GAPS Guide

In the interest in saving you money and hassle, I am listing my favourite (and not favourite) products here.  I will add to it as I check out new ones. Of course, “what works” is different for everyone. Please take my experiences with a grain of salt. Those in red are what I would have on hand from the start. The rest can be incorporated as one’s intuition indicates and budget allows.

These notes are provided to help you save money and research time. If they have done so, please consider donating a portion of those savings to this blog.

Shopping Tip! To get equipment and supplements cheap or free, try kijiji (Canada or US), Craigslist (Canada or US) or Freecycle (Canada or US) then EBay. As not everyone posting an offer will bother reading the “wanted” ads, be sure to read the “offer” posts regularly.

For quality service in and samples of GAPS-specific products, click here. Those purchasing GAPS Guide from NuTriVene receive a discount coupon which can be applied toward other NuTriVene products, such as supplements.

Activated Charcoal

Yes. This remedy, used just once, brought great relief in a too-intense die-off. I think it’s a good idea for every medicine cabinet.

Baking Soda

Yes. I love it for deodorizing, cleaning, detox baths and more.

Bio-Kult

Yes. For me, it successfully triggers die-off. I found that when we skipped it for several days, my son and I both stopped pooping. (Most of a stool is used bacteria.) Save!

CitraSolv Cleaner and Degreaser by Nature’s Miracle

Yes. Super effective on awful stains, stickiness, etc. It seems non-toxic, but I don’t know for sure.

Cod Liver Oil

Yes. I have not noticed specific results, but I’m just satisfied that the taste did indeed become bearable over time. (My son actually loves it!) This is a product we’ve continued using. We use Green Pastures Fermented, Plain – I don’t think this is the raw one. I’d go for the raw one next time, and still unflavoured. Save!

Colander and Sieve

Yes. I use a colander for draining tiny bones, etc, out of a broth, for draining and rinsing soaked nuts, etc. A sieve I use for draining and rinsing small seeds, like sesame. If soaking sesame seeds at the same time as other items (say, for my Walnut-Sesame patties), put the sesame seeds into a sieve and set the sieve into the walnuts’ water. When you go to drain and rinse, the seeds don’t disappear through a colander’s big holes.

Epsom Salts

These make a wonderfully soothing detox bath.

Excalibur Dehydrator 9 Tray With Timer

So far, so good. I’ve had mine for only a week, but I’ve had success making zucchini chips, dehydrating some SCD cookies, making SCD yogurt (setting to 105 F and achieving 106) and recrisping soaked almonds. When purchased directly from the manufacturer, a 30-day satisfaction guarantee is offered.  However, in my (Canadian) case, taking them up on this would still result in a net cost to me of $126 in shipping and customs.

GAPS Guide Book – Am I biased because I wrote it? Perhaps. But I wrote it because it seemed so badly needed. Feedback from others indicates that this is so.

Gut & Psychology Syndrome Book

Yes. I read it through, then referenced it every single day for at least the first several months and still refer to it regularly. Save!

Hulda Clark Parasite Cleanse Protocol

Yes. Although I did not see any parasites leave my body, I had various positive results, including an end to a 30+ year nailbiting habit! I used the brands recommended by my health food store: Knowledge Products Black Walnut Extra Strength; Knowledge Products Cloves; New Roots Wormwood. I did not need the l orthinine. Would definitely do this again. However, I did not do the recommended maintenance (because I’m terrible at any maintenance program) and my nailbiting came back after a few months. (I am now looking into the Ultimate Zapper to replace this program. I’ll report on that after I check it out.)

Jars

Yes. I like wide-mouth glass jars, so I can see what’s in them, put things in easily, retrieve food with a cooking spoon, and fit my hand in to clean them well. I use all the jars I got from the days in which I bought a lot of Nuts To You nut butters. For storing and fermenting, I get canning jars from thrift shops and new lids from any department store.

Knife

Yes. When I started cooking like a madwoman, a friend gave me an awesome knife. It’s a J.A. Henckels International 31161 – 200mm (8″) no stain. Large and heavy, it practically does the work for me –even on a raw butternut squash! A good knife can make all the difference to your ease, energy and happiness in the kitchen. Don’t skimp here. One cooking guide strongly recommends a 10″ Chef’s knife, insisting that if we like an 8″, we’ll be ecstatic over the self-employment leanings of a 10″!

Knife Sharpener

I’ve tried a few. As clumsy and inattentive as I am, I didn’t feel safe with any until I met the TwinSharp. I cannot get over it! It is  safe, simple, fast and super effective. I press my knife through it every second or third cooking session and I have a brand new knife! I’m in Canada and bought mine at Sears.

