoms such as joint pain, fatigue, bloating, rashes, or brain fog (5).
3. Timeline and Commitment
The anti-inflammatory diet is intended as a long-term lifestyle. It is sustainable and flexible, ideal for those seeking prevention or moderate support.
The AIP diet is more intensive in the short term, requiring full commitment during the elimination and reintroduction phases. However, once personalized, it transitions into a sustainable maintenance plan tailored to your individual needs.
Functional Medicine Supplements to Support Either Diet
Both dietary approaches benefit from nutritional supplementation, especially during times of food restriction or digestive imbalance.
Key supplements in The Autoimmune Solution™ Protocol provide foundational support:
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Digestive Enzymes to aid nutrient absorption
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L-Glutamine to help repair the gut lining
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Collagen Protein to support skin, joints, and intestinal health
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Probiotics to promote a healthy gut microbiome
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Charcoal for binding to potential toxins
These tools are especially helpful during the AIP elimination phase, where nutrient gaps may arise, and during the anti-inflammatory diet, which is designed to optimize long-term wellness.
Which Diet Might Be Right for You?
Choosing between the anti-inflammatory diet vs. autoimmune diet depends on your health history, current symptoms, and wellness goals.
1. Consider an Anti-Inflammatory Diet If:
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You are new to functional medicine or holistic nutrition
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You want to support a healthy inflammatory response
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You are unsure if food is playing a role in your symptoms
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You are focused on prevention and general wellness
2. Consider the AIP Diet If:
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You have been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition
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You experience flares that correlate with specific foods
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You are ready to commit to a structured elimination and reintroduction process
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You want to investigate root causes rather than mask symptoms
If you are unsure where to begin, consider starting with an anti-inflammatory approach. You may then transition into AIP if symptoms persist or if you want deeper clarity around food-based triggers.
Learn more about the key to reducing inflammation and boosting immunity with Dr. Rountree on Take Back Your Health™.
Take the First Step Toward Feeling Like Yourself Again
Both the anti-inflammatory and autoimmune diets offer powerful tools to support immune balance, reduce inflammation, and nourish the gut. While the anti-inflammatory diet is ideal for overall wellness, the AIP diet offers a structured, therapeutic approach for individuals actively managing autoimmune symptoms.
Start small. Eliminate one inflammatory food this week. Try an AIP-friendly recipe. Add a gut-supportive supplement to your daily routine.
Whether you are easing into functional nutrition or diving deeper into AIP, you do not have to do it alone. Explore AMMD™’s curated line of physician-formulated supplements and guides to support your wellness journey.
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