We often receive questions like: “What are the best veggies for early intro?” And, “What are the best veggies for a person especially concerned with candida overgrowth?” Although it is different for everyone (see Naomi’s comment below), here I present sample lists for each angle.
Early Intro
The GAPS intro progression suggests starting with “non-fibrous” veggies or parts of veggies, so that the digestive tract is not irritated. What are those? Well, cabbage and the stalks of broccoli, for example, are said to be more fibrous. Some people’s systems also struggle with onions and leafy greens, even when very well cooked.
Which veggies work is totally different for everyone. One is fine with peas, one is not. Many are fine with carrots, some are not. Etc.
Much of SCD/GAPS is trial and error. This is not, though, unfortunate – The process teaches us how to listen to our body, which is frustrating at first but serves us very well in the long run.
That said, I know that people like to hear what worked for others. So, without knowing the fibre content of each GAPS veggie, here are the ones we did fine with as we progressed through intro. Note: Unless specifically noted otherwise, all our veggies were well cooked for the first several months.
If you wish to be very careful, start with just broth and meat for the first few days, then add one vegetable at a time, every few days. Personally, I needed the carbohydrates that a range of veggies could offer, but the slower approach might be a better fit for some.
From The Beginning We Used, Without Problem, The Following
Broccoli florets (no tough stalk)
Carrots
Cauliflower florets (no tough stalk)
Ginger root
Mushrooms
Onions
Peppers (green, yellow, red, and orange)
Squash (summer and winter)
Zucchini
Why did I start with these? Some of them I knew to be very gentle on my system; all were easy to incorporate into a soup without overwhelming it; all were available in organic; out of the organic aisle, these were the veggies I was familiar with.
Interestingly, broccoli and cauliflower had always in the past given me gas, but this was not so on GAPS’intro. Perhaps this was because I was not using the fibrous stalks. Perhaps the broth helped the digestion.
I avoided tomatoes because I’d heard that many people react to these, so opted to intro them later.
I avoided garlic because I wanted to pace our die-off.
I had no access to green (string) beans.
After Several Weeks We Tried, Without Problem, The Following
Asparagus
Beets
Garlic
Parsley
String beans
Tomatoes
At about six weeks in, we tried lettuce and cucumber raw and carrots juiced. I was fine with these; my son was not. Thus, we removed them and tried them again later.
After Several More Weeks We Tried, Without Problem, The Following
Chard
Eggplant
Kale
Peas (Raw)
Lettuce (Raw)
Cucumber (Raw)
Why didn’t we try the first three earlier? I simply didn’t get around to it. Would they have been okay earlier? I can’t know, but I’m betting that for us, they would have been.
Not Yet Tried (Only For Lack of Getting Around to Them)
Bok Choy
Collard Greens
French Artichoke
Spinach [this one is problematic for a number of children]
Watercress
Tried With Problematic Results
Cabbage (even when cooked for ages)
Celery (even when cooked for ages)
Early on, juiced veggies (now fine)
Early on, raw veggies (now fine)
Except in the case of fermented cabbage, which he tolerates well, cabbage and celery are still problematic for my son.
Candida Overgrowth
In most people, SCD/GAPS as presented heals candida overgrowth. That is, many people will dramatically reduce candida numbers while eating reasonable amounts of SCD’s honey, fruits, sugary (orange-fleshed) veggies and nuts as complements to its copious other foods. Some, however, have found increased success against candida overgrowth by removing these (indeed, some have found this approach to be critical). In terms of veggies, this means removing beets, carrots, orange-fleshed squashes (butternut, etc). There are copious veggies left, though, most of which can be had well-cooked, raw or anywhere in between:
Avocado
Artichoke, French
Asparagus
Bok Choy
Broccoli
Brussels sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Collard greens
Eggplant
Garlic
Ginger root, fresh
Kale
Mushrooms (some say folks with candida overgrowth should avoid)
Onions
Parsley
Peas
Peppers (green, yellow, red, and orange)
Spinach
Squash, Spaghetti
String beans
Tomatoes
Turnips (caution re: fibre)
Watercress
Zucchini
As one proceeds on the diet, raw GAPS veggies (cucumber, lettuce, etc), will also be added.
Thank you so much for these lists! I found these extremely helpful!!
This is such a timely post! We’ve been avoiding foods on the “avoid” list and eating lots of recipes from the GAPS book and website the past two weeks, and tonight we had our first “intro” soup. This list gave me some confidence as I headed to the store to get ready for the week on only broth & soup. Thank you
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It really is individual! I found that I couldn’t tolerate any brassicas for about 9 months – including brocolli and cauliflower. Too much squash and carrot in the first three months would cause a lot of wind (gas).
I never had a problem with leaves and introduced them quite early on, but had a strong reaction to juiced vegetables at around 3 months and haven’t tried then again since. It was mostly carrot juice, so maybe it was the sugar?
I think it’s really important to wean yourself off a sweet tooth when you follow GAPS/SCD because it’s easy to swap sugar for honey and just carry on feeding the bacteria and yeasts you are trying to eliminate.
I think it’s important to encourage yourself to chose the green veg and going easy on the fruit is especially important at the beginning when the gut flora and enzyme production are coming back into balance.
