A quick post to say that at my general physical the other day the doctor asked me I ate carrots - ummm...yes. "Well, you're orange! But not your eyes, so it's not jaundice, you must have a lot of pre-vitamin A in you." I hope that is a good thing, doctor!
Incidentally I am now adding kale daily to the juice, so hope I don't turn too green.
Emily is going to love her new Vitamix!
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Friday, July 27, 2012
GAPS Intro Diet - 2 Month Update (Stages 5, 6)
I know... it has been a while since I have provided an update on how everything is going with the GAPS diet. It has been a long while. In the interim I have travelled to Richmond to visit my grandparents and gone on a mini-vacation to Rhode Island. Had no issues with the travelling, I just brought food with me in a cooler so I knew I would have food to eat.
Overall, everything is going really well. I have introduced raw vegetables, starting with lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. All were tolerated well. I also started introducing some fruits back into my diet. The book recommends trying cooked apples first, but since I have serious issues with apples I tried some cooked strawberries instead. No problem. The next day I tried some raw strawberries and got some sugar induced asthma, which was strange because I have never had difficulty breathing before from fruit - it is really only ever from eating sugar or eating foods that have preservatives in them or drinking wine (sulfites). I thought that maybe the fruit induced asthma was a fluke so I had a quarter of a banana the next day and same thing happened. Yikes. So I waited two days and tried a little again and had no issue. I tried a small plum a few days later - somewhat of a 'trouble' fruit for me. No problems! So that was exciting. I tried some mango this past weekend (another trouble fruit) with no issue. Yesterday though, I tried raspberries and had the asthma again, but not that badly. So it is interesting that I am having a response to some fruits and not others and not all the time - especially issues with fruits (strawberries, bananas, raspberries) that I use to eat before the diet with no issue. I am planning to try the dreaded apple at some point - a very small piece that is - to see what happens.
One of the things I haven't been doing on this diet is juicing because I don't have a juicer - though this will soon change because the VitaMix is back in stock and I purchased it the other night! What I decided to do while I wait for it to arrive was go to a little juice place around the corner and buy some fresh pressed carrot juice. I had 4 teaspoons and tried to get Alex to drink the rest... he politely declined. I ended up throwing up about 2 hours later. I might have eaten something bad (some tomato paste that I put in my soup smelled funky. I smelled it after I put it in my soup and ate it of course!). I will try the juicing again at some point once I get the VitaMix.
Over the past month I have increased my probiotic slowly from 1 pill per day to 4 pills (2 in the morning, 2 in the evening). I haven't noticed any symptoms of die off when I did the increases. I am still taking Fermented Cod Liver Oil in pill form. I just purchased a new bottle of just the liquid stuff - it is cheaper - so I'll be sure to report back on what it tastes like... um probably like rotten fish guts!
I have to admit - I have fallen off the wagon with the detox baths. I use to take one almost every day, but have only been doing about 2 per week. Not good, I need to get back on that, especially since I am not drinking juice yet to help me detox.
My taste buds have definitely changed quite a bit since starting this diet - things I didn't use to like that much (cucumbers, broccoli, swiss chard) I have come to like. While we were in Rhode Island we went clamming and got lobsters - two types of seafood I didn't really care for before are now delicious. Also, my teeth are noticeably whiter - probably from not drinking coffee since March. My skin is not so great at the moment, but hopefully that is just a sign of things still getting worked out internally.
I am planning to order some water kefir grains online this weekend so I can start making probiotic beverages myself!
Overall, everything is going really well. I have introduced raw vegetables, starting with lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes. All were tolerated well. I also started introducing some fruits back into my diet. The book recommends trying cooked apples first, but since I have serious issues with apples I tried some cooked strawberries instead. No problem. The next day I tried some raw strawberries and got some sugar induced asthma, which was strange because I have never had difficulty breathing before from fruit - it is really only ever from eating sugar or eating foods that have preservatives in them or drinking wine (sulfites). I thought that maybe the fruit induced asthma was a fluke so I had a quarter of a banana the next day and same thing happened. Yikes. So I waited two days and tried a little again and had no issue. I tried a small plum a few days later - somewhat of a 'trouble' fruit for me. No problems! So that was exciting. I tried some mango this past weekend (another trouble fruit) with no issue. Yesterday though, I tried raspberries and had the asthma again, but not that badly. So it is interesting that I am having a response to some fruits and not others and not all the time - especially issues with fruits (strawberries, bananas, raspberries) that I use to eat before the diet with no issue. I am planning to try the dreaded apple at some point - a very small piece that is - to see what happens.
