Anyone Here On The Gaps Diet? Or Tried It?

[MightyMouse]

Hi friends, my gp saw me on Fri and for the 2nd time has strongly recommended I change my diet to match the GAPS introduction diet. As someone who's been gluten free for decades and at one point, also Paleo, I have to tell you that GAPS seems even more restrictive than what I'm used to... and she wants me on it for the long haul (i.e. forever).

If you have used this diet with or without success, I'd love to hear your experiences with both symptom management (GI symptoms or motility issues, reflux, pain and spasming) and difficulty of food prep. I don't love to cook so making all my broths from scratch isn't my idea of a fun activity to spend what little energy I have each day to spread around.

Thanks in advance for your input.

[Alison]

I'd never heard of it. I've looked it up after reading your post. I suppose anything is worth a try.

[MightyMouse]

Oh...I probably should have put a link to what the diet is inside my first post-- so here it is http://gapsdiet.com/GAPS_Outline.html

I have no affiliation with the author or the website, nor to I endorse any of the products that may be sold there--just posting so you can look over and see if it's familiar to anything your doctor(s) has had you do.

[xRobin]

I had heard of it before for migraines and I looked it up.

Here's an article from a website written by physicians are very pro- science based health care, and they basically say it's kind of off the wall:

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/gaps-diet/

I didn't end up trying it, but, people try all kinds of treatments and whatever works, works. It might be worth a shot and if you don't see any benefit, you can always stop doing it.

[Becia]

Wow... I live off of potatoes sometimes... They are the perfect bland thing for me when sick. I'm not sure I'm could do this, but like said before, if it doesn't help, you can stop it.

[kayjay]

I've been toying with the Wahl's diet. I am finding dairy free to be quite difficult. I also detest organ meats. My compromise has been to start a high quality co Q10.

I know it's not the same thing, but you may want to incorporate parts of the diet and see where you end up. Maybe adding the broths would be a good place to start?

I get overwhelmed if I think long term. I never thought I could remain gluten free but I have done it successfully and I don't cheat. You can just tell yourself that it's short term and give yourself a mental "out". If you feel better you may decide it's worth continuing.

I'm sorry I'm not answering your question. I read about the diet because of your post. My initial reaction was that its not like you are avoiding a food due to allergy or other immune response. Maybe you can cherry pick parts of the diet and see some improvement.

[MightyMouse]

I do occasionally cheat on my gf diet... and Becia, I'm with you, I crave potatoes when I'm not feeling well. Unfortunately, the last time I ate them was 2 weeks ago, threw them up violently for about 15 minutes. Sorry if TMI... So for right now, it's kind of hard to think about potato without shuddering a little.

I think the hardest part for me about the diet is that I'm a scientist at heart, and finding reliable evidence of usefulness of the diet from a medical basis is tough. I mean basically, lots of the recommendations seem to be based upon folk wisdom.

Nina

[badhbt]

I work in a GI department and I know that our PA's have done a lot of research on the Gaps diet and they highly recommend it especially for IBS patients. In our last meeting they said that they have gotten a lot of good feedback from patients so I know they are for it. I have been playing with the idea of trying it. I am gluten free and also feel restricted, but when I see that list....woah! I guess I can do anything for 2 weeks, and I think that is a good time frame to see how I do. Let us know if you try it.

[Becia]

Lol, no worries about being tmi with me, I know how you feel. I'm currently in the hospital because of vomiting at the moment, and it's set off one heck of a bad headache in me. I've been on a full liquid diet, and they gave me some applesauce and pudding to try and eat each meal, and I am throwing that up like crazy.

[kayjay]

Mighty Mouse- I hear you on the scientist perspective. We want our proof.

I'm dealing with a similar predicament with my son. Long story short he isn't thriving and I put him on a gluten free diet. His genetic testing came back negative for celiac. The thing is my husband and I think he is better off of gluten. His dark circles are disappearing and he is sleeping better.

When his labs came back as non- celiac my husband and I made the decision to keep him gluten free for a few more months. He has no gi symptom so It's seems hard to believe that food would be the culprit. It's not matter of him getting healthier food- in fact I've been trying to get him to eat candy bars and drink chocolate milk and juices to up his calorie count.

