The GAPS Way of Life
I am going to call this a way of life, because GAPS is so much more than just a diet…The book discusses diet most of all, but there are also a few small lifestyle changes that need to be considered too. I’ll start with the diet, seeing that it is the most important part. Our diet has changed so much over time that we can hardly call the foods we eat nutritious anymore. We put in all the wrong foods, it’s no wonder we have generations of people with all manner of ills. Our diet has become predominantly processed, packaged, refined and altered foods. We are faced with the food choices given in the supermarkets and most if not all are damaging to our bodies in some way or another. We see added salt, added sugar, added MSG, and added this and that. Recommended Foods I’ll include an alphabetic list of the foods after the summery of each category. Meats and Fish All fresh or frozen meats, game, organ meats, poultry, fish and shellfish. Meats and fish are an excellent source of nutrition. Contrary to popular belief it is the meats and fish and other animal products that have the highest contents of vitamins, amino acids, nourishing fats, many minerals and other nutrients which we humans need on a daily basis. All this nutrition in meats and fish also come in the most digestible form for us humans. Let’s have a look at these nutrients: · Vitamin B1 (thiamine): the richest sources are pork, liver, heart and kidneys. · Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): the richest sources are eggs, meat, milk, poultry and fish. · Vitamin B3 (niacin): the richest sources are meat and poultry. · Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid): the richest sources are meats and liver. · Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine): the richest sources are meat, poultry, fish and eggs. · Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin): the richest sources are meat, poultry, fish, eggs and milk. · Biotin: the richest sources are liver and egg yolks. · Vitamin A: the richest sources are liver, fish, egg yolks and butter. · Vitamin D: the richest sources are fish liver oils, eggs and fish. The three well-researched vitamins which meats and fish do not have are vitamin C, folic acid and vitamin K. These have to come from vegetables and fruit. Fruit, apart from avocado, generally interferes with the digestion of meats and should be eaten between meals. Vegetables however combine with meat and fish very well and would provide the missing nutrients. Eggs Eggs are one of the most nourishing and easy to digest foods on this planet! Raw egg yolk has been compared with human breast milk as it absorbs almost 100% without needing digestion. Egg yolks will provide you with most essential amino acids, many vitamins (B1, B2, B6, A, D, biotin), essential fatty acids, a lot of zinc, magnesium and many other nutrients. Eggs are particularly rich in vitamin B12vital for normal development of the nervous system and immunity. GAPS children and adults are deficient in all these nutrients. It is sad that based on some faulty “science” and commercial publicity eggs have been made unpopular despite their wonderful nutritional value. This happened because eggs contain cholesterol. In the last decade there have been a number of clinical studies confirming that consuming eggs has nothing to do with heart disease or atherosclerosis. In fact people who consume eggs show lower risk of these health problems. The majority of people do not know that 85% of blood cholesterol does not come from food but is produced by the liver in response to consumption of processed carbohydrates and sugar. These are the foods to avoid if you want to protect your heart, not the eggs. It is suggested that you try eating your eggs raw (I have a great recipe I will post at a later stage), as it will be most nutritious that way. But if you can’t handle the egg that way, then cooked white and soft yolk is okay. Non-starch vegetables French artichoke, beets, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, cucumber, celery, marrow, courgette (zucchini), aubergine (eggplant), garlic, onions, kale, lettuce, mushrooms, parsley, green peas, peppers of all colours, pumpkin, squash, spinach, tomatoes, turnips, watercress. Frozen vegetables can be used, as long as they are not coated with starch, sugar or anything else. All vegetables should be peeled, de-seeded and cooked until diarrhoea has completely cleared. After that raw vegetables can be slowly introduced with meals or as snacks. If diarrhoea persists, make sure that your vegetables are organic. GAPS people often react to the pesticides and chemicals sprayed on commercially grown produce. All fruit, including