One of the things I haven't been doing on this diet is juicing because I don't have a juicer - though this will soon change because the VitaMix is back in stock and I purchased it the other night! What I decided to do while I wait for it to arrive was go to a little juice place around the corner and buy some fresh pressed carrot juice. I had 4 teaspoons and tried to get Alex to drink the rest... he politely declined. I ended up throwing up about 2 hours later. I might have eaten something bad (some tomato paste that I put in my soup smelled funky. I smelled it after I put it in my soup and ate it of course!). I will try the juicing again at some point once I get the VitaMix.
Over the past month I have increased my probiotic slowly from 1 pill per day to 4 pills (2 in the morning, 2 in the evening). I haven't noticed any symptoms of die off when I did the increases. I am still taking Fermented Cod Liver Oil in pill form. I just purchased a new bottle of just the liquid stuff - it is cheaper - so I'll be sure to report back on what it tastes like... um probably like rotten fish guts!
I have to admit - I have fallen off the wagon with the detox baths. I use to take one almost every day, but have only been doing about 2 per week. Not good, I need to get back on that, especially since I am not drinking juice yet to help me detox.
My taste buds have definitely changed quite a bit since starting this diet - things I didn't use to like that much (cucumbers, broccoli, swiss chard) I have come to like. While we were in Rhode Island we went clamming and got lobsters - two types of seafood I didn't really care for before are now delicious. Also, my teeth are noticeably whiter - probably from not drinking coffee since March. My skin is not so great at the moment, but hopefully that is just a sign of things still getting worked out internally.
I am planning to order some water kefir grains online this weekend so I can start making probiotic beverages myself!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Where Are We? Stage 4/5/6?
These past weeks have been busy with C leaving on two back-to-back trips and a 10-day visit from my parents! I've been tired so have actually been sleeping and not sitting up late at the computer.
We are still on Intro and slowly introducing raw vegetables, cooked fruit, raw fruit and fruit juice. We've tried cucumber, lettuce, tomato, cooked apple, cooked date (in a cake), raw date, raw plum and our morning carrot juice has at times also included beet, mint, parsley, apple and kale. We also tried rabbit liver.
We introduced probiotics and I will write a separate post about that, but in short we've found the right dose - very, very small!
We do fairly well with eating/drinking the ferments and egg yolk consumption is high around here, as is the ghee!
The days my parents were here the girls didn't like the soups I made - so I ate them - but that means they got very little in the way of broth. We also didn't take baths every night and I took fewer then the girls.
As far as reactions go:
N wasn't ready for lettuce. She also has some eczema developing on the backs of her upper thighs. This was a spot that she had it before we moved - when she was eating bread and lots of butter once a week. When that stopped the eczema cleared, but now it is coming back. Hmmm. It is not bothering her.
L didn't want to eat cooked apple and we saw a response to the apple juice (I think) - she started peeing all over the place and also got a face rash - red dots near the left side of her mouth. Incidentally she doesn't like ghee and will pick it off her food. She likes olive oil and coconut oil. It's funny because N LOVES ghee, but we ate butter when she was younger and this is L's first time trying it. L is the one who is asking for fruit and the one who doesn't seem to handle it well. Her digestion seems fine, but her face shows a rash and her behavior - which is including biting, hitting and the aforementioned floor-peeing - shows it too.
As for me, I was getting headaches after beef broth, but have been tolerating the new foods well. Probably all that soup! I do notice that too much garlic hurts my stomach - even cooked - and that is new for me.
For all of us pumpkin seeds seem a little tough on our bodies, so we'll go easy with them
Mentally, we all seem to be handling the diet pretty well. N says we don't even need to introduce honey, she loves the foods we're eating and feels like the diet is so easy now that we have included so many foods - like winter squash! I'm tired a lot and have too much going on mentally that I need to clear up, and I'm sure a good acupuncture treatment would help.
I almost feel like we aren't even doing intro right now because the soup consumption has been so low - but the fats and ferments are still in the works - so we'll just get the soup pot back in the groove!
