GAPS Diet, yes or no?
 

Has anyone here heard of, or benefited from the GAPS diet?

A friend recommended it to me because I developed some bad allergies to some petroleum products in recent years, thanks to some shoddy home renovations a few years ago.

From what I've read so far, it helps with food allergies, which I don't really have.

Thoughts?

The GAPS diet has some really good aspects. Getting rid of grains, healing your gut with bone broth/gelatin and adding probiotics/raw fermented foods.

It ultimately adds back grains, and I think that's a mistake now that we know about zonulin. Grains and out of whack gut bacteria seem to be the two things that increase zonulin.

Do gut bacteria cause obesity? I don't know. I don't think so, but the studies with sterile mice do make me question.

If you do GAPS and don't need it. You haven't hurt yourself. If you need it, it could help.

BTW, zonulin increases intestinal permiability (leaky gut).

GAPS was suggested to me when my DD was having tummy issues. I thought she had celiac but "all the tests came back negative". Yeah, like I trust those!! Anyhow, she was diagnosed with acid reflux (she is only 11 yrs old). The GAPS diet was suggested to me by someone on this board. I looked it up, but never got her started on it--like I said she is only 11. Trying to change an 11 yr old's diet is a monumental task. I am trying to have her on a "mostly" low carb diet to begin with as she has type 1 diabetes (has had it for about a year now) and just doing that has been difficult at times. But I do believe it is beneficial if you can do it. Best of luck to you!

Thanks, Dawn. I started about a week ago after I had been up for three nights watching the sun come up after going to bed at around 10 P.M. the night before.

I don't think I had woken up without nausea, in some degree, for at least 2 years, probably a lot longer.

Anyway, a friend who is always into natural eating, etc. recommended GAPS to me because I had developed allergies to synthetic perfumes and some petroleum products. And, if there is even a patch of mold in the house, even in the basement, I could lose sleep for a week because my histamines would be so wacked out.

I can't even use Vaseline lotions anymore because the fragrances make me so sick.

I went online and saw the basic GAPS diet, and got an organic chicken and made bone broth and started drinking it according to the directions. Since I was already eating goat's milk yogurt, I thought I had all the probiotics I needed.

Not even close. Anyway, I went and got kefir at Trader Joe's and started drinking it yesterday. Today, I woke up with no nausea. Now, it surfaced a little this afternoon, but it's a whole lot better than it was.

I still have to get the sauerkraut juice and kombucha to really be doing the diet.

But, so much of it overlaps low carb. Then I got the Nourishing Traditions cookbook which also overlaps Atkins.

It's like doing Atkins, plus drinking bone broth, plus the probiotics. Well, at least it is for me.

I'll post updates as improvements happen. I miss out on a lot of exercising because of the nausea and allergies.

My friend forwarded on e-mails from her friends who overcame some allergies. They didn't go into detail, but it helped them.

We'll see.

Wow, my asthma triggers are fragrances and smoke, I never thought of trying gaps to reduce those. I don't think I have food sensitivities.

I already do bone broth and fermented foods, so it may not be that hard.

There are kombucha and kefir threads here to get you started making your own to save money. Incredibly easy! You can make your own kombucha scoby from raw kombucha, but you have to get kefir grains from someone who has them.

I ordered mine off of ebay for $6 including shipping, they are really good. Or you can try posting to your local freecycle. Mine keep doubling and I can't find enough people to give them away to (anyone in Sonoma County who wants them for free should pm me!).

Sauerkraut is also incredibly easy and inexpensive to make with just a head of organic cabbage and a little salt (google Sandor Katz for an easy recipe).

Thanks! A friend yesterday gave me kefir grains and a kombucha scoby, so I'll be all set for those. I'm making kefir out of goat's milk.

Well, after a couple of weeks, give or take a few days, I have to say that my symptoms are about 75% gone. They come back when I smell fake perfumes or really moldy doggie drink bowls that aren't washed out enough. And the petroleum problem is almost gone.

There was a woman who posted on this site who was so violently allergic to everything, even the hand lotion that the pharmacy woman used who handled her prescriptions, and she wasn't having a life.

If anyone knows who she is, I'd love to have her try the diet. For me 75% better is more livable than 0% better.

It was the numerous rounds of antibiotics and prescription drugs that got me so allergic to everything.

