The GAPS Diet as outlined in the bestselling book by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD is one of the most effective ways to heal and seal the gut wall in order to reverse a variety of autoimmune conditions. It is based on the 100-year-old, science-backed Specific Carbohydrate Diet.
Conditions resolved by GAPS include eczema, psoriasis, ADD/ADHD, autism, Celiac disease, allergies, asthma, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, IBS, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, diabetes, cancer, and the list goes on. This book is a must-read for those who suffer from any sort of autoimmune disease, mild or severe.
Dr. Campbell-McBride says that, on average, it takes a child 6-18 months on the GAPS diet for the gut to heal, while an adult may take longer possibly up to three years.
While the good news is that the GAPS Diet is only a temporary diet to heal the gut, the bad news is that the diet is highly restrictive with the elimination of many foods that cannot be consumed until symptoms of autoimmune illness have completely subsided and the gut is sufficiently healed. These foods include:
- All grains and any food that contains them. This includes wheat, rye, rice, corn, oats, amaranth, Kamut, spelt, barley, millet, buckwheat, teff, triticale, bulgur, tapioca, quinoa, and any others.
- Starchy vegetables like white and sweet potatoes, parsnip, arrowroot, cassava, and taro. Even those that contain beneficial resistant starch must be avoided temporarily.
- Regular and soaked beans and legumes 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. Honey and very ripe fruit would be the only sweets allowed. Fermented dairy like yogurt and kefir as well as butter and store-bought or homemade ghee are permitted unless the GAPS condition is severe.
While many folks desperately want to heal their autoimmune illness using GAPS, the restrictive nature of the diet is off-putting, to say the least even if it must only be followed temporarily.
As a result, giving people the means to heal as quickly as possible while on GAPS is very important so that the diet can be used for as short a time as possible.
If you are already on GAPS or considering using it to put your autoimmune disease behind you for good, here are four techniques suggested by the clinic Biodynamic Wellness in San Diego to facilitate rapid healing. Â If using these methods reduces your time on GAPS by even 6 months, it will no doubt be well worth the effort!
Methods to Supercharge Gut Healing While on GAPS
Castor Oil Packs
The castor bean (Oleum ricini) is known principally for its laxative effects. A pack placed over the abdomen, usually with heat applied, allows the oil to be absorbed into the lymphatic circulation to provide a soothing, cleansing, and nutritive treatment.
The castor oil pack works well to speed the healing of many disorders specifically those involving the digestive system. It is not to be used during pregnancy, heavy menstrual flow or the presence of internal bleeding. This article contains detailed instructions on how to prepare and use a castor oil pack to speed healing and shorten your GAPS journey.
Okra Pepsin E3
Okra Pepsin E3 is a supplement that supports intestinal mucosal tissue, bowel function, and cleansing. Agricultural experts call okra a “powerhouse of nutrients” with much of its nutritive value found in soluble fiber gums and pectins which greatly promote gastrointestinal health. This supplement is particularly helpful for alternating periods of diarrhea and constipation which plague many people suffering from autoimmune illness.
Okra Pepsin E3 also promotes phagocytosis, the biological process which removes debris and harmful microorganisms from the body. Â In addition, immune function is stimulated and the mucilage from the okra coats and provides intestinal lubrication that acts as a cooling agent, easing gastrointestinal discomfort.
Fecal Transplants
This new technique which has gained popularity over the past few years has been clinically shown to be safe and 100% effective and is nothing short of astounding in helping children and adults regain normal digestive function very rapidly.
The effects of a clinic or DIY fecal transplant cannot be replicated with any other technique. It can best be described as “probiotic treatment on steroids”.  Some holistic doctors around the country are quietly performing the procedure for their patients, but the good news is that people can easily do it safely at home with a $10 enema bag. No insurance companies to haggle with and no expense/travel long distances to find a doctor who will do it for you.
Just be sure to select a healthy donor. According to Biodynamic Wellness, exclusively breastfed, vaginally delivered babies from Moms who follow the principles of Traditional Diet would be ideal donors along with an older sibling or adult with the same background.
Drainage Remedies
Drainage remedies like those from UNDA, Heel, Pekana, and Guna are also extremely helpful (and easy to administer) in healing the mucosal lining of the gut and respiratory tracts.
You can locate a classical homeopath in your area to prepare these remedies for you, or alternatively, you can contact Biodynamic Wellness who can make them for you as needed without the need for a long or expensive consultation. A brief health history including age, weight and gut condition over the phone (takes about 2 minutes) is necessary to prepare the remedies appropriately. This helps determine the ideal dosage.
These remedies can also be found online but it might be difficult to determine proper dosages.