In the coming week we'll keep adding raw vegetables and probably back off on the fruit. I am also looking for ways to sneak in broth - I am adding it to our egg yolk pancakes and we'll use it in the seed/squash "bread" in place of egg whites - so hopefully that will help when the girls are avoiding the soup.
We are still on Intro and slowly introducing raw vegetables, cooked fruit, raw fruit and fruit juice. We've tried cucumber, lettuce, tomato, cooked apple, cooked date (in a cake), raw date, raw plum and our morning carrot juice has at times also included beet, mint, parsley, apple and kale. We also tried rabbit liver.
We introduced probiotics and I will write a separate post about that, but in short we've found the right dose - very, very small!
We do fairly well with eating/drinking the ferments and egg yolk consumption is high around here, as is the ghee!
The days my parents were here the girls didn't like the soups I made - so I ate them - but that means they got very little in the way of broth. We also didn't take baths every night and I took fewer then the girls.
As far as reactions go:
N wasn't ready for lettuce. She also has some eczema developing on the backs of her upper thighs. This was a spot that she had it before we moved - when she was eating bread and lots of butter once a week. When that stopped the eczema cleared, but now it is coming back. Hmmm. It is not bothering her.
L didn't want to eat cooked apple and we saw a response to the apple juice (I think) - she started peeing all over the place and also got a face rash - red dots near the left side of her mouth. Incidentally she doesn't like ghee and will pick it off her food. She likes olive oil and coconut oil. It's funny because N LOVES ghee, but we ate butter when she was younger and this is L's first time trying it. L is the one who is asking for fruit and the one who doesn't seem to handle it well. Her digestion seems fine, but her face shows a rash and her behavior - which is including biting, hitting and the aforementioned floor-peeing - shows it too.
As for me, I was getting headaches after beef broth, but have been tolerating the new foods well. Probably all that soup! I do notice that too much garlic hurts my stomach - even cooked - and that is new for me.
For all of us pumpkin seeds seem a little tough on our bodies, so we'll go easy with them
Mentally, we all seem to be handling the diet pretty well. N says we don't even need to introduce honey, she loves the foods we're eating and feels like the diet is so easy now that we have included so many foods - like winter squash! I'm tired a lot and have too much going on mentally that I need to clear up, and I'm sure a good acupuncture treatment would help.
I almost feel like we aren't even doing intro right now because the soup consumption has been so low - but the fats and ferments are still in the works - so we'll just get the soup pot back in the groove!
In the coming week we'll keep adding raw vegetables and probably back off on the fruit. I am also looking for ways to sneak in broth - I am adding it to our egg yolk pancakes and we'll use it in the seed/squash "bread" in place of egg whites - so hopefully that will help when the girls are avoiding the soup.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
GAPS Overview - Supplementation
Continuing our series on the three key elements and what they look like for us personally - first was Diet, second is Supplementation.
Not all people will need to take all supplements, but these are the key supplements to consider. Remember, that none of these posts should be considered complete. Read the book for lots more relevant details!
The essential supplements for GAPS patients:
A. An effective therapeutic strength probiotic
B. Essential Fatty Acids
C. Vitamin A
D. Digestive enzymes
E. Vitamin and mineral supplements.
Here's how Supplementation currently looks for each us:
Emily
Kathryn
Our first supplement is food! I want to make sure to include this here because I feel very strongly about it. Whole foods, prepared traditionally, are what will nourish us now and in the long term. Everything our bodies need are in the foods - probiotics, digestive enzymes, vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, carbohydrates and on and on - and they are often provided in the form that is most accessible to us.
However, I do also believe that while we are following the GAPS protocol we will need to supplement to get everything in balance and restore our bodies to the healthiest state we can.
One of the funny things about supplementing is that if you have a leaky gut, your supplements aren't very effective. So it's heal and seal first, then add in supplementation for specific vitamins and minerals.
Probiotics:
We are going to try GUTPro probiotics and may transition to Prescript Assist down the road. Therapeutic levels of probiotics have really made a huge difference for L already (though we are not taking them now).
EFAs:
We will be trying fermented cod liver oil and will continue to supplement with that as long as it is tolerated. Also going to try the X-factor High Vitamin Butter oil as a compliment to the FCLO. L is low in butyrate, which you can find in ghee, butter, and butter oil, and it seems very critical in gut health.
Additional oils, like olive, will be included with meals. We won't use nut or flax oils due to allergies. Hopefully we will find some other seed oils that will work for us on GAPS. Egg yolks seem to be a good source of EFAs if they are pastured (see my post on egg yolks).
