Stage 2 says raw yolk added to soup; can I do a whole, soft-boiled egg instead?
I really believe in raw foods; can’t I start those earlier?
I just don’t want to do my lunches without bread; would it really be a problem if I started it now? I promise I’d use coconut flour!
I know other people might need to start with a smaller amount of probiotic, but I’ve been eating WAPF for two years, so I’m sure I can handle two capsules of BioKult right off.
At some point in GAPS’ intro, most of us bump full force into our own psychological barriers. Food concepts learned pre-GAPS may strongly conflict with what GAPS is presenting. Thirty years of established eating habits lead us to believe we “cannot” bring soup to work for lunch or that we “must” have a banana right now! We can feel frustrated, resentful…even angry. I know that the first time I went to eat meat after twenty-two years of committed vegetarianism, I burst into tears!
At this point, we often ask GAPS veterans for permission or support in doing something other than the GAPS intro progression as set out. We bargain: What if I jump ahead, but then have two detox baths right after? We threaten: If someone doesn’t say I can have a handful of dates today I’m quitting! (Oh, how many times I, too, threatened to quit if someone didn’t tell me “by today” how to get the yogurt right, or how I could do this as a vegetarian!)
Here are my thoughts:
1. Each person’s body is theirs to do with as they wish. Everything you ingest, and the timing and order of ingestion, is your choice. I support and celebrate that. GAPS is presented, but it is never forced. None of us is in your home demanding that you do anything any which way. You are truly free to “do GAPS” or to simply practice some of the concepts from GAPS or to do something else altogether. If you choose to do GAPS, which means doing it as presented, a whole bunch of us are available to support you because when you’re doing GAPS, we know how to help you.
2. I present GAPS because I believe GAPS to be an excellent approach to healing. I have no attachment to whether people do or do not do it. I can, though, only present what GAPS is. If folks choose to take any other path, I’m not able to provide guidance only because I can’t speak to any of the variables that may come up with any other path, even if you feel it is “very close to GAPS” or “GAPS with just a few changes”.
3. What we introduce, in what order, and when is very explicitly detailed in the list of GAPS recommended foods and in the intro progression, the latter of which is presented most clearly in the GAPS Guide book. If you choose to do something different than set out, this is your prerogative. However, we can’t speak to how well or quickly your healing will progress, what challenges may arise, or how to address those (except to do GAPS).
4. If you face difficulties, and have done something other than that which is set out, I will first and foremost recommend you go back to Square 1 and start again, following the directions exactly. When a person follows the directions exactly and faces a challenge, we can better help narrow down the issue.
5. There is a reason for the intro progression (and all other details of GAPS). I’ve said in the past that Dr Natasha is a very kind and loving doctor who would not ask us to undertake anything that is more challenging than absolutely necessary. I believe that when Dr Natasha sets out steps, she does so on the basis of many hours of clinical research, sound study, and a desire to see each of us heal as efficiently as possible. If it worked to do things any other way, she would be letting us know. At this point, what is set out is the best -and full range of- information we have.
6. The above noted, some people do choose to veer from the directions and still see success. This is awesome, too, and helps inform research and the future of GAPS. So, if you decide to veer, you may well still see success (yay!), and you should feel free to share those details with others. GAPS veterans, though, will continue teaching GAPS as presented.
7. Something special about the GAPS community is that it does not demand perfection. If you choose to do something other than presented, you are supported in speaking freely here and on the GAPShelp list about that. Just be aware, though, that folks -myself included- generally won’t have the resources to discuss the potential outcomes of any variations.
So, to answer the composite questions which opened this post: “Sure”, “sure”, “sure” and “sure”. However, the above seven notes apply!
