The GAPS Diet is a healing protocol based on the 100 year old, scientifically backed Specific Carbohydrate Diet, also called SCD.
It was first developed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD based on her clinical experience with hundreds of patients and detailed in Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS).
The GAPS book is an eye opening read about how the microbial environment within the gut can affect a person’s neurology and physiology.
This post discusses how to use the GAPS Diet to reverse conditions that are autoimmune in nature. Examples of GAPS conditions include allergies, eczema, psoriasis, ADD/ADHD, autism, celiac disease, asthma, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, diabetes, cancer, and the list goes on and on.
These conditions all can be traced to unfavorable conditions within the gut that cause undigested bits of food as well as pathogens and toxins to spill into the blood causing an unpredictable mix of autoimmune symptoms within the body.
That’s right – all autoimmune disease is rooted in the gut!
The GAPS diet as recommended by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD limits food intake to those items that can be fully digested even within a compromised gut environment thereby allowing the gut wall to heal. When the gut wall is allowed to finally heal by removing foods that cannot be fully digested, the holes in the gut wall reseal and the toxins that are causing autoimmune symptoms stop spilling into the blood and wreaking havoc in the body.
What Foods Do People on GAPS Diet Need to Avoid
At first read, the GAPS diet can seem quite complicated. In actuality, it is really very simple.
There are primarily two types of food molecules that folks in the process of healing their guts need to avoid:
- Disaccharides
- Starches (including resistant starch)
Disaccharides, or double sugars, are present in many carbohydrates including ALL grains. The compromised gut is unable to digest double sugar molecules because the lack of beneficial gut flora compromises the function of the enterocytes.
The enterocytes are the cells that reside on the villi of the gut wall and produce the enzyme disaccharidase which breaks down the disaccharide molecule into easily absorbed monosaccharide molecules. When the enterocytes are not nourished and strengthened properly by adequate beneficial flora, they become weak and diseased and may even turn cancerous. They do not perform their duties of digesting and absorbing food properly.
The critical importance of the enterocytes to health cannot be overstated!
Weak and diseased enterocytes also have trouble digesting starch molecules which are very large with hundreds of monosugars connected in long branchlike strands. People with weak digestion due to an imbalance of gut flora and messed up enterocytes have a terrible time digesting these complex molecules leaving large amounts of it undigested- the perfect food for pathogenic yeasts, bacteria, fungi and other pathogens to thrive upon.
Even the starch that manages to get digested results in molecules of maltose, which is – you guessed it – a disaccharide! This maltose also goes undigested due to a lack of the enzyme disaccharidase and becomes additional food for gut pathogens.
The GAPS Diet Bottom Line
Therefore, all foods containing disaccharide and starch molecules must be removed from the diet of a GAPS child or adult in order to allow the enterocytes to strengthen and heal the gut wall.
Dr. Campbell-McBride MD writes that clinical practice has shown that given enough time, the gut usually will again be able to digest these foods without any ill effects (aka, autoimmune disease) to the person consuming them.
The GAPS Diet is not a forever thing. It is a temporary measure to heal the gut wall and restrengthen the enterocytes so normal life can be regained without the burden of autoimmune disease. These GAPS recipes can make implementing the protocol much easier.
Foods To Eliminate
The GAPS child or adult must avoid all grains and any food that contains them. This includes wheat, einkorn, rye, rice, corn, oats, amaranth, kamut, spelt, triticale, barley, buckwheat, millet, teff, bulgur wheat, quinoa and any others.
In addition, Starchy vegetables like white and sweet potatoes, tapioca, cassava, parsnip, arrowroot and taro must be eliminated from the diet for a time.
Starchy beans and peas must also be avoided which includes pretty much all of them with the exception of green peas and navy beans.
All sugars including the lactose in milk and cream must be avoided. Raw honey, date sugar and syrup, and very ripe fruit would be the only sweets allowed. Fermented dairy like yogurt and kefir as well as butter and ghee are permitted unless the GAPS condition is severe.
How Long to Healing on GAPS?
Dr. Campbell-McBride says that, on average, it takes a child 6-18 months on the GAPS diet for the gut to heal. For an adult, it may take longer.
Note that it will not necessarily take this long for symptoms to subside, however. It is possible for symptoms to be substantially gone within weeks of eliminating these foods from the diet. Subsiding of symptoms does not mean the person is ready to consume grains and starches again, though.
Every person is different and the severity of his/her gut imbalance will determine how long it takes for the enterocytes to become strong again, the gut wall to heal and seal, and the ability to digest disaccharide and starch molecules regained.
Probiotics Alone Will Not Heal Your Gut
I’ve had folks say to me that they don’t need to go on the GAPS diet as they take a probiotic on a daily basis and eat probiotic rich, whole foods.
Please be aware that changing to even a completely unprocessed, whole foods diet and taking a daily probiotic will not necessarily heal your gut!