So glad to hear that terez :jumpjoy::jumpjoy: I am happy you have found something to be so helpful :hugs:

Thanks Dawn! It's a huge relief. Right now, it seems like the healing has plateaued, but then, it really only has been a few weeks.

When I was reading the GAPS book there were chapters about children and celiac and ADHD and ADD. The author talked about how avoiding gluten really only addressed about 10% of the problem in children.

What about diabetes? My DD has type 1 and acid reflux along with a couple of other autoimmune issues.

The book doesn't list diabetes. It has Dyspraxia, Autism, ADD, Dyslexia, ADHD, Depression and Schizophrenia listed on the cover. This is the Gut and Psychology Syndrome

The book listed above adds back grains into the diet, but the book was published in 1991 with an update in 2010.


However the Wheat Bellies book goes into into great detail about diabetes and arthritis and how they and other autoimmune diseases occur together. It has a lot to do with the genetically modified grains, and how they have mutated.


Both of the diets can be done with Atkins.

Hi Dawn, have I ever told you about how I used bentonite clay for my acid reflux?
(I used to have it really, really bad. I coughed for years without realizing what it was until it got worse and became painful. I woke up choking & having it come out of my nose so many times that I was even afraid I'd die in my sleep. :()

No. I didn't know that. I am not truly convinced that my daughter has acid reflux though. The gastro we took her to diagnosed her, but if she has acid reflux wouldn't her upper stomach hurt? It is her belly that hurts---and hurts real bad. She doubles over in pain and has a pained look in her face. She feels better when she lies down--cannot do that in school. So she spends her days when her stomach hurts at home, not in school where she should be. Not good! Ah well........I have always thought that she has celiac, but the tests come back "normal". :hyst::hyst: I know not to trust tests and go with my gut :up:

Anyway, back to the clay, how do you take it for the reflux? I am interested.......the pediatrician had Amy take a med right before eating so she wouldn't hurt while eating. It was a "med that coats the lining of the stomach so the food would not irritate it". It worked wonders....then the gastro wanted her off it. I didn't follow his rules because it was working so good ;) if this is what the clay does we are gonna get it.

IDK what all the symptoms are for acid reflux/GERD; mine was mostly a tickle in my throat that eventually turned into a constant, burning pain.

I'm just going to cut and paste part of my review from Amazon:


"...I tried many remedies, including aloe vera juice, baking soda, antacids and diet changes. Bentonite clay is so effective, I was virtually cured in two weeks. Initially, I took one spoonful of "gel" (instructions follow) several times a day, because I was in constant pain. Eventually, I started taking it only once a day and it worked for 24 hours. Now I only take it as needed--once a week or less.

I keep it pre-mixed in a jar at all times, since I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night having a terrible attack.
It usually works as it's going down...instant relief!

To prepare: put some water in a jar and then add a few spoonfuls of clay. You don't need to stir it...just let it sit overnight. In the morning, add more water if necessary and stir. I like the consistency to be like a soft pudding or yogurt. You can keep it in the fridge & the coolness will be extra soothing. However, I leave mine at room temperature; I just make sure to always use a clean spoon when taking a dose so it doesn't get bacteria in it.

This method is easier & less messy than trying to mix the clay into water every time you want to take it. It is also safer, as the dry clay could cause choking or constipation by absorbing water after ingestion.

Because bentonite IS so absorbent, it may be best to take it an hour or so before/after taking vitamins and medications, just to be sure it doesn't interfere with their effectiveness."

I hope this helps...sorry your daughter is suffering so much! :(

Thanks pirate!!!

BTW, I only get it VERY rarely these days...once a month or less, and usually only if I eat junk food or carby food too late at night. I still use bentonite when I need it. I really think it healed me. :) :heart:

Gelatin is also supposed to be really good for healing the lining of the stomach & intestines. IDK if it would be good for acid reflux itself, but if the acid has caused any damage, gelatin might help. PS: I also get it from Now Foods; they have a 1-lb container that's a good price.

Can you please tell me the name and author of this book? Id like to see if I can find it at my local library. Thanks!

Gut and Psychology Syndrome By Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. I hope it helps you.

Thank you!:)

Hey Dawn, I just posted over on Bernstein. I just took myself off wheat. It did the trick for me. I was able to stop my omeprazole almost immediately. I don't care to go thru the test. I just went with what works. Just give it a try and see if it helps her.

