Have you read the post about Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and the GAPS diet / Gut and Psychology Syndrome? <– That is a good overview!
Many of you may have read that post, and/or gotten the book, and decided to build up your immune system, and hopefully get rid of whatever disease or symptoms may have been hounding you for years. The GAPS Diet resources below may help with conditions such as Autism, ADD, ADHD, constipation, candida, asthma, learning / behavioral problems & depression, or really any ailment, because once our immune system is strong, then we can be healthy!(And hopefully prevent future issues.)
Before we go further, were you just looking for some quick links?
- Click here for the GAPS Diet book by Natasha Campbell McBride
- Click here for the strong probiotics (use code KOP for a discount)
- Click here for the cod liver oil (you can take the oil or the pills, use code KOP for a discount)
- Click here for Grain free meal plans
- Click here for a GAPS Starter Kit
- Click here for What Can I Eat Now? 30 Days on the GAPS Intro Diet
Some of the above resources are from my friend, Cara, here she is explaining more about what the GAPS Diet is like:
If you have read the book, implemented this diet, or have anything to share, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below. 🙂
- Juicer – does anyone have a good one to recommend? (Juicing is also part of the GAPS diet.)Update: the comments below have some good info on this – thanks Julie!
- Overview of GAPS
- Low carb food ideas (***which may or may not all be GAPS-friendly)
- Cod liver oil benefits
- Official GAPS Diet site
- GAPS FAQ's
Allison says
I found a product (called Activz) that is dehydrated juice. It’s raw, organic and it comes in a variety of fruits and vegetables. I use carrot and beet sprinkled on vegetables for a boost of nutrition. It’s also tasty and beautiful! You can also add it to water, smoothies or soup. It will be great this winter when produce is harder to get. The best thing is that they’ve done the work! You don’t need a juicer or have to wash or chop. It seems expensive but you get a bushel of organic produce in a can.
https://www.mynaturalmarket.com/Activz.html
Terri says
Hi
I am kinda new to the Gaps diet. I been on it for about 10 weeks. I went into full gaps after 6 weeks of intro diet. I see I need to back up. I was so anxious to try so many new recipes. I noticed big improvements but still have a ways to go. I’ve always had a healthy lifestyle but was more into the fitness part. I have a champion juicer that I got at a garage sale years ago for $15.00. I was so happy that day. I works great and it is pretty old. I also found an oster that I like too, it’s a lot lighter. I make carrot, green apple, with ginger, and lemon in the morning. I only have about a half of cup right now. I heard you can dilute them. I use the ginger and lemon for my kumbacha secound fermentation stage. I have ordered the heart book from gaps diet recently but haven’t recieved it yet. I do the FCLO and Bio Kult up to full dosage now. I have gotten great results from daily sinus headaches and allergies to pollen. I have dropped a few stuborn pounds related to hormonal changes from perimenopause that would not come off no matter how hard I tried. Less bloating experinece and less belly fat. I didn’t realize I was allergic to gluten and reacting too it. I have been having all kinds of other symptoms as I get older people would say I was the sickest healthy person the ever met. In doing all the medical research I do and refuse to take meds. They refer to ms it seems. I am a biofeedback technichain it also makes references to this as well as a few other things i won’t go into hear. The gaps book makes sence to me in healing our gut restores the immune sytstem. I enjoyed this forum and will look at the links for ms. Thanks so much everyone. I want to become a gaps practicioner. I was thinking about going to London to take the class. I have been there before it is quite expensive. I hope they come to the states. I am a CNPH. This information is some of the best I’ve come across. I was lucky enough to go to a couple of Sally Fallons seminars a long time ago. Which started me on my health journey. I improved so much but now I see I have to step it up a couple more notches as I get older. I would like to mention another good book hopefully it may be some help to other as it was life changing to me called A More Excellent Way by Pastor Henry wright after much deep prayer I was lead to this book the next day. It helped me get my head and heart right now I must do the phsyical part to heal my body. The gut and psychology is very intriging to me. I can’t wait to finish the book. I am amazed how newborns at birth receive immunities in the form of gut flora from nurses if not received by there mothers enough. How great is God!
