When it comes to our chronically inflamed tummies we are all sooooo different, as are our digestive healing journeys.
You may have done all the things you are ‘supposed to’… remove processed food, remove gluten, remove dairy, remove refined sugar, remove, remove, remove until your list of foods you do eat has dwindled down to but a few.
It’s frustrating, exhausting and makes you wonder if this will be your forever.
I call these cases ‘stubborn bellies’ but am thrilled to state that I do have an answer for you THAT WORKS!
In these cases it’s not about what you shouldn’t eat but more about foods to add back in that will powerfully heal the gut. When all (or most) food is causing a negative reaction in the body it’s not the foods at fault, it’s a damaged gut and imbalanced microbiome (the trillions of microbes residing in your colon) and their inability to digest food properly. Long story short: heal and seal your gut and you can digest food without a painfully bloated belly once again.
That's why I took the incredible step as a digestive focused health professional and became a Certified GAPS™ Practitioner. Why? Because I have seen the incredible results of the GAPS Nutritional Protocol on myself as well as my stubborn belly clients.
This Diet is powerful medicine and magic.
What is the GAPS Diet?
GAPS (stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome) and the protocol was created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The GAPS Diet is a powerfully effective way of eating to rebalance the gut microbiome, heal and seal the gut lining, reduce inflammation and treat neurological conditions. It is also absolutely delicious and satisfying with the right recipes.
The GAPS Nutritional Protocol was originally created for children with autism, ADHD and other neurological disorders as the majority of these children also struggled with digestive issues such as; constipation, diarrhea, bloating and excess gas. When followed accurately and for the proper length of time this diet not only healed their gut but also drastically improved their neurological condition and sometimes even eliminated it entirely! That is just how strong the gut – brain connection truly is!
Is the GAPS diet for you?
This diet has now been shown to be extremely effective for other health issues such as; IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), IBD (irritable bowel disease), skin disorders such as eczema, leaky gut, eliminating food sensitivities, autoimmune conditions (celiac, fibromyalgia, hypothyroid, multiple sclerosis), ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease as well as; depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar and the list goes on! It’s a bit ridiculous what health issues this diet can help with.
What do you Eat on the GAPS Diet?
The GAPS diet can be intimidating, but with the right support it is completely doable and delicious! It is also temporary, meaning that once you are healed you may slowly start re-introducing whole foods previously avoided.
The diet is ancestral in nature so you will eat foods that humans have evolved over millions of years digesting and that are especially easy for a damaged gut to not only process but actually be healed by.
There are different stages you may go through on the GAPS diet but essentially we eat pasture raised meat, homemade meat stock, bone broth, non-starchy veggies, fruit, nourishing fats, traditionally fermented foods, a few low-starch lentils/beans, sprouted nuts/seeds, organ meats and raw honey.
We avoid grains, most beans and legumes, processed food, refined sugar, maple syrup and starchy veggies like potatoes, sweet potatoes and yams.
How to Get Started With GAPS?
GAPS isn’t a simple eat this don’t eat that diet. Different humans with different health issues will navigate the GAPS diet differently.
For example. there is a powerful GAPS Introductory Phase that can be used to quickly jump start the gut healing process but if started too early with those with constipation it can actually make things worse.
Which is why it can be helpful to work with a Certified GAPS™ Practitioner at least in the beginning to set yourself up for success on this nutritional protocol. When I previously started this diet I did a few key things incorrectly that I realized now stalled my healing, and I even did this with a diploma in Applied Holistic Nutrition!
I now have a whole membership site that my GAPS clients have full access to that includes; meals plans, recipe data base, resource lists, training videos, pretty much everything you need to successfully navigate this powerful nutritional protocol.
