Wondering what the GAPS Diet is? You’re not alone. The GAPS diet is a comprehensive healing protocol developed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, a neurologist and nutritionist who specializes in healing of issues like autism spectrum disorders, ADD/ADHD, dyspraxia, dyslexia and schizophrenia by treating the root cause of many of these disorders: compromised gut health.
While it may seem strange or even unbelievable that neurological disorders like autism can be mitigated or even addressed through dietary changes, families that have been dissatisfied by currently available treatments have flocked to the GAPS diet, and many have experienced recovery.
About 10% of Nourished Kitchen readers adhere to the GAPS diet (that’s about twice the number of both vegan and vegetarian readers). Mothers and fathers have seen autistic children begin to lose symptoms, find relief from painful gastrointestinal upset and regain the ability to express emotion after adhering to the GAPS diet. People suffering from food intolerances and sensitivities have seen recovery. Recovery takes time, and the GAPS diet doesn’t work overnight. Indeed, GAPS is best referred to as a healing protocol as it involves both comprehensive detoxification coupled with dietary changes and supplementation.
GAPS begins first with an introduction diet (though many people, to ease their transition begin first by incorporating the full GAPS diet and return to the introduction phases at a future date when they feel more confident in their transition). In the introduction diet offers about six stages before the full GAPS diet can be resumed, with the beginning stages allowing little more than broth, good quality fat, easily digested vegetables, boiled meats and the juice of fermented vegetables. You eat lots of soups on the GAPS diet.
Once symptoms no longer appear, additional foods like fruit, raw vegetables and their juices, nuts and nut flours are slowly added until you’ve reached the full GAPS diet which allows most wholesome foods, but still excludes grains, starchy tubers, sugars (except for honey) and other foods that can potentially damage an already compromised gut.
Like any diet or protocol for healing, GAPS is tough – at least in the beginning – when you’re re-learning how to shop, how to cook and when you must rely exclusively on your own skills as restaurants are strictly out of the question. So as my family works its way through GAPS, I’ve found a few resources that have helped us and that you might find helpful, if not essential to your journey of healing.
john cady says
Gluten-free and casein-free diets in the treatment of autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review
A Mulloy, R Lang, M O'Reilly, J Sigafoos, G Lancioni, and M Rispoli.
Review published: 2010.
Authors' conclusions
Evidence did not support use of gluten-free and/or casein-free diets in the treatment of ASD.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0029063/
Chrstina Stanley says
Thank you
Rakhi Baldi says
Hi,
Want to know whether this book will be helpful to vegetarian and also to an Indian as most of the food which is eaten in India is missing here so don't know where to categories it in legal or illegal list. Please help as meat, fish and egg does not comprise our diet.
Jenny says
Meat, offal, fish, eggs and bone broths are central to the GAPS diet.
M.R.B. says
This is an older comment but I just wanted to mention that while healing will be slower with out the broth and meats, it is possible to have a nourishing and healing diet that is vegetarian as long as some kind of animal fat/food is included. In the case of most Indian diets, traditional foods such as homemade ghee and fermented dairy such as yogurt would need to be introduced from the beginning, and consumed daily. Adhering to the allowed/not allowed list is still important. The nutrients and healing components in animal foods are unequaled, especially the broth, but someone from another culture who is not accustomed to or is opposed to certain or all meats should not be discouraged from doing a gut healing protocol. Sometimes people choose to temporarily adopt eating meat, eggs, and/or broth on the GAPS diet as a means to heal, and once healthy can go back to a carefully chosen and prepared vegetarian diet. Sometimes a person is able to meet their nutritional needs on a modified GAPS diet, and still make good progress. A true vegan diet is not recommended for GAPS type healing, or for true long term health, although for some conditions/people it can have short term benefits.
Yes, animal foods contain essential nutrients, and meat, eggs, and broth are central to GAPS diet, but where there is a will there's a way, and everyone is different. I had to eat almost all animal fat/protein, with just a little cooked vegetables in the beginning to heal my individual health challenges. Others need or at least can tolerate more plant fiber and carbohydrates. Anyone with concerns about this should seek out more information and ideally consult with a GAPS practitioner to work on an individualized plan to heal.
Good luck to you all, where ever you live and where ever you are starting on this journey! It is worth it.
Darci says
Were the links for e-book download pulled? None of them work.
Amy says
I am suffering from c-diff that is not responding to antibiotics.
Do you think GAPS diet can help me?
Beth says
Have you tried saccromyces boulardii? It is a yeast that is supposed to be good for c diff. I would ask my doc about it though.
