AIP: Making sense of "affiliate links"

I've been doing the Paleo Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) for over a year now and the amount of information out there is enormous. This was my starting point on my healing journey. I knew that with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome I wasn't classically an Autoimmune person but I realized there was a great overlap in the symptoms. Our healing journey is individual. Ehlers Danlos is a spectrum disorder. This means that how it affects me may be different than how it affects you. It is the n=1 experience. I have had great success at symptom management using the protocol. However, this natural whole food, organic, grass fed lifestyle can be expensive. I thought that I would share some of the ways that I navigate through all of the information.

Do you read blogs, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter? If you do then you know that so many AIP bloggers have a disclaimer on their website about "affiliate links". I have no problems with people being able to make money while talking about what they are passionate about. However, some bloggers seem to be ongoing infomercials. I know of one prominent blogger in the AIP community who I unsubscribed to their weekly newsletter because every one of the emails was trying to sell me something. I felt like I couldn't trust her information as much because I wondered if it was skewed by what she was trying to sell you something. Once I read a blog about AIP snacks. The blogger was recommending highly processed "AIP Friendly" snacks that I think go directly against the basic concepts of Paleo and AIP: whole nutrient dense foods. Remember that snacking should be minimal and should meet the same standards as the rest of your meals.

So how do you know what you really need to have? The answer is right between your ears. You have an incredible brain. We are all desperate to have optimal health but that doesn't mean breaking the bank in the meantime or blindly following the advice of one or two people in the AIP community. Use common sense.

Here are some tips to figuring out what is really worth it for you to buy.

1. Don't buy anything just because of the person who is recommending it. I find

that many times I may think that I would really benefit from a product but

maybe I can find a different brand that is cheaper.

2. When you are considering purchasing something go to your kitchen, think

about the next few meals you will be preparing and figure out if this item

will truly make things simpler or does it add to the quality of your health.

3. Research, Research, Research! I never thought about owning a spiral slicer

before I saw a post on Instagram by Squirrel in the Kitchen's, Sophie

VanTeggelen. I asked Sophie what spiral slicer she used and then researched

that brand with other brands. I wasn't looking for the cheapest or the most

expensive. I wanted the one that would fit my needs. I even borrowed my

daughters apple spiral slicer to see if I would like the idea. I did buy the same

brand as Sophie's but only after careful research. I love it! Best way to cut sweet

potatoes for frying.

4. Check your budget. It is already more expensive to eat the way that we do.

When purchasing something, make sure that it isn't going to cause you

financial stress. For example, there were two things that I really wanted to

add to my kitchen: a good chef's knife and an immersion blender. Both items

can be expensive purchases and I wasn't willing to put up the money for them.

I knew that my in-laws give us money for Christmas every year. I waited 4 months

before I bought them. Plus, since I purchased during Christmas, I got an

awesome deal on both.

5. Quality counts. I know that this may seem counter to the one above but it

isn't. I am one of the cheapest people you will meet. I can figure out how

to do things in unconventional ways just to save a couple of bucks. However,

I don't buy the cheapest kitchen tools. I have found that when I buy the

cheapest it doesn't always do the job and doesn't last very long so my money

was wasted. I always try to balance quality with cost. This is where rule 3 and 4

come in handy.

6. Can you accomplish the same thing without putting out a large chunk of change?

I'm about to commit blasphemy here. I cannot figure out a reason why I would

spend $126 on an Instant Pot. I know that you can make bone broth in 2 hours

but for me it isn't a big deal to put everything in my slow cooker at night go to bed

and wake up to bone broth. Except the wonderful smell keeps me up all night.

I may get a pressure cooker but will probably buy the $69 top of the stove version

at Walmart because it is much larger and I want to be able to can soups and bone

broths to make them shelf stable and I need a pressure cooker to do it (an Instant Pot)

is way too small for that. I could give you all kinds of examples. I use a heating pad that

I had around the house for fermenting kombucha. I make my coconut milk yogurt in my

oven instead of buying a yogurt maker.

If you can take away anything from this blog, please take away empowerment. I don't think that any of the bloggers in the AIP community would try and take advantage of you because you want to find out a way to heal your body naturally. I just have noticed that almost everyone is trying to sell you something that maybe you don't need or maybe you could find a more creative way to achieve the same thing. Use common sense, know your lifestyle, and think for yourself.

I have confidence in you!

#AIP #AIPresources