My child is very picky. He only eats white food. Won’t he starve on GAPS?
My daughter will only eat food if I put sugary ketchup on it. How will we ever transition?
My son will only eat potatoes, rice and cookies. He won’t touch the broth. What do I do?
Many children who have come to GAPS ate
- only liquid foods (several through an IV)
- only breastmilk or formula (even when three years of age or older)
- only starchy, processed and/or very sweet foods
GAPS children and teens are naturally repelled by wholesome foods. The pathogens in their guts are calling the shots. In their intense need for their preferred foods, the children are like addicts, kicking and screaming if they don’t get them on demand and going through severe withdrawal symptoms when the foods are denied. Some are so repelled by food they are diagnosed with anorexia.
My own son could eat nothing but breastmilk until after his second birthday. If so much as a speck of food touched his lip, he would vomit profusely.
Where this is the situation, what does one do?
There are three approaches:
1. Bribery. You might offer your child one bite of his preferred food for every bite of a GAPS dish. Over time, make it one bite of the preferred food for every two, then three, then four bites of a GAPS dish. Feel free to start with GAPS cakes, pies, cookies, puddings and other treats. Non-food rewards that might work include movies, toys, one-on-one time with daddy, etc.
2. Transitioning. This approach is detailed in the GAPS Guide book. Basically, though, continue your normal diet while progressively adding in more and more GAPS foods until your whole diet is GAPS. Again, feel free to start with GAPS cakes, pies, cookies, puddings and other treats. Children using bottles can have tiny, then increasingly larger, amounts of broth, etc, added to their usual fare, then the same formula offered on a spoon, then from a bowl, etc.
3. Cold Turkey. Some families have little time or energy to do the bribery; other families are facing issues so severe that time is of the essence. These families might opt to go ‘cold turkey’. In this approach, your child will be offered only GAPS foods from here on in. He may well punch, scream, kick and otherwise protest. He will likely decline all foods. That’s fine, so long as he stays hydrated (this demands not just water, but electrolytes). Whether he eats or not, he may well be lethargic, weepy and pale. He may vomit or have a fever. After a few days, he will begin accepting GAPS foods cheerfully, then beg for more and more. You will be stunned to find your child generally free of cravings, with a fantastic appetite for meat, eggs, and vegetables. His spirit, skin and energy will glow.
Great ideas. What about friends homes and school? I guess there is no way to really control what they eat away from you but at least we can try to control what they eat at home.
Hi Samara,
Most of us doing GAPS are very firm with friends, schools, etc, about what our kids can eat. Generally, we send food along with them. And once GAPS has had a chance to heal the gut, slip ups can happen without dire consequences.
Best,
Baden
I’ve been on SCD for 3 yrs. and just this year I decided to transition my 9 yr. old over to it. It was becoming apparent he had some yeast issues after a course of antibiotics. He only wanted white cheese food and sugar as well.
Ok,after several months of good nonyeasty SCD/GAP food, my son is sleeping thru the night, no accidents, eating a wide range and in a delightful mood 24/7. He even went to an Indian restaurant and tried food.
It can be done, just look at food this way – ifoodis a drug and you must do the right thing as a parent even if unpopular.
It’s also good training for setting limits and boundaries for teens, not to mention setting them up for life time of good habits.
With wonderful sites like this, it’s easy to unite and stand firm !
I took at lot of courage from this post. Especially from the “cold turkey” paragraph. We are on day 3 of the Introduction Diet and my 2 year old refuses to drink chicken stock. I feel horrible seeing her weak and hungry. She’s been drinking water and eating some fish and chicken bits, but other than that she won’t eat. I broke down and gave her a banana this morning. I’m just waiting for her to break…what if she doesn’t?
Hi Michelle,
It is very common for kids and adults to lose their appetite during the first round of die-off. I know how hard it is to watch a little one go through that. She *will* recover, and very soon, and then will be eating like a horse. In the meantime, I highly recommend die-off relief baths and keeping her hydrated (electrolytes, not just water).
Best,
Baden
Baden,
Thank you so much for your quick response! I was pretty desperate for support this morning and your comment gave me much-needed encouragement.
Unfortunately, she’s not lost her appetite. Mon. and Tues. she kept asking for pancakes, treats, juice. Today she’s asking for fish and eggs. She’s filling up on those things (last night 2 sole fillets, lunch 6 egg yolks). She also drank abt. 16 oz. of an electrolyte drink. Will your theory not work if she’s eating these things? I mean does she actually have to STARVE before she’ll drink her stock?
Thanks again,
Michelle
Hi Michelle,
No, lol, she doesn’t need to starve before she’ll have broth
She will eventually take it. Yes, do keep feeding her anything and everything else specific to her stage. Fish and eggs sounds great. I didn’t realize that your concern was specific to broth. For tips on that specifically, see: http://gapsguide.com/2008/12/01/bone-broth-how/
Best,
Baden
My 2 year old son had a great appetite and recent it just went down the drain. Im worried he only wants to eat cookies, cereal, no meats and veggies. Why can I do?
Hi Regina,
Please tell me more about your son. Is he on GAPS? Has he done intro?
Best,
Baden
Hi! I have an 8 month old who has a leaky gut, she has eczema from pretty much all foods. She gets hives from dairy even contact with milk will give her hives. Currently she is still only breastfeeding because of the reactions to food, I’m on a strict diet because if I eat restricted food she has an eczema flare up.
Is she too young to do gaps?
Is breastmilk gaps legal? Or do I have to quit breastfeeding and start with the broths?
Any advice you might have for an infant with leaky gut would be greatly appreciated!!!!
Thank you!!!!!
Hi Kristi,
Definitely continue breastfeeding your child. You can also start introducing GAPS foods to her, especially organ meats for iron, as well as broths and meats then veggies. Because she is old enough to wean if necessary (ie. if your supply diminishes upon starting intro) and because she is so reactive to the foods you eat also, you can start with intro foods, too, and work up from there.
All my best,
Baden
Hello,
I have a two year old with very severe allergies including an anaphalactic milk allergy. We don’t even know what his other allergies are at this point because he seems to react to everything. He gets hives and asthma almost daily at daycare (even though he only eats what I pack him) and he always gets rashes around his mouth. He never eats meat but he does drink a lot of smoothies I make with fresh fruits and veggies and hemp seeds blended together. He only eats gluten free foods, limited eggs.
He wears diapers still but his stools seem well formed, they don’t seem hard.
Are the allergies alone signs of a leaky gut? Would this diet help?
I forgot to ask if it is ok to use water kefir as a probiotic since we can’t use any dairy.
Hi Taera,
Allergies short of anaphylaxis are often due to leaky gut.
Fussy eating/refusing healthy foods, such as meat, is also.
Drinking “a lot of smoothies” made with fruits makes me suspect an overgrowth of candida, which would be resolved through GAPS.
People going gluten-free often inadvertantly end up relying on a lot of processed, packaged foods, which sort of defeats the idea of going gluten-free to heal the gut.
The only way one knows if GAPS will help is by giving it a proper and thorough trial.
Yes, a person can use non-dairy kefir, such as coconut kefir.
All my best,
Baden