Vitamin A:
That will be included in our FCLO/Butter Oil supplement.
Digestive Enzymes:
Many people with GAPS have low stomach acid, which impacts ability to destroy harmful microbes. The most physiological preparation available is Betaine HCl with Pepsin. We may consider this, as we know from testing that L has slightly low stomach acid. Note on Pancreatic Enzymes: These are combination enzymes which are produced in the pancreas. When normal stomach acidity is restored, these should work well to aid in digestion of food, which is why we start with stomach acid.
Vitamin/Minerals:
Nothing specific is recommended for all GAPS people, so these are personal.
Magnesium: I am using transdermal magnesium and N occasionally uses it, but L never does. It stings when applied and is too much for her. Interestingly C does not notice much stinging, which makes me wonder if he doesn't need it. I may try it on L's feet while she is asleep. Eight sprays gives you 100mg and I try to apply it several times a day. I'm rotating locations, to avoid the rash. Apparently we are all deficient in magnesium (meaning ALL of us) so this is a great one to consider for anyone. Have fun Googling for more information and know that like Emily posted earlier, making your own magnesium oil is easy!
We are going to have blood testing done for our levels of various vitamins/minerals, including Vitamin D and Vitamin B12. Then we will decide how and if to supplement. One supplement our osteopath recommended for L is zinc, and we may consider that.
Not all people will need to take all supplements, but these are the key supplements to consider. Remember, that none of these posts should be considered complete. Read the book for lots more relevant details!
The essential supplements for GAPS patients:
A. An effective therapeutic strength probiotic
B. Essential Fatty Acids
C. Vitamin A
D. Digestive enzymes
E. Vitamin and mineral supplements.
Here's how Supplementation currently looks for each us:
Emily
It is recommended that all supplements be stopped when starting
the GAPS introduction diet. The idea is to go back to the basics and eat
very nutritious and easily digestible food, thus starting the process of
healing the gut. Since I started having digestive problems back in 2009 I
have thought that I might have some vitamin deficiencies and may not be
absorbing the nutrients from the foods that I eat. I was encouraged by a naturopath
to take high levels of Vitamin A and Zinc because people with gut problems tend
to be deficient in those vitamins. I recently had a number of different vitamin
levels checked to see where I stood and all came back within normal range, even
Vitamin D and B-12 although some (zinc) was in the lower end. This was
very reassuring but I wish in hindsight I had had the levels checked
pre-GAPS. I have also recently read this article which indicates that
blood tests checking for Vitamin D might be overestimating the amount of
Vitamin D in the blood, so who knows... http://www.wellandgoodnyc.com/2012/07/10/study-hall-new-vitamin-d-tests-are-inaccurate/
Probiotics:
I have started to take Biokult - just one pill per day and it
seems to be going fine. The recommended therapeutic does is something
like 10 pills per day so I don't see myself taking Biokult in the long run
though I do see the need to take a probiotic and will likely switch over to a
different brand.
EFA:
I have been taking fermented cod liver oil - roughly 1/2
teaspoon per day. The full dose is 1 teaspoon per day so I will be building up
to that. It is recommended that FCLO be taken with vitamin butter oil but I
wanted to make sure butter wouldn't be an issue for me before I invested in
that supplement.
Vitamin A:
This is one vitamin that they were unable to test and I will
have to go back and get more blood taken - until then, I will be getting Vitamin
A in the FCLO.
Digestive Enzymes:
A few weeks prior to starting the GAPS diet I purchased some Betaine HCL with Pepsin after reading that people with gut problems tend to have low stomach acid. The recommendation is to start with 1 pill per meal to see if there is a burning sensation in the stomach that indicates the stomach acid levels are fine. If there is no burning, you increase to two pills per meal, up to a maximum of three pills. I could easily take three pills with no burning whatsoever - suggesting that I certainly do have low stomach acid. When I started the intro diet, I stopped all supplements, so have not taken the HCL, but may consider trying it again at some point to see if my stomach acid levels have improved since starting the diet.
