There can be any number of reasons for lethargy, but yes, some people are distinctly sensitive to vinegars, including ACV. If you suspect this as triggering problems for you, do remove it from your program.

I wouldn’t worry about marinating pork; I would just eat it in the form your body says ‘yes’to.

Do try, though, to incorporate a variety of meats and fish -whichever ones do not bring symptoms for you- in your diet.

All my best,
Baden

My primary concern is Candida overgrowth. I have food sensitivities to beef and eggs, so haven’t had those on intro (cause major lethargy and muscle weakness), and have been eating a lot of pork. I read that pork should be marinated in ACV before consumption to render it more digestible.

But, these past few days I’ve been eating a vegetable soup in which I boiled raw but marinated pork meat, and have feeling lethargic!

Do you think the ACV is causing Candida to flare up, causing the lethargy? I’m concerned.

Thanks,
Allison

While no one can predict with certainty, I believe that GAPS will benefit you, yes.

It is not necessary -thus is merely an unnecessary expense- to do a test for leaky gut, so it’s totally okay that that’s not available to you in NZ.

Some people are sensitive to vinegars, so where you react to it, you are doing the right thing by eliminating it from your program for now.

Do you have the GAPS Guide book? Please be sure to read it through before beginning the program, starting on page 28 of that book. What you might do is: read the whole GAPS Guide book, then start on page 28 of that, essentially following the program you did that worked for you before (low salicylate diet, probotics, Creon) while transitioning to full GAPS then intro. As noted therein, it will be very important to ensure 1-3 bowel movements daily and to do the rotated detox baths.

For most people on GAPS, it is not necessary to take in a lot of fluids. You will be getting enough with the broths/soups, veggies, etc.

It is very common to lose weight in early GAPS. While this can feel scary for people who come to it with low weight, with some healing the weight will return and then some.

All my best,
Baden

I highly recommend intro.

-Put a tablespoon of raw Apple Cider Vinegar into a cup of room temperature water and sip that. Do this all day long, having at least three tablespoons per day.
-For the first six weeks or so, ensure you are eating protein-and-fat upon waking, every hour or so, then right before bed.
-As with any food, if the veggies cause problems, leave them out for now. They are not necessary.
-Ensure a bowel movement and detox bath daily, as well as following all the other tips and guidelines presented in your GAPS Guide book.

Upon doing the above for some days, feel free to write again and let us all know how things are going.

In this site’s internal search engine, type the word “reflux” for more tips.

All my best,
Baden

Thank you very much for getting a copy of GAPS Guide before bringing your questions, which are very good and important ones.

The word that comes to my mind is “synergy”: A diet that simply eliminates a food group or a macronutrient can indeed bring deficiencies. The GAPS program, though, will eliminate polysaccharides while introducing dense sources of every nutrient needed.

I’m not sure that the symptoms experienced in your family relate specifically to protein -white spots in a nail bed can also relate to zinc, etc. With your symptoms, the B vitamins also come to mind. To be sure of what vitamin or mineral may be low in one’s body, one would need to be tested by a health practitioner. However, you may find that these issues resolve upon moving past the stage of eliminating foods and on to the stage of including -and, via intro, full digesting- the full range of nutrient-dense foods.

If you do have any concerns about specific symptoms, I recommend consulting with a health practitioner familiar with GAPS. You can find some via this blog’s ‘Support’page. In the meantime, you might also like to connect with other GAPSters through one of the free support forums. Put the concerning symptoms in the subject line of an email to catch the attention of anyone else who might have experienced the same ones.

Kari, I hope any of this is helpful!

All my best,
Baden

I felt better when I was eating grains! Is it possible that the grains were providing better nutrition than the protein? I never had these symptoms (hair loss, fatigue, purplish fingernails, white lines, ect) when I was eating less protein and more grain. I started adding saurkraut juice to my baby’s formula and to my own meal as well. I know we need the healing but am concerned that we aren’t getting all of the nutrients we need. The family has been low grain for about 4 months, and the baby has only had pureed liver, squash, bone broth, avacado, and pureed chicken. Any insight as to why our health seems worse instead of better? It’s not die off, although I have had that a couple of times over the last 4 months. It seems like genuine nutritional deficiencies. Thanks so much for your time and for your guide!

All my best,
Baden

ETA: As I progressed through the comments, I eventually saw that Cheerful also submitted this link. Thank you to you also, Cheerful!