I babble on to suggest that it won't hurt you to try it. Science as you know is and art and we don't have all of the answers. I like to measure things and tick off neat little boxes. With my son we've decided that gluten free won't hurt him.

I realize you know much more about diets than I do and with paleo and gluten free you must really know how to read a food label. I wonder if you have considered a hard core elimination diet really eating foods in isolation to see if you can pinpoint problems. Our meals are so mixed it its hard to know what is what.

I'm probably not helping. I just want to encourage you. If you want to try Gaps... I know you can do it. You are Mighty Mouse after all! It doesn't have to be forever.

[MightyMouse]

Hi KJay... I did the elimination diet about 20 years ago for quite a long time. Biggest offender for me was wheat and other glutens...

my guts are somewhat better than when I started this thread; but still not normal. And my BP has been incredibly high for me, perhaps from pain, or perhaps unrelated. Hard to say. My blood work continues to be normal with the exception of persistently low magnesium.

Some days I feel like I'm just pretending to be Mighty Mouse ...

[badhbt]

I found this question from the question and answer page on the website. This is Dr. Natasha Campbell-Mcbride's answer to the question below.

Can you comment on the use of the GAPS diet for P.O.T.S. (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)?

Many GAPS people have POTS: you get lightheaded (almost fainting) when changing position from sitting or lying down to standing up. It is due to imbalance in the autonomic nervous system caused by toxins coming from the gut (in many people their abnormal gut flora produces too much histamine, for example). Work on your gut flora with the GAPS Protocol, and don’t forget to eat lots of animal fats, and this problem will go away.

She makes it sound very simple Has anyone tried the diet? It looks pretty hard, but I would try it.

[dancer65]

I had started on a diet very similar to that three months agoand I started working with a herbalist a month ago who believes most of my issues come from my gut and adrenals, also CFS/ME

badht it was interesting what you posted I have just had salvia tests which came back with canadia, strep infection Epstein barr and I was horrified when he said ascens parasites! All these things point to auto immunity and I have several diseases, I really feel for the first time I am addressing the causes rather than the symptoms. He has told me this is a long healing process although I should start to see results within a couple of months.

I love cooking when I have the energy and yes this sort of diet takes a while to adjust too as you seem to spend ages checking every label in the supermarket! I am also gluten and sugar free.However once you get to know the products that are ok and find a good source of organic veg it actually gets less time consuming. I am lucky our local butcher has grass fed meat, more expensive but more tasty too!

[badhbt]

Wow I didn't know they could test all of that in saliva! Please let us know how the diet goes for you. I am going to attempt it I have never read anything where a Doctor says this problem goes away. Hope it isn't too good to be true.

[dancer65]

I will do!

I will be happy if I can just get things under control. I just wanted to add I have not just looked at my diet but my whole lifestyle, What I now believe to be the triggers to my auto immune problems and I am addressing these as well.

btw I had put on weight with the florinef and this last couple of weeks I have dropped 5 pounds and my clothes fit better again! I have IBS and it took a few weeks to settle down but I haven't had constipation, bloating, cramp the last month

Any one who is thinking of doing this I would just advice you to find recipes to make yourself snacks/treats, so that when a craving appears you don't grab something your not allowed! I did a kitchen cleanse so there was no temptation!

This is not the first time I have tried diet to solve my issues. I did a very similar diet two years after loosing all my hair to alopecia. During this two years I had no sign of regrowth and no conventional treatments worked so I turned to holistic remedies in desperation. The diet did produce results I have a good amount of regrowth, but when I returned to school after the summer holidays it all fell out. In hind sight I believe my lifestyle at school, I was training to be a classical dancer so the mental and physical demands were huge. My asthma, excema and allergies did improved on this diet.This was 38 years ago so there is so much more info available now, At the time I just decided to wear wigs and get on with my life and to stop obsessing trying to cure myself! I hope it is ok to post my experience,

[sideofsalt]

I looked into it long ago but decided that since I can't handle histamine-rich foods like fermented vegetables, that the diet would not be complete for me. Fermented vegetables are a key part of the GAPS diet. I decided instead to work with a registered dietitian who prescribed a diet customized to my lab work and symptoms and that worked for me. Please keep us posted if you decide to go that route!