GO WITH YOUR GUT
A nutritional regimen to heal digestion, repair immunity,
and make a damaged body whole again2
“ALL DISEASE BEGINS IN THE GUT”
-Hippocrates, 460 BC–370 BC

Hello,
It’s taken me about 5 months to put this zine together. It is part
reflection, part GAPS diet primer, with additional research and narrative thrown in.
In recent years I’ve been gaining more of an understanding of the effects of
modern civilization on the body, mind, and soul. I’m particularly interested in how
we can use the healing arts and the wisdom of our pre-civilized ancestors to
recover and get back in touch with our wild selves. A body poisoned, numbed,
drugged, and sick is a walking marionette, with the strings controlled by those in
power. By taking our health into our own hands we can cut those strings and undo
that control.
I wrote this zine to put my thoughts out about nutritional healing and
the GAPS diet, as a person with a strong critique of civilization, authority and diet
faddism, and with a belief that healing oneself is a radical act.
GAPS is one specific healing regimen developed by one person, Dr.
Natasha Campbell-McBride, and while there are other similar recipes for healing,
this is the one I’m familiar with, and this is my experience with it. This zine is not
intended to replace the official GAPS book, Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Dr.
NCM (who I have never met) and I would recommend getting the book if you can
afford it to read about all the stuff I left out (including an Introduction Diet, and
Dairy Introduction Structure), and particularly if you are trying to use the diet to
heal more serious issues. This zine, being available for free or very cheap, is
intended to educate those who may not normally have access to this information. I
encourage you to do more research, and most importantly, to trust your gut!
Happy reading.
DISCLAIMER: When healing the gut and introducing probiotics, “detox” reactions
can occur which may temporarily worsen the very symptoms the treatment will
eventually heal. This can include physical symptoms like bloating and constipation;
or psychological symptoms like depression, and hyperactivity in children. For more
serious issues it would be a good idea to seek the guidance of a GAPS practitioner
and/or do additional research.3
1. I FELLINTO THE GAP
a) mystory
2. GAPS, AN OVERVIEW
a) so what is “GAPS”?doI have GAPS?
b) gutdysbiosis, leakygut,and gut
immunity
c) healing with the GAPSdiet
d) non-allowed foods
e) foundation foods
f) supplementation
3. DISCUSSIONS
a) GAPScompared tootherdiets
b) GAPSand herbs
c) diggingdeeper
4. TIPS AND TRICKS
a) makingitcheapand doable
b) recipes/meal ideas
5. RESOURCES
6. CONTACT
TABLE OF CONTENTS4
my story
As I write this, 73 days have passed since I’ve consumed
sugar, or grain. I’ve hardly left my kitchen, working up a sweat making
sauerkraut, culturing yogurt, laboring over a stove learning how to make
bone broth with my face buried in a bright yellow book entitled Gut and
Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment For: Autism, ADD, ADHD,
Depression, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Schizophrenia by Dr. Natasha
Campbell-McBride. Last week my friend Sean and I slaughtered ducks in
his backyard and I now have in front of me a big bowl of rich duck broth.
I’ve come a long ways from adolescence, when I wouldn’t
think twice about considering a cup of ramen noodles a “balanced meal”.
It has all those freeze dried vegetables in it, right?
I’ve struggled with my health as long as I can remember. I
mean sure, we all have to some degree, and it’s not like I had diabetes,
or Crohn’s disease, but the normalcy of dis-ease does not make it more
okay. In high school I struggled with depression. I got sick a lot-strep
throat at least three times, that was treated with antibiotics, and I got
frequent colds. I was tired a lot. I would fall asleep in high school,
especially during my first period class, and after school I was lethargic
and had a rough time getting through my homework assignments. My
self-esteem, body image, and social life suffered.
I started working at the co-op in my hometown when I was 1 6
and began to take health into my own hands. I learned what kale was, I
tried to give up eating meat-for ethical and environmental reasons and
because some of my health-conscious coworkers urged that it was the
healthy thing to do. I lasted about a week, maybe two, before indulging
in some of my aunt’s grilled chicken. I was surprised to notice how much
better I felt when I ate meat.
