That being said, the 6 months to 3 years that folks need to be on GAPS to reverse these conditions (on average) is a huge change from the way they were eating before – even if they were eating a whole food based, traditional diet. If they were on the Standard American Diet before, forget about it! GAPS can seem flat out impossible at first glance!
This is because all grains, sugars (except honey and fruit), and starches are avoided on GAPS as these foods cannot be fully digested by a compromised gut environment and therefore need to be avoided until the gut heals and seals. What forms the fundamental basis of the American diet?  That’s right, grains, sugars and starches!
The necessary dietary changes on GAPS are so huge, in fact, that many people who really want and need to go on GAPS never even attempt it because the challenge of incorporating the necessary dietary changes to heal seems too incredibly daunting.
Help has arrived!
My friend Cara, from the blog Health, Home, and Happiness has come up with two indispensable resources in the implementation of the GAPS Diet. Cara is a GAPS expert. She has used GAPS to tackle her children’s autoimmune issues with great success. She has even successfully helped her daughter Hannah’s autism go into remission with the help of the GAPS diet! The process took 2 years and has been confirmed by medical diagnosis.
I so wish these resources had been available to me last year when my husband and I went on GAPS. It would have made the transition process so much easier and less stressful on our household!
GAPS Resources
The first resource is the helpful e-book What Can I Eat Now? A 30 Day GAPS Intro Meal Plan.
The second resource is Grain Free Meal Plans once you are off the GAPS Intro Diet and into full blown GAPS or if you just want to jump right into full blown GAPS or the very similar SCD (Specific Carbohydrate) Diet from the get go.
The Grain Free Meal Plans include the following:
- Menu plans for 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, plus snacks and sweets
- Kid-tested recipes
- Complete shopping lists
- A Members only forum for questions, problems, encouragement, and success stories
If you are even remotely considering GAPS for your family, make sure you check out these resources! Consistency is key on the GAPS Diet – falling off the wagon can really set you back.  Therefore having these resources in your back pocket as you undertake this challenge to recover the vibrant health you deserve could very well make the difference between success and failure on the GAPS Diet.
More Information on the GAPS Diet
GAPS Diet: Heal Your Autoimmune Disease Now
How to Speed Healing and Shorten Time on the GAPS Diet
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!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
I love GAPS and Dr. Natasha! I have several copies of the book, one for me to keep for reference, and two for lending out to friends and family members. Sometimes they all get lent out at once. Dr. Natasha’s new blog/website has a nice list of conditions that can be helped by GAPS: http://www.doctor-natasha.com/index.php (since someone asked earlier about a condition and whether or not it would be helped). Though I believe that ALL people can benefit from it, as you mentioned, Sarah. 🙂 I love Cara’s blog and have appreciated it a lot.
Sarah, a huge thank you to you and this blog (and video posts!). I’ve only discovered it the past few month and it has been a huge blessing to our family. We truly appreciate all your efforts in helping others. We had huge success on SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet). I’m wondering if and why GAPS might be preferred by you, or others, over SCD. It was my understanding that SCD was originally introduced and we’ve found it to be an extreme blessing as well.
Hi Jackie, so glad you are finding the videos etc helpful on your health journey! SCD is fantastic .. there is little difference between it and GAPS. Some folks prefer GAPS just because the protocol is based on the recommendations of a MD and because of Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride’s youtube videos and books which have made her program a bit more accessible (SCD was written some time ago). No worries though .. if you are having great results with SCD just stick with what is working for you! 🙂
I thought GAPS was based on and centered around the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, but that Dr. Natasha also adds in the therapeutic probiotics, supplements, etc. So it’s essentially a whole healing, lifestyle program, as opposed to just a diet. Is that right? Maybe I’m not familiar enough with Elaine Gotschall’s book to have all the details right…
Sarah,
thanks for the reminder about Cara’s meal plan. My sister, who is a nutritionist, has been encouraging me for sometime now to do the GAPS diet. I am close to starting…loading up on broth for the freezer and prepping. A friend of mine who is also preparing to go on it, found Cara’s website for us. I know it is a huge commitment but I feel it will help me w/digestive issues I’ve dealt w/for years. I hope you are available in the near future b/c I am sure I will have plenty of questions…especially since you’ve done it. Is there any magical way of knowing when you are “done” w/the diet? I am 1/2 way through the book, so maybe it tells. Do children generally heal in less time? Your blog has been a real blessing that I’ve enjoyed a lot lately.
Thank you!
I’m thrilled GAPS is becoming so popular and being recognized for it’s power. I started my recipe blog for all my friends who would ask me about what to eat on the diet. It’s really been helpful to me and I’m glad Cara put together such an awesome e-book!
starting this soon… it took having a liver transplant date to be willing to commit to something like this but I’m praying for a miracle to happen by that time! I’ve tried everything else under the sun (stem cells, nutritional IVS, homeopathics, herbs etc etc) I’m so excited and blessed to have 2 awesome parents and a fiance to cook for me! Thank you thank you thank you for making this easier with the cookbook… it will help my dad so much as he starts cooking these soups!
Kortni – I hope you see this – how are you doing now?
We have been on GAPS for 1-1/2 years and have been so pleased with the results. I’m thrilled to have this extra help to get us through our 2nd round of Intro this summer. It’s tough but worth every effort.
I have been reading the Diet Cure by Julia Ross. She mentions using Aloe Vera juice to aid in gut healing. Has anyone heard of this or tried this?
Many people consume aloe vera inner leaf gel for gut health. Whole leaf aloe contains phytochemicals from the outer leaf that can be a digestive irritant and should be avoided. However, the inner gel contains the soothing and healing phytonutrients. There are some (gaps diet) who recommend that those with severe gut problems avoid aloe during the severe phases since aloe can lead to increased immune stimulation (which is otherwise desireable with cancer and viruses, etc.)
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How can I eat high fat without causing gallbladder issues? And. ..how can young children go without any carbs? Tried it once a few months ago with the makers diet and they were lethargic until I fed them rice. I’m thinking if I ease into less carbs then start the younger children in the future. This is difficult because some of us in my family are doing the diet and some are not. It takes more self control for us to watch them eat!! Also… do you have any lunch box ideas? Thanks so much for answering!l