I Could NEVER Do The GAPS Diet

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People are really scared to give up grains. Terrified in fact.

Hey, I understand it. I used to say “I love pasta more than my own mother” and I believed that to be the gospel truth. But I think what I’ve learned is that if you love something that much, then your body is likely addicted to it (which is usually not a good thing), and unfortunately you probably need to remove it from your diet. At least for awhile.

A friend of mine keeps telling me, “I could NEVER do this diet.” And she has various comments that go along with this, but her main reason is because she couldn’t give up gravy. This friend has IBS, and could likely be healed from it if she was only willing to try GAPS.

People who believe in Nourishing Traditions think they could never give up grains… but the list I’m on, there are digestive complaints that tell me these folks are on the right track… the traditional foods are great, but they might need to step it up for a couple of years, and try GAPS. But they are very reluctant to the mere suggestion, to the point where I have pretty much stopped reading the list, because it’s hard to keep my mouth shut when people are talking about problems they have that could be addressed by doing GAPS, and healing their gut dysbiosis. Once your gut is healed, you can most likely go back to eating your precious grains, provided you’ve prepared them properly.

I tried to do Nourishing Traditions. But I just couldn’t control my eating. And apparently, pouring on all that butter and fat, along with eating carbohydrates and grains, just makes you gain weight. At least it did that for me.

I want to ask my friend, “What if you weighed twice as much as you should weigh? What if you kept gaining weight? What if you thought you would keep gaining weight until you weighed 300 pounds? What if you found something that would heal your gut, so that you would get back to a normal weight? Could you do it then? Would you do it then?”

I think she might.

Click here to read about the changes I experienced on GAPS by six months.

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Comments

11 responses to “I Could NEVER Do The GAPS Diet”

March 9, 2010

Tracee

I’m like a ex-crack ho. If you told me a few years ago I would be giving up grains I would have said you are nuts. We tried the SCD for my son’s autism after we got zero effect from the gfcf. Three weeks into it he came out of autism. It was like he woke up one day and his motor skills were back, he noticed kids, really noticed what we were doing and could start to say 5 new words a day. He has only a trace of things he’s working on, most people think I’m nuts when I tell them he was autistic. Anyways, when trying the SCD for him I noticed I had gluten issues. But with my crazy schedule I did not have time to learn SCD for him and make gf food for me. Overtime I found the time but did not feel as well as I did on SCD food. Turns out I have Celiacs and Crohn’s. Anyways, sorry so long, crazy work hours had me back to using gf frozen dinners at lunch time, and I’m more tired than I should be and feel a slight tinge of fibromyalgia. So I’m back to SCD full time. It’s been a process to get past the idea I don’t need grains. And I miss the convenience. What has really helped is getting lots of fav. recipes under my belt to rely on. But I have noticed gf is a bit addictive and gluten was ultra-addictive. Sugar was horrible to get over as well. I must say though, the energy boost has been well worth it, not to mention not having to deal with autoimmune issues. It would be nice if folks could get the big picture on why it’s worthwhile to do this.
March 9, 2010

Jen

I’m sitting here drinking my broth. 🙂 LOL

I think it’s a very intimidating diet. I have faith that anyone can do it if they choose to!

I’m just confused about the stages and what not. 🙂
March 17, 2010

Anna

Hi,

I noticed your comment that your friend thought she could never do GAPS because she couldn’t give up gravy. I’m new to the GAPS diet, but I have been able to make gravy that it just like the real thing. I make a ‘gravy base’ by steaming some cauliflower until soft and frying some chopped onion in goose fat until turning brown and sticky (this adds colour and flavour to the gravy). I then blend the cooked onions with the cooked cauliflower and add meat stock to achieve a thick yoghurt consistency. I then divide the mixture into 1/2 – 1 cup size containers and freeze the ‘gravy base’ until I want to use it. When I want gravy with a roast meal, I defrost a portion of ‘gravy base’ then add it to the roasting tin the meat was cooked in (with some fat and meat juices remaining). This makes a thick creamy mixture which can be thinned to the desired consistency (while heating on the hob) using more meat stock. This makes a lovely brown, tasty gravy. You’d never know it was made with cauliflower as a thickener, and it tastes like the real thing! I’d never eat my roast dinner without it!
March 17, 2010

Starlene

Anna, this sounds awesome! I did take some of my “onion gravy” to work and my boss looked at it, but didn’t seem interested in trying any of it. Yours sounds divine! I am going to have to try it soon! Bravo cauliflower!
July 16, 2010

Sarah Schatz – Allergy-Free & GAPS Menu Planners

I will also definitely give that recipe a try – thanks so much!

