Are you currently grain free or on the full GAPS Diet to heal your allergies or another autoimmune issue?
Fear not, this can and should be only a temporary situation!
Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride MD, author of groundbreaking book Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS), writes that almost half the population reports some sort of “allergy” to a food or foods.
Despite this sobering statistic, she estimates that only 1% of people cannot recover from these food allergies (yes, this includes celiac).
This means that only 1% of people really need to be grain free forever.  Going grain free to reverse allergies should be only a 1 1/2 to 2 year process, not a lifelong sentence in the vast majority of cases!
The important thing is to know how to prepare your grains traditionally when you re-introduce them!
Plenty of Traditional Societies consumed grains, some like the Swiss obtained a large share of their calories from sourdough bread.  Hunter-gatherers from Canada, the Everglades, Australia, Africa, and the Amazon consumed a variety of grains, tubers, vegetables and fruits that were available in addition to plenty of animal foods, so don’t fall for the incorrect notion that ancestral societies didn’t eat grains and that it is unhealthy to do so.
And, if you haven’t yet learned to prepare your grains traditionally and are still consuming plenty of modern grains on a daily basis, you better learn quick as the autoimmune/allergy train is coming down the tracks at full speed and it’s headed straight for you (if it hasn’t flattened you already)!
Knowing how to prepare grains traditionally is the only way to consume them long term without autoimmune illness inevitably cropping up, unless you are part of the 1% who needs to avoid them forever.
For most of us, then, traditional preparation of grains is an essential skill in the kitchen, one that must be mastered to experience vibrant health.
Please note that freshly grinding your flour and baking your own bread with yeast is not traditional preparation of bread!
Fresh bread that is homemade does not necessarily equal healthy bread!
Bread and other grain based foods must be sprouted, soaked, or sour leavened to be digestible and healthy!
So, go with the grain, not against it. It is not necessary to be grain free to be healthy and it’s certainly not very fun – at least not long term.
Eating, after all, is meant to be a pleasant and enjoyable experience and grain based foods no doubt play a big part in that.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Sources and More Information
Journal of Orthomolecular Medicine, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD, 2009
Nasty, Brutish and Short? by Sally Fallon Morell
Super excited about the webinar this Thursday!
I keep saying, “No diet that permanently excludes an entire food group is healthy long-term.” And people keep saying, “Yes, but, grains are bad,” (among other things; some of my fans are vegan). And I keep telling them, no exceptions. Yes, sometimes we need a break from grains, or meat, or anything — for a cleanse, to heal, whatever. But not long-term.
We’re experimenting with sourdough now. The kids are enjoying it!
You go Kate! You are an inspiration to so many 🙂
My new concern with grains is the rancidity. I’ve read that most grains go rancid very, very quickly.
Yes, this is why you should grind your own flour and buy rice etc in sealed bags or tightly closed buckets .. not bins from the healthfood store.
Hi Sarah-
I’ve read that GAPS can be trickier for those of us with adrenal fatigue. Your thoughts?
GAPS is tricky for anyone really. Anytime someone tells me they are going on GAPS, I inevitably say “I will pray for you”. It is an incredible challenge but healing one’s gut will unleash your life. It is so worth it to be healthy and vital.
I am going on GAPS. I just finished reading the book. I’ve been taking Bio-Kult for 2 weeks (slowly ramping up the amount). I have frozen fish fumet in the freezer and have reconstituted it at least a half dozen times (and enjoyed eating the result). I just made raw yoghurt (from raw milk) this weekend for the first time (2 gallons of it). I made Kefir (water) for the first time last week. I have been drinking Kombucha for about a year (I started cooking from Nourishing Traditions about a year ago). I’ve been taking fermented CLO for about a year (w/butter oil). I bought a 5 gallon bucket of Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions (and have been using it liberally). I haven’t eaten any grains for two weeks (I miss my soaked oatmeal just a little). I’ve got Kerry Gold (unsalted) butter. I have a great source for eggs. I hope Sarah will pray for me too!
Haha! Good for you, Tom!
I think you will find that the GAPS Diet is not hard once you get into the swing of it. I’ve done it and it wasn’t bad at all. Coconut milk ice cream helped a lot.
It took me about 2 years to reverse my gluten intolerance.
The hard part is when you are on GAPS and you have 3 kids who aren’t. Making homemade pizza for them when you aren’t going to have any is HELL!
@nicolette
Coming from someone with adrenal fatigue, I highly recommend consulting with a certified GAPS practitioner – you can find those who will do phone/video consults if need be.
Our family has done different a duration of the GAPS diet intro twice and full GAPS times. Every time seemed to get worse, and I finally gave up. I heard the advice that it is *almost* foolish to try GAPS withOUT personal, expert advice.
After getting professional help, GAPS was so much easier!
