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
Dear Gaps Supporters,
My 8 year old son was diagnosed with EE 7 years ago. He still has EE with many severe food and environmental allergies. He is currently taking Singular, Prevacid, Nasonex and Flovent when his asthma gets bad (which is only 2-3 times a year). We are avoiding all 8 food allergies and all glutens. He drinks 3 x 8oz. of Pediatric EO28 juice boxes a day. The EO28 has played a huge roll in steady growth. Other than having lots of allergies, he is your typical healthy active 8 year old boy.
In reading different items on this website, I am curious as to if this “diet” would benefit him. He would not be able to eat a big percentage of the “recommended” foods. Getting him to eat it would be a huge challenge.
Does anyone have any advice on keeping him on the EO28 while doing this diet? How do you implement such a drastic diet while everyone else in the home eats “normal” food? Is this diet something that would have to be maintained for the rest of his life? Has anyone had success curing EE while on this diet?
Thanks,
Matt’s Mom
Hi Matt’s Mom,
GAPS has successfully resolved EE and non-anaphylactic allergies, yes.
You are posting under one of the posts addressing the fact that many children coming to GAPS would previously have not touched any of the foods they did in fact come to eat on the program.
Personally, I recommend one not put just one person in the family on GAPS, but that all support him by joining in solidarity (and improved health for all) by eating all GAPS at home.
For most people (especially those starting it as children) GAPS is a transitional healing program, meaning one would move on from it after a couple of years.
For more information on all of these kinds of questions, and a specific reference to EE, see the GAPS Guide book.
I suggest you also post your query, exactly as above, to the GAPS support list: close to 2000 families who have faced and overcome similar challenges. To find the support list, see ‘support’ under the right hand navigation.
All my best,
Baden
Hi Baden,
This may be answered elsewhere, if so, I apologize.
We have been doing strict GAPS without intro for 2 months now at the suggestion of my boys (ages 2 and 4) doctor.
We haven’t seen a lot of progress, however, especially in mood/behavior of the 4 year old, and the type 6 near-diarrhea stools of the 2 year old. They had good testing showing candida overgrowth, and several other pathogenic bacteria. We do GAPS including honey and fruit.
Are the honey and fruit feeding the yeast, and do we absolutely need to do intro? If so, how long do you think intro usually takes. I know it is a personalized process, but i need to schedule at least the severest beginning stages into our time off preschool, etc.
thanks!
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
Yes, do intro.
For most people, Stage 1 is usually about two days. Reaching the end of Stage 3 usually take about three weeks. Once you reach Stage 4, you’re almost “full GAPS” and folks tend to be pretty satisfied there and barely realize they are “on intro” anymore.
All my best,
Baden
Thanks Baden,
Also what about the honey and fruit feeding yeast? Is it ok?
Thanks again,
Jessica
Hi Jessica,
As the GAPS intro demonstrates, it is important to remove fruit and honey (except possibly a very small amount of the latter in tea) at the beginning of the program. In some people, fruit and honey (likewise nuts and/or sweet vegetables) can exacerbate yeast overgrowth. Some are able to reintroduce these after a few weeks on intro; others remain sensitive to them for longer. At a personal point in healing, one will be able to include these in their GAPS program, at which point their inclusion will no longer trigger an imbalance.
In other words, the answer to “do fruit and honey feed yeast” is “it depends on who you are and how healthy you are”. They are fine for healthy people; they can be problematic (feeding yeast) for people with compromised systems.
All my best,
Baden
My daughter (21 months) and I have been on the GAPS intro diet for ten days now. I am dying fine and progressing well, however she is still having type 6/type 7 stools with bad smells and is stuck in stage two. We have yet to introduce eggs as she has sensitivity towards these, and I am afraid of introducing fermented foods, to add to her problems, and I am sure she won’t like the taste.
She seems hungry all the time, and we are getting exhausted from cooking up butternut squash soups with chicken stock and pieces. Can beef / bone broth be the problem? We have given her this as well and cut down on fiber in vegetables as much as possible. Can it be overuse of butternut squash soup? Is she still going through die-off?
I have started – very slowly – to give her some probiotics (HMF Neuro purchased at RockwellNutrition.com – as we have casein intolerance in the family) in the morning with her water, only like 1/10-1/5 of a tea spoon.
Should we progress with fermented foods or go on to the next stages hoping it’ll pass, or should we back-track and wait it out??
