Following the GAPS Diet takes incredible discipline for at least a couple of years for most adults. Here’s how to be sure your gut healing journey is as short and successful as possible!
The GAPS Diet as outlined in the bestselling book by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD is one of the most effective ways to heal and seal the gut wall in order to reverse a variety of autoimmune conditions. It is based on the 100-year-old, science-backed Specific Carbohydrate Diet.
Conditions resolved by GAPS include eczema, psoriasis, ADD/ADHD, autism, Celiac disease, allergies, asthma, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, diabetes, cancer, and the list goes on.
This book is a must-read for those who suffer from any sort of autoimmune disease, mild or severe.
Dr. Campbell-McBride says that, on average, it takes a child 6-18 months on the GAPS diet for the gut to heal, while an adult may take longer, possibly up to three years.
Dietary Restrictions
While the good news is that the GAPS Diet is only a temporary diet to heal the gut, the bad news is that the diet is highly restrictive with the elimination of many foods that cannot be consumed until symptoms of autoimmune illness have completely subsided and the gut is sufficiently healed.
Restricted foods include:
- All grains and any food that contains them. This includes wheat, rye, rice, corn, oats, amaranth, Kamut, spelt, barley, millet, buckwheat, teff, triticale, bulgur, quinoa, and einkorn among others.
- Starchy vegetables like white and sweet potatoes, parsnip, arrowroot, cassava, and taro. Even those that contain beneficial resistant starch must be avoided temporarily.
- Regular and soaked beans and legumes must also be avoided, which includes pretty much all of them with the exception of lentils, green peas, and navy beans.
- All sugars, including the lactose in milk and cream, must be avoided. Honey and very ripe fruit would be the only sweets allowed. Fermented dairy, like yogurt and kefir, as well as butter and store-bought or homemade ghee, are permitted unless the GAPS condition is severe.
While many folks desperately want to heal their autoimmune illness using GAPS, the restrictive nature of the diet is off-putting, even if it must only be followed temporarily.
As a result, giving people the means to heal as quickly as possible while on GAPS is very important so that the diet can be used for as short a time as possible.
Methods to Supercharge Gut Healing
If you are already on GAPS or considering using it to put your autoimmune disease behind you for good, here are four techniques suggested by the Biodynamic Wellness clinic in San Diego to facilitate rapid healing.
If using these methods can reduce your time on GAPS by even 6 months, it will no doubt be well worth the effort!
Castor Oil Packs
The castor bean (Oleum ricini) is known principally for its laxative effects.
A pack placed over the abdomen, usually with heat applied, allows the oil to be absorbed into the lymphatic circulation to provide a soothing, cleansing, and nutritive treatment.
The castor oil pack works well to speed the healing of many disorders, specifically those involving the digestive system. It is not to be used during pregnancy, heavy menstrual flow, or the presence of internal bleeding.
This article contains detailed instructions on how to prepare and use a castor oil pack to speed healing through detoxification and reducing inflammation.
Okra Pepsin E3
Okra Pepsin E3 is a supplement that supports intestinal mucosal tissue, bowel function, and cleansing.
Agricultural experts call okra a “powerhouse of nutrients” with much of its nutritive value found in soluble fiber gums and pectins, which greatly promote gastrointestinal health.
This supplement is particularly helpful for alternating periods of diarrhea and constipation, which plague many people suffering from autoimmune illness.
Okra Pepsin E3 also promotes phagocytosis, the biological process that removes debris and harmful microorganisms from the body.
In addition, immune function is stimulated, while the mucilage from the okra coats and provides intestinal lubrication that acts as a cooling agent, easing gastrointestinal discomfort.
MicroBiome Transplant
Restoring the microbiome via “fecal” transplant has gained popularity over the past decade because it works with immediate, often life-changing results.
What’s more, the technique has been clinically shown to be safe and nearly 100% effective even when performed at home.
This simple yet powerful technique is nothing short of astounding in helping children and adults regain normal digestive function very rapidly.
The effects of a clinic or DIY fecal transplant (step-by-step instructions plus video) cannot be replicated with any other technique. It can best be described as “probiotic treatment on steroids”.
Some holistic doctors around the country are quietly performing the procedure for their patients, but the good news is that people can easily do it safely at home with a $10 enema bag. No insurance companies to haggle with and no expense/travel long distances to find a doctor who will do it for you.
Just be sure to select a healthy donor.