A few weeks prior to starting the GAPS diet I purchased some Betaine HCL with Pepsin after reading that people with gut problems tend to have low stomach acid. The recommendation is to start with 1 pill per meal to see if there is a burning sensation in the stomach that indicates the stomach acid levels are fine. If there is no burning, you increase to two pills per meal, up to a maximum of three pills. I could easily take three pills with no burning whatsoever - suggesting that I certainly do have low stomach acid. When I started the intro diet, I stopped all supplements, so have not taken the HCL, but may consider trying it again at some point to see if my stomach acid levels have improved since starting the diet.
Vitamins/Minerals
Right now I am not taking any additional supplements, other than
the magnesium oil and probably won't really take any.
Kathryn
Our first supplement is food! I want to make sure to include this here because I feel very strongly about it. Whole foods, prepared traditionally, are what will nourish us now and in the long term. Everything our bodies need are in the foods - probiotics, digestive enzymes, vitamins, minerals, fats, proteins, carbohydrates and on and on - and they are often provided in the form that is most accessible to us.
However, I do also believe that while we are following the GAPS protocol we will need to supplement to get everything in balance and restore our bodies to the healthiest state we can.
One of the funny things about supplementing is that if you have a leaky gut, your supplements aren't very effective. So it's heal and seal first, then add in supplementation for specific vitamins and minerals.
Probiotics:
We are going to try GUTPro probiotics and may transition to Prescript Assist down the road. Therapeutic levels of probiotics have really made a huge difference for L already (though we are not taking them now).
EFAs:
We will be trying fermented cod liver oil and will continue to supplement with that as long as it is tolerated. Also going to try the X-factor High Vitamin Butter oil as a compliment to the FCLO. L is low in butyrate, which you can find in ghee, butter, and butter oil, and it seems very critical in gut health.
Additional oils, like olive, will be included with meals. We won't use nut or flax oils due to allergies. Hopefully we will find some other seed oils that will work for us on GAPS. Egg yolks seem to be a good source of EFAs if they are pastured (see my post on egg yolks).
Vitamin A:
That will be included in our FCLO/Butter Oil supplement.
Digestive Enzymes:
Many people with GAPS have low stomach acid, which impacts ability to destroy harmful microbes. The most physiological preparation available is Betaine HCl with Pepsin. We may consider this, as we know from testing that L has slightly low stomach acid. Note on Pancreatic Enzymes: These are combination enzymes which are produced in the pancreas. When normal stomach acidity is restored, these should work well to aid in digestion of food, which is why we start with stomach acid.
Vitamin/Minerals:
Nothing specific is recommended for all GAPS people, so these are personal.
Magnesium: I am using transdermal magnesium and N occasionally uses it, but L never does. It stings when applied and is too much for her. Interestingly C does not notice much stinging, which makes me wonder if he doesn't need it. I may try it on L's feet while she is asleep. Eight sprays gives you 100mg and I try to apply it several times a day. I'm rotating locations, to avoid the rash. Apparently we are all deficient in magnesium (meaning ALL of us) so this is a great one to consider for anyone. Have fun Googling for more information and know that like Emily posted earlier, making your own magnesium oil is easy!
We are going to have blood testing done for our levels of various vitamins/minerals, including Vitamin D and Vitamin B12. Then we will decide how and if to supplement. One supplement our osteopath recommended for L is zinc, and we may consider that.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Cholesterol
I listened to an interesting interview today with blogger/author, Zoe Harcombe as part of the Real Food Summit. You can sign up by email if you are interested in listening to any of the other speakers. The summit is running for a few more days.
I found the interview very interesting - she spoke mainly about obesity and the counter-intuitive data and messaging we are fed - avoid fat, eat highly processed, vitamin fortified grains, etc. It seems as though she has put a lot of effort into her research and since she is a mathematician she has been able to take the data from studies, do the number crunching herself and come up with some different results. She has a great website with lots of interesting blog posts. The one I have linked has to do with cholesterol and what we have been told by the medical profession about the dangers of high cholesterol and its relationship to heart disease. I have been doing some reading on cholesterol because when I got my vitamin levels checked a few weeks ago I was told I have 'high' cholesterol and that I may need to go on medication to reduce it to 'normal' levels. My total cholesterol is 270, my HDL is 87 and my LDL is 173, but my LDL/HDL range is totally normal at 2.0. So I have been thinking, is this something I should be concerned about? I have always been taught that LDL is 'bad' and HDL is 'good' and high cholesterol = heart disease. Is that true? Apparently not. Apparently there isn't really a link between high cholesterol and heart disease and from the reading I have done I have decided that I am not going to be concerned about it and I am most certainly not going to take a cholesterol lowering drug!