Thanks for the list Baden, it’s great to have this stuff written down. x x x
Seeing this list helps remind me to inrease my repertoire of veggiesI Thanks.
I want to plant two edible weeds this year in my garden. both are super nutritios and especially high in antiosidants. I figuer I can juice them as well as eat cooked then raw when tolerated. I have found info on CHO content for dandelion (and it appears GAPS safe) but was not able to find any carb info for purslane. Any other ideas on this?
TIA
Nancy
I’m glad everyone is enjoying these lists!
Naomi, I’m going to edit my post to point folks to your comment because I think it’s crucial that people understand the part about the tolerances being individual. Of note, we had no fruit, and I had about a tablespoon of honey per week, for the first six weeks (per intro). We still really limit both. It was also important for us to build up our raw veggies, which our bodies adore.
Nancy, off-hand I know nothing about these two veggies. My only thought would be to work through the post found here. Love the idea of purposely planted dandelions!! Finally they get the love they’ve always deserved!
Thanks for these lists. They are helpful!
Kathy
Very helpful, Baden! Thanks again!
This was great, I have not started yet. This week I am trying to find as many informations as I can to get ready to start next week. Thanks for helpful info.
Natasha says when Candida is present to have no sugar for 6 months starting when you reach the proper probiotic dose. Now if I cut out carrots and beets I am already very fatigued. I am not really sure to the extent of what this means.
Hi Baden
Three weeks before starting the intro (now on third day) I stopped all grains, sugar,fruit all processed food, everything has been home made from scratch. I have been taking inner health probiotics one am and one pm. I now look back and understand die off. Which I haven’t had for about a week. Durning that three weeks I was having broths, and gaps type meals, yogurt, kirfer etc I have had some very hungry days now am ok. I have now stopped all dairy because of my leaky gut/candida/coeliac since starting the intro. I will go slowly with introducing the dairy. My problem is constipation should I stay on the 1st/ 2nd stage until it comes right or try the carrott juice, I just worry about my candida troubles. I have no other symptoms. Today I have had saurekraut juice(tsp) with 3 of my bowls of soup/broth.
Hi Monica,
Constipation is a common die-off symptom. I recommend:
(a) following the options listed in the GAPS Guide book under “die-off relief” and, if needed, the juice recommended by Dr Natasha, and
(b) yes, moving forward through the stages regardless of the constipation
All my best,
Baden
Hi Baden,
This is really helpful.
I just started introducing the nut butter crepes.. I think I have some candida issues as I have been really struggling w/ hypoglycemia since I started intro… My first crepe I got a head rush.. sort of like a “high”
It could have been in my head… but what are signs of “feeding candida” when you have not been for about 2 weeks??
Thanks much
Kim P
Hi Kim,
The signs of feeding candida are different for everyone. If I got a rush/high from a food, I would leave it out for another couple of weeks before trying it again. (This said, the first time on GAPS that I tried egg I got intense tingling in my head and hands, though I eventually realized it was anxiety about eating it raw.) In the meantime, for your blood sugar make sure you’re getting lots of protein and fat every couple of hours.
All my best,
Baden
Are flax seeds allowed on this diet? Noticed they were not on allowed or disallowed llist.
Hi Donna,
Anything not on the list of recommended foods, please avoid. (After three months of healing, check in again for variations.)
Best,
Baden
Thanks Baden,
I have another question.. I had an esophageal ulcer last summer and thought it was healed until I started GAPS… then had the pain again.. I had an upper endo on friday.. the ulcer is indeed healed, but I have esophagitis from reflux.
Can you recommend anything for this??
I have taken DGL in the past.. but that has fructose in it.
I was thinking about starting on Betaine HCL and peptin.
I have been feeling getting more fats in.
We are just having trouble getting fats from our birds.
Thanks for commenting on your days..
Take care
Kim
Hi Kim,
Reflux can be caused by either too much stomach acid or too little. In GAPSy people, it is usually the latter. Where this is the case, things that might help:
-one tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar in a half a cup of warm water, sipped 10 minutes before each meal
-ditto juice from fermented veggies
-Betaine with Pepsin, as you mentioned
Fats I buy directly from my butcher, in pails.
All my best,
Baden
Where would arugula and pumpkin be classified on these lists? Regarding arugula, I’m wondering if it is fibrous (I guess I’ve assumed that chard, kale, arugula, lettuces, etc, are all fibrous foods). Same goes for spinach; I’ve wondered if it’s okay to add to soups in intro or if better left out. Regarding pumpkin, I see that some winter squashes are considered higher-sugar in your post, whereas spaghetti squash is considered okay. What about pumpkin and the other winter squashes? And if these are added to soups, it occurred to me that perhaps I should not roast them first as I would usually do – because the intro calls for boiled veggies, not roasted. Could I boil the whole thing in a pot of water first, then cut into it and scoop the flesh into the soup? (I try to avoid a wrestling match with the knife and hard winter squash!)
Hi Tara,
Orange-fleshed veggies can trigger candida surges while pale-fleshed squashes do not generally have this effect.