This approach alone will not heal your enterocytes and heal/seal the gut wall from years of abuse by antibiotics, the pill, other drugs, and processed foods.
The reason is that the enterocytes reside on the gut wall and the balance of flora on the gut wall cannot be changed. A probiotic supplement is not able to re-colonize this area of the gut!
Dr. Campbell-McBride MD writes that probably the only time that in our entire lives where we can populate the gut wall with beneficial bacteria is at birth.
Therefore, the only way to heal the enterocytes and the gut wall is to take away the food of the pathogens (disaccharides and starches) so that they weaken and the beneficial flora consumed by a probiotic can take hold and re-establish dominance in the rest of the gut.
Then, when these foods are re-introduced at a later time, the enterocytes will be strong and able to digest and handle them properly. This simply will not ever happen unless a period of time to heal these important little cells occurs.
Also note that even after healing, the gut will require constant infusion of probiotics on a daily basis. You can either supplement your diet with probiotic rich foods like yogurt, kefir, homemade saurkraut, kombucha and others or you can continue taking a therapeutic strength probiotic such as Bio-kult, which is recommended by Dr. Campbell-McBride.
GAPS Conclusions
One autoimmune disease begets another, so if you or someone you love has allergies or another mild form of autoimmune disorder, more severe autoimmune disease will very likely take hold in the future unless the root of the problem (gut imbalance) is addressed.
Autoimmune disease never gets better – it only gets worse over time.
Of course, severe autoimmune disease mandates the GAPS Diet as perhaps the only viable option for reversal and healing.
For this reason, it may be worthwhile to consider the GAPS diet as a measure to fix gut dysbiosis once and for all.
More Information on the GAPS Diet
Overwhelmed by the GAPS Diet? Help Has Arrived
How to Speed Healing and Shorten Time on the GAPS Diet
The Five Most Common GAPS Diet Mistakes
Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) for Autoimmune Disease
GAPS Diet Heals Ulcerative Colitis
FPIES: Resolving the “Other” Food Allergy
5 Steps to Healing IBS Naturally
Hannah’s Story: 2 Years on GAPS Diet Heals Autism
Chronic Stomach Pain and Bloating Gone!
How to Hold a GAPS Style, Grain Free Birthday Party
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
You mentioned that quinoa is a grain. I’ve always known that it was a seed…or am I wrong?
Quinoa is a seed and buckwheat is neither wheat nor grain…
does any one know about donkey milk and it it can help your gut and auto immune disease. if so why does it help?
I was wondering what do you think of donkey milk?. does it have any beneficial results for people or children with auto-immue disease? people say so, but they dont really specify why this would be the case? im curious to try it. ive been cutting out all starches for a few months now but i still feel there are toxins in my system ,in the morning the heel of my foot is painful and i have had hair loss .but my stomach is much better,i use to have upset stomach/pain a lot. does any one know about this?
Sabrina, the anti-candida diet is an older diet. It may heal some people, but not everyone. This article refers to a diet practiced by the Weston Price Foundation, and written about in the book ‘Gut And Psychology Syndrome’. It recommends grass-fed meats, bone broths, and only specially prepared grains. You can research the diets on google. Good luck!
Hello I’m so confused. I was panning on starting the candida diet by doing the cleanse first then the strict diet which had grains like oat bran allowed and no fruits allowed since it fed the candida. Now I see that fruit is allowed and that grains aren’t! Omg I need help I just want to heal 🙁
I’m wondering – would a parasite infection cause the kind intestinal distress that would benefit from a GAPS diet? I’m having a heck of a time getting rid of parasites, have tried clenses and now am trying antibiotics (which I really really did not want to do, but am following the advice of my naturopath doc). Just feel like I am in need of a healing diet after all the abuse of the parasites and the anti-parasitic remedies, and have been following a ‘parasite diet’, similar to the candita diet. But of course, am still eating the grains/starches – monosaccarides… maybe the parasites are thriving on these. I’m very intrigued by the GAPS diet – I’m looking more into it for this issue. Any advice on this?
Hi Marie. My understanding of GAPS is that it wouldn’t get rid of parasites. Dr. Natasha even mentions medications for that in her book. You could first do a 90 day round of Diatomaceous Earth (DE). You can google that treatment. Just be sure to get “FOOD GRADE” Diatomaceous Earth. Then after you have cleared the parasites, you could potentially try out GAPS for additional healing. Just a suggestion…
Has anyone had success treating Interstitial Cystitis with this? It also seems that every time I turn around I develop a new food allergy and a new skin sensitivity. I had no allergies as a kid but did suffer from many yeast infections since the age of 10. They subsided around 20 and I seem to have traded them for the Interstitial Cystitis. Im tired of feeling terrible.
