GAPS Guide » Book

Cottage Cheese Cake & Book Update

Baden — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 03:01:18 +0000

This recipe is inspired by something my dad used to make for us while I was growing up. His version was one of my all-time favourite desserts. Even while leaving the curds fully intact, he called it “cheesecake”. It was only after venturing out into the world that I learned about the difference between my dad’s version of “cheesecake” and that found elsewhere. I find both types delicious, but for clarity’s sake I’m going to call this ‘Cottage Cheese Cake’. This dish makes excellent use of GAPS’ dry curd cottage cheese. The main ingredient, offering a whopping 22 grams of protein per half cup, can be found in most grocery stores.

dry curd cottage cheese, 600 grams
cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon
eggs, three large
lemon juice 1/4 cup
vanilla 1.5 teaspoon
honey 1/4 cup
butter, softened or melted 1/4 cup
salt 1/4 teaspoon

Put all ingredients into a mixing bowl.
Blend with an immersion blender.
Pour into a pie plate.
Bake at 400 F for 50 mins or so -until firm, and top starts to bronze.
Cool at least 15 minutes, to allow it to firm up for slicing.

Tastiest served warm.

My son and I tend to enjoy this as a full, albeit sweet, meal. Nice and firm, this also slices and -for a school lunch, for example- travels well.

Dry curd cottage cheese would also make an excellent base for a savoury pie, but we haven’t done that yet.

On the note of delicious, healing food I want to post a quick note of thanks to the folks at Pickl-It, who suggested an update to my vegetable fermentation instructions. This adjustment is now noted on the ‘Book Updates’ page here: http://gapsguide.com/book/book-updates/(If anyone else has a suggestion for GAPS Guide updates, I always welcome these. Please do let me know so I can share the new information or corrections with readers!) Pickl-It offers a unique tool for fermenting pretty much anything, as well as recipes, tips, and a fermentation forum. Enjoy!

Move, But Don’t Rush

Baden — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:36:34 +0000

Two of the most common mistakes I see on GAPS are:

jumping in to the program without being set up (with information, resources, physical tools, etc)
staying in one stage for too long

In the first case, what commonly happens is a person reads a bit about GAPS online, then jumps into full GAPS or intro, then experiences awful challenges, then panics, then posts questions to an email list or blog, then tries from there to find their way to calm. My strongly recommended approach is, instead, this:

1. Before starting, purchase a personal copy of GAPS Guide.

2. Read the book from cover to cover.

3. Start your activity on page 28.

Eager to heal, people tend to jump in and start before having a solid foundation of information, tools, and supports in place. The book -which sets out which of those to put in place and how- took me literally hundreds of hours to research, compile, edit and lay out. The very purpose of all that work was to limit your frustration, expense, and pain! Thus, I urge you to read the Guide before taking a single step. While you wait for your book to arrive, simply practice recipes from one of the links here. Taking the ‘waiting period’ to play with recipes will alone prove an excellent investment toward a relatively peaceful journey.

The second aspect that challenges people a lot is moving too slowly. We move into Stage 1, notice we’re still having symptoms, so stay there. In the meantime, we wonder why we’re feeling lethargic, bored, or weak. Please do not do this! Once you’ve read through the entire Guide, move steadily from page 28 onward. When you reach intro, for most people Stage 1 should be complete within 1-3 days. After that, add another food every few days, and keep doing so! Do your daily detox bath -with a different additive each time- and ensure a daily bowel movement. (If bowel movements are an issue, apply one of the tips from the Guide’s ‘Constipation’ section for each of four days. If needed, move on to a subsequent tip.)

So, don’t rush in but once you’re set up, keep on a movin’! Onward and upward!

Organs; Book Updates; Thanks

Baden — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:07:57 +0000

A quick report on three items:

1. Remember the product Organ Delight I talked about a few posts back? I gotta tell ya, we’re loving the stuff! (And no, I don’t get a kick back on it.) The most obvious change for me, both when I tried the same company’s liver pills a couple of years ago and now, is the obvious and visible change in my menstrual cycle. With Dr Ron’s liver or mixed-organ pills, my menstrual blood is a strong red from start to finish. Without these, the blood rapidly changes from a strong red on Day 1 to a pale pink by Day 3. Again, I expect I would get these results if I were to regularly take another excellent source of iron such as whole liver. But I don’t do that. The fact is, I do everything I can on GAPS and some aspects just keep sneaking out from under me! Thus, I’m taking a second round of a Dr Ron’s product and I wanted to share the results with those of you who might find yourselves equally liver-less (or in need of adrenal support, etc).

Of note, my seven year old son cannot yet accommodate large capsules of anything. I broke these open for him, expecting him to complain of a bitter flavour. He didn’t. What he said was, “Oh, yummy! Oh, I could eat this all day long!” There you have it.