According to Biodynamic Wellness, exclusively breastfed, vaginally delivered babies raised by Moms who follow the principles of Traditional Diet would be ideal donors, along with an older sibling or adults with the same background.
Drainage Remedies
Drainage remedies like those from UNDA, Heel, Pekana, and Guna are extremely helpful (and easy to administer) in healing the mucosal lining of the gut and respiratory tracts.
You can locate a classical homeopath in your area to prepare these remedies for you, or alternatively, you can contact the Biodynamic Wellness clinic. The staff there can make them for you as needed without the need for a long or expensive consultation.
A brief health history, including age, weight, and gut condition over the phone (takes about 2 minutes), is necessary to prepare the remedies appropriately. This helps determine the ideal dosage.
These remedies can also be found online, but it might be difficult to determine proper dosages.
More GAPS Diet Information
GAPS or Autoimmune Paleo for Healing the Gut
GAPS Diet: Heal Your Autoimmune Disease Now
Overwhelmed by the GAPS Diet? Help Has Arrived
The Five Most Common GAPS Diet Mistakes
GAPS Diet Heals Ulcerative Colitis
Hannah’s Story: 2 Years on GAPS Diet Heals Autism
Chronic Stomach Pain and Bloating Gone!
Reference
hii,i have tried Gaps diet for about 6 weeks,any my unknown allergy seems better.
but i have a big toilet problem,can’t go poo poo that good…..only two or three days one poopoo only……
so what should i do?i did take a lot of water and probiotics everyday,
may i know if i really cant eat potato and corn?anything i can do to solve this problem?
looking forward to your reply,thxx
may
I have a nightshade sensitivity. Should Okra Pepsin E3 be avoided by those with a nightshade allergy considering okra is a nightshade? Or is it processed in such a way that the solanine is removed. Love your articles by the way!
You will have to reach out to your practitioner about that.
People with bowel issues really should have a stool test to check for parasites. Go to a holistic doctor or chiropractor and you can get the best quality pcr DNA test done. It is much more accurate so you aren’t dealing with a high false positive rate.
Protozoa like giardia and blastocystis hominis can cause the kind of carb intolerance that people have who go on this diet.
Hi I want to start my daughter on the gaps diet she had trouble with going poop she usable poops once a week and when she does it’s like shredded wheats also she has trouble paying attention when doing homework and such is there a book I can get she’s about to be 7 want to start her on this asap also she hasn’t gained any weight since she was 3 she’s been 30lbs since also is this a good diet for her or is there a better diet that will work better
No Raw milk allowed? Why not, Sarah? I thought raw milk was excellent for rebuilding/maintaining the lining of the stomach due to the high L-Glutamine profile as well as beneficial bacteria (probiotics)…..
It’s due to the lactose which is a disacharride. The GAPS book explains why. Fermented dairy (fermented for 24 hours) is fine as all the lactose is gone in those foods (24 hour yogurt, kefir).
I am fighting pneumonia. Long term digestive problems particularly with insufficient acid and enzyme. Can only get down broth and soft veg so am on the GAPS diet through necessity and choice. My main concern is Vitamin C. I really need it to fight this infection but is regular Sodium ascorbate going to aggravate the stomach lining. What Vit C is permissible on GAPS?? Thank you
Are fecal transplants recommended only for those with severe GI distress? Or would any GAPS patient benefit from them?
Love this diet! Been doing it with my 2y old son for 2 months now. Already seeing great results!
Hi Maryrose. I’d like to know what symptoms or disorder has your son? I have my 21 months old daughter who has been suffering chronic eczema since 3 months old. She has been in GAPS diet since August 20th/14. Her entire body used to be dried and cracked, some parts oozing and weeping, really awful skin infections. Since then she’s slowly healing but still has bad skin condition very rough and itchy. I don’t really know if I am doing it correctly. She has a good appetite, mostly eats meats, poultry, liver, egg yolks, cooked vegetables, meat stock, whey and sauerkraut juice. I’m really stocked there, I’m not sure if I’m doing it right or should I move on. Or should I push for more stock, usually she has 2 to 4 bowls of stock, of 4 ounces each. Please, if anyone could help with any comments or advice I’d really appreciate it. Thank you very much.
Okay that OKRA has cow testicle concentrate which is recommended for men with low sex drive. Is this safe for kids??
I’m going to assume Psoriasis is an extreme case of an imbalanced gut. So no ghee, butter, etc