berries Fruit can be fresh, cooked or raw, dried (no sorbates, no sulphites, sugar, starch or anything else added), and frozen (providing there is nothing added to the fruit). If the person has diarrhoea, avoid fruit until it clears, then start introducing cooked fruit (peeled and de-seeded prior to cooking). When stool becomes consistently normal then you can slowly introduce raw fruit as a snack between meals. Remember not with meals as it interferes with the digestion of meats. Fruits should be completely ripe as unripe fruit has too much starch. For example, bananas have to have brown spots on their skins when they are ripe. Nuts and seeds Walnuts, almonds, brazil nuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, chestnuts, peanuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Nuts and seeds should be bought in their shells or freshly shelled. They should not be roasted, salted, coated or processed in any other way! Nuts and seeds are highly nourishing. They are a rich source of some vital minerals, amino acids: magnesium, selenium, zinc, omega-6 and omega-3 oils. This diet uses nuts and seeds extensively. However, they are fibrous and should not be introduced until the diarrhoea has settled. After it’s cleared baking with ground nuts can be introduced. When baked products with ground nuts are well tolerated, raw nuts can be introduced as snacks between meals. Seeds should also not be used till the diarrhoea clears. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds are best soaked for about 12 hours or slightly sprouted. This way they are easier to digest and are more nourishing. Beans and pulses Dried white (navy) beans, lima beans (dried or fresh), string beans as well as lentils and split peas. All other beans and pulses are too starchy! With dried beans and pulses it is important to remember to soak them for 12 hours, drained and rinsed before cooking well. Do not use commercially produced bean flours as they have not been pre-soaked before they were ground. Beans, lentils and peas should be avoided until the diarrhoea has settled. Honey All natural honey is allowed. Cold-expressed is preferable because many honey producers heat it in order to speed up the process of extraction from the honeycomb, which damages some of the micro-elements in the honey. Use only honey as a sweetener in your diet. Beverages A GAPS person should drink water, freshly pressed juices and meat/fish stocks. For an adult weak tea and coffee without milk and sugar is allowed. Tea and coffee should be freshly made and NOT the instant varieties!! A slice of lemon in tea is beneficial. Herbal teas are allowed as long as they are made from fresh single herbs and not from commercially available teas. Freshly made ginger tea is a good digestive. Drinking water is a very healthy habit. Children should be encouraged to develop this habit. An adult should drink at least 1.5-2 litres a day. It is not advisable to drink tap water unless it’s been filtered. Tap water is chlorinated and damages the gut flora balance. A GAPS person should start the day with a glass of water (warm or cold). A slice of lemon in the water is beneficial. Drinking water with meals in not advised as water interferes with digestion, so drink between meals. Freshly pressed fruit and vegetable juices are highly recommended. They will speed up the detoxification process and support the liver. Do not opt for commercially produced juices in boxes or bottles as they have been pasteurized and contain synthetically made vitamins. And the linings in such products contain harmful chemicals. They are also prone to moulds which upset the gut flora balance. For the adults on this diet, alcoholic beverages must be avoided as it only adds to the toxicity the liver has to deal with. However on rare occasions a small amount of dry wine, gin, Scotch whisky, bourbon and vodka are permissible. Beer has to be completely avoided as it has a high content of starch. Fats and oils All natural fats on meats – lamb, pork, beef, poultry, etc. – are acceptable. These fats are best to cook with because they do not change their chemical structure when heated. All cooking oils and vegetable oils are full of harmful trans-fatty acids and should be avoided. Cooking should be done with butter, ghee, pork dripping, beef fat (lard), lamb fat, goose fat, duck fat or chicken fat. If you roast a goose you’ll have enough fat for half a year!! Cold-pressed oils are also allowed on the diet. Oils like extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, avocado oil, coconut, etc. Do NOT use artificial fats like margarine (note: I read recently that margarine is only a few chemical compounds away from plastic!!!).