KitchenKop says
Very interesting, thank you for sharing part of your story. And GAPS training is already here in the U.S.: https://www.doctor-natasha.com/certified-gaps-practitioner-training-course.php
🙂
Kelly
Kimberly Lowe says
Hi! I love your website! I live in Lansing, Michigan and I was wondering if you have found any natural doctors who are knowledgeable with the Gaps diet? I am wanting to find someone but I am not having any success! Thank you!
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
I know of one over here & she may know of one closer to you. Email me & I’ll send you what I’ve got. 🙂
Jeff says
I am trying to buy the GAPS book through the link you have posted, but I just keep going in a circle! Is this still supposed to be functional? Thanks
Katie @ CookGardenSew says
I know this is an older post, but I wanted to recommend the Omega Juicers. I have an Omega 8004 model that is wonderful. It does greens, wheatgrass, veggies, and the banana ice cream that someone else mentioned above. They are less expensive than the Champions also. I did a quick post on it here:
https://cookgardensew.com/2011/07/green-juice-for-breakfast-omega-80048006-review/
Thanks for all the wonderful GAPS info! I am looking into it and your posts are very helpful. 🙂
KitchenKop says
Readers wanting to know more about MS: Allison also made some helpful comments at this post: https://kellythekitchenkop.com/2009/08/apprehension-over-the-gaps-diet-real-food-wednesday.html#comments
Mary, what does it say on it? (As far as how to take it…)
Mary says
How does one take GAPS-Pro? It doesn’t dissolve in water.
Allison says
I have MS and I can see improvments after two weeks on the GAPS diet. There are several reasons that I think that it’s helping. Besides soothing the digestive tract, it feeds your body cholesterol that fascilitates the production of hormones. With MS comes a host of many other issues, one being hypothyroid and another is candidiasis. This diet is probiotic. It replaces the bad bacteria with the good. I’m going slow because the die-off reaction can cause exacerbations. I look forward to seeing more positive results than what I’ve already seen.
I’m in a wheelchair now and I want to be walking again someday. I have gotten much better without drugs and with diet. GAPS is far above the raw food diet that got me this far and left me on a plateau.
Allison
Mrs. Madel says
Please let me know how you are doing. I too have MS and am in a wheelchair. Desperately searching for new things to try. Did this work for you? Thank you in advance for your reply! 🙂
Allison says
Hi Mrs. Madel. I still do GAPS with some modification. I was tested for and have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. With that I have low adrenals, low aldosterone and low cortisol which can cause frequent urination that results in “salt wasting”. It throws off my potassium/sodium balance and the fermented foods don’t help because they’re diuretic. Even though they’re made in salt brine, it goes right through me. I store potassium in my kidneys and my legs get weak. I eat vegies low in potassium or those that are leached and drained. Minerals are more helpful to me than vitamins and I make bone broth regularly for that reason. I merged this diet with the Terry Wahls diet because they have many similarities. I still don’t walk, I have a cortisol dip once in awhile (I think it’s because I can’t make myself eat enough) but I might be in worse shape if I were eating differently!
Mrs. Madel says
I already follow a strict paleo diet, but no eggs, most nightshades, nuts seem to possibly be a problem, starchy tubers also seem to give me fits (rutabaga, taro, etc)…just seems like I am “allergic” to everything when I try to do food sensitivity tests at home. (It’s very hard for me to get to a dr) I battle such terrible spasticity…if I didn’t have that, I would function fine…could work on building muscle again. I can walk short distances with a walker but spend 99% of my time in a tilt recline wheelchair. :S Feel like I have tried everything under the sun and nothing helps. Everything makes the spasticity worse. Especially things that kill candida. 🙁
Allison says
I read a book by Dr. Datis Kharrazian ” Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms? When My Lab Tests are Normal” and I immediately found a Functional Neurologist/Nutritionist online to guide me through Dr. K’s suggestions. I’ve never been to see him and my tests were done through the mail. Blood samples were taken locally by my doctor’s order and I sent him the results. I use Dr. David Clark and he can be found on YouTube. I take very few supplements these days because he says that adding new things quickly can alter what others do. It’s about metabolic medicine. Everything is a protagonist and an antagonist. You can’t take one thing and not affect another. I did an elimination diet at first (no grains, nuts, seeds, stimulants, sugar, dairy, eggs) and I added some back in one at a time and watched for negative results. I don’t do well with dairy and grains. I learned that they are cross reactive and the protein they contain stimulate auto-immune reactions. I do well with seeds (flax and chia), eggs and soaked nuts but I have to be careful with nuts high in potassium. I soak nuts and veggies high in potassium. I did many candida cleanses and came to the conclusion that getting rid of candida doesn’t get rid of what causes it to thrive. I stopped feeding it. I use coconut oil a lot now and other coconut products like coconut flour, coconut sugar, coconut aminos(tastes like soy sauce) and coconut vinegar. They are by Coconut Secret and are all low glycemic. I think constipation has been a problem and fiber is important but that doesn’t mean grains. All fruits and vegetables contain fiber. Dr. Clark also told me about cascara sagrada, an herb, that works better than anything else I’ve ever tried!
