Some of you may be reading this blog, thinking "what on earth is this GAPS diet?" I'm not sure I'm the most qualified person to explain it, but I will do my best!
GAPS stands for Gut And Psychology Syndrome, as well as Gut And Physiology syndrome. The author of the two books (GAPhysiologyS has not come out yet, it is in editing) is Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, whose specialties are Neurology and Nutrition. The first time I heard about the diet, I wondered what on earth neurology and nutrition had to do with one another, they are two completely separate disciplines. When I bought the book, and started reading more into it, I realized Dr. Campbell-McBride was really onto something here. What I eat has so much more impact on my health than I ever realized before. Health issues from Autism to A.D.D to Schizophrenia all have links to poor gut health, in addition to the obvious gut related issues like Celiac, Crohn's Disease, and IBS.
Most people looking at me last year would have thought I was fairly healthy. I had always been thin, with a bit of a "muffin top" that never seemed to go away. Even my doctors told me not to worry about my health, while I had symptoms, none of them pointed to anything specific or dangerous, and my blood tests mostly came out normal. Sure, I had some nagging issues like food allergies and fertility issues, but doesn't everyone struggle with some sort of health issue? When I finally took a symptom inventory, I realized things were a little out of control. I was 24 years old, and knew I needed to take charge of things for myself. After a few more blood tests, and an ultrasound revealing polycystic ovaries, the research began. The blood tests were inconclusive for PCOS, but that was a decent starting point.
Looking at information on alternative treatments for PCOS led me to the Paleo diet. Nothing to lose, lots to gain from what I read, so I tried it. I lost 10 lbs the first week, all of it from my bloated gut. I felt like a new person, like someone had switched on a light bulb of clarity in my brain. That awesome feeling lasted a few weeks, until I started eating more and more fruit and nuts, and didn't lose any more weight. The mental clarity started to waver too. More reading, more research, and I stumbled on the GAPS diet. A little more strict, but again it made a lot of sense, and I had nothing to lose but my symptoms. Started to feel even better, healthier, amazing for a few weeks. Then it happened again, I hit some sort of road block, and healing stopped.
It was about this point that I heard about Celiac disease, and realized the list of symptoms was a mirror of my life. I wanted answers, so I made the very difficult decision to do a gluten trial and try to get tested for it. The test itself gave me more answers than the bloodwork. In the month I resumed eating gluten, I gained 30 pounds, felt absolutely awful, had IBS symptoms every day, and was in a perpetual foul mood with no patience. The blood tests came back negative for Celiac antibodies (possible false negative due to the prior gluten free diet), but positive for Celiac genetic markers. Either way, my symptoms point toward a clear gluten intolerance, and I have no desire to re-incorporate gluten into my diet now that I know how much it affects me. I still haven't fully recovered from my gluten trial a few months ago.
Back to the GAPS diet, I explained what it can help with, but not how. Basically, GAPS cuts out anything that feeds bad gut bacteria, or that can be difficult for the digestive system to process, and adds in lots of healing foods to help get your gut in better shape, so food can be absorbed better when you eat. No grains, no sugar, no starches, easy on the fruit. Heavy on homemade broth, vegetables, meats, and good fats. Plenty of probiotic foods to replenish good gut bacteria too, sauerkraut, pickles, yogurt, etc. If it comes premade, in a box or a can or whatever, chances are good that it will contain preservatives or other ingredients that will make it hard to digest.
This may sound a bit restrictive, but there is so much room for amazing food in this diet. My thanksgiving spread was pretty impressive, I had turkey, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed "fauxtatoes" made with cauliflower (they are delicious!), butternut squash casserole, and roasted brussels sprouts. Oh, and Pumpkin Custard for dessert! While it may not be what I was used to before, I don't think it is restrictive at all. GAPS is not a diet for life, it is a diet for a few years to heal. Nutritionally, I am actually coming out a lot better than I was before, I meet or exceed my daily requirements for every vitamin and mineral. I feel better than I have in years, but there is still lots of room for improvement, and I am looking forward to honing my culinary skills for the next few years of awesome GAPS food.