:hugs: ~dew

Thanks Dew! I am going to be transitioning us off wheat. Have some stuff to finish in the pantry and I have to be done with my weight loss phase of my diet. I don't want to be tempted by things I cannot have just yet. I will soon enough. Thanks for letting know it worked for you!! I know that it will work for Amy. My husband has made the connection between wheat and his breathing difficulties. He wants to eat gluten free too.

I just got ten pounds of einkorn wheat. That's the original wheat before it was mutated hundreds of times and became a non food.

I got the berries so I'll be putting them in the Magic Bullet and grinding my own flour. It's almost like Little House on the Prairie with all this brewing and grinding my own flour, etc. I'd love to have a Vitamix, but not right now.

Ah, well, the end result will be worth it.

terez--you will have to let us know how the wheat is. I am guessing you are making bread with it??? I am sure it won't taste like bread you get in a store.

I hope not. I figure it will be really heavy. I saw on America's Test Kitchen where they made "the best" whole wheat bread with molasses, and how they soaked the whole wheat in a yeast and water bath for a day before making the bread. Then they added fresh yeast when they added their white flour, which is not going to happen here. (That's a lot like the GAPS). Also, there are dough conditioners that professional bakeries use to make their whole wheat breads softer.

Since they're technically yeast, they just put "yeast" on the label.

But, I have some ascorbic acid tablets that I'm thinking of Magic Bulleting to act as a dough conditioner.

Yeah, I do have to get to baking when the weather gets cooler. I'll be out all weekend, so it will have to be next week at the earliest.

The GAPS diet doesn't allow grains at first. You go through an "Introduction" first, which is soups and beef broth and fermented foods like kefir, etc.

Then, you experience a "die off" of toxic bacteria that have taken over. OMG, I thought it was horrible, but it only lasted a about a week, but then, my case was really bad to begin with.

I had done a heavy metal cleanse a few years before and it was nowhere as bad. But it didn't get rid of the nausea, either.

Right now, I have very slight waves of nausea when I'm exercising and it slows me down a little. Which is a huge improvement from a month ago.

Here are some pictures of the einkorn wheat that I ground up and baked. When I ground it up in the Magic Bullet, no matter how long I ground it up, some parts of the bran wouldn't grind up any smaller. I soaked the flour in water and yeast overnight to make the flour softer. I then added more flour, yeast, salt and a small amount of raw sugar to the flour, kneaded it with both hands, let it rise and then formed into loaves.

It was the heaviest bread I have ever worked with. As you can see in the bowl shot, the dough sticks everywhere, and I couldn't incorporated all of it into the bread.

There are vendors who advertise einkorn flour without the bran. I wanted to be a purist and use the whole seed. Maybe next time I'll do the flour or use emmer flour, which is einkorn cross bred only once. It's also acceptable according to Dr. Davis, who wrote Wheat Bellies.

I won't be baking cakes with this flour, but it's great sliced thin and toasted, and can be used as croutons in salads or soups. It tastes like whole wheat flour, stone ground.

I'm still doing the GAPS, including kombucha, and the nausea is gone. I'm still sensitive to laundry products and fake scents, and I'm incorporating using commercial unflavored gelatin as a drink in addition to the bone broth.

Ok, the GAPS diet sounds nice and all, but I can't find a single shred of evidence to back up what she is saying. Has she done any actual studies in her career? Has she published serious papers? Are there scientific studies to back up her claims (that autism is caused by problems with gut flora)?

She makes a lot of claims; but these claims must be backed up by scientific evidence (studies) in order to be trusted. I noticed that she sells supplements and products on her website (shop.gapsdiet.com), and her informational website (gaps.me) looks more like a 10 year old's cute side project designed in Front Page.

Where are her serious, scientific papers? Where is the evidence? Without this, it would seem that she wrote a book to sell her supplements.

I want to see evidence that huge numbers of people who have schizophrenia, depression, autism, etc are cured when they fix their gut flora. Where is it? I want to see them do a test before changing their diet or taking supplements which shows messed up gut flora. Then I want them to take a test 2 years after faithful adherence to the GAPS diet which shows that their gut bacteria has healed.

Then I'd like to see what percentage of people who's gut bacteria healed were actually cured from their autism, depression, schizophrenia, etc.