When we first come to GAPS, we have learned and practiced something different (otherwise we wouldn’t be here now, of course). We’ve been told that meat is hard to digest, that the body prefers veggies raw, that grains are crucial to the human diet. Until our body heals to some degree, our intuition tends to be off. And before we see results, we have no solid reason to believe in a “bizarre new diet”. Thus, we’re strongly tempted to do our own thing: to tweak, to play, to veer, to experiment. I believe that if we’re going to do GAPS, we have to trust. I believe we must trust the doctor’s presentation long enough to give it a good go, for results to come. The good news is that when the results come, it’s a heck of a lot easier on the psyche to just follow the directions!
In the meantime, if the details, necessity or “why” of any given topic is important to you, complete the steps here. As the ‘Questions’ post resting atop this blog says, “To determine what foods and practices are and are not recommended on GAPS, you can follow the steps set out here. These steps will lead you to the same information I have access to, such that you will be able to fully support yourself, family members and patients.”
Hi Baden,
I’m brand new to GAPS. My son is on day 3 of the into diet. As expected, my son refused to eat for the past 2 days, however, he has been drinking the stock very well from the beginning. He seemed in good spirits until today. today, he seems very tired, weak, and just looks sad. Today i finally got him to each some chicken and carrots along with drinking the chicken stock. He’s still refusing broccoli and cauliflower.
I put my son on this diet for severe constipation. My questions are:
1) Do i need to wait until he isn’t constipation anymore before continuing on to stage 2? AT the moment it seems worse.
2) Also, I’m wondering what other veggies are legal on the into diet at this stage and what veggies are recommended for constipation? I’ve heard that carrots can be constipating, and so far that is all he’s eating.
Thank you for your help!
Hi there,
Your son sounds right on track, yes!
1) No. Proceed to Stage 2 regardless of the constipation. It is normal for constipation to appear or worsen in intro. This is likely due to die-off. In your GAPS Guide book, please see and follow the tips under the ‘die off’ and ‘constipation’ chapters.
2) All GAPS veggies are permitted on intro. For more thoughts, though, see this post. Only people with true diarrhea might need to avoid or select. Carrots are very sweet; this is possibly why your son is drawn to them. In some people, they feed candida overgrowth, but I wouldn’t worry at all about the carrots at this point. He sounds like he’s on track, and just needs the help from the tips in the two chapters noted above.
What is he doing for probiotics? Too much can exacerbate the early die-off.
All my best,
Baden
Thank you so much for getting back to me and i appreciate your previous post on the veggies list. Very helpful.
Of course, after posting that my son was taking the stock so well, he has refused it all afternoon and evening now. I’m not so worried about him refusing to eat, but dehydration is a worry, especially since he has issues with constipation. How much stock/water is normal per day?
In regard to probiotic, he is on a small amount of powder probiotic and has been taking 2 teaspoons per day of homemade sauerkraut juice, as well.
Should I back off or wait to move forward until he is accepting these foods/amount of probiotics without complaint?
I’m sure every parent worries, but I don’t want to move forward to quickly, but am also worried about dehydration and malnutrition if he keeps refusing.
*
Sorry to keep bothering you, but I have an additional questions, but on a slightly different note. I also have my 8 month old on the GAPS baby diet. The issues here are constipation and eczema.
So far she is getting broth, yogurt, and some veggies. I didn’t see much change in her with the broth and a few teaspoons of yogurt, however when I moved her 2 meals with yogurt, she got a cold and did start having bowel movements more She was only having them every 7-10 days and she is now having bowel movement almost every day…which i assume is a good sign! So, I’ve now introduced veggies one meal per day.
My question here, is that I noticed today that the Eczema is worse. She only had it behind her knees and elbows before (Which is common), but today I noticed that she has it on the fronts of her legs, arms, tummy and neck. Have you ever heard of this being a form of die off or might this indicate that she’s not doing well with a certain food?
Hi there,
I merged your two comments into one post
1. Staying hydrated is, yes, critical. See here click on the ‘electrolytes’ hyperlink.
2. ‘Normal’ is different for everyone. Aim for a few cups of broth each day early on; maintenance is at least one cup per day. Re: kids and broth, click here.
