GAPS Intro

Today I started the GAPS Intro diet. "What is the intro diet and why am I starting it now, after I have been a Gapster for several months?" I hear you ask.

Well basically the Intro diet is a cleansing rundown and I really felt that I needed to get in the swing of the diet before I did the cleanse. It has taken me 9 months of going on and off the diet to finally feel confident in what I am eating.

So why am I on the diet? Well, the full name for the diet is the "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" diet. Its basic premise is that people with unhealthy gut flora often have brain related problems like, autism, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety etc and by removing problem foods from their diet they can restore the natural balance in the gut and stop the gut-brain reactions. (That is a very simplistic explanation it is obviously more complicated than that. Its all very scientific - lots of talk of starch and sugars fermenting in the gut and causing morphine type recations in the brain or something. For more information see the links at the bottom of the page).

I suffer from varying moods, that sometimes feel like they have taken control of me. So when one of my girlfriends suggested the diet I was very interested.

The amazing thing is IT ACTUALLY WORKS! Just removing all grains, sugars and starches from my diet and I am a different person. Who knew it could be so easy!

My symptoms weren't just pshychological, I have also struggled with allergies for years, and had ongoing health issues like fatigue, chronic tonsilitis and sinus issues, eczema, hay fever... you get the picture.

So what can I eat? Basically I eat lots of fresh and fremented foods and lots of fat. Meat, veges, fruit, nuts, some legumes, loads of bone broth and sauerkraut and eggs. I eat butter, lard, coconut oil, but no vegetable oils as they mostly hydrogenated. The only exception is cold pressed virgin olive oil.

I usually make pancakes and muffins etc from nut meal instead of grain flour. I can use honey in recipes as it is a monosaccharide, whereas sugar, maple syrup, fructose etc are all polysaccharides and cause a bad reaction.

So back to the Intro diet: Basically the first day is all about soup! It wasnt nearly as hard as I thought it would be.

http://gapsdiet.com/INTRODUCTION_DIET.html

Breakfast: Reverse Osmosis water with liquid mineral suppliment and lemon juice. Beef and vege soup- stewed all day yesterday and then left on the stove (on low) all day today.

Lunch: more soup with a nice big dollop of ghee.

Dinner: 2 bowls of soup with sauerkraut on top.

Snacks: ginger tea

Bedtime: Soak in epsom salt bath (for extra cleansing properties - and it just feels good).

Tomorrow I brave an enema - wish me luck!!

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Links

A video with the author, telling how her son was healed of sever autism with the diet. http://www.healyourself.com.au/product/gut-and-psychology-syndrome-book-australia-gaps-dr-natasha-campbell-mcbride/

The book: http://www.amazon.com/Gut-Psychology-Syndrome-Depression-Schizophrenia/dp/B0016J7HZU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250164278&sr=1-2

Conditions helped by this diet. http://gapsguide.com/about/conditions-addressed-by-gaps/

A fairly good (and long) explanation of the science behind the diet http://www.sustainlane.com/reviews/the-gaps-diet-the-mother-of-all-diets/LTVKD7QC3RN23RUSRVX2DXV3R98X

Living outside the accepted "norm"

I have come home from my spinning group feeling yuk.

This group have never been the friendliest bunch so I have alway been careful with how much I say and what content is in that dialogue, but I have been away for the last 2 weeks and today I plum forgot to be careful.

I let it slip that I follow a Weston A Price style diet, after I was offered a biscuit and declined. This led to a lot of questions. Not the inquiring type questions that say "Oh, what is that? Tell us more". The type that say, "What do you mean by being different!! Are you challenging our mainstream lifestyle?!!!"

One of the ladies is a retired nurse turned teacher, and of all the people I have ever met these are the worst kind for thinking outside the box (sorry if any of you lovely people fit into that category - Im sure there are exceptions to my experience!). Well this lady was very offended by my dietary ideas and went to extreme length to suggest some (often bizarre) situations where this diet was not healthy.

I should have laughed, because she was being rediculous, but she was sooo rude to me I just felt angry, offended, and beligerent. What difference does it make to her if my lifestyle is different!!? So unfortunately I argued back, trying to explain some of the science behind my reasoning. I soon realised it was a lost cause and just went back to my spinning.

Obviously my attempt to withdraw from the discussion was not noticed and the next thing she started parroting on about was my choice to homeschool! She wanted to know if I was a qualified teacher, if I had a university degree (like that is any of her business), how would I know if my kids where up to the standard of school kids etc, etc, etc. It was a full frontal attack, and truly nasty.

I answered her questions, but each answer was scoffed at and the next one was loaded to the pistol ready to fire. I was trying not to be rude back but finding it hard to give her an answer without highlighting her own arrogance. (I could have said "gee you are really threatened by my choices", which I have done in the past, but I felt it would not go over well with this woman).

The sad thing was that one of the other ladies agreed with her and kept adding fuel to the fire, and I ended up leaving feeling like I was the one with the problem.

I obviously dont believe I have a problem, but the heat of that moment was so intense I got lost.

Ok, deep breath in, slow breath out.

Back home again and feeling better to have gotten all that off my chest and regain my equilibrium.

Now Im off to make some radical almond meal muffins and some recalcitrant pastries (made with lard!)