Another interesting article about cholesterol is here.
I found the interview very interesting - she spoke mainly about obesity and the counter-intuitive data and messaging we are fed - avoid fat, eat highly processed, vitamin fortified grains, etc. It seems as though she has put a lot of effort into her research and since she is a mathematician she has been able to take the data from studies, do the number crunching herself and come up with some different results. She has a great website with lots of interesting blog posts. The one I have linked has to do with cholesterol and what we have been told by the medical profession about the dangers of high cholesterol and its relationship to heart disease. I have been doing some reading on cholesterol because when I got my vitamin levels checked a few weeks ago I was told I have 'high' cholesterol and that I may need to go on medication to reduce it to 'normal' levels. My total cholesterol is 270, my HDL is 87 and my LDL is 173, but my LDL/HDL range is totally normal at 2.0. So I have been thinking, is this something I should be concerned about? I have always been taught that LDL is 'bad' and HDL is 'good' and high cholesterol = heart disease. Is that true? Apparently not. Apparently there isn't really a link between high cholesterol and heart disease and from the reading I have done I have decided that I am not going to be concerned about it and I am most certainly not going to take a cholesterol lowering drug!
Another interesting article about cholesterol is here.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Lead Soup?
So, our slow cooker (a generic brand that didn't cost too much in case we didn't like using a slow cooker) is giving out on me. It still cooks just fine, but the lid not longer securely attaches and the lid handle broke. So the result is liquids are very reduced over the long cooking time because so much steam comes out.
I have been using my big Le Crueset in the oven for 24 hour+ broth, but really enjoy using the slow cooker on days we are busy and want to come home to dinner already made.
I have been researching new ones and learned about concerns with lead leaching from the ceramic crock. Seems like this is an industry wide problem and it is really bothering me. The FDA does have standards for ceramic crocks - I found this on the FDA site - but I also didn't find it that helpful. I did note that fortunately the FDA also has standards for the amount of lead that can be present in candy.
I was looking at the Hamilton-Beach slow cooker and found this quote from Hamilton-Beach's website under FAQs. Note, they no where use the words "lead-free!" I really like the convenience of the slow cooker and the freedom it gives, especially when making everything from scratch, but I don't want to be serving lead with our healing soups!
What to do? Likely some more research on the issue.... Here's someone who has done some...
I have been using my big Le Crueset in the oven for 24 hour+ broth, but really enjoy using the slow cooker on days we are busy and want to come home to dinner already made.
I have been researching new ones and learned about concerns with lead leaching from the ceramic crock. Seems like this is an industry wide problem and it is really bothering me. The FDA does have standards for ceramic crocks - I found this on the FDA site - but I also didn't find it that helpful. I did note that fortunately the FDA also has standards for the amount of lead that can be present in candy.
I was looking at the Hamilton-Beach slow cooker and found this quote from Hamilton-Beach's website under FAQs. Note, they no where use the words "lead-free!" I really like the convenience of the slow cooker and the freedom it gives, especially when making everything from scratch, but I don't want to be serving lead with our healing soups!
What to do? Likely some more research on the issue.... Here's someone who has done some...
Q Does the crock contain lead?
A Hamilton Beach specifications applicable to all slow cookers and their components (including the earthenware crocks) prohibits the product from containing any measurable amounts of lead. Furthermore, the factories that manufacture the earthenware crocks for Hamilton Beach are certified ceramic production facilities whose ceramic ware is deemed to satisfy FDA heavy metal requirements. Hamilton Beach takes all reasonable steps to ensure that the earthenware crocks accompanying our slow cookers provide safe and satisfactory service to our consumers.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
GAPS Overview - Diet
The GAPS protocol is based on three key elements: diet, supplementation and detoxification. These elements works together to nourish, heal, repair and rebuild our "gut," which is the seat of our immune system, our digestive system and controls the health of our bodies and minds.
We thought it would be fun to share how both of us are using these three elements to show how they look different for each person using GAPS. We'll start with Diet, then do posts on Supplementation and Detoxification.
None of these posts should be considered complete. Read the book for lots more relevant details!