Thanks ever so much for this blog.
Hi Sophie,
Please have your daughter proceed with the next foods. If you know for a fact that she is still sensitive to, for example, eggs, just skip those and move on to the next food in the list.
It’s great you’ve started her on a probiotic. It is absolutely critical to get a source of probiotics in, preferably via fermented foods, but at least through a commercial probiotic. Most of us have been very, very surprised to find our children gobbling up foods we were certain they would hate, like ferments! In any case, as parents we can insist on nutrition for our children, whether or not they immediately love the taste.
It is normal to be amazingly hungry the first six weeks or so of intro. This is a good sign. Make sure you offer her a fatty protein meal upon waking, then at least every hour or so, then at bedtime. (Let her decide, though, whether and how much to eat at each offering.)
Any food, including bone broths or broth from specific meats, can be a problem for a given person. My hunch, though, is that your daughter needs: a wider range of fat-and-protein food more often, plus the probiotics.
I find that stool, at the beginning, is a poor indicator of progress. Stool can be all over the map for awhile. I would still observe that, but also watch for changes in other symptoms.
So, again, yes, move forward with more foods, and continue increasing the probiotics very slowly.
Note: All of the above information -and much more- is covered in the GAPS Guide book.
All my best,
Baden
Hi Baden,
Thanks for your wonderful reply. We are progressing on, and surprisingly (or maybe not) this has helped. I’ve added way more fat and protein to her soups and lessened the veggie part even further. We tried the sensitivity test with eggs, which went fine (??!!), so now we have introduced egg yolks, and she tried sauerkraut yesterday, which she absolutely loved!! I never thought the transition to something so tangy would be so easy, so I am over the moon.
She has a runny nose now, I don’t know if this is a reaction to the eggs, or just a common cold, but it is something I will keep monitoring. I know that when you have trouble digesting dairy, kids will have a constant runny nose, but I don’t know if this applies to other food sensitivities.
She is doing better with her bowel movements, so we are naturally very hopeful now. My husband is eager to try the pancakes, but I am unsure, with all the other new stuff if introducing nut butter is such a good idea at this stage…
Thanks for all your help – this blog is very valuable to us!
Sophie
Hi Sophie,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for letting me know about your daughter’s progress! Awesome on her excellent taste in sauerkraut!
It’s very, very common for kids to show cold-like symptoms (runny nose, etc) at the beginning of GAPS. One theory is that old viruses ‘stored’ in the body are being detoxed out.
I would stick with where she’s at for a few days and, if all is still well, proceed to the next food. Try to intro something new only every four days or so, so that there is time to gauge reactions. Remember to do the daily detox baths, etc, too!
All my best,
Baden
Ok, will do. I think we are making good progress, and I am so grateful for your replies. And good idea with more detox baths for her – just took one myself today due to serious die-off symptoms, and it completely took them away!
My son, just turned 3 and is on the GAPS intro diet. We are at day 2 and he simply won’t eat. He has now gone over 24 hours without any food and he is a mess. Yelling, kicking, screaming, crying, banging his head against the wall.
No reward is working as he would rather forfeit all rewards than eat soup. By the way, he has always loved soup!
I don’t know what to do. I think he needs the intro diet as he has diarrhea but he needs to eat. He is already slim and I’m worried he will waste away.
What do I do? Rewards are useless as he is simply not interested. He is extremely willful and determined.
I keep reading about how magically he will start to accept what we give him but how will he if we can’t get it into him in the first place?
Any advice…please?
Hi Andrew,
I really, really feel for you!!
As noted in the post, everything that is happening right now is normal. Kids will often refuse all foods for several days, fight every effort, yell and scream, etc. The important thing is to keep him hydrated, and to eliminate stool at least every 36 hours (preferably every 24). For tips on hydration, die-off relief, etc, please click here. The baths should help him a lot.
Please let me know how things go. Again, keeping him hydrated is absolutely critical to his well-being and safety. I cannot emphasize this enough.
ETA: With diarrhea, start intro with just boiled meats, meat broth and fats (lots) -no veggies.
All my best,
Baden
Hi Baden
Thanks for that but a few questions if I may. The electrolyte drink that has lemon juice. I thought he wasn’t suppose to have fruits or citrus.
Yet all he wants to eat are fresh lemons, even the peel!
Also, so for the intro diet, is it ok to drop the soup only diet and just give him the meats from the stock we make as long as it has no veggies?