Renae says
I'm a nurse, and one of the only ways to effectively rid yourself of c-diff ( due to antibiotic resistance) is a stool transplant. You can get your Dr to refer you to a specialist who does it, or just do it yourself. Sounds crazy I knoe, but Google it. It's chamged people's lives that have been debilitated by c-diff
Alicia says
I have attempted through both safari and Chrome to download you're book on the first 30 days to no success. Is it no longer available or has the link been removed! Please let me know, I have listened to you on the recent Natural Cures Movement summit and would really like to read the intro.
Thank you
Michelle says
I googled it and the new link is here
http://www.healthhomehappy.com/grain-free-2/30-days-on-gaps-intro-e-book
Paul Wallick says
How does age play a part?
Carol says
I'm 55 and have many food sensitivities. I've been on a rotation diet for a number of years now. I'm very concerned about switching over to the GAPS diet without also rotating the foods I eat for fear of developing sensitivities to them if I eat them too frequently. I don't know who to talk to about this. I've also heard that food sensitivities are easier to recover from for young people but not so for older people. I just don't want to lose the foods I can currently eat from not continuing to rotate my foods. Also, which diet is better for food sensitivities, the GAPS Diet, or the SCD? Can you help me with this?
Miranda says
I would suggest the GAPS diet, and of course, read the book first. The rotation diet has never sounded like a good way to go. In GAPS, you heal the gut first, then slowly introduce foods. If you cannot tolerate the food, you cut it out for 4-6 wks. She also explains that you can do a skin test to see if your body can tolerate it. If only I knew about this trick before! McBride is a godsend.
Michelle says
Hi Carol,
You don't have to worry about developing sensitivities. I'm 47 and have been accumulating sensitivities to some very basic foods throughout my life. All those foods they say are good for you - lemon, garlic, avocado - I can't eat them and more.
What the GAPS diet does essentially, is rest your system to allow it to heal itself and to also give it the building blocks it needs to, like the minerals from the broths, so the body has what it needs to rebuild.
The latest theory behind developing allergies or sensitivities is 'leaky gut', which this diet is great for helping to heal.
lynne morgan says
yup
Michelle Batson says
Looking for best diet for my 8 yr old son...he doesn't show too many behavior or physcological signs....but he has dealt with constipation and encopresis his whole life,worsening in times of stress or when his dad spent listen and gives him dairy or other junk. Wondering if this would be a good place to get ideas for him?
Also.I have a gall bladder polyps I'm currently truing to heal. Gone off meat/dairy and most gluten. I know I can do better but I'm overwhelmed/frustrated. Nursing a 15 mo so detoxing hasn't been able to happen yet.
Miranda says
Yes, at least read the GAPS book because it explains how your gut health plays a role in your overall health and/or immune system. She has a degree in medicine, neurology, and human nutrition and explains everything that is easy to understand.
lynne morgan says
my heart goes out to you there x
Dee says
I did the GAPS diet for a year and still follow it when I can (I sometimes have severe histamine intolerance and broth is high histamine). The missing link most people miss is mercury toxicity. Mercury causes the compromised gut (and has been linked to autism, ADD and autoimmune). 50-60% of the people on the Frequent Dose Chelation Yahoo Group follow GAPS or SCD diets while they slowly and safely chelate mercury out of their bodies and brains. Many report massive gains and after a few years consider themselves recovered. It is worth checking out.
Love this site and the straightforward way it introduces GAPS.
Shelly Elliott says
I am so thankful for having discovered this diet. I have read both the main book and the recipe book. I am on day 22 of the intro diet (Stage 3). I have several questions. My first question is regarding my multi-vitamin. I bought two different ones (super high quality from our local health food store). One is easier to digest with all the ingredients coming from plants and natural sources. This one contains yeast. I did some research to see if this yeast would help me get rid of my Candida problem and some people said yes, good yeast would help. The other one is yeast free, but the wellness lady told me it is less easier to digest. I have only taken one of each, and today my hair is flaky again. I cannot be sure which one is the culprit or if it is both. What is the best approach for taking a multi-vitamin with this diet, when you have a Candida problem? Is taking it, though it is giving me symptoms helping me heal, thus going to eventually tackle the Candida, or is it best avoided until after I rid myself of Candida? I am confused on what my body needs me to do. I am also taking enzymes, fish oil, and caprylic acid.
My other question is regarding spicy food. I love spicy food, and that may be harder for me to give up than sweets. When can I introduce spicy peppers, crushed red pepper, ground pepper seasoning, etc. I didn't get a clear understanding of this from the book.
Thank you.
