The GAPS Diet is the best approach for healing the gut and putting autoimmune disease of all kinds into remission that I have ever come across.
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
How is the gaps diet different from the strict paleo diet? ( referring to Chris Kresser’s book Your Paleo Code Diet ) Is one better than the other for healing guts? I know I need to do something, just not sure which direction to go. Thanks!
I have an 8 month old and shortly after he was born I had an explosion of eczema and it keeps getting worse. Do you know what the recommendations are concerning GAPS since I’m nursing?
Hello
My son is allergic to many foods on this eating plan. Nuts,beef, fruit, some of the vegetables, eggs. What do you do in this situation? Thank-you, Sue
hi sarah,
do you know if the gaps intro, or full diet, is recommended in the preconception stage, or during pregnancy?
thanks!
GAPS is never recommended immediately prior or during pregnancy.
WAIT……SO HOW IS THIS DIET A GOOD THING IF WHEN GROWING A HUMAN INSIDE YOU IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED? Also is anyone willing to share the full benefits of this plan with out trying to sell me some type of “plan” I’m sick of going around in circles trying to find the answers of healing my IBS and possible candida overgrowth. I can’t trust my doctor, and I can’t seem to trust any of these claims I am finding online. One plan says don’t eat citrus but you can eat grapefruit? Something else I read says no dairy, nothing fermented. Aren’t probiotic formulas fermented? Aren’t fermented things generally good for the gut? I feel like everyone is just trying to sell something, snake oil salesmen as they used to call it. There was a site I found that finds many holes in the GAPS diet so now I’m even questioning that tactic. I am feeling helpless.
Because the GAPS Diet initially causes serious detoxification and die-off of gut pathogens which can flood the bloodstream and get to the fetus. That’s why.
your info seams applies to everyone i know
Is it possible to have instructional seminars in our community.
I am interested in getting the book but I am hypothyroid ….my last test results showed my antibodies were normal but they were high just a year ago. So not sure if I should say I am still Hashimoto’s or not. I am unsure if I can follow the menu as planned or do I need to continue stay away from nightshades when doing the GAPS diet? I seem to have food allergies…I retain fluid when I eat something that my body doesn’t like. I have been gluten free, sugar free, grain free for a couple of years now. I just seem to continue to take foods out of my diet …I guess GAPS should be my next step. If I am going to put in the time I want to make sure I am doing it correctly. Kinda overwhelmed by all the info.
Thank You
Margo
Hi Sarah, I’ve been doing a lot of research on the GAPS diet. I haven’t been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, but I have suffered from anxiety and depression for many years and I recently learned that I have a hormonal imbalance. I have really been struggling to find a natural cure (my obgyn prescribed the pill for me a few months ago and it’s only making me feel worse). I started eating a traditional diet a couple months ago, (the info you post has been extremely helpful) and I’m hoping the GAPS diet will put me on the road to good health. Thank you for all of your informative posts!
Sorry to hear about your health challenge. I help people with immune imbalance. My consultations are free. If you still need advice, please feel free to reach out. Best of health to you!
I have been on a very limited intro diet for almost 2 months, and I now a few items from next stage. I can not seem to eat broccoli or most vegs. Just carrots, articokes, butternut squash, No onion, or zuccini… I can now have egg yolks ( I could not eat eggs for 10 years, so that is good news),But almost everything I eat still has some negatives. Nothing I eat is totally fine. I am on such a low dose of probiotic to start, everytime I try and increase…I was having an issue. So, it is all very slow going. I do have juice from fermented vegs. again very low dose. But loosing so much wieght, any help or ideas are greatly appreciated. I have dropped 20 pounds in this time. And I had only weighed 140! I mainly eat beef soup, or egg yolks cooked in a bit of ghee. and just those few vegs that seem to be ok. Even then , I still have some issues. thanks, I am really struggling .
Is there a gaps recipe for an alternative baby formula? Suffice it to say, my breast feeding and donor milks are not options. I’ve seen the weston a price formula but it looks deficient in fats and carbs and my baby cannot tolerate fish it seems. Dairy corn gluten and soy are big no nos in her case as well :/