Andrew
Hi Andrew,
As noted in the post on electrolytes, the critical need to stay hydrated outweighs the initial need to steer clear of fruit. If an electrolyte drink flavoured with fresh lemon is what he will take, excellent! And you might make the lemon and peel his reward for eating other foods.
Yes, feel free to give your son just boiled meats for now. For tricks on incorporating broth into that, click here.
All my best,
Baden
Hi,
I’ve just recently heard about the GAPS diet after researching more about Paleo eating & bone broths.
I have a 3 year old toddler who is still breastfed. For the last 18 months has refused to eat any meat, fruit or vegetables in favour of toast, hot chips or potato crisps, pasta, chocolate, chocolate & strawberry milkshakes.
The best food I’ve been able to get into him other than the breastmilk is pancakes. I’ve recently converted them to gluten free flour, with an egg and some sugar and milk. He wont eat them everyday.
Today I tried him with lamb soup I made from my first batch of bone broth I made during the week. Despite my best efforts (bribes, talking to him, explaining) he screamed and refused to even take a spoonful.
He had eczema from 5 months to about 20 months old and now he has small bumps on the skin on his upper thighs, a few on his torso, and some on his neck – they sort of look like a cross between pimples and little warts. We currently see a homeopath, he has never been vaccinated.
My son is an extremely intelligent little boy, his speech is advanced for his three years.
For the past 6 months he has had difficulties passing stools – only once or twice a week, crying, pulling back, although they look normal once passed. When I cut out all gluten containing foods, the frequency of stools improved greatly, but he didn’t eat anything, just breastmilk.
How do I get him to eat real food? I’ve tried all the interventions other Mums in my baby group have suggested and I’m tired of people (including my Mum and husband) saying that he is intelligent and there is nothing to worry about, he will grow out of it.
Can you please provide some guidance?
Thanks
Hi Helena,
Your son is an excellent candidate for GAPS!
My tips are in the post above. You can choose whichever approach you prefer. My guess is that likely you will need to go ‘cold turkey’ at some point, though. In this approach, a child will often refuse all food for up to four days before starting to eat -and then eats wonderfully! I recommend joining the email support lists to hear from other parents who have watched their child move through this exact journey, which terrifies the parent while it’s happening, but has excellent outcomes. It is critical that the child stay hydrated throughout.
All my best,
Baden
Baden
My whole family (extended included) has started GAPS. I did a few days of intro but since I am breastfeeding I have jump into Full GAPS. I had planned on starting my 7 month old on the baby GAPS plan, but since I started introducing broth then boiled veggies (squash and cauliflower – well pureed and small amounts) she has been up almost every night screaming with gas and re-flux. She has had gas pain for a long time but this re-flux is new since starting GAPS. Last night she screamed almost all night and has been for most of today. My baby is usually a happy baby and tends to play a lot and she won’t even do that. Should I pull her off solids and just start her on baby biotics? She I keep up with the broth? I can’t tell if the pain is from what she’s eating or what I am eating. This whole thing is leaving me so confused. I thought this was going to help her not make it worse : (
Thank you!
Liz
Hi Liz,
How exciting to have your whole extended family doing this together!
Where a food causes a baby reflux, gas pain, distress, and/or lack of sleep, I would absolutely remove it, yes. However, as you indicate, it’s hard (impossible) to know initially whether a nursling is reacting to food directly ingested or to elements in the breastmilk. Usually I would advise that you rotate foods out of her and your diet and see if the removal (for two weeks) helps.
Before possibly having ideas, though, as well as a response about probiotics, I have a couple of questions for you:
1. When your family started the program, was your daughter’s sole source of food breastmilk? If so, what were her symptoms then?