Diet
The diet portion of the GAPS protocol is based off of the Specific-Carbohydrate Diet(SCD), with some specifications/modifications for GAPS. Not all the foods allowed on GAPS on are SCD and some on the SCD list aren't allowed on GAPS, so you need to understand the differences. For example SCD allows lactose-free dairy from the beginning, GAPS does not. SCD never allows chocolate, GAPS does later. Learn more about SCD here. Here is the GAPS legal/illegal list. It seems that for some people, especially those who have trouble digesting fats, the SCD might be a good program to start with. This site outlines more about the SCD.
What I have tried to do for the food portion of the diet is purchase the best food I can find. So if I am at the grocery store I buy all organic, if I am at the farmers market it is "spray free" or organic (though a lot of farmers don't pay for the certification), and pastured local meats if possible. The food is the foundation of the diet and I figure the better the food, the better it is for your body.
I have made a lot of shifts in what I used to eat versus what I have been eating now on the intro diet. Even though I have been on a gluten free diet for the past three years my diet was grain heavy - mostly oats, brown rice and quinoa, but I would also eat millet and buckwheat. A few weeks prior to starting Intro I eliminated grains just to see what it was like and what kind of meals I could put together, especially since my go-to breakfast was GF oatmeal with berries and dinner was usually quinoa or rice with vegetables and protein. Another change for me other than the grains is the removal of soy because I did use tofu as a meat substitute in at least one-two meals per week. I have mentioned in some of my early blog posts that I am not a big fan of meat so the increase in meat was initially a challenge because I didn't like the taste, but I have grown to like it more as I have progressed through intro.
The other big change with this diet is the encouragement to eat lots of fats - whether that be coconut oil, animal fats, or eventually olive oil. It is quite different from conventional "diets" where fats are shunned and minimized. For me, it was mentally challenging initially to add spoons of olive oil into my soup or to leave the fat that floated to the top of my broth in the broth. Prior to GAPS that fat would have been in the trash. Sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables like kimchi or pickles were not something I ever ate pre-GAPS and I now love to eat and have enjoyed making. I have done raw lacto-fermented pickles and sauerkraut so far and plan to do kimchi in the future.
I hope to be able to successfully introduce dairy which in the past causes me brain fog/dizziness and for my skin to breakout. I did successful eat goats milk kefir prior to Intro and it was delicious so I hope to start with goats milk and make my own kefir/yogurt in the food dehydrator. I would love to try raw cow milk at some point too. It was also suggested to me that perhaps the milk I was reacting to was from cows that were grain fed not grass fed and that this could have an impact on my ability to digest the milk. An interesting idea for sure, but my thought is that I am reacting to the sugar because the loopy/dizzy feeling is the same one I get when I eat sugar.
My digestion has certainly been easier on the diet and I feel, for the most part, that I am able to deal with stressful situations better that I did before. I have had sugar/food cravings but only when I have eaten honey or nuts so those items will be eliminated for now and I have found that the quantity of fat helps a lot with the body's desire to eat sugar.
Kathryn
For us, the key part of the diet element includes eating all organic, sustainable/local with organic standards, or pastured foods. I am finding the diet portion of GAPS to be similar in many ways to the foods we ate before, though we have significantly increased fermented foods, broths and animal fats. I am happy to say that mu family really enjoys most of the new foods, favoring fermented foods and fats over the broth - but I'll take what I can get.
We will not be introducing nuts, as L does have nut allergies. Perhaps someday, but not soon. She is so young and I want her to be able to communicate a reaction. Dairy has not been part of our diet, nor have eggs, for years. We look forward to hopefully adding these back in. Yolks and ghee are tolerated in our family during intro and we will do a separate intro for dairy, after we complete the GAPS Intro.
I can tell a difference in everyone's digestion when we are eating Full GAPS (as we did the month prior to intro) versus what we ate before. The foods are easier to digest, everyone is more peaceful - behavior is more even-keeled. We didn't miss many foods because there are great alternatives - like winter squash instead of sweet potato/white potato or navy beans versus garbanzo beans. If you are getting enough fats and balancing your meals with vegetables, you really won't miss sweets. I have seen a huge reduction in cravings for sweets (fruits/honey) from all of us. I have found that I can think about chocolate in a rational way, and not like an addict (one with no control) and that feels really good in my body and my head.
We thought it would be fun to share how both of us are using these three elements to show how they look different for each person using GAPS. We'll start with Diet, then do posts on Supplementation and Detoxification.
None of these posts should be considered complete. Read the book for lots more relevant details!
