Some things about being “post GAPS” are easier. Some are harder. Harder are things like: keeping a balance so as not to go too far off the healthy path (i.e., eating too much processed food or too little nutrient-dense food), teaching a child “reasonable food approaches” vs clear rules, talking freely on my blog about where I’m at (because I don’t want to talk too much about “post GAPS” foods and approaches to people just starting out).
Easier are things like this shake, which I made up a week ago and has again changed our lives. For both my son and I, it has provided a very obvious boost of energy and eliminated cravings in a way similar to Stage 1 & 2 of Intro do for us. I make one each morning, set some aside for myself, and pack about 400ml in a Thermos for my son. He loves it and wants to drink it all in one go, but I’m teaching him to instead take smaller amounts throughout each day. Is it a coincidence that since starting him on this shake he has had a ridiculous amount of happiness and energy as he moves through a full day of school, plus two or more hours of intense movement?
Fat & Protein Shake
As usual, I do not have exact measurements for you, as I just toss random amounts of things in, but I’ll try to provide some sense of what I get up to…
Important: The abundant fat of the coconut oil is a key aspect to this shake’s benefits. However, if newly introducing coconut oil, start with a teaspoon or less per day and work up slowly. Coconut oil will trigger intense healing and die-off!
- Coconut milk, half a can
- Coconut oil, approximately 3-5 tablespoons
- Eggs 2-3, or home-fermented whey or, post-GAPS, 30 grams of commercial whey protein
- Frozen fruit (berries, banana)
- Optional: raw cocoa powder
- Sea salt to taste
Zoom together with a hand held blender. Eat, refrigerate, pack in a Thermos, or freeze.
Notes:
- As we are post-GAPS, we find we are now able to use a commercial, powdered whey for convenience. At Whole Foods, we found one that is organic and from grass-fed cows, and which has no additional ingredients. Those on GAPS can use homemade whey or whole, raw eggs for the protein content. (I still often throw whole, raw eggs into our shakes.)
- I am comfortable eating whole (yolk and white), raw eggs that are organic and free-range. I always recommend that any person not comfortable using raw eggs simply skip them. My own comfort level, based only on my preconceptions or intuition, dictates that I not add raw eggs to a smoothie that will be transported around all day in fluctuating temperatures; that’s where the whey is a lovely convenience. I add raw eggs only to foods I will be consuming immediately.
- My son prefers this shake very cold. The frozen fruit makes it so, and packing it into a cold-conditioned Thermos keeps it that way.
- Our favourites by far are the banana or banana-and-cocoa, but I do a rotation of flavours so we get a wider range of nutrition and also don’t weary of any one kind.
New to GAPS? Struggling with any aspect? Seeking clarifications or updates to the GAPS Guide book? Check out this link!
Hi there, do you use the whole egg or just the egg yolk? Thanks
Hi Raquel,
I use the whole egg in shakes, etc.
All my best,
Baden
I’m presuming you use raw pasture fed eggs for your smoothies. I have done the same and find them delicious & gives great texture. My question is over the skepticism of using raw eggs. I realize that if they are from a disease free, healthy source there is a very low risk for contamination and safe–my question is do you know of a source to direct (ie. scientific) people to confirm this? Just making the above statement doesn’t seem to hold enough weight when all Food Safety Guidelines state that eggs must be cooked or they risk salmonella. Thanks!
Hi Beth,
Yes, I use organic, “free-range” eggs for everything. The eggs I use are not labelled “pasture…”, so I cannot be sure what degree of “free range” they are. I don’t have a scientific source presenting data for salmonella rates in the various types of eggs. I always recommend that any person not comfortable using raw eggs simply skip them. My own comfort level dictates that I not add raw eggs to a smoothie that will be transported around all day; that’s where the whey is a lovely convenience.
All my best,
Baden
Thanks for this! I make a smoothie for breakfast often myself, similar to what you have described. Very satisfying.
I have not used a powder whey but I heard about this one from Vital Whey® and is” made with a fine whey protein. It is a proprietary, non-denatured, native whey protein that is produced to maintain the full range of all the fragile immune-modulating and regenerative components naturally present in fresh raw milk.*
The milk for this product is derived from cows that graze year-round on natural grass pastures that are pesticide and chemical-free. It is hormone-treatment-free and GMO-free.”
here is there link
http://www.wellwisdom.com/categories/Vital-Whey®/
Meredith
Hi Baden!! Amazing, I have been making the same sought of smoothie recently too! I love it. I use eggs, kefir, frozen fruit, coconut oil or flaxseed oil and a few drops of stevia. I haven’t tried cocoa so I will soon. I find this smoothie so satisfying and keeps you going for hours! Also, I want to try frozen mango, yummmmmmmmm, maybe passionfruit???? I love fresh strawberries too, soooo good!! Great to know you guys are going well!!