I could go on with this for days!
Mrs. Madel says
do you have a facebook or something where we can get together and chat a bit more about it?
Allison says
My life is an open book! [email protected]
Allison says
I’m following the Terry Wahls diet, paleo. I eat more vegetables than I did when I was a raw vegan! Dr. Wahls was also in a tilt recline wheelchair and now she rides a bike. I eat pastured meat now too. Lately I’ve been eating a lot of apples for the malic acid they contain and the energy I get from it. I cook them in water with cinnamon, in a skillet, until the water evaporates. I don’t take many supplements these days but I take magnesium malate which is another source of malic acid. I also add ACV to my water or Ginger Soother diluted with water (Ginger People product). The TW diet is 9 cups of organic berries and vegetables/day (3 cups sulfur, 3 cups bright colors- 1 cup each from three color groups, purple-black, red and orange-yellow, and 3 cups (or more) leafy greens), pastured meat (incl. bone broth), fresh caught fish and seaweed. Her recipes also allow some things, in minute portions, like wild rice and a few nuts. She adds berries and greens to smoothies with dairy-free milks along with nutritional yeast and kelp powder. No dairy, grains, processed foods or sugar.
I’m taking the best from several diets and making a diet that makes me feel the best!
Kelly says
That book will be very helpful! I also want to read her heart disease book, but haven’t had a chance.
Susan Ginn says
Hey Kelly and Eileen,
We received the GAPS book a couple days ago and the VERY FIRST thing my husband read (p.49) was “There are some similarities in the neurological picture of autistic and dyspraxic children and patients with multiple sclerosis which may be due to acetaldehyde produced by the yeast overgrowth in these children.” We thought that was so ironic that his eyes would land on that first. Confirmation that we’re on the right track. Thought you might find that interesting. I joined the GAPS yahoo group and am finding a lot of great support over there already! They also said over there that she’s writing a new book called Gut and Physiology Syndrome to address most autoimmune disorders.
Susan Ginn
Susan Ginn says
Thank you both for your response. I know that the Body Ecology Diet addresses MS directly…in fact, she talks about it a lot. But something about that diet just doesn’t seem balanced to me. Maybe it’s because she does a lot with blood-typing and food combining. Doesn’t Sally Fallon speak against those things? Or am I mistaken?
Susan Ginn
Kelly says
Thanks for answering Susan, Eileen, because I didn’t know the answer. If I ever run into Dr. McBride at another conference, I’ll ask her that specific question, though.
Eileen says
Hi Susan,
I have the book, and have read it extensively, and have set up consulting time with her via telephone and email. (We’re “doing the diet” and have been doing so for about 2 months now, as my oldest child has been diagnosed with PDD-NOS – in the autism spectrum). I don’t recall her saying anything about MS, but like you, I think the principles of the diet would adhere to any disease. I’m curious if there are any others out there who have been on the diet for a particular reason, and what they have found. In the mean time, I wish all the best to you! Thanks, Eileen
Susan Ginn says
Kelly,
Do you know if Dr. McBride ever talks about the GAPS diet and multiple sclerosis? We ordered the book (it’s not here yet) and my husband is definitely going to go for it. And personally, I feel the theory behind an unhealthy gut would apply to ANY disease. But I’m curious if she addresses MS directly? You’ve said you’ve read a lot about GAPS so I was wondering if you came across anything. All her material I’ve seen so far addresses autism and ADD, etc.
