Gut Health7 min readJune 18, 2026

AIP vs Paleo: What's the Difference (and Which Should You Do)?

RHC · Pre/Postnatal Fitness Specialist

People often use "AIP" and "paleo" almost interchangeably, then get confused when an AIP food list bans eggs and tomatoes that paleo happily allows. The two are related, AIP grew out of paleo, but they have different rules and, more importantly, different purposes. Here's exactly how they differ and which one actually fits your situation.

Educational only, not medical advice. If you're considering AIP for an autoimmune condition, do it with your doctor or dietitian. See the full AIP diet guide.

The core difference

Both AIP and paleo remove grains, legumes, dairy, refined sugar, and processed foods. AIP goes further, eliminating several foods that paleo allows, and, crucially, AIP is temporary while paleo is meant to be ongoing.

	Paleo	AIP
Grains, legumes, dairy, sugar	❌ Removed	❌ Removed
Eggs	✅ Allowed	❌ Removed (elimination)
Nuts & seeds	✅ Allowed	❌ Removed
Nightshades	✅ Allowed	❌ Removed
Seed spices & coffee	✅ Allowed	❌ Removed
Purpose	Ongoing lifestyle	Temporary elimination + reintroduction
Restriction level	Moderate	High (short-term)

What AIP removes that paleo allows

If you already eat paleo, switching to AIP elimination means giving up several "paleo-approved" staples:

Eggs (a paleo breakfast cornerstone),
Nuts and seeds (and seed-based spices like cumin and coriander),
Nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, aubergine, paprika, chilli),
Coffee and alcohol.

That's a big step up in restriction, which is exactly why AIP is meant to be short-term. The complete breakdown is in our AIP food list.

Different purposes, not just different lists

This is the part people miss. Paleo is a destination; AIP is a diagnostic detour.

Paleo is designed as a sustainable, long-term way of eating whole foods.
AIP is a structured experiment: eliminate, let symptoms settle, then reintroduce foods to find your triggers, and then expand your diet again.

Staying on strict AIP forever misunderstands what it's for. Most people who complete AIP end up eating something close to paleo (or broader), built around the foods they personally tolerate.

Thinking about trying AIP properly?

Our AIP Elimination & Reintroduction Guide walks through the phases and food lists with a tracker, educational, to use alongside your doctor.

See the AIP guide →

Which should you do?

Choose paleo (or a balanced whole-food diet) if you're generally healthy and want a sustainable way of eating. It's far less restrictive and easier to live with long-term.
Consider AIP, with professional guidance, if you have an autoimmune condition with ongoing, possibly food-related symptoms and want to systematically identify triggers.

For most people, AIP is more restriction than they need, with no proven advantage over paleo. It's a targeted tool, not a default upgrade.

The natural progression

The cleanest way to think about it: AIP → reintroduction → your personal paleo. You start strict to calm symptoms, reintroduce to learn your triggers, and land on the widest sustainable diet your body tolerates, which usually resembles paleo with your own personal exceptions. The restriction is the means; a broader, informed diet is the end.

The takeaway

AIP is stricter paleo with a different job: paleo is a long-term lifestyle, AIP is a temporary elimination-and-reintroduction experiment for finding food triggers. If you're healthy, paleo or balanced whole-food eating wins. If you have an autoimmune condition and want answers, AIP, done time-limited and with reintroduction, can be worth it. See the full AIP diet guide to decide.