In terms of intro, yes, I would consider the greens you’ve listed to be fibrous (that’s certainly how my body treats them). Well-cooked greens tend to be fine for most people by about Stage 3 (ie. a couple of weeks in).
Yes, you could boil the squash separately, then add its flesh to a soup.
All my best,
Baden
My daughter has had a spike in her behavioral issues over the past week. The first three weeks of intro went pretty much without incident. Last Tuesday I introduced raw apple (golden delicious which is lower in salicylates than other varieties) and on Thursday raw cucumber (she’s been consuming jars of pickled cucumbers without issue, so I thought this would be a no brainer, even if not allowed ont he feingold diet). Her behavior has been challenging since.
People on the yahoo group seemed to think it was due to candida overgrowth rather than dieoff or a reaction to the introduction of new foods.
I am disheartened because she won’t eat a lot of the lower salicylate vegetables on the introductory/candida overgrowth list. However, if candida overgrowth is the case, then obviously I will take out the honey, fruit, and nuts from her diet. How long should I wait before attempting to reintroduce these things? (The nuts has been a big plus in getting her to take the fermented cod liver oil and applesauce for the nut oil.)
Thank you so much for your help,
Micaele
Hi again Micaele,
Frustratingly, it’s impossible to know whether a symptom indicates die-off, food intolerance or candida surge.
I suggest not trying to combine low salicylate with low candida plus intro. You’re right that the food choices become too narrow. What I would do is choose one suspect: eg. extreme candida more than most people coming to GAPS (most or all of whom I would guess to have candida overgrowth) or a salicylate intolerance.
I suggest doing intro exactly as outlined in the GAPS Guide book. This will leave nuts, fruit and more than a teaspoon of honey per day out of her diet for several weeks. When you introduce a new food, wait at least four full days before moving to the next. This will allow you to see what is being reacted to. On this approach, it would take about 36 days (minimum) to reach nuts, while fruit would come even later. If anything is reacted to on that schedule, leave it out for 3-4 weeks before trying it again.
I understand about the nuts being helpful as a reward for taking the CLO and nut oil. At this early stage, though, it’s not critical for her to be taking those so I would just skip them, focusing on the non-bottled foods and offering activities, hugs, verbal affirmation, etc, as rewards for the basic foods taken.
All my best,
Baden
Hi Baden,
We have been following the intro diet program as outlined in the health, home and happiness 30 day guidebook. (http://www.healthhomehappy.com/grain-free-2/30-days-on-gaps-intro-e-book) We started on Intro 1 on Nov 2 and have worked our way through the steps. However, have been “stuck” on intro 5 due to the fact that we haven’t been able to introduce raw fruits (the apple/cucumber).
So, over the past 7 days I’ve gradually backed up on the steps (we’re now back to intro 3) to try to get to baseline again, but my daughter is still struggling with her behavior. So, after a few people on the yahoo group thought it could potentially be due to candida overgrowth, I implemented no orange squash, carrots, or other sugary items about four days ago. Although there are glimmers of hope, she is still struggling.
I guess this leaves me at a loss as to how to approach things now. Perhaps I’ll stay with intro 3 + no orange squash/carrots/other sugary items a few more days to see where we are. (Have there been any cases of scurvy on this diet?) If things baseline, I’ll consider re-introducing nuts a few days later and take introductions a little more slowly than this guide suggests. If not, I guess we’ll start back at square 1, or intro 1, as the case may be.
With all this, it’s hard not to feel as though the last month is for nought. Any suggestions you may have on approach would be helpful.
Regards,
Micaele
Hi Micaele,
Don’t worry -while it’s understandable and common to feel discouraged when this arises, be assured that your work and progress to date has not been for nothing! Everyone will experience set backs along the way -regardless of what they are eating (within GAPS) and not eating. To prepare for and cope with this, it’s important to read page 92 in your GAPS Guide book.
Many people need to remain at Stage 4 for some time. This is a good, healthy, nourishing step. (Vitamin C is plentiful in many Stage 1-4 foods.) As an initial course of action, I recommend implementing the die-off remedies offered in the GAPS Guide book (pg 87+).
Have you read all of the GAPS Guide book yet? Doing so is my primary suggestion (preferably before one starts the program, but better sooner than later in any case). It’s really important to have the whole overview, and I can better help from that point forward. (At over 160 pages, the information is very comprehensive and took many months to research and compile.)
All my best,
Baden
Hi Baden,
I have read the entire “Gut and Psychology syndrome, Natural treatment for Dyspraxia, autism, add, dyslexia, adhd, depression, schizophrenia. fifth repornt by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride”, However, I find I need to re read sections periodically to gain further insight, especially now that I am putting theory into practice. The page numbers you reference above do not seem to align with this book. Is there another I need to be aware of?
We have implemented the die-off remedies for the most part and have found them helpful.
So it sounds as if I am on the right track and I just need to be a little more patient with the progress (or lack there of as the case may be).
Thank you so much for your help, understanding and patience.
Micaele
Okay I feel a bit foolish now. Found the book (you of many talents!) and placed my order.
When i’ve read this cover to cover I’ll be better equipped and won’t sound like such a newby.
Thanks so much,
micaele