3. ‘Small amount’ of probiotic powder is variable, as each powder or capsule has varying amounts of live units in them. For starting doses, etc, please see the ‘probiotics’ chapter in your GAPS Guide book. Commercial probiotic plus sauerkraut juice can be a lot for a person when starting out. In GAPS Guide, I suggest people start with no probiotic until after the first wave of die-off passes, then introduce just 1/10th cap BioKult (or equivalent live units in another brand) or a teaspoon of the ferment juice, working up very slowly from there. It might be simplest for you to remove the commercial probiotic for now, and continue with the juice, until you have a chance to research how much of your powder equals the doses suggested in the GAPS Guide book. (With the sauerkraut juice in, there’s no real hurry on that.)
4. His body is feeling ‘ugh’ with die-off right now, and that’s normal. Feel free to proceed with the egg yolks added to soup (and then so on).
5. Daily BMs are great, yes! It is normal for the eczema to worsen, and a common sign of die-off. Please click here and definitely check the link from there to Dr Natasha’s note.
Note: You can find posts, such as those I’ve linked to above for you, on topics of interest by using the steps listed here.
All my best,
Baden
Hello.
We have a 2 year old who has posterior tongue tie, lots of food allergies and severe acid reflux since only a few weeks old. He still breastfeeds. And he has no psychological or learning symptoms.
A year ago we removed lots of allergenic foods from his diet (all dairy, all grains except rice and corn, nuts, chickpeas, tomatoes, strawberries, etc. – his main reaction when he eats anything he’s allergic to is to vomit). And until now he eats mainly chicken, stock and vegetables (but with some fruit, and with some rice and corn). But his reflux remains, with pain controlled by PPI medication.
We are now trying to start the GAPS diet. On day 1 (yesterday) we gave intro food (chicken, stock, lamb, vegetables) plus a tiny amount of probiotic bought from NCM’s online store. (We are starting to try to make sauerkraut but it isn’t ready yet).
My son was extremely sick. He vomited for 6 hours. Then he had horrible reflux pain continuing on until 3 am (I had to give him extra medication).
I’m now not sure what to do. We will remove the lamb for now, since he had not had this before… But should we also remove the commercial probiotic?
Is there a commercial sauerkraut I can give him a little juice from while we wait for ours to mature?
Should we start GAPS gradually and allow him to eat some fruit?
Would it be the probiotic that caused the reaction?
Should we give it at all? Give less?
I don’t think my son could cope with many more days like yesterday. When his reflux flares to such an extent he gets an ulcerated oesophagus and is then unable to eat or drink anything- necessitating hospital admission for dehydration. And of course there are the pitiful screams of pain going on for hours.
Help and advice would be much appreciated!
Hi Claire,
My son, too, up to his second birthday reacted to food by vomiting. I feel for you! And definitely none of you should have to cope with such awful symptoms!
Nausea and vomiting are common to die-off. Please ensure your son stays hydrated (which requires electrolytes, not just water). Please see this post: http://gapsguide.com/2008/12/22/electrolyte-sport-drink/
The vomiting can be triggered by the dietary changes alone -especially if skipping the transition suggested on GAPS Guide p 28. The early addition of probiotics (whether commercial or from a homemade source such as sauerkraut juice) will exacerbate that very much. About this, please note my suggestion in GAPS Guide at the top of page 41.
While I’m not a health practitioner and cannot provide any medical advice, in situations like these what has helped many people is to:
1. Stop the probiotics.
1. Keep the person hydrated.
3. Do lots of die-off relief stuff, such as the baths, etc. (See GAPS Guide p. 87.)
4. Ensure 1-3 bowel movements daily, even if an enema is required.
My suggestion is always for a person to start the program by:
-first reading the entire GAPS Guide book, then
-starting the program as presented on page 28
If a person wishes to jump straight to intro, or struggles in early intro regardless of a slow transition in (which does definitely happen), the other tips I’ve presented here will help very much.
Claire, I hope this helps and that your son is feeling better soon. Please let us know how your son progresses.
All my best,
Baden