Sincerely grateful to be healing,
Shelly Elliott
Mc says
Sorry, I forgot to say, the "What Can I Eat Now? 30 Days on the GAPS Intro" link... Thanks!
Mc says
I can't get the link to work... Any idea as to why?
tandy says
Looks like the website she refers to is now down. Unfortunate! I really wanted to learn from it as well. . . .
Cook says
Let me start by saying that I love the idea of this diet! It seems to include a lot of healthy foods and gives people who have trouble maintaining a balanced diet a very clear starting point. I'm definitely going to try several of the pointers here, even though I already maintain a balanced and healthy diet overall.
However, there is one thing that I'm a bit concerned about. Autistic people, children as well as adults, often have comorbid intestinal issues. This has been documented over and over again, so I'm all in favour of addressing that through a diet. The neurological issues that are inherent in autism often make it harder for autistic people to communicate this clearly, and so intestinal issues cause a LOT of distress. Distress which may find itself expressed in a number of ways, such as repetitive behaviours (which can be self-soothing or redirecting pain) or a seeming lack of focus and attention. Even non-verbality, because it's really hard to concentrate on speech when you're in constant distress. So, when you start on a diet that addresses these intestinal issues, you take away a lot of distress which may make all the ways that the autistic person expresses distress far less frequent. THIS DOES NOT MEAN YOU'VE CURED AUTISM. Autism is a way of thinking, of perceiving the world, a neurological difference that often causes communication difficulties. It's like speaking a different language than the other people around you. So please don't say you've cured our autism when you've only taken away a source of distress that makes us LOOK more autistic. We're still autistic even when we're not rocking in the corner in pain or sensory overload.
Miranda says
You should probably read the book because she explains and addresses the intestinal distress issue in Autistic adults and children very carefully and supports your concern.
lynne morgan says
i hear you and agree. i will say one thing though. There and three nervous systems in the body and the autistic 'brain' is linked directly to the gut system and experiments have even shown that it might rule this system. It certainly has the ability to override common sense producing addictions. Also a compromised gut wall allows retro viruses into the blood system and straight to the brain. I call these 'librarians' because they switch off our dna and insert their own. We are more controlled by micro organisms than we believe. If the gut brain link is so strong surely it doesnt take much of an imagination to suggest that the compromised brain of an autistic person might be a result of this gut link. And if we cure the injured gut we 'cure' the autism. I am Aspergers and I believe that my traits are reactions to underlying problems. i.e. I am incredibly sensitive so I shut down and appear 'unsensitive'. When I come out of this shutdown 'flight or fight' stage I become more 'human' . My animal brain calms down and I feel a great connectivity. Diet helps me become less autistic. But it takes practice because that system has been compromised for so long. CBT helps here. The brain has three sections. Inner Reptile; mid mammal, outer human. The nervous system has three systems. Gut; heart and brain. All the ancient texts point to the necessity to find a balance between these systems (the holy trinity, maiden mother crone etc).
linda says
Does anyone know why coconut is not allowed in the intro diet? When is it allowed?
lynne morgan says
i would like
to know too
hair care says
Greetings from Los angeles! I'm bored to tears at work so I decided to browse your website on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the knowledge you provide here and can't
wait to take a look when I get home. I'm amazed at how quick your blog loaded on my mobile .. I'm not even using WIFI, just 3G .
. Anyways, excellent blog!
Kassandra says
I like it when folks come together and share opinions. Great site, keep it
up!
Joanne says
Hello! Thank you for the info on the GAPS diet. We just started the diet today 🙂 I decided to go ahead and start a separate blog just for our GAPS diet journey. I am hoping to learn from others and also be of an encouragement to those who have not yet started. I am making the first post right now but do have the "About" section finished. If you are interested in joining us in our journey, please stop by! (I think the website links right in my name above, right? so just click on my name)
Thank you!!
Joanne in MO
Kathy says
I started the GAP intro diet after reading as much as I could online about it and I have the book for Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. I am also a registered nurse. The soup I started a week ago Monday - so this is day 9. I made the soup using a whole chicken, water, garlic, carrots, and seasalt. That is all I ate for two days, plus taking MEGA Food Probiotics from a local co-op food store and worked up to 40 billion (2 caps) a day. I then added egg yolks , next eggs soft cooked, homemade yogurt with a lil honey (home grown). I then added a banana (my favorite treat banana, cashews, yogurt, honey all mixed up). I continued with only those things and added Acorn squash - very little. By Friday - day five I had very little stools all week. I also hardly had any discomfort at all with very little running to the bathroom.