2. Did you introduce the broth to her before the veggies? If yes, what were her symptoms at that point?
I sure hope you both get some sleep tonight! Let’s get working on this, for sure…
All my best,
Baden
Hi,
I just found this website and I would be very thankful and guidance. My 2 year old daughter and I started GAPS 4 weeks ago. My daughter has been (still is) an extremely fussy eater. She refused any solids for the first 15 months of her life. She also refused my breast, so I have exclusively pumped for her for 15 months (from 10 months on or so, I mixed breast milk with goats milk, as it was impossible to pump the amount she needed- it took me an average of 1 1/2 hours to pump what she would eat in 5 minutes). She also refused any type of formula we tried, so basically she never had formula. I first heard about GAPS from an interview Dr. Mercola did with Dr. Natasha. I immediately knew she spoke about me. Here’s my story:
From about 1-2 months before giving birth to my daughter my body went crazy, that is I was going to the bathroom at least 10 times a night (not to pee). Basically anything I put in my body went through me. I would poop whatever I ate in about 2 hours time. Before pregnancy I was almost vegetarian, but during pregnancy I forced myself to eat meat (which I hated and vomited a few times, from organic animals), drink milk (pasteurized goat’s which I never had before pregnancy, I only had yogurt before), and I also had 2 eggs a day. The rest of my diet during pregnancy were fresh fruit and veggies and took fish oil and prenatal vitamins (whole foods type). Anyway, my going to the bathroom multiple times at night continued after giving birth. At around 3 months postpartum, my mom “forced” me to go on a constipating diet of bananas, white rice and mint tea, which worked in that it substantially reduced my stools. The main consequence of my problem was a horrible hemorrhoids problem with excruciating pain. A few months ago, I went to see a surgeon who recommended that I start taking regularly psysilum husk fiber. I did, and in 3 days my hemorrhoids pain was completely gone after almost 2 years of suffering. I also forgot to mention that my whole entire pregnancy I had candida vaginal yest infection, which magically disappear once I gave birth.
My daughter was born full-term, almost 2 weeks after my due date. I had a very difficult and long labor, but she was born healthy. She was a perfect baby, maybe not the best sleeper in the world, but at around 6 months she started to sleep through the night. She reached all her milestones early and was extremely strong. When we started to introduced solids (with insane efforts) the first thing she ate was pasta with tomato sauce and hotdogs (organic bought from whole foods). For months all she ate was pasta. She refused any fruit and any vegetable. She loved pasteurized goats milk which we gave her to replace breast milk (she had 20 + oz a day). To this day she still refuses any fruit or raw vegetable. She is intelligent and speaks well for a two year old (just short sentences, but has a wide vocabulary). She is sociable, although now she has moments when she is quite anti-social…overall she is fine in terms of social interaction. However, about 2-3 months after the intro of solids she got sick for the first time in her life…a common cold, but she developed severe itchy rash and extremely high fever. Every time she got sick after that she had the same thing, which no doctor could explain. She basically becomes allergic to any food you put in her mouth during her sickness days. When she is well (when she does not have a cold) she is not allergic to anything according to allergy tests. One of the time she was sick, I thought she was going to die, it was that bad. She could not sleep for more than 72 hours because of her itchy hives, and she was so swollen that it was unrecognizable. Her eyes, ears, feet and hands were insanely swollen. The last few times she was sick, her eyes always got swollen.
We started GAPS although not exclusively for her because my husband is against it. He things she is just perfect and she will outgrow her “hives issues” in time. I kept her on soup (made w/ chicken stock and non-starchy non-fibrous veggies) for at least 4 days. I usually put her favorite DVD on and stopped it every time she would refuse to open her mouth. She had about 3-4 bowls of soup and nothing else for 4 days. She was really fussy and cranky waking up several times a night. She kept asking for her milk, which I did not give to her anymore. On the forth day, my husband went ahead and made a bottle (with milk) for her in the middle of the night, saying that “she needs it” and that “I am crazy” for starving my child. Then we had another week on GAPS in which I introduced eggs, raw walnuts (she loves nuts), and no milk. Now she eats soup (made with stock and veggies), sour cream and kefir cultured pasteurized milk (I have not found the raw milk yet as I live in a state where is illegal…but I will soon), pancakes, lots of butter, honey, coconut oil, coconut flakes and flour. She also eats organic chicken hotdogs because that is the only thing she would eat at daycare, so my first question is “how bad are they?” They are organic from free range chickens, but they are still processed. Also, on weekends when my husband is home she has white artisan bread with organic ham or with butter. the bread has nothing in it except flour salt, yest and water, and it is from a wonderful bakery that never uses any preservatives or processed fats (only butter, olive oil). I also added probiotics in my daughter’s diet. She is just 2 years of age, and I already gave her today 2 capsules of bio-kult and some extra primal defense for kids (that has s. boulardi). She has no reaction to them except increased appetite. She still refuses fruit and raw veggies. I forced her to have home-made apple sauce, but she has a very hard time with it. She accepts soup quite easily compared to other foods (I still have to feed her, so she would not eat it by herself but she eagerly opens her mouth). With fruit, I realized it is the texture rather than taste that she hates. She finally accepted mango (blended and strained by me) a bout a half a year ago. If we give her a little piece of mango she gags, but if I puree that same piece and gave it to her, she eats it. I have tried all the possible fruit in the world, and it is a mystery to me why she only accepted mango. I write because I need help with some major questions. Would my daughter get well (solve her “allergies”) on a semi-GAPS diet, as it is impossible for me to do it if my husband refuses cooperation? Is she eats 90 percent gaps but has occasional bread and butter sandwiches, hot dogs at every lunch during the week, and some ham a few times a month, cad she get healed?