More Information on the GAPS Diet
GAPS or Autoimmune Paleo for Healing the Gut
GAPS Diet: Heal Your Autoimmune Disease Now
Overwhelmed by the GAPS Diet? Â Help Has Arrived
The Five Most Common GAPS Diet Mistakes
GAPS Diet Heals Ulcerative Colitis
Hannah’s Story: 2 Years on GAPS Diet Heals Autism
Chronic Stomach Pain and Bloating Gone!
Can you use the okra supplements during the intro part of the GAPS diet?
How would you know who a healthy fecal donor would be? (especially when it comes to adult donor). I mean aside from vaginal birth and Breast fed… Or would all babies from said nutrition dense diets /ebf/vaginal birth qualify? (because if I as the mother needed said ft, would baby still be available as donor? Because if I needed ft but otherwise was following Nourishing Traditions and using cod liver oil, grass fed meat, pastured chickens, raw milk etc… Would baby (ebf/vaginal delivery) be considered a good donor? Or am I missing something? Am I even making sense?
My naturopath said to not use a baby because they have an immature system that hasn’t been exposed to as much and isn’t as complete as a child or adult. In desperation I did a transplant DIY at home using my 14 year old as a donor (he’s quite healthy, vaginally delivered, eats right, and no antibiotics since 1 yr old). The results were amazing!!!
Nice article! I did the GAPS diet for my severe Crohn’s disease and was able to completely recover and get off all of my meds. I wasn’t able to utilize any of these shortcuts as this was back in 2010 but I certainly would have given them a try if I knew about them.
I have tried castor oil packs at home but they were so messy and I didn’t really notice a huge benefit. But that could have been because I didn’t stick with it long enough.
If I was still suffering the way I was before I would DEFINITELY be looking into fecal transplants. It’s amazing what glowing reviews this treatment is getting and it’s offering great hope to people living with IBD and other digestive ailments.
Thanks for the blog. 🙂
research ketogenic diets.
Okra Pepsin was too rough on my gut, irritated it even more than it was already. Castor oil packs helped and were very soothing. As for homeopathic drainage and a two minute consultation, that is irresponsible. The ladies at Biodynamic Wellness are not homeopaths they are nutritionists! Heel and
Pekana mix many remedies and true homeopaths do not use these as no one really knows the interaction between the remedies in the the products. Homeopathy is VERY symptom specific and much more time is needed in a consultation than two minutes!
After three years on the GAPS diet and most of my symptoms cleared up, I still had terrible fatigue most days and a lot of bloating. If I didn’t eat, or fasted I was fine. I finally decided to do FT’s with my son as a donor – exclusively breastfed, vaginally birthed, never has had antibiotics or vaccines, eats a pastured, local, organic diet, etc. I feel SOOO much better. Honestly I have not ever felt this good since being a child (am now 42).
Is it safe to try these if you are nursing a little one? I’m guessing that the castor oil pack would cause die-off but what about the others? Okra Pepsin E3? Fecal Transplants? Drainage Remedies?
I’d like to know that too…
I’ve been told by Sara Poff of Healthy Families for God that as long as you are urinating & pooping fine you don’t need to worry about die-off releasing into your breast milk.
I am interested in the answer to this too. I don’t have any autoimmune issues, but I think I may have an imbalance of gut bacteria in my gut. I am nursing, and will be for at least another year. I intend to get pregnant again when I am done nursing, and I really want to get my gut in order before the next pregnancy. I don’t mind the restrictive nature of GAPS, but I am concerned that it will affect my milk supply. Sarah, do you have any recommendations for resources on nursing and the accelerated GAPS?
I followed a hyrbid Gaps/Low-fodmap diet to cure my Frutose Malabsorption and had great success! My mom would really benefit from doing this too but she doesn’t quite have the same tenacity as myself so she is reluctant to begin.
I have been looking around for a shortcut for her and have read that colostrum seems to help with gut permeability. Has anyone tried this?
Unfortunately, the “exclusively breastfed, vaginally delivered babies from Moms who eat a fully Traditional Diet” in this house are just as screwed up as the Mama (me) who delivered them. I may have made all the best choices about how to birth and feed them, but even years into trying to fix my gut flora, I’m still not winning. You don’t want my babies’ poop!
Ha ha! I could have written your post. I am also trying to win this fight and find someone who would be a good donor. My babies would not qualify, and my husband was a caesarean baby who was mostly formula fed and did not grow up eating traditionally. I’m afraid to ask anyone outside our family about such a potentially embarrassing topic, but I want to get well someday!
I took okra pepson (among a few other digestive supplement) and can attest that it really helped me!