Large Pot With Lid

Yes. This is critical for the big batches of broth, soup, etc – especially during intro (or, for a big family, every day). Although some avoid stainless steel over concerns of nickel or cadmium potentially leaching, I use stainless steel happily. Glass is another good option. For more specific pot-thoughts, please see the comments, below this post, by Justine and Eloise.

Renew Life’s First Cleanse

Please note: I do not recommend herbal cleanses in the first months of GAPS. This is because (a) GAPS is already intensely cleansing (you won’t need or want a double whammy), (b) a cleanse’s ingredients can be hard on a still-compromised system thus can interfere with GAPS, and (c) it is important to have those first several months to see how GAPS alone works in you, and for you to build a relationship with your body. Curious as I am, eleven months into GAPS, I completed Renew Life’s First Cleanse. I did indeed find it ‘gentle yet effective’for my somewhat sensitive system. I was not overwhelmed by stuff, but saw the following changes in my body: a triggering of mild eczema which I have not seen in almost 20 years, the return of the morning nausea (resolved upon morning bowel movement) which I’d otherwise only had in the first months on GAPS, two pimples then incredibly clear and bright skin, some degree of fatigue, resolved upon ending the cleanse (this may or may not have been due to the cleanse). Did I feel better in the end? No. And the mild eczema on my hand has stuck around. But based on the changes, I feel I did achieve a deeper level of healing.

S Boulardii

Yes. Successfully triggers die-off. Improves stools. For a ‘clean’version and   savings, click here.

Seventh Generation Dish Liquid and Laundry Detergent

Yes. Without hurting my “delicate constitution”, they work on everything, including my son’s poopy pants and my greasy broth pots. (For big dish-grease, I do sometimes add a touch of baking soda to a soapy scrubbie.) Note: According to their website, these products contain, respectively, Sodium Laureth Sulfate and Sodium Sulfate. These may be problematic for some.

Steamer Basket

Yes.  I use a collapsible one that fits into any pot. I steam squash, greens, you name it.

Stick Blender

Yes. For years and years I had a Braun handheld. Loved it. It finally died. I then bought a Cuisinart. I don’t think the brand matters. What matters is that I can zoom a soup, pate or dip in seconds, then detach and quickly clean the active part. I use this 1-3 times per day.

Tea Tree Oil

Yes. A drop in shampoo usually relieves dandruff; a drop in the laundry disinfects; a toothbrush soaked in water + tea tree oil gives an extra clean feel; etc.

Thermometers – Meat, Yogurt

Yes. These guys are awesome little tools to ensure safety (meats) and maximum effectiveness (yogurts). Be sure to get ones that can be recalibrated and then do this regularly! I caused myself much grief using a thermometer which was “off”, only to ultimately learn that the particular one I’d purchased could not even be reset. Note: Just as with their non-digital counterparts, some digital ones can be recalibrated and some cannot.

Thermoses

Yes. Correctly conditioned before each use, these can be used to keep cold things cold or hot things hot. I use one from the Thermos brand ‘SteelCommuter’line. I chose one that was 750ml, because this was the biggest that was still simple in design. I chose a widemouth, perfect cylinder so that I could scoop all the way to the bottom and also fit my entire hand in to clean it. Again so that it would be easy to clean, and also so that it would have fewer parts that could break, I chose one with no parts besides body and lid –no handle, no straw, no built-in spoon.  I originally bought two and, later, two more. For a picnic, we fill two with drinking water and two with our meal. Some people aim to avoid stainless steel, due to concerns about the potential leaching of nickel or cadmium. They might opt for a glass-lined version. (Be aware that some companies offering ‘glass’containers line the glass with  non-removable plastic.)

Val’s Veggie Bars

Yes. It’s a rare hand/body soap that doesn’t irritate me. (I don’t know why Ivory says its product is pure. I can’t be within ten feet of a bar of Ivory without getting an intense headache.)

Potentially Helpful for Some, But Not A Fit For Me

These notes are provided to help you save money and research time. If they have done so, please consider donating a portion of those savings to this blog.

Note: When I say I was able to return a product, I have never tried this with one purchased online. For appliances, etc, I try to shop locally in stores with excellent return policies, just in case.

Acupeds

A tricky one.  On the one hand, I enjoyed the idea and the activity (of sticking the pads to my feet and seeing what showed up every morning) and certainly they turned black. However, after going through an entire box, I was still getting the same outcome. This told me that either (a) I needed another ‘x’number of boxes to get clean, or (b) the product is a hoax. I didn’t have the cash for countless boxes, so I stopped, thus did not find out whether there would, ultimately, have been an end…

Betaine HCL

Not needed for my son or I. We ultimately learned that Dr Campbell-McBride only recommends this if needed after several months on GAPS. Save!

CandiGone

No. No real noticeable results. Used completely, so return was not an option.