Hey Lauren, combined with the use of homeopathy (with Joette Calabrese), I am reversing my food intolerances and Interstitial Cystits (IC). I am drinking raw milk and slowly working up to eating more fermented veggies. I feel that if I heal my gut–combined with the help of homeopathy–I will be able to heal my IC. Go to my blog to learn more: http://weallseeic.blogspot.com
I have a question for you, do you think a child would get adequate calories on the GAPS diet? My 2 year old adopted child has two very serious autoimmune disease, one in the kidneys which she is currently in stage 2 kidney failure, and one in the colon along with a host of serious food allergies. I would like to try the gaps diet with her, but she is failure to thrive at the moment and getting a feeding tube next month. I would like to try the GAPS diet and think the feeding tube will be a great tool to make it successful, I just worry about her getting enough calories with what seems like “just a lot of broth!” 😉 Also down the road as her kidney disease progresses she will need to limit protein intake a bit, do you think this will be a challenge on the gaps diet? Thank you!!!!
Hi Ashley,
I was wondering if you’ve had any help. I am looking for the same.
I still haven’t quite worked this all out completely. While I do now think it’s doable in the calories department, I’m still not sure about the protein intake question. Seeing as how my daughter is getting highly processed medical formula through the feeding tube at the moment, I think we’re pretty far off gaps, but I keep taking baby steps with her and our whole family’s journey to heal and healing.
Having glanced at your blog, I would suggest that you get in touch with Dr. Campbell McBride to discuss all of her issues. My friend’s friend has a 5 year old son that has had terrible digestive issues since he was a baby and she had a consultation with Dr. Campbell McBride, because his situation was so bad (they had been to many specialists in many states). 2 months after starting GAPS he is off of the formula and eating real food, by mouth, for the first time in his life.
There should be no problem getting adequate calories on the GAPS diet. Just include plenty of fermented cream and clarified butter. Calories really are not an issue. People who loose weight on GAPS are either not eating enough fat or have serious trouble digesting fat (which can be healed fairly quickly). I was underweight when I started GAPS and started putting on 1 pound a month and now I put on 1 pound a weak (pretty much all muscle).
My wife went through kidney failure. Yes, protein restriction is recommended. How much it helps is very questionable. A lot of studies are showing that kidney failure patients who restrict their protein die quicker than those who don’t. Limiting protein does create less load on the kidneys, but deprives the entire body (including the kidney) of essential amino acids.
My wife did fine with eating about 1.2g of protein for every kg of body weight. Just don’t go overboard on the protein. But make sure the child gets as much as they want. Let their body guide you. Fermented milk (36-hour yogurt) is a great source of easy to digest protein that probably won’t produce too much waste products.
This was REALLY helpful, thank you John!!!!
You’re welcome Ashley. We’ve been dealing with kidney failure for 5 years. If you have other questions or think we can help with something, please email me at [email protected].
Another thing to really avoid is fructose — even fruit. It increases uric acid. A little fruit is fine if your kidney works — but if not, it can really cause a lot of problems. You can find out more about uric acid, fructose and kidney failure here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjG5t4LN0jA
My wife is in stage 5 kidney failure and the GAPS diet saved her life. She’s been on it for two years. There’s no issues about calorie restriction. Just eat plenty of animal fat. And I wouldn’t restrict protein. Studies show that’s a myth. Kidney failure patients on restricted protein diets live shorter lives: diabeticdharma.com/low-phosphorous/
My 8-year old has been on GAPS for two years and just gets better and better.
Weak stomach acid can be a serious problem. You may need to add HCL to her diet.
GAPS is not just about broth. It’s mainly about well-cooked soups made out of vegetables, meat and fat. Very nourishing and healing.
I was wondering if you’ve ever heard of a product called Threelac? If you have I would like to know your opinion on it. Also I noticed that you mentioned quinoa in your list of grains… I read on a website that it actually isn’t a grain, rather its a “pseudocereal” and closely related to spinach, beets, and tumbleweeds… should this still be avoided for the time frame needed to reprogram your digestive system?
