Created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, the GAPS diet is based on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. Improving psychological issues along with healing digestive disorders is one of the main priorities of the GAPS diet.
Considered a healing diet and recommended for a temporary time, the GAPS diet aims to improve digestive issues, along with relieving symptoms of autism, ADHD, depression, schizophrenia and dyspraxia.
What Is the GAPS Diet
Described as a healing protocol in the GAPS diet book, Dr. Campbell-McBride’s “Gut and Psychology Syndrome”, the diet comes with many restrictions aimed at helping the digestive system heal.
Sugar and starches (wheat, bread, pasta, rice), including starchy vegetables (potatoes), are completely forbidden in the GAPS diet, along with another major restriction: dairy products.
With the help of the GAPS diet, you can relieve digestive problems like constipation, diarrhea, along with bloating, heartburn (acid reflux) and cramping.
GAPS Diet Food List
In order to offer proper nutrition despite the dietary restrictions, the GAPS Diet book offers plenty of choices for good meals.
Different types of meat, along with slow cooked bone and marrow broths make up a big part of the diet, along with carbs from vegetables like cabbage, carrots, beets and fruits like apples and pears. Nuts, lentils, pumpkin and certain types of cheese are also allowed.
Along with the allowed foods, you also need to take probiotics during the diet, to help the gut flora get back to healthy levels.
GAPS Intro Diet
Despite it’s name, the GAPS Intro Diet isn’t really an introduction. Some dieters even advise that you put it off until you get used to the full GAPS Diet.
The Intro is designed especially for people with food allergies and it can heal the gut faster than the full phase of the diet. Lasting from a few weeks to a few months, the GAPS Intro also helps you identify foods you may have a problem with.
GAPS Diet Recipes
Since it’s a completely grain free way of eating, the GAPS Diet restricts any grain flour, but you can find easy recipes for almond and nut flour that don’t use any dairy products. However, consuming foods made with these ingredients or with coconut flour in large quantities can become detrimental to the diet.
Soups are a big part of the GAPS diet and slow cooking is a must for most broths that include bone or marrow and they should be consumed at every meal for best results.
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