Saturday morning - work night shift: 4:00 AM after I had some soup I had a very real urge to go to the bathroom. For the next 45 minutes I totally cleaned out my intestines with normal looking stools (a rating of a 4). The thing was... it was a LOT!! I felt uncomfortable for a while. Then ate some yogurt and water, felt okay. Then went to sleep but woke up because my mom was going in for emergency surgery. So this weekend set me back a little but stayed true as can be with the diet.
So this morning I had a bowel movement and it was very soft (rating 2) with some very firm chunks. I am still not going as much with less and less mucus and blood.
Is this how it is suppose to go? Any foods I try, if I get a yucky feeling I don't eat anymore and wait.
I sure wish we had an educated dietician locally I can actually see and chat with 🙁
Thanks, Kathy
Kathy says
OH and I can't stand sauerkraut or any kind of vinegar tasting foods at all - makes me gag 🙁
Wendy says
I went on the specific carbohydrate diet, which is closely related to GAPS, a year and a half ago due to IBS. My IBS cleared up within a month, and I had lots of extra energy. The time it took to properly shop and prepare food in such a new and different manner was difficult, but I felt SOOOO much better, it was well worth the time and effort. My family was along for the ride, and my one year old had his chronic diarrhea, diaper rash, and eczema all clear up. We are not doing GAPS/SCD now, but my younger son is still grain free- it is clear that he still reacts to wheat, rice, and starches, but I would never have discovered these sensitivities if we had never tried such a healthy, restrictive diet. My gut has healed considerably, and though we still adhere to a very 'whole' food diet, I am able to eat any real food I like without reaction.
hilary says
Hi! Can you tell me how long you did gaps to heel your stomach?
Heather says
I checked iphone site for GAPalicious app and came up empty. Has it been pulled? I actually don't have an iPhone, but thought I'd check for resources, and this one sounded like it would make GAPS possible.
Joseph says
The app is there as of 09/29/12.
I no offence meent to the maker, but, it looks like it needs either a lot of additional content or a big drop in price.
Katherine says
I agree with Joseph. Sadly, the Gapalicious app has not been updated since April 2011! I would not be willing to pay $4.59 for it, until I saw a current update.
Katherine says
I agree with Joseph. Sadly, the Gapalicious app has not been updated since April 2011! I would not be willing to pay $4.59 for it, until I saw a current update.
I'm happy to continue to refer to Jenny's book, the Nourished Kitchen, and other Weston A. Price contributors. Also, at the risk of sounding redundant, there are great GAPS resources online and in books for purchase or at the library always available!
CS says
I'm seaching for info on the gaps diet
Heather says
I'm also searching for info on it. But with a limited income and I can't find any details except in books to purchase. Oh well, I guess this diet will remain elusive to me for a while longer. It does sound like just the think I need to get my health back on track though.
Jenny says
GAPS is deeply effective, but just as deeply complicated and you *do* need to at least read Gut & Psychology Syndrome by Dr. Campbell-McBride to really understand the diet's premise, how to do the introduction (which involves little more than broth, sauerkraut juice, boiled vegetables and meat while slowly introducing other foods) and when to transition to those other foods. Try a library or book swap, maybe?
Lily says
I've just read a lot of information on the Australian website. wwwgapsaustralia.com.au There's enough info there to give you an idea whether you would want to go ahead and purchase the book or not. Like a lot of these site there's always something to buy, whether it be cookbooks, supplements etc. But then that's what 'experts' in their fields do isn't it. Sadly people aren't going to spend years researching and developing something, whether it be a diet or other invention, and then offer it totally free to the whole world. The honest ones do it because they believe in it and it has become their lifes work, and we all want to get paid for our work. Distinguishing between the real practitioners, professionals, inventers or whatever they are claiming to be is a whole other story. In regards to the GAP diet, I would say 'go with your gut'. Pun intended.
Dee says
Everyone ought to just give everything for free if they are truly a "good person" right? This attitude is so idiotic and unfair, and espoused by those who would quickly change their mindset if they themselves spent their own money time research sweat and tears and did the same thing. Honest Capitalism is the only smart way to go. It's what made America great at the beginning, until the moonbats corrupted it.
Lynn D says
The comment from Lily wasn't saying the "good" person should give anything away for free. She said it in an awkward way but, she was saying people aren't going to spend their life researching and working and then just give it away for free. She was saying the good/honest one puts everything into their passion and life's work, and they would want to be paid for what they did. The other part of her comment was trying to figure out which ones are the real ones and which are the ones just in it for the money is another story.
lynne morgan says
this is a brilliant site. Thankyou for posting it.