I have used Threelac for several years now and love it. It has made a huge difference for me. I have Fibromyalgia, Chronic Myofacial Pain, an Autoimmune Progesterone Allergy, Leaky Gut, Candida, and Adrenal Fatigue. Before Threelac my classic candida symptoms were 7’s, 8’s, and 9’s on a scale of 1-10 (10 being worst). After taking Threelac for several months without any diet changes (Standard American Diet-SAD) my symptoms reduced to 2’s and 3’s, except my fatigue continued to be terrible. It took me over a year to talk myself into trying the GAPS diet. I did the GAPS diet in June and July of 2012. (We went on a cruise the end of August and I wanted to transition back to a normal diet. I didn’t want to cruise on GAPS.) After only 2 months I felt better than I had felt in 15 years. We started on the intro diet and progressed through all of the stages in about 2 weeks. (My husband was impatient with the diet.) We were able to determine some foods that didn’t agree with us. I was actually starting to feel like I had enough energy to start an exercise program. (I used to exercise regularly, but have been way too tired.) I felt like my body was being nourished and healing at the cellular level. I feel like Threelac only fought half of the battle and that the GAPS diet will finish the job. I started back on the diet about 2 months ago, but didn’t jump into the deep end (into diet) this time. I have started on the full diet and am slowly working my way to the introduction diet. It was very, very difficult to start with into. I tell all my friends to start by preparing some GAPS meals and getting used to the making the foods. (It is nice to be able to grab a bottle of barbecue sauce from the fridge when your attempt at the GAPS legal stuff doesn’t come out like you expect it to.) Then starting with the full diet when they feel ready. Once they have adjusted their lifestyle a bit, it will be easier to transition to the into. My results this time have not been quite as good as starting on the intro, but I am progressing as I would expect and am working toward doing the intro again. My 11 year old daughter is also doing well also. She is thinking more clearly, her focus is much improved, and her OCD is gone. My husband is not doing the diet this time. He did it for emotional support last time, but was surprised to be healed from a digestive issue that he has had since he was a child. When he ate fatty foods like pot roast, he would have terrible diarrhea. 30 minutes after he ate it, he would be in the bathroom for an hour or so in pain (digestive enzymes helped if we thought about them ahead of time). One doctor said it might be gall bladder related. 2 months on the diet and the problems are gone. I highly recommend the Threelac (especially Fivelac) for anyone with candida problems and definitely try GAPS. (Start slow with the Threelac. It is potent.)
Some of my symptoms greatly improved by Threelac and GAPS:
Perfume, smoke, & chemical sensitivities, Sugar cravings, Inability to think clearly, Feeling ‘spacey’ or ‘unreal’, OCD, insomnia, abdominal pain, vaginal itching and discharge, rectal itching and hemorrhoids, menstrual pain, headaches, dizziness, itchy ears and heavy wax buildup, heartburn, indigestion, toenail fungus, athlete’s foot, dry eyes, muscle tension/pain, hypersensitivity to light touches on my skin, and a physical anxiety/hyperactivity-like sensation that I can only describe as feeling like I had itching powder running through my veins (sitting on an airplane for a couple of hours was torture–I wanted to get up and run up and down the aisle.)
Also, I used to get cold sores every 2-3 weeks (I was able to stop most of them from forming with Sambucol brand elderberry extract). I have only had 2 cold sores since I started GAPS the first time over 10 months ago.
I am interested in the Progesterone Allergy condition. Could you tell me more about symptoms – when they started, what kind, triggers, diagnosis, medical treatment, etc.
I had autoimmune progesterone dermatitis. I had taken the pill on and off for several years. I started again after being off of it for several months. My hip started itching, then I had a small rash about the size of a quarter at first, but it continued to grow. The doctors didn’t know what it was. They said it looked like an allergy and asked if I changed my laundry detergent. Unfortunately it took me a month and a half to figure out that it was the pill that I was allergic to. The rash had grown to completely cover my outer thighs, my inner thighs, and my bottom. As soon as I stopped taking the pill the rash stopped getting worse and went away over the next couple of weeks. A few months later they gave me a different pill. Within a day or two I started itching again, so I stopped taking the pill immediately. Then I started breaking out in a rash every month just before my period. It started at about day 24 and would get progressively worse until I started my period, which was usually at 30-33 days. It took a couple of months for me to realize what was going on and get to a doctor when the rash was visible. The common ingredient between both of the pills and that point in my cycle was progesterone. It started as a reaction to the pill, but continued as an autoimmune reaction. This was back in 2000. He was perplexed, because he had never heard of it before. That same office visit he confirmed that I was 2 weeks pregnant with my daughter. As my progesterone levels rose, my rash continued to get worse for about 3 months, then mellowed out and finally went away. He said that a lot of women’s allergies decrease later in the pregnancy, because your immune system decreases a bit so you don’t reject the baby. Also, when I was pregnant, I had terrible morning sickness. Without medication I threw up everything I ate or drank. With the meds I was only throwing up 3 times per day. It finally eased up well into my second trimester, but I had to continue the meds all the way through. When I started having periods again, the rashes continued, but were not as bad. They eased up over the next several years. They went away when I started treating my yeast overgrowth and gut issues. I don’t have the rashes anymore, but I would imagine it is still an underlying issue contributing to my adrenal fatigue. It was probably 2006 before I started seeing the diagnosis of “autoimmune progesterone dermatitis” on the internet and said “aha, that’s it!! I’m not the only one!” As far as treatment goes, I did very little. I just used some over the counter creams like cortisone and Benadryl. My personal recommendation is to treat the gut issues with probiotics, lacto-fermented foods, and the GAPS diet so that the body can heal itself.