I have heard that coconut milk is hard to digest, but it is legal. Is this true? It also seem to me that this drink is GAPS legal. Does any thermos do? I am also curios about how kids bring their food to school in your country. Where do they put it? Isn´t it hard for them to bring by them selves when they are so young? My kids are the only once who bring food to school and I bring it for them and put it in the school kitchen. All other kids get their food from school in the diner. I am worrying a lot that my kids are feeling like the outsiders because of this. My kids are probably always going to have to bring their own food to school until they graduate from high school at the age of 19, while all other kids still get their food for free in the diner. I don´t know if this is good for them socially. We do have an option and that is to move to another country, which is right next to us, but that will also be very stressful for a few years until we have gotten used to the new language and costums. I am so torn!!!! Do you have any thoughts about this?
Thanks,
Mindy from Sweden
Hi Mindy,
Yes, the shake is largely GAPS legal. It is only if using the commercial whey that is not. I don’t know how easy or hard coconut milk is to digest because we kept it out of our program for a long time, and introduced it only after lots of healing. (We were on GAPS 2.5 years, and have been “post-GAPS” for another 2.5.) Yes, any pre-conditioned insulated food container should keep it cool.
To pre-condition an insulated food container, do this:
1. Consider whether you will be providing hot or cold food in it.
2. If hot food, fill the container with hot water. If adding cold food, fill the container with cold water. Let it sit 5-10 minutes, dump the water, then add your food.
I live in Canada, and here there is a lot of variation in how school lunches are handled. Most schools have the kids bring their own lunch, but some schools provide a daily “hot lunch” program (usually very junky food that the schools call “healthy”). My son has always carried his own lunch to school. I make sure he has a well-fitting backpack no larger than absolutely necessary, and have him leave anything extraneous at home or school (e.g., gym shoes). He carries a 470 mL Thermos filled with hot or cold food, a water bottle, and some snacks that are light. His lunch stays in his pack all day in his classroom.
As to the social/emotional issue of being the only kids bringing their food from home, while all other kids are eating from the school’s diner, my thoughts are these: In life, we are all unique in one way or another. At your kids’ school, there are probably some kids who stutter, some kids with dyslexia, some kids who skate phenomenally, some kids who tuck their pants into their socks every day, some kids who spell every word exactly right all the time. So, your kids might stand out as “different” for bringing nutrient-dense lunches and snacks, but every other kid in the school is also “different” in some way. I would spend some time with your kids casually talking about how every person on the planet is unique, and how we can celebrate that. I would also help them develop simple responses to any comments they might receive from other kids. For example, my kid (7 years old) at one point suddenly refused to have a boiled egg in his lunch. I learned that this was because a kid in his class had said, “Oh YUCK! Boiled egg!” My son and I talked about this, and I suggested he say next time, “Oh? I guess you don’t like boiled eggs, hey?” and carry on eating. My son loved having a response ready, and actually asked me to write it down and stick the note to his thermos for a couple of days. Our conversation dissolved his feeling of being “wrong” for eating egg, and the response gave him confidence that he could respond with words instead of move into quiet shame and self-criticism. My son is now used to saying things like, “I eat super healthy food so that I can focus/run fast/learn better.” (His teachers say happy things about his “loving mom” and “great lunches” and he gains from this, too.) It seems to me that some of the kids envy the fact that he receives love in the form of homemade lunches specific to his body, power foods that help him learn, and so on. And those kids are learning about nutrition! Finally, I let my son make choices in as many other areas as possible, so this year he decided he wanted to use a commercial lunch box, and he chose one with a Spiderman picture on the front. I would have preferred to clean a simpler kit and look at a different esthetic every day, but this choice needed to be his own, as it helps him feel empowered, cool, fitting-in, and confident.
I wouldn’t move to a new country for this. I would take the wonderful opportunity to build skills, resilience, awareness, and confidence in your kids!
Mindy, thank you for sharing these thoughts -I know that whenever one person is sharing a thought, many others are quietly holding the same ones, so many people will get to benefit from this conversation.
All my best,
Baden
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a long reply! It really helped and I am much happier again. Do you think that you could write down a few suggestions of good lunches and snacks to bring to school, because this has always overwhelmed me and I am sure this is an issue for many parents. Maybee you already have done this and I just don´t know where to look.
Thank you for this web page! You are doing a wonderful job!!!
Mindy from Sweden
Is the shake recipe only for post gaps? My son and I are just starting out and he is bored with the soup only.
Hi Helena,
If you and your son are just starting out, you should not be on just soup. In GAPS Guide, I recommend starting with a transition, and then moving to Full GAPS for some weeks -all before moving to Intro’s Stage 1 soups.
Whether the shake is a fit for a person on GAPS depends on what stage in healing one is at -a person who has completed the transition then Intro can use any of the ingredients listed *except* commercial whey powder. The commercial whey powder is the post-GAPS part.
All my best,
Baden