The list of recommended foods · Almonds, including almond butter and oil · Apples · Apricots, fresh or dried · Artichoke, French · Asiago cheese · Asparagus · Aubergine (eggplant) · Avocados, including avocado oil · Bananas (ripe only with brown spots on skin) · Beans, dried white (navy), string beans and lima beans · Beef, fresh or frozen · Beets or beetroot · Berries, all kinds · Black, white and red pepper: ground and pepper corns · Black radish · Blue cheese · Brazil nuts · Brick cheese · Brie cheese · Broccoli · Brussels sprouts · Butter · Cabbage · Camembert cheese · Canned fish in oil or water only (I don’t necessarily agree with this one, because tin cans leach aluminium and other toxins) · Capers · Carrots · Cashew nuts, fresh only · Cauliflower · Cayenne pepper · Celeriac · Celery · Cellulose in supplements · Cheddar cheese · Cherimoya (custard apple or sharifa) · Cherries · Chestnuts · Chicken, fresh or frozen · Cinnamon · Coconut, fresh or dried (shredded) without any additives · Coconut milk · Coconut oil · Coffee, weak and freshly made, not instant · Collard greens · Colby cheese · Courgette · Coriander fresh or dried · Cucumber · Dates, fresh or dried without any additives (not soaked in syrup) · Dill, fresh or dried · Duck, fresh or frozen · Edam cheese · Eggplant (aubergine) · Eggs, fresh · Filberts · Fish, fresh or frozen, canned in its juice or oil · Game, fresh or frozen · Garlic · Ghee, home made · Gin, occasionally · Ginger root, fresh · Goose, fresh or frozen · Gorgonzola cheese · Gouda cheese · Grapefruit · Grapes · Havarti cheese · Hazelnuts · Herbal teas · Herbs, fresh or dried without additives · Honey, natural · Juices freshly pressed from permitted fruits and vegetables · Kale · Kiwi fruit · Kumquats · Lamb, fresh or frozen · Lemons · Lentils · Lettuce, all kinds · Lima beans (dried or fresh) · Limburger cheese · Limes · Mangoes · Meats, fresh or frozen · Melons · Monterey (Jack) cheese · Mushrooms · Muenster cheese · Mustard seeds, pure powder and gourmet types without any non-allowed ingredients · Nectarines · Nut flour or ground nuts (usually ground blanched almonds) · Nutmeg · Nuts, all kinds freshly shelled, not roasted, salted or coated · Onions · Oranges · Papayas · Parmesan cheese · Parsley · Peaches · Peanut butter, without additives · Pears · Peas, dried split and fresh · Pecans · Peppers (green, yellow, red and orange) · Pheasant, fresh or frozen · Pickles, without sugar or any other non-allowed ingredients · Pigeon, fresh or frozen · Pineapples, fresh · Pork, fresh or frozen · Port du Salut cheese · Poultry, fresh or frozen · Prunes, dried without additives or in their own juice · Pumpkin · Quail, fresh or frozen · Raisins · Rhubarb · Roquefort cheese · Romano cheese · Satsumas · Scotch, occasionally · Shellfish, fresh or frozen · Spices, single and pure without any additives · Spinach · Squash (summer and winter) · Stilton cheese · Swiss cheese · Tangerines · Tea, weak freshly made, not instant · Tomato puree, pure without any additives apart from salt · Tomato juice, without any additives apart from salt · Tomatoes · Turkey, fresh or frozen · Turnips · Ugly fruit · Uncreamed cottage cheese (dry curd) · Vinegar (cider or white); make sure there is no allergy · Vodka, very occasionally · Walnuts · Watercress · Wine dry: red or white · Yoghurt, home made · Zucchini
Foods to avoid
· Acesulphame · Acidophilus milk · Agar-agar · Agave syrup · Algae · Aloe Vera · Amaranth · Apple juice · Arrowroot · Aspartame · Astragalus · Baked beans · Baker’s yeast · Baking powder and raising agents of all kinds · Balsamic vinegar · Barley · Bean flour and sprouts · Bee pollen · Beer · Bhindi or okra · Bicarbonate of soda · Bitter Gourd · Black eye beans · Bologna · Bouillon cubes or granules · Brandy · Buckwheat · Bulgur · Burdock root · Butter beans · Buttermilk · Cannellini beans · Canned vegetables and fruit · Carob · Carrageenan · Cellulose gum · Cereals, including all breakfast cereals · Cheeses, processed and cheese spreads · Chestnut flour · Chevre cheese · Chewing gum · Chick peas · Chickory root · Chocolate · Cocoa powder · Coffee, instant and coffee substitutes · Cooking oils · Cordials · Corn · Cornstarch · Corn syrup · Cottage cheese · Cottonseed · Cous-cous · Cream · Cream of Tartar · Cream cheese · Dextrose · Drinks, soft · Faba beans · Feta cheese · Fish, preserved, smoked, salted, breaded and canned with sauces · Flour, made out of grains · FOS (fructooligosaccharides) · Fructose · Fruit, canned or preserved · Garbanzo beans · Gjetost cheese · Grains, ALL · Gruyere cheese · Ham · Hot dogs · Ice-cream, commercial · Jams · Jellies · Jerusalem artichoke · Ketchup, commercially available · Lactose · Liqueurs · Margarines and butter substitutes · Meats, processed, preserved, smoked and salted · Millet · Milk from any animal, soy, rice, canned coconut milk · Milk, dried · Molasses · Mozzarella chees · Mungbeans · Neufchatel cheese · Nutra-sweet (aspartame) · Nuts, salted, roasted and coated · Oats · Okra · Parsnips · Pasta, of any kind · Pectin · Postum · Potato white · Potato sweet · Primost cheese · Quinoa · Rice · Ricotta cheese · Rye · Saccharin · Sago · Sausages, commercially available · Seaweed · Semolina · Sherry · Soda soft drinks · Sour cream commercial · Soy · Spelt · Starch · Sugar or sucrose of any kind · Tapioca · Tea, instant · Triticale · Turkey loaf · Vegetables, canned or preserved · Wheat · Wheat germ · Whey, powder or liquid · Yams · Yoghurt, commercial |