Susan Ginn
Kelly says
Thanks, Saira!! 🙂
saira says
Hi Kelly, Vitamix is not a “juicer” in the traditional sense – ie., it does not extract just the “juice.” You can make whole fruit juices with the fiber and everything which I thought was the more healthy way of drinking juice. Not that I drink juice now, but it is one of the things that it does very well. I don’t know the requirements of the GAP diet, but if you are looking for whole fruit/veg juices, then Vitamix does it well. I am not familiar with the Bosch blender, but I am sure if it is very powerful, then it will do just fine for your need.
Eileen, thanks for sharing your safety concerns reg grinding flour in Vitamix. My family is very small (just 2) and I grind small amounts (1/2 to 3/4 cup) of wheat/spelt/kamut daily which means there is no heat exposure. Also, for the dry grinder, you can only grind for 1min. and it becomes very fine flour. I’ve not noticed any amt of heat at all so far. I’ve only done nut meal once in Vitamix and it grinds it very fine in a very short time. So far I’ve only come across heat while making soup, which makes eating soup very easy 🙂 If anyone is getting a Vitamix, then it is better to get both dry and wet jars as both are extremely useful. I started with the wet one b’coz of the cost, but later on added the dry jar (from Costco) as I badly needed one!
Kelly says
Thanks, Eileen. I’ll stick with my Nutrimill for grinding my grains. 🙂
Eileen says
One concern I would have with using a Vita-Mix for grinding grains, is the high level of heat that the grains would be exposed to, which could reduce the nutrient level of the flour. Not an issue with GAPS, because we don’t use/eat flour from grains — only flour from nuts (almonds).
Perhaps the grinding of nuts would be a good use for the Vita-Mix. I never have gotten one because I learned about them after I got my Champion juicer. I use my Jupiter mill (it’s a stone mill, so the grains don’t get too warm) to grind both grain flour (when we were eating it), and the nuts. I have found, however, that using the Jupiter is a slow go for grinding nuts — can’t put too many in at one time, or the thing blows the fuse = what a pain! Anyway, just a few thoughts to share …
Kelly says
Saira,
This question will show how little I know about juicing…
I always thought a Vita-mix was a blender, can a powerful blender be used as a juicer? If so, I could use my Bosch blender…
Thanks!
Kelly p.s. I’m glad you found your way here! 🙂
Saira says
Hi! I am new to your blog – just started the Nourishing Traditions diet last month and stumbled upon your blog 🙂 Great work you are doing here! I ordered FCLO after reading your blog and also a thorough research! Phew! Now to get to my point :), you might want to try Vitamix for a juicer. I’ve been using it for over 2 yrs now and can guarantee it is worth EVERY penny you pay! It is indispensable to me now and I grind my own grain with the new diet in this machine! So it can pretty much do everything for u. Here is the link:
https://www.vitamix.com/
Hope this helps and thanks so much for sharing all your research here!
Saira
Eileen says
I forgot to add that regarding the amount of juice to drink, Dr. Campbell-McBride suggests a small amount (1/4 cup in the beginning, as I previously indicated), and building up, but to the 2 cup limit. My understanding is that the 2 cups would be a suggested amount IF there is a heavy metals problem. I hope this clarifies the amount a little.
Eileen says
Yes, they are expensive, but incredibly HEAVY duty. I have done wheat grass, fruits, veggies, it can also grind grain, and I think there might be an attachment for nut butters (I’m not sure of this). Replacement parts are around $10, but I got my juicer many years ago second hand, and it still runs like a pro, and I have the original parts. I cannot imagine that you won’t be happy with this thing for years to come. (Incidentally, I bought it 14 years ago, but shelved it for almost that long — using it only occasionally), but I got it out a few weeks ago — NO PROBLEM. Easy to use, too, and cleanup is a breeze.
Kelly says
Thanks, Eileen, I checked out the Champion Juicers, they’re expensive, so I’m wondering what makes it so much better? And DOES it do wheat grass, fruits AND veggies? If I’m paying big bucks, I want it to do everything!
