Hopefully your whole family is going on GAPS, because this will be the easiest for everyone concerned. If not I will share some ideas on how we have dealt with this problem.
- The first thing you should do is to print out the list of GAPS foods that are allowed, and GAPS foods to avoid. For a comprehensive list, refer to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride's book Gut and Psychology Syndrome.
- Make sure you have on hand a garbage can with plastic bags, and several boxes.
- Some foods you will throw away, while others you can stack into the boxes and share with anyone you know who still eats these foods. You may even be able to share with a local food bank or church pantry. If you have chickens, you can share with them.
- Start at one section in your kitchen and go through each cupboard. Work clockwise around the room. As long as you are removing items, you may as well wipe out each cupboard. You will probably find that you now have a few empty cupboards available.
- Now go through your pantry, shelf by shelf.
- Don't forget the refrigerator. Check condiment ingredient lists carefully.
- Go through the freezer as well.
If the item has been opened, decide whether you will toss or maybe you know someone who won't mind if the food has been opened. Food banks and churches will most likely refuse open products, but you may have friends, neighbors or family who won't care one way or the other.
Most processed foods will be leaving, some foods you will need to take a closer look at ingredients to see if they can be kept or should go. Most canned foods will be moved out. Anything containing grains or gluten, sugar or MSG, artificial colors, etc., is going to go.
It will be easier on everyone if the foods you cannot eat are completely removed. This way there will be no temptation. It will be difficult enough leaving the house, but at least you will be safe in your home.
What If The Whole Family Isn't Going to do GAPS?
I've been on GAPS since December 2009 but I've never been able to fully remove all GAPS illegals from our home. The reason is because my husband has not been fully on board, and our youngest son completely rejected the idea. I can't blame him – I did preach to him throughout his whole life that he shouldn't diet, he should not restrict anything or it would just cause cravings. I wish I had known what I know now and that is if you stop eating these foods altogether those cravings disappear.
The whole time I've been on GAPS, our youngest son has continued to bring all GAPS illegals into the home, he has baked bread, made pancakes, pizza, rice, popcorn, and it has been interesting to have those smells around me and not be overcome with desire to eat them. I have even bought my son pizza at his request and brought it home smelling it all the way during a twenty minute ride home. But things changed last Tuesday. Our son flew out of the nest. I was completely unprepared for the emotional upheaval and heart break that I now know comes with having a child leave home.
So here is what we did to share the kitchen. We already had two refrigerators, so our son kept his illegals in there. He was also designated two cupboards, the top of the refrigerator and another shelf to keep any items that the rest of us were not eating. This was kind of difficult sometimes, as I know that Matt would sometimes sneak food from the wrong refrigerator.
You might even go so far as to put locks on cupboards or the refrigerator door if you have small children.
I rarely hear of mothers unwilling to do GAPS with their children, and hear much more often about fathers that are unwilling to give up their old addictions favorites. One solution is for dad to eat GAPS meals while at home, but eat GAPS illegals at lunch time or outside the home.
At first this may all seem overwhelming, and another option is to use the foods you have on hand but do not replace them as they are depleted.
What Next?
Now you will slowly begin to replace ingredients in your kitchen with ingredients that are GAPS legal. When I first started GAPS, I kept it simple. I made fermented foods, ate lots of soup and broth, meats, vegetables and plenty of healthy fats. But eventually I wanted to learn how to use coconut flour [affiliate link], almond flour [affiliate link] and other similar products, so I slowly began purchasing items. Tropical Traditions is a great resource for not only coconut products, but an amazing selection of products such as grass fed meats, soy free eggs [affiliate link], organic soy free chicken, organic raw honey [affiliate link], organic peanut butter [affiliate link], organic skin care products, non-toxic household cleaners and this is just a few of the products they carry. By the way, if you use my link and are a first time purchaser, you will receive the book called Virgin Coconut Oil [affiliate link]: How it has changed people's lives and how it can change yours! completely free, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.
Now I must get back into the kitchen to finish the job of clearing my cupboards of all GAPS illegals. 🙂
Hi Starlene, I did not know until recently that your whole family was not on GAPS. My husband eats illegals if someone buys lunch at work or if his relatives make tamales or the like, but at home he eats, for the most part, GAPS friendly foods. We hide his ice cream and he has been sweet about respecting my wish to keep his ice cream consumption to once a week. He had bought some one evening when he picked up diapers and I had so gracefully lectured him about the 80% rule that the next day I saw the ice cream sitting in the freezer untouched after he had these big plans of eating it. Maybe he likes that he can eat whatever he wants 20% of the time. This article is great, I always felt like I had rushed into transitioning to the GAPS Diet and I never really took the time to organize and do meal planning. I guess I was anxious to see if eliminating grains would create a dramatic difference.
Hi Charlotte, yes it has been quite a transition. I am glad we are finally at a point where those foods don’t need to be here. I do miss tamales. This is one of my favorite foods. Corn doesn’t contain gluten, right? I know it’s not good because it’s probably all GMO… That is sweet of your husband to respect your wishes like that, he sounds like a great guy. 🙂 So did you find that eliminating grains didn’t make much of a difference?
Unfortunately Nito is not one of those quick fix kiddos…I have heard of many families seeing autistic behavior go away with a simple elimination of dairy. My neighbor is one of them. I wish that could be Nito. I think, but do not know of course, maybe all foods leak thru his gut and perhaps he just needs to eat as healthy as possible for a long, long time. But eating healthy has to be balanced with the stress factor which so heavily hits me when I get too restrictive, it’s like it backfires. So 80/20, but no cheating, just lessening the standard a little, and maybe in a few years or so I will have a child who is better able to learn and interact. He is starting his parasite treatment now and his glasses are ready for pick up when I have the remaining balance. I am also thinking about the test you mentioned and I never forgot it because it brings a new source of hope as well.
Charlotte, I know you will figure this out. I am just so happy that you are Nito’s mom. 🙂 I will say a prayer and cross my fingers and toes that you see improvements with the parasite treatment and glasses! ~Starlene