Over 2000 years ago Hippocrates is credited with a couple of quotes:
“All disease begins in the gut.” and
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
There are many diets: keto, Mediterranean, Low FODMAP, Paleo, South Beach, Blood Type, raw food, and many, many more. Determining what type of diet is best for you can be a huge challenge. THERE IS NO DIET THAT WORKS FOR EVERYONE! We are all individuals who have a specific genetic make-up and have our own health journey; there is no one else like you!
April is Autism Awareness Month, so I thought it appropriate to feature a diet that has had some success with autism. Let’s look at the GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet. The GAPS diet founder is Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, MD. The best reference for following this diet is her book Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Dyspraxia, Autism, ADD, Dyslexia, ADHD, Depression, and Schizophrenia.
The GAPS Diet follows the premise that gut health is linked with overall physical and mental health. At the center of the GAPS diet, people avoid foods that are difficult to digest and might damage the gut flora or gut lining; replacing them with nutrient-rich foods that help heal the gut.
Founder, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, originally used the diet to treat her son’s autism. It has been used as an alternative therapy for autism, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), eating disorders, and childhood food intolerances and allergies. Others are now using it to improve digestive problems.
Following the diet has been shown to improve gut health as it encourages eliminating foods that irritate the gut and instead eating nutrient-dense foods that can help heal the gut lining.
The diet has two phases, introduction and full; then when healing has happened, there is a reintroduction phase. Which phase you start with depends on your current health situation and how best you can manage the diet.
The introduction phase has six stages that a person will work through. It can take anywhere from a couple weeks to a year to work through this phase. Full GAPS can be where you start also, many people find this easier as it is less restrictive. If you do introduction first, you will then go on to the full diet. Knowing where to start is where it can be helpful to work with a GAPS certified practitioner. When digestion has improved, the re-introduction phase can slowly begin.
The foundation of the GAPS Diet is meat stock; this is not bone broth and many make the mistake of using bone broth. Meat stock is cooked for much shorter times, and the meat to bone ratio is different. With meat stock, you use more “meaty” bones versus “boney” bones.
Other foods that are consumed on the GAPS diet include: quality meat, fish, shellfish, animal fat, eggs, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, fermented vegetables and beverages, properly cultured dairy products (if dairy is tolerated), nuts, and lentils are some of the foods. This is not an all-inclusive list.
Foods to be eliminated are sugar and artificial sweeteners, syrups, processed and packaged foods, all grains (such as rice, corn, wheat, oats), starchy vegetables (such as potatoes and yams), beans (except green and navy), coffee, and soy. This also is not an all-inclusive list.
There has been much research on gut health and the health of the rest of the body. In 2019, I became a GAPS Diet certified practitioner as a means to help others work through the diet protocol if they would like the assistance. It can be challenging at times to navigate this diet on your own. Many people have obtained significant improvement in their health including myself! Dr. Natasha has an encouraging book titled GAPS Stories where she shares many testimonies with this protocol. If you would like to learn more about the diet, please complete the contact form below.
As I stated above, no diet works for everyone, but I do believe the GAPS diet can heal many digestive disorders!
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Heather
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