As you can see, must be the person who was going to do a post for me on juicing still hasn’t had a chance. I’ll check her blog, maybe it’s there.
Kelly
Eileen says
I just wanted to tell you that I have a Champion juicer — in my opinion, the mother of all juicers. Simple to use, excellent juice, and can b e used to make banana ice cream by just inserting a frozen banana, and out comes banana “ice cream”. It’s a real winner in my opinion.
We just started the diet a few days ago, and Campbell-McBride’s recommendation of starting out the day (prior to breakfast, so that your digestive system is encouraged to begin its process), makes a lot of sense to me. The recommendation of starting with 1/4 cup seems easy, and gradually building up to 2 cups per day, I’m guessing in 1/4 cup increments per week. If you haven’t ever tried the juice in the morning before foods, you really need to. After only a few days, I can’t wait to get to the juicer to start with it. Your body won’t want anything else, and you’ll feel GREAT! … 20 minutes later, you should begin breakfast. I don’t recall her ever telling me that the juice should be consumed at other times of the day.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Shauna,
These are my same questions/concerns, yet some very respectable people (Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride) and groups of healthy people (raw foodists) all swear by it, so I want to know more, too! Thankfully, someone I know who is very knowledgeable about all this has agreed to do a guest post for me, but she can’t get to it for a couple weeks.
Stay tuned! 🙂
Kelly
Michigan Mom2three says
I wanted to pop on to say also, that I have read on Weston Price that drinking juice is harder on the GI tract, because when we chew our food, we are already partially digesting it….. wheras the juice goes straight down, with no aid of the saliva. This means the gastric juices have to work harder to digest the juice.
But, then again, there’s none of the fiber to digest/break down….. so maybe it’s an easier process?
Showing my ignorance here on this subject…..
Shauna
Michigan Mom2three says
Kelly – my concern with juicing has been exactly what was commented….. that you’re getting all the sugar from the fruits/vegetables and none of the fiber. I would never “naturally” eat a dozen carrots in one sitting – yet I’ve seen people juice that many and guzzle it down.
I know very little about juicing….. maybe you should do a post? Are my concerns valid, or am I misinformed? What are the benefits compared to simply eating a diet full of vegetables and fruits in season?
It seems to me that juicing falls into the “nutritionist” approach (isolating a particular nutrient and consuming it in large quantities) rather than the “whole foods” approach (that nutrients work in conjunction with what is in the whole food, including fiber, to benefit our bodies)
BUT I confess that I am totally naieve in the area of juicing….
Shauna
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Could it pack more of a whallop than straight cod liver oil? I’m on day-2 of taking the stuff straight (instead of capsules)… youza…
Kelly
Julie says
The taste of wheat grass juice packs a whallop. I remember taking more than what was recommended and getting sick. That’s my style, if one tablespoon is good, why not 1/4 cup? I’ve learned over the years to follow directions better.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Do you say that because of the taste? I’ve never had it. Fill me in!
Julie says
I am no expert on juicing, but have read about it, and my husband juiced carrots for years. When it comes to juice, there are times when the fiber is good, it slows down the sugar effect, helps in digestion, etc. And then there are times when you just want the juice, usually when a person’s health is quite compromised. We have an old Champion juicer in a lovely avocado green (does this tell you how old it is?) it will never wear out! I like it because it juices well and it cleans up easily. If a person needs wheat grass juice, then you need a different kind of juicer for that because it is so fibrous and for that we actually had a hand crank juicer,. but there are electric wheat grass juicers out there. I know there are very sophisticated juicers that can do both regular fruits and vegetables and can also handle wheat grass. By the way, smile when ever you offer wheat grass juice to anyone! I have a difficult time with it.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
I don’t know?! CAN I?!! I’ve never had a juicer, so I’m not even sure exactly what it does. I thought it just extracts the vegetable juices, but leaves the more fibrous parts…? So it gets the nutrients straight to your bloodstream…? I’m not sure about any of this, and my friend Diane said she’ll do a guest post for me soon on the topic.
Somebody? Anybody?
HELP!
Julie says
Can you not use the Bosch as a juicer?