2. While I won’t have a chance to answer comments for probably a few more days, one of the most recent ones inspires me to point out for those owning a copy of the GAPS Guide book that on this site is a very important ‘Book Updates‘ page. There I post anything critically important that I’ve learned about GAPS since the Guide’s publication, as well as important corrections. If you use the GAPS Guide book, please be sure to check this page regularly.

Alex, thank you so much for your kind words as well as for your very important point about a mis-write in the GAPS Guide book, for which a correction appears on the Updates page. I really appreciate people bringing this kind of thing to my attention so that I can provide the correction.

3. I want to extend a huge thanks to Dee and to Mark H. for this past year’s direct donations to this website. These, purchases of the book for oneself and/or others, and the other gifts listed here make it possible for me to write posts, test and report on approaches and products, and answer comments. Dee, Mark and all those who’ve supported this site through any of the means listed on the ‘Support This Site’ page, thank you so much! Your generosity is appreciated and will go far to help many!

The Gift of Health

Baden — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 22:09:18 +0000

Every once in awhile, I’m reminded that not even all of my blog readers know about the GAPS Guide book! This inspires me to write a quick note about what the guide is and does. Separate from, and a companion to, Dr Natasha’s Gut and Psychology Syndrome, the GAPS Guide book was written to ease the journey for people coming to the program. Written by me, the book obviously didn’t exist when I started. Thus, I felt overwhelmed, frustrated, confused and discouraged. Not wanting to give up too early, I began developing checklists and guides for my own use. Much to my surprise, other families on the support list found them equally helpful! So, after spending many more months painstakingly researching, writing, revising, editing, and formatting, the GAPS Guide book was born!

This book presents the “how to” of the GAPS program. Reviewed and approved by Dr Campbell-McBride, the GAPS Guide book:

shares several inspiring stories of recovery
presents a step-by-step guide to doing GAPS
answers frequently-asked-questions
directs you to amazing resources

It features:

161 pages, fully formatted and thoroughly edited to present full pages of the most vital, helpful information in an easier read
Reviewed and approved by Dr Campbell-McBride
Easy-to-read format
Perfect bound
Full colour cover

Are you or someone you know struggling with fatigue, painful menses, autism symptoms, hallucinations, constipation, insomnia, colitis, inflammation, or any one or more of the other issues listed here? Grab for yourself -or a friend- a copy of this comprehensive guide!

Concerned about the cost? In preventing major errors, shopping mistakes and more, the tips contained within will more than recover the cost of the book and shipping! (Bulk rates are also available.)

For a sampling of feedback received, click here.

To order, click here. (Please note: Questions about bulk rates, ordering, shipping times, etc, must be submitted to the book’s distributor.)

Enjoy!

To Buy Or Not To Buy…

Baden — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 01:28:53 +0000

Regularly I hear from people hoping to save on the cost of the GAPS Guide book. In response to Katherine a little bit ago, I said,

I know postage can get wildly expensive, and the cost of a niche book is always already higher than a mass-produced one. My recommendation is to view it as ‘many hours of consult’. Paying, say, $38 USD for a book with shipping which eliminates or reduces the need for multiple consults is actually a huge savings.

Further to this, the tips in the book directly save a person that much more (shopping, preventing expensive mistakes, etc).

The final consideration is, “How much time does one want to spend hunting for information?” If a person feels their own research time and effort is worth more or less than the cost of a book with shipping, that can help them determine whether a purchase is ‘worth it’.

So, to buy or not to buy… Even on a financial level alone, the GAPS Guide book has saved people far more than it cost them. The additional savings in time, energy, effort, and headache are further -and very real- benefits. Last but not least, your contribution to my work -in the form of book purchase- is what allows me to maintain this blog and respond to comments on things not directly covered in the Guide itself.

A hearty thanks to each person who has supported this site! For the various ways to do so, including those that cost you not a penny, please click here.

New! Supporting This Site

Baden — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:55:30 +0000

Have you purchased the GAPS Guide book and found its value to be far above the amount charged for it, recognizing it to be based on literally hundreds of hours of work and equivalent to many hours of consultations? Or have you opted to not buy the book, relying as much as possible on the website?

Have you healed with the help of the book and/or this site and would like others to be able to benefit from these continuing?

If yes, please consider supporting the book, site and future resources in one of the ways presented here.

I’m so far preferring this approach to charging for consults for two reasons: one, it makes it affordable for everyone, including those without a penny to spare; two, using the book empowers each person to practice looking up information independently, which is an excellent habit in the journey to becoming well.