Wow! I am now more confused than ever!!! We started eating whole/traditional foods/WAPF several years back and we all gained weight! I wasn’t willing to go back on our ” SAD diet”, and recently have read “Wheat Belly” and “The Primal Blueprint.” I have cut out most grains from our diet the last three weeks. I lost four pounds the first week, and none since. I went primal because my husband has high cholesterol, and his doc gave him six months to get it down. I thought I’d try eliminating grains. I am already gluten intolerant..sets my abdomen into spasms. I’ve been gluten free for over a year, so going grain free wasn’t too much harder for me. I just don’t know what to believe! It all sounds good, when you hear each side of the argument. I’m so confused!! For me, I just want what will help me lose weight, honestly. And, I haven’t found that balance yet in eating whole foods. Help!
You haven’t been grain free long enough to know whether you need to do this long term or not. That’s a great sign that you are losing weight already though.
Okay, I know you’re not a docort…but you wouldn’t be against me sticking with grain free for awhile longer, then? Not losing any more weight the last two weeks is not a bad thing? So, you’re okay with it for a season? Would it be safe to say, stay off grains until I get closer to my weight goal…about 20 pounds..then slowly add them back in to see how I react?
ha! That’s supposed to read “doctor.” 🙂
I was off of most grains for a period of time, but have slowly reintroduced them back into my diet. For me it’s all about finding a balance between what I eat and how often. I enjoy things in moderation, and if I feel I’ve over indulged in something I simply back off from it for a while. I do feel our food supply isn’t what it should and could be – too many toxins and GM foods in the majority of available foods.
Peace. 😉
Hi Sarah,
I actually have been wondering about this for a while now and am gearing up to do the GAPS diet. So if you have celiac or any gluten intolerance/sensitivity, after doing the GAPS diet will you be able to eat gluten again? I’m assuming properly prepared of course. (I did already read the GAPS book but was still unsure.)
And how do you know if you are part of the 1% that needs to avoid forever?
If you are symptom free on GAPS for 1-2 years and then attempt to reintroduce grains slowly starting with soaked brown rice for example (you need to follow the GAPS protocol for reintroducing would be optimal) and symptoms return with full force, then you can assume that grain free is best for you and act accordingly.
That 1% is actually people that HAVE celiac, not gluten intolerance.
ok. I just learned from Dr. Peter Osbourne that gluten sensitivity is genetic. If you have it, it can lead to many many diseases, including celiac. If this is true, then those people should never eat gluten. But can you get celiac if you don’t have a genetic sensitivity to gluten? And since celiac is a disease, I’m guessing it can be cured. So genetically gluten intolerant people who developed celiac could cure themselves of celiac, but would never be able to eat gluten again, or perhaps any grains? Trying to sort this all out.
Just wondering what you think about the premise stated Life Without Bread, a book recommened by WAPF? … the idea that the body, in general, operates better on fat (from a low grain/carb diet), than on sugar (from a higher grain/carb diet)? There’s food allergies. I get the healing process and reintroduction of grains, but MANY folks are dealing with Insulin Resistance. What about that aspect?
Any thoughts?
Great book. Love how he puts the emphasis on fats which is where it should be. However, life without bread permanently is not optimal for most if the bread is traditionally prepared. Also, most people simply can’t afford to go grain free long term as this adds a tremendous amount of cost to the family food budget. So, if you can eat them and still be healthy, why not? It’s also a more enjoyable way to live and I for one, want to enjoy my food. Eating should be pleasurable not a chore.
Sarah, One of the main questions posted in the last comment was “what about insulin resistance” but you didn’t comment back on that point. That is my main question. I get the impression that one of the main problems in this country is run away blood sugar and insulin resistance that is causing many of the diseases including all the weight gain. Grains cause a spike in blood sugar and are additive to many people. You may have the metabolism that can handle eating grains or the will power to stop at one piece of bread but many people don’t have this. The question of blood sugar has been brought up more than once in this thread but you have not commented on this. Technically I see the Weston Price Foundation giving thumbs up to books such as “The Primal Blueprint”, “Life Without Bread”, “No Grain Diet”, “Protein Power”, “Primal Body, Primal Mind”, and the “The Diet Cure”. They seem very supportive of eating no grains and the Paleo community. I also don’t see why grains are so important from a nutrition standpoint. What little nutrition they give can be found other places.
You have said several times that you would rather enjoy your food, and eating should not be a chore. That is a poor argument. First of all, eating grain-free can be very enjoyable (and I find it a bit insulting that you suggest it isn’t). And, when a person has the proper attitude, they won’t feel deprived, either (at least that’s what our guests tell me – they come expecting to feel deprived, but they are pleasantly surprised). Second, what if someone tells you that they find sourdough unpleasant to eat, and in order to enjoy bread they have to have a yeast bread, made from bleached flour? Would you say that’s healthy, because eating should be pleasurable??
Why You Should Be Eating Grains http://t.co/tFjhJjlZ #food #diet #health
I was diagnosed with a gluten allergy several years ago and went GF, then went GAPS. I’ve been on full GAPS for a year. I haven’t tried any grains yet and I’m going to hold off for a while since I haven’t really been giving GAPS 100% lately (namely, broth). I would love to eat some good sourdough someday… potatoes, too.
As for ‘should’, I’m not sure if everyone ‘should’ eat grains. If you feel better without them and have no health issues, then maybe you ‘should’ just stay away. I’m thinking it’s better to go without grains than eat them without proper preparation… JMO, of course.