Diet
The diet portion of the GAPS protocol is based off of the Specific-Carbohydrate Diet(SCD), with some specifications/modifications for GAPS. Not all the foods allowed on GAPS on are SCD and some on the SCD list aren't allowed on GAPS, so you need to understand the differences. For example SCD allows lactose-free dairy from the beginning, GAPS does not. SCD never allows chocolate, GAPS does later. Learn more about SCD here. Here is the GAPS legal/illegal list. It seems that for some people, especially those who have trouble digesting fats, the SCD might be a good program to start with. This site outlines more about the SCD.
On to GAPS!
Emily
What I have tried to do for the food portion of the diet is purchase the best food I can find. So if I am at the grocery store I buy all organic, if I am at the farmers market it is "spray free" or organic (though a lot of farmers don't pay for the certification), and pastured local meats if possible. The food is the foundation of the diet and I figure the better the food, the better it is for your body.
I have made a lot of shifts in what I used to eat versus what I have been eating now on the intro diet. Even though I have been on a gluten free diet for the past three years my diet was grain heavy - mostly oats, brown rice and quinoa, but I would also eat millet and buckwheat. A few weeks prior to starting Intro I eliminated grains just to see what it was like and what kind of meals I could put together, especially since my go-to breakfast was GF oatmeal with berries and dinner was usually quinoa or rice with vegetables and protein. Another change for me other than the grains is the removal of soy because I did use tofu as a meat substitute in at least one-two meals per week. I have mentioned in some of my early blog posts that I am not a big fan of meat so the increase in meat was initially a challenge because I didn't like the taste, but I have grown to like it more as I have progressed through intro.
The other big change with this diet is the encouragement to eat lots of fats - whether that be coconut oil, animal fats, or eventually olive oil. It is quite different from conventional "diets" where fats are shunned and minimized. For me, it was mentally challenging initially to add spoons of olive oil into my soup or to leave the fat that floated to the top of my broth in the broth. Prior to GAPS that fat would have been in the trash. Sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables like kimchi or pickles were not something I ever ate pre-GAPS and I now love to eat and have enjoyed making. I have done raw lacto-fermented pickles and sauerkraut so far and plan to do kimchi in the future.
I hope to be able to successfully introduce dairy which in the past causes me brain fog/dizziness and for my skin to breakout. I did successful eat goats milk kefir prior to Intro and it was delicious so I hope to start with goats milk and make my own kefir/yogurt in the food dehydrator. I would love to try raw cow milk at some point too. It was also suggested to me that perhaps the milk I was reacting to was from cows that were grain fed not grass fed and that this could have an impact on my ability to digest the milk. An interesting idea for sure, but my thought is that I am reacting to the sugar because the loopy/dizzy feeling is the same one I get when I eat sugar.
My digestion has certainly been easier on the diet and I feel, for the most part, that I am able to deal with stressful situations better that I did before. I have had sugar/food cravings but only when I have eaten honey or nuts so those items will be eliminated for now and I have found that the quantity of fat helps a lot with the body's desire to eat sugar.
Kathryn
For us, the key part of the diet element includes eating all organic, sustainable/local with organic standards, or pastured foods. I am finding the diet portion of GAPS to be similar in many ways to the foods we ate before, though we have significantly increased fermented foods, broths and animal fats. I am happy to say that mu family really enjoys most of the new foods, favoring fermented foods and fats over the broth - but I'll take what I can get.
We will not be introducing nuts, as L does have nut allergies. Perhaps someday, but not soon. She is so young and I want her to be able to communicate a reaction. Dairy has not been part of our diet, nor have eggs, for years. We look forward to hopefully adding these back in. Yolks and ghee are tolerated in our family during intro and we will do a separate intro for dairy, after we complete the GAPS Intro.
I can tell a difference in everyone's digestion when we are eating Full GAPS (as we did the month prior to intro) versus what we ate before. The foods are easier to digest, everyone is more peaceful - behavior is more even-keeled. We didn't miss many foods because there are great alternatives - like winter squash instead of sweet potato/white potato or navy beans versus garbanzo beans. If you are getting enough fats and balancing your meals with vegetables, you really won't miss sweets. I have seen a huge reduction in cravings for sweets (fruits/honey) from all of us. I have found that I can think about chocolate in a rational way, and not like an addict (one with no control) and that feels really good in my body and my head.
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