Also, should I keep increasing the probiotics as she has quite a large amount (about 6 billion per day) for her age? When she had her worse sickness, my sister suggested adding probiotics and I think that is what made her well, so she has had probiotics (infant type) in every bottle of milk for some time. Now I just change the type of probiotics, so I think her body was accustomed with them for a while, and this is the reason for her having no reactions….OR…I don’t know….She is constipated and has been since we introduced solids (never before). The GAPS diet does not seem to help at all so far. Is this normal? I use glycerin suppositories to make her have a stool every day (usually twice a day). If I don’t put a suppository she does not poop. I think the consistency of her poop improved since we started GAPS but she still needs her suppositories to go. Any advice on semi-GAPS diet, on how to make her eat fresh fruit and veggies (or should I now, maybe it is better to wait???), on her constipation, and on anything else that is helpful for us would be enormously appreciated. I forgot to say how am I doing….I am 100 % GAPS, do not take my fiber anymore and still no pain but I lost a lot of weight. I am only 110 pounds and 5’6” now (lost about 10 pounds in the first week) despite eating huge amounts of animal fat. I hope this weight loss stops, as I really need to not loose more. I get quite hungry in the evening, and no matter how much soup I eat I still feel hungry. Any advice enormously appreciated again.
Thanks enormously,
Beth
Hi Beth,
It’s always exciting for me to meet another mother whose child refused foods (beyond breastmilk) for so long! I’m glad you’ve found your way here.
You have had an incredibly challenging journey! You also have additional variables that must be considered, for example that your daughter’s father is not in agreement with doing GAPS. As you note, this is important, as for a protocol like GAPS to have a chance, all caregivers need to be ‘on board’. Where that is not the case, sometimes the best we can do is feed a child what we believe to be healthiest, and let all other caregivers do likewise. That makes a strict protocol -and the benefits that come with that- impossible, but I do believe every little bit helps, and if you can add broths, kefir, etc, to her diet, that already can help the body grow stronger.
It’s not possible for me to say what results you might see with a diet of, say, 90% GAPS and 10% other foods, but I believe this would still be worth doing, yes. From what you’re saying, it sounds like your husband might be willing to see her on a WAPF diet, which has a lot of overlaps with GAPS and proves quite healing already for many people. Perhaps after a year or two of that, your hubby might be willing to see his daughter try GAPS.
I wouldn’t worry about getting her to accept fruit. Will she have veggies if blended in a soup? Butternut squash pie?
Probiotics – For amounts suggested per age, please see the GAPS Guide book.
Constipation is a normal die-off response. For remedies and recommendations, please see your GAPS Guide book. (In this case, it cannot be said that GAPS hasn’t helped with constipation because, as you’ve noted, you’ve not been able to have your daughter on GAPS, but rather only to incorporate some elements from the program and this makes all the difference.)
In terms of yourself, hunger and weight loss are common in the early stages of 100% GAPS. The body will normalize. In the meantime, eat a high-fat meal when you wake, then every hour or so all day long, then just before sleep. Be sure to move on from Stage 1 after a day or two, introducing a new food or preparation every four days.
All my best,
Baden
Hi Baden,
Thanks so much for your reply. What is a WAPF diet? I read your GAPS guide already, which I purchased with Dr. Natasha’s book and the recipe book.
My daughter eats any veggies I blend in her soup, but they are not raw, except avocado. I personally do not think a perfect diet could lack raw foods, that is, long-term. I think her constipation will resolve itself if she were to eat raw fruit and veggies. After reading about GAPS I feel a bit less concerned about raw fruit at the moment, but I would definitely want her to eat fruit in time. It is also so easy for the parent I find to have fresh fruit (i.e., berries) for snack to offer their children. I see all the testimonies from people whose fussy eaters (kids) started to eat, but I just cannot imagine it for my daughter. She does not seem to make ANY progress in accepting new foods, and this drives me nuts.