Nature’s Miracle Stain & Odour Remover

No. I got this for when my kid poops or pees somewhere other than in his potty. It did work sometimes, but more often just soaking up with a towel and/or applying baking soda and/or scrubbing with CitraSolv (by the same company) and/or running removables through the washing machine have been most effective.

Omega 8005 Juicer

I originally purchased this about 11 months into GAPS. I loved it and used it almost daily, moreso for homogenizing (making smooth) than juicing (only because I couldn’t afford any more than I was already eating whole). I mashed my nuts, seeds, and veggies for burgers, treats, cookies, you name it and found the machine reasonably  easy to clean. However, a few months in, large pieces snapped off the auger. The company asked me to purchase a replacement piece, saying they would refund me when the defective part came in. Four months, thirteen emails and one phone call later I received a partial refund.

Many of our list members, on the other hand, use and rave about the Vitamix for making all things completely smooth, being easy to clean, *and* having excellent repair and warranty service. It doesn’t juice, but you can blend veggies or fruits in the Vitamix then drip them through a nut milk bag.

Personally, I’m back to just a simple Cuisinart stick blender, for which I paid $63 at my local department store.

Other Supplements Not Listed

I have bought a variety of other supplements. Some I started to take, some I did not. Many I was able to return. Most I simply found unnecessary. If a supplement is not listed under my ‘recommend’list, above, I may well have considered and/or began to try it but ultimately found it not necessary. This has included adrenal support (GAPS eventually resolved a chronic fatigue); L Glutamine (GAPS resolved loose stools); calcium (my diet is high in calcium via sesame seeds, leafy greens, bone broth, etc); l Orthinine (parasite cleanse did not trigger insomnia); etc.

Probiotic Lozenge

This was an attempt to clear the white coating on my tongue. I used Udo’s Choice Super 5 – its additives are not SCD-friendly.  As many things have, it seemed at first to help, and then didn’t. No ill effects – just no helpful ones.

Renew Life’s Paragone

I started the product at full dose, and had rather intense reactions. After seven days, I reduced to the half dose suggested for sensitive people. I had a manageable level of die-off with this. Unfortunately, I was then short seven days for the end of the cleanse. Renew Life declined to send out the difference. However, Renew Life did support my getting a full refund at the store at which I had purchased the kit, so it’s something you can safely try out. Overall, I felt that the combination of parasite and yeast killers was far too involved and intense for someone already adhering strictly to a cleansing diet. I also found it very difficult to time the doses (at least three hours after one’s last meal of the day, by which point we are usually sleeping).

Renew Life’s Paragone

See also ‘Renew Life’s Paragone’, above. This product was very gentle, the tincture was very tasty and the capsules were very small. Overall, it was very child-friendly. It successfully triggered die-off in my son, and to a manageable degree, ie. He was not remotely uncomfortable, but he had a return in his old symptoms, such as peeing on the floor and being unable to follow direction. Overall, I had no complaints about the product, but also did not feel there was enough benefit to have spent money on.

Waterpik Ultra

No. It came highly recommended to me by a close relative, who buys and owns practically nothing and who finds it made a big difference to her mouth, so I figured it was a sure thing. I did like the feeling of “bathing” my mouth, but on the limited trial recommended by my relative and the company itself, I did not find this to help reduce plaque build-up, etc. Returned. I prefer using a toothbrush which I soak in water + tea tree oil.

YeastBusters Kit [Not SCD-Friendly]

No. I tried this when I had been only “mostly SCD” for a few months and had self-assessed my yeast to be “beyond severe”. I assume my extreme reaction was die-off. Upon the second introductory dose, I was violently ill – utterly incapacitated. According to their FAQs, which I located later, this happens to a number of people. They suggest starting very slow in that case and, if the reaction persists, to assume an allergy is present and discontinue. I didn’t want to risk more of this reaction. Returned.

Yogourmet Yogurt Maker

I actually loved the simplicity and silence of this product and it does make excellent yogurt. However, SCD yogurt is supposed to ferment for 24-29 hours at 100-110 degrees F, and the Yogourmet cannot do this. However, Elaine Gottschall and other prominent SCDers did not worry about this as the desired SCD results were achieved for them.  Some SCDers have success plugging the Yogourmet into a light dimmer, but this did not work for me.

Zapper, The

I purchased this ‘parasite killer’from a site run by K. Presner. The contraption unclipped itself frequently during normal use and was cumbersome to put away and take out for the required sessions. I also noticed no effect. Upon taking the site up on its refund offer, I discovered its policies applied to a machine returned in perfect condition still resulted in my being out over $120. Zappers can be purchased via Craigslist, etc, for less than the amount paid in purchasing and returning a new one from this particular company.

Have these notes helped you at all? I write these to help you save money and research time. If they have done so, please consider donating a portion of those savings to this blog.