Has she bothered to do this? If not, she has NO excuse. Shame on her.

I was wondering the same thing, because I was searching for help for my son and grandson with allergies and ADHD a while back when I stumbled onto GAPS & Dr. McBride. So I googled, "Scientific Link Between Gut & Brain" and came up with tons of studies and scientific research.

The thing is that if you read the reviews on Amazon & Goodreads, it seems like it may take some people at least a year of eating this way before they see the healing that they need. Also, if you are interested in help with autism, you may want to read some of the reviews on Youtube as well. The 1st review that shows up on Goodreads has very good results with GAP, but she updated that her autistic son actually had problems. She goes into depth of how she corrected it in her review.

This is one that really interested me.

The Gut and Energy Balance: Visceral Allies in the Obesity Wars

And this...

Elsevier

Something to think about as far as reducing - REMOVING - gluten is concerned.

How does one base improvement when eliminating gluten? Just on feelings? Or on invasive tests. For that truly is the ONLY way to tell whether it is working or not. (a biopsy of the small intestine is NOT a little procedure that doesn't have it's share of problems when being done although they are always under played)

It is too bad we don't have little windows that we can see in our digestive systems to see the inflammation and destruction that is beginning. We MAY feel great. But the destruction and wearing down keeps on. Only until there is a full blown symptom--chronic constipation, weakness, fatigue, etc is diet ever considered.

I don't know why gluten isn't digested fully. Why it sometimes ends up in our blood to be determined as a sensitivity. Personally, I am one to change my diet and see if it is helping. For years I ate a STANDARD AMERICAN DIET and was being treated for migraines, IBS, GERD/reflux, melanoma, ulcers, gallbladder disease to name just a few. YEARS of NO diet change and MANY, MANY prescriptions: Imitrex, flonase, zantac/axid, etc which were sold by dr. rx ONLY and VERY expensive - did absolutely nothing. Screw the tests and the science.

Nothing changed until I changed my diet.

But, why wait?

NO ONE NEEDS GLUTEN. Take it a step further and reduce ALL GRAIN. Corn, sugar, wheat, barley, oats. It is AMAZING. And you aren't running to the doctor for strange symptoms like I did. :)

Lately I have been removing foods based on what causes me to have acid reflux or bloat.

I am eating a lot of single foods so I can monitor my reaction. Very interesting.

Oh, I learned about GAPS when a niece was diagnosed with some weird food allergies. Have not done it completely or accurately, but I am amazed by my reaction to bone broth. THAT is on my 'keepers' fer shure!

Nancy, I agree about the bone broth. I have been drinking broth every day and have been introducing to my family as well. Feeling great! :up:

I became interested in GAPS because of family members who have gut issues. My grandson who is only 2.5 was diagnosed with severe peanut allergy as well as allergies to eggs when he was 13 months old, he was breast fed, but DD had just taken him off of the breast at 12 months then within a month this occurred. We noticed that when he was 5 months he had a pretty strong case of baby eczema on his face. He had not been eating solid foods yet. My daughter doesn't have any severe allergies, but her MIL has a few although, non- life threatening. The one common factor in my grandson and GAPS is that he was born cesarean section. Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride writes in her book that the newborn babies receive their gut flora from their mother during the birthing process in the birth canal.

So, I researched this myself and it is very important and scientifically proven fact. Below is quote from "Science & Sensibility" - Unintended Consequences - Cesarean Section, The Gut Microbiota, and Child Health
My son who is 32 had allergies to grass and weeds when he was young, and as he grew older, his principal asked that he be tested for ADD. At the time, I was hesitant of rx'ing w/ Ritalin, so I kept searching for answers in therapeutic means of dealing with ADD. Fast forward to today, my son served in the AF and deployed to Afghanistan for a year and now transitioned to full time school to finish his degree. He is suffering with insomnia, IBS, allergies, vertigo and hearing loss in one ear.

I was fascinated to learn that the gut flora that we are born with as a newborn comes from the mother's vaginal canal and remains with us through adulthood. I have decided to read the GAPS book based solely on my instincts with these two personal experiences.

Anyone who is interested without purchasing the book, I learned a wealth of info from watching the youtube videos titled, "GAPS Diet Course #1" (there are 7 in the series). Especially interesting is that her mother died from Alzheimer's at 54, which is very young. She was diagnosed at 46.