There seems to be a blending of the GAPS Diet, the Paleo diet and low carb. People think that if they do Paleo or a low carb diet, they’re doing GAPS. There seems to be a sentiment that Paleo is the “best” and most virtuous diet, and people are lumping GAPS in with Paleo. I also hear people saying that they think they will have to stay on the GAPS Diet for life. They think they just have to avoid the foods they are allergic to, and that they will never heal. There is also a lot of talk that grains are bad for you, and that we should never eat grains. Did you know that Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, author of Gut and Psychology Syndrome, recommends properly prepared whole grains once the gut is healed? She also says that the GAPS diet is NOT low carb. Let’s take a look at some GAPS Diet Myths and see if we can clear them up.
GAPS Diet Myths Myth #1: The GAPS Diet is Low CarbDr. Natasha has stated publicly that the GAPS Diet is not low carb. I personally believe that if you do GAPS, you should not count carbs or restrict carbs in any way. Especially if you are pregnant or nursing, or if you want to get pregnant. Paul Jaminet of the Perfect Health Diet writes:
He also says that low carb depresses thyroid function and eating a higher carb diet will help your thyroid function better:
Many (most?) GAPS patients have low adrenal and thyroid function. So in order to heal, we should not be restricting carbs. The GAPS Diet allows fruit, honey, squash, nuts, and other high carbohyrdate foods. We should not avoid these foods while on the GAPS Diet. Particularly if we are pregnant, nursing, trying to get pregnant, or if we have hormone problems. Myth #2: The GAPS Diet and the Paleo Diet are the Same ThingThe Paleo Diet is based on eating only paleolithic foods, or foods that hunter-gatherers would have had access to.
While I can see how people might confuse the two diets, as they seem similar at first glance, the GAPS Diet is very different from the Paleo Diet. The Paleo Diet restricts foods based on the theory that humans were optimally healthy prior to neolithic (agricultural) foods such as grains and dairy products. Like the Paleo Diet, the GAPS Diet prohibits grains. However, dairy foods are allowed on the GAPS Diet, even from the very beginning of the diet (in the beginning, it is recommended to start with ghee and then kefir/yogurt and then sour cream). It depends on whether or not the patient can tolerate dairy foods, and some dairy foods are easier to digest than others so there is a process as far as how to introduce them. The creator of the GAPS Diet, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, only recommends that we avoid grains while the gut is healing. Some beans are also allowed — white beans and lentils — as they are easier to digest. The reason that foods are prohibited on the GAPS Diet is not because they are bad, but rather because the GAPS patient cannot digest them. Once the gut is healthy and strong again, these foods can be reintroduced. The GAPS Diet also strongly emphasizes fermented foods and bone broth; the Paleo Diet does not. Myth #3: We Can Never Recover from Food AllergiesThis is one of the biggest myths. Dr. Natasha says that around 1% of people cannot recover from food allergies. Or in other words 99% of people CAN recover. She distinguishes between “true” allergies and allergies that can be reversed. This is why I called my GAPS Diet cooking class “Reversing Food Allergies”.
So, yes, there are some people who can never eat wheat again. But it’s a very small percentage of people. Most people can recover and go back to eating grains and even gluten with no problems. Myth #4: We Should Stay on the GAPS Diet for LifeDr. Natasha says that GAPS should generally be followed for a few years. It takes a while for the villi in the intestines to grow back. However, it DOES grow back and we CAN heal on the right diet.
It took me 2 years to heal my gut in my 20s and overcome gluten intolerance. I was not following GAPS but I was following a similar diet (no gluten, no sugar — only honey and fruit, very limited starches, and strong probiotics). GAPS is not a diet you need to follow for life. It is a short-term diet designed to help people heal.
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