One more question: I am thinking about another baby, is GAPS without grains ok for pregnancy/ lactation or should grains be introduced while carrying a baby? I am convinced that 100% sugar free diet (except that from fruit and a little honey) is best during pregnancy and always, but I am a bit worried about the lack of grains during this time.
Thanks so much for your great help.
Beth
Hi Beth,
WAPF is Weston A Price Foundation. Please do Google that phrase for more information.
Most people whose kids moved from extreme fussiness to an interest in all foods did strict intro, and that specific change came through that. As you’re not able to have your daughter on GAPS, I can’t really give suggestions as to what approaches to take. Yes, raw fruits and veggies are included in GAPS; if doing intro, we simply delay them. On GAPS, we rely not on fibre to move the bowels but on a bacterially-balanced intestinal tract which, again, comes through doing the protocol your daughter is not currently able to access. At the same time, since your daughter is not able to do GAPS at this time, there is no real reason to keep raw produce out of her diet, so if this will help move her bowels, you should feel free to include them.
Yes, full GAPS (no grains) is fine for pregnancy. For specific tips, I recommend you check out -and interact with- the blogs of other women doing GAPS while pregnant. You can find some of them through this site’s ‘Support’ page.
All my best,
Baden
Beth,
This may not work for you, but maybe you could really sit down and talk about this, and hope for a compromise. I obviously don’t know your husband, and if the issue is denial or fear, it will be really tough to work through. But maybe you could try some of these things?
Address that he is worried about her starving, and you are worried about her long-term health, and that even if there is only a slight chance that she has any “real” problem that can be addressed by an already healthy program, it’s worth trying for some agreed upon set period of time. Say, a month. Reason that not much damage can happen in a month, but if she happens to make a lot of progress in that month, you will know that it is really worth trying.
As far as her wanting milk, what about compromising by changing her milk into yogurt? That at least removes lactose, even if you have to forego the dairy introduction structure for a while. You might need to reduce her commercial probiotic to prevent excessive die-off.
A LOT of kids with GAPS have texture issues with fruit, if I’m not mistaken, and like few things besides pasta and crackers as far as texture goes. You could try kale chips which are crispy, but not really “cooked,” or even dehydrated fruit leathers. She might accept that as a snack more readily.
Ultimately, I have a good feeling about the free-trial approach. “Give me one month, and if it’s not helping, I’ll drop it.” Make a list of symptoms you would like to see addressed, keeping in mind that realistically in one month, you may only see one or two really improve. Stools are a good one to start with, considering she already has stool issues. The clincher? A lot of people who claim not to see improvement on GAPS and leave the program, immediately realize how much worse they are without it. So maybe if you don’t see any improvements ON it, you will see some regression OFF it. Something else comes to mind: Dr. NCM talks about how high-protein dairies can really contribute to constipation, so taking her off dairy may well work magic.
I hope that works
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on GAPS. I haven’t even really started GAPS yet. I’ve been reading lots, and these are basically useful tidbits that are fresh in my mind. I don’t have the loads of experience to back this up that others here may have. Still, I don’t think I said anything that is really controversial.
Hi Beth,
My husband does not support/understand GAPS efforts either, but thankfully he lets me do what I think is right without (much) interference. What a challenge you have ahead of you! Why are you thinking about another child!? Haha.
Dr. Weston A. Price suggested waiting at least 3 years between pregnancies so that the mother can properly prepare her body and replenish her nutritional stores for the next child. Also the mother should have at least 3-6 mos. of eating lots of cod liver oil, butter, liver, egg yolks, and other pastured meats like grass-fed beef before conceiving. This is because most of baby’s organs develop before a woman even knows she’s pregnant!
A recipe that has helped me with my picky eaters (ages 2 and 4) is from Mark Sisson’s cookbook. It’s an egg bake dish. The zucchini hides because it’s almost translucent once cooked. I add about 1 tbsp. of Italian seasoning to the ground beef/pork and that gives it a great flavor with the parm cheese. Here’s the link:
http://scdlifestyle.com/2010/08/mark-sissons-easy-scd-friendly-zucchini-egg-bake/
Good luck to you!
Michelle in San Antonio