A big thanks to every single reader who has purchased a copy of the GAPS Guide book for themselves and/or for others, or who has referred others to the book! You have made -and are continuing to make- this blog and service possible!

Does GAPS Guide Work?

Baden — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 04:59:24 +0000

Written and carefully edited over hundreds of hours, the GAPS Guide book was intended to lead people ‘by the hand’ through easy steps toward digestive health.

I’m overwhelmed. Where would I even start?

What kind of probiotics can I take? What do I look for?

How do I get through some upcoming travel?

The die-off is intense. What can I do?

I’m super busy. What’s the simplest way to make the sauerkraut, and how do I do the diet while working full-time?

These and other questions I receive a lot. Good news! All of these and many more are intentionally and carefully answered in the GAPS Guide book, a guide so comprehensive it’s all you need to actually do the program!

If you are new to the program, or are feeling overwhelmed, or have multiple questions, the GAPS Guide book will be an amazing friend to you -because if these things are true for you, you are the reason the book was written! To hear how the book has worked for others, click here. For details on contents, etc, click here.

GAPS In Boston – Update

Baden — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 14:09:57 +0000

The radio interview I did is now available as an audio file here. Some of it is hard to hear or burbly, but most is fine. This may be a good intro for people who prefer learning via audio.

Your Child Will Eat

Baden — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:44:26 +0000

On my way from BC to speak in the US, I was delayed for four hours in customs and missed my flight. (This was a large part of the stress I mentioned two posts back.) Ultimately, this determined what taxi I ended up in from the airport to the convention center.

The taxi driver, a lovely man, mentioned that his youngest child, two, does not eat. She takes only milk, and only from a bottle. As is common in GAPS families, they have three older children who had not presented this issue; as the GAPS recovery journey makes obvious, this was not a result of parenting style.

I explained to the driver that, coincidentally, this is what I would be talking about the next day at the conference. As our conversation progressed, he became intrigued to learn that a dietary program can help orally defensive children start to eat. He asked for details about how one would transition a child who refuses to eat; I gave him as much information as I could while trying to not overwhelm him. He was so happy. He bounced in his seat, asking, “You think my child might really eat?” I replied, “No, I know your child will eat.”

He talked about the pain his wife has experienced with this issue, and I felt teary for her, knowing that particular struggle all too well. I left him with the website addresses for Dr Natasha and for GAPS Guide.

Sir, if you are reading this, I hope things are going well, that you have been able to start taking steps, that your daughter is coming around. I want you to know that the four hour delay in customs was absolutely worth it, to meet you, to have opportunity to share the program with you. I am confident the Universe brought us together. May your family be well.

GAPS at Chicago Conference

Baden — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:44:48 +0000

This past Friday, I presented GAPS (for five hours, plus an unanticipated additional Q&A period for another hour and a half immediately following the sessions) at the 10th Annual Conference of the Weston A Price Foundation.

What an incredible experience.

The audience seemed truly hungry for information on how to heal ourselves, our children, our parents and our patients suffering from dementia, autism, ADD, Crohn’s and more.

In the process of developing the presentation, and in listening to audience members, I learned so much. I will be sharing that learning in posts to come.

For now I will just say three things:

1: What an absolute wonder and honour it was for me to be given the opportunity to share my son’s story, plus practical steps for implementing the program. Although I myself am a visual and experiential learner, I’m aware that a live presentation plus the recordings (not yet available) will be a great boon to those who prefer an audio format.

2: It was absolutely incredible to meet people from the GAPShelp list (Inas, Gina, Chris, Nancy in NC, Kelly C, Simone -and her sister Jody who is GAPShelping vicariously), one of my co-moderators Millie, people whose blogs I love (Kimi, Ann Marie, Jenny, Kelly), and people whose books I’ve read and learned from (Rami Nagel and Sally Fallon among them). I was very sad not to get to meet Lori, a GAPShelper who lives in the area, but hopefully next time. Because, oh, there will be a next time! Read on…

3: For 36 hours I felt like I was in some sort of GAPS heaven: enjoying broths, fermented veggies and fermented drinks while surrounded by grounded, gentle, mild, happy people who love real food and who willingly work hard to keep it available.

Absolutely, unbelievably wonderful. I so recommend this conference.

Thank you to all of you who gave positive and supportive feedback regarding the presentation, to those brave enough to come and learn something new, to those courageous enough to ask their questions, to my fellow GAPShelpers for supporting me in energy and words both long distance and on-site, to Dr Rosann Volmert for contributing her clinical experience in response to specific questions asked during the add-on Q&A, to those who shared personal, friendship time with me -a great gift to me while so far from home- and, of course, to Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride and Peter Campbell-McBride for proposing in the first place that I present at all!

Gratefully,
Baden