At some point, I probably felt the same way – like how in the world could I give up grains? They’re supposed to be good for you, right?

I think that people have to come to a point in their lives where they are desperate enough to try it. It is hard, but if what you’re already going through is very hard, then why not? There have been so many people helped by this diet that it will hopefully give others hope and the desire to try it.
July 17, 2010

Starlene

Hi Sarah, welcome! Yep, that’s it. Grains are SUPPOSED to be good for us. So they say… I wish more people would be willing to try and not need to be at desperation level. Some people are pretty sick puppies, maybe they are too sick to even realize? Or maybe they are just so sick they are complacent about the way they feel. I am so very grateful that I was compelled to give GAPS a try. I am so very grateful for the diet. It has really changed my life. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
August 23, 2010

Jen

I don’t think Nourishing Traditions should make you gain weight unless you are eating as much grains as there are in the SAD (standard american diet.) That being said, if there are signs of digestive issues, following the principles of NT alone will not heal one nearly as quickly as doing GAPS. Some healing will certainly take place, but not be as complete or as efficient as GAPS. NT is awesome once the body is healed, and certainly how I will be raising my family post GAPS.

I was apprehensive about going off grains/starches too. So glad I took the plunge and did it! I just had to build up a portfolio of recipes and try things out. I can tell you that it is much easier to cut out the grains/starches entirely than to try to limit them. We limited all non-GAPS food for two months before starting GAPS in full and we felt better – but hungry! It only took one week into GAPS for major carb cravings to go away. Go figure.

I applaud you for sticking with this for two years! Grains can be nutritious (when sprouted and fermented) but if your system is compromised and sick – go all the way and fix your gut!
August 23, 2010

Starlene

Hi Jen, maybe eating NT shouldn’t, but it did; and quite a few other people have piped up on a couple of lists that I’m on that they gained weight on NT as well. So I know I’m not the only one. I agree it is much easier to cut out grains than try to limit them. Frankly, there is so much work involved in preparing grains I’m glad to not have to worry about it. And recently apparently WAPF updated the process to where the fermentation is more complicated than ever. I don’t know, maybe one of these days I’ll try them again, but at this point I really doubt it. Many of my symptoms could be attributed to gluten intolerance but I’ve been off it for so long I’d have to eat them again to get accurate results from a test, and I don’t even want to take that chance. I do wish sometimes I could have rice or flour tortillas, but I feel so much better, this is truly worth the fleeting desire for those foods. Thanks for visiting and commenting! 🙂
March 24, 2011

Kelly

GAPS is just way too difficult for a lot of people. Many don’t have the hours in the day, nor the energy to stand and cook if they do have the hours.

I’ve found that the Body Ecology plan works best for me. No grains, but a few different seed-like grains, and not nearly as fat-laden as the GAPS diet.

It’s important to note that some body types actually need more carbs than others, and as Jen said above, they can be fine if they’re fermented, and your gut is healed (which can be done using the cultured vegetables in the BED plan).
March 26, 2011

Starlene

@Kelly, I know many people feel that GAPS is simply too difficult. I work a full time job, and when I began GAPS I found it very difficult to spend time cooking. I learned that I was going to have to do my soups on the weekend, but I still spend at least an hour every evening making dinner and making enough of it to also provide lunch for the next day for my husband and I. I had one thing in my favor, I already knew how to cook, so there wasn’t that additional learning curve. GAPS isn’t a low carb diet, there are plenty of carbs in certain vegetables, like carrots, peas and winter squash. Some people even avoid those high carb vegetables because they are too sweet and are believed to feed candida. Also, fats are very important to healing, especially animal fats. When I hear the words “fat laden” it takes me back to my low fat days when I thought fat was poison. Thankfully I no longer have that concern. Thanks for visiting and commenting, and I’m glad you have found the diet that works for you! 🙂
May 18, 2011

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