When I was 1 8 I moved to Olympia. I became involved with
politics and activism and lived in a collective house with strict vegans. I
was mostly vegan for a few months and lived off peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches and dumpstered bread slathered with earth balance. It was
cheese that broke my veganism. I visited a naturopath who told me I was
anemic and severely vitamin D deficient. Hey, it turns out cow dairy is a
good source of vitamin D! He got me to start taking a bunch of expensive
supplements-cold liver oil, hydrochloric acidIbut being a broke kid
without insurance, I couldn’t afford it for very long.
1. I FELLINTO THE GAP5
My previous ideas about veganism and vegetarianism were
challenged as I began to become more connected to my surrounding
natural environment, learning what traditional foods have made up the
diets of Pacific Northwest Coast native peoples for thousands of years –
salmon, deer, elk, as well as wild roots and greens. I got ahold of a copy
of Nourishing Traditions and my food philosophy evolved. I appreciated
its eschewing of newfangled foods. I began to look at the patterns
among healthy pre-civilized people and cultures with longstanding,
localized food traditions as studied by Weston A. Price. Cultured and
fermented foods, quality animal fats, raw dairy, organ meatsII
incorporated more of these foods into my diet and felt more nourished.
However, a lot of the same issues persisted. I still felt cold, depressed
and anxious, had food intolerances, and felt like I was always “fighting
off” some impending illness.
I gave up all gluten in October 201 0. It was a huge
improvement. I could feel my blood sugar levels start to stabilize, and I
had more energy and less “brain fog”. And yet, I struggled. I couldn’t
afford professional attention, and anyway, my deep distrust of
mainstream medicine told me it wouldn’t help anyway-all they ever did
for me before was pump me full of antibiotics and warn me that I’d
probably need to get my tonsils removed. No way was I doing that
without exhausting all other options.
I learned about a condition called hypothyroid, where the
thyroid isn’t producing enough of the right hormones for the body to work
properly, causing poor circulation, lethargy, and suppressed immunity.
Wary of seeing mainstream doctors, and suspecting this as an
underlying cause of my symptoms, I asked some of my fellow herb
enthusiasts about natural treatment for hypothyroid. One friend
mentioned the GAPS diet. I wouldn’t consider myself a fad dieter. I
couldn’t even stay vegan for more than a month, raw foodism never
made much sense to me either. But I was floored: FINALLY, a way of
eating that seemed to resonate with all I had learned for myself about
health and nutrition, but most importantly, aligned with my intuition.
Some combination of stubbornness, chance, and gut instinct led me
here.6
my story
As I write this, 73 days have passed since I’ve consumed
sugar, or grain. I’ve hardly left my kitchen, working up a sweat making
sauerkraut, culturing yogurt, laboring over a stove learning how to make
bone broth with my face buried in a bright yellow book entitled Gut and
Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment For: Autism, ADD, ADHD,
Depression, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Schizophrenia by Dr. Natasha
Campbell-McBride. Last week my friend Sean and I slaughtered ducks in
his backyard and I now have in front of me a big bowl of rich duck broth.
I’ve come a long ways from adolescence, when I wouldn’t
think twice about considering a cup of ramen noodles a “balanced meal”.
It has all those freeze dried vegetables in it, right?
I’ve struggled with my health as long as I can remember. I
mean sure, we all have to some degree, and it’s not like I had diabetes,
or Crohn’s disease, but the normalcy of dis-ease does not make it more
okay. In high school I struggled with depression. I got sick a lot-strep
throat at least three times, that was treated with antibiotics, and I got
frequent colds. I was tired a lot. I would fall asleep in high school,
especially during my first period class, and after school I was lethargic
and had a rough time getting through my homework assignments. My
self-esteem, body image, and social life suffered.
I started working at the co-op in my hometown when I was 1 6
and began to take health into my own hands. I learned what kale was, I
tried to give up eating meat-for ethical and environmental reasons and
because some of my health-conscious coworkers urged that it was the
healthy thing to do. I lasted about a week, maybe two, before indulging
in some of my aunt’s grilled chicken. I was surprised to notice how much
better I felt when I ate meat.
When I was 1 8 I moved to Olympia. I became involved with
politics and activism and lived in a collective house with strict vegans. I
was mostly vegan for a few months and lived off peanut butter and jelly
sandwiches and dumpstered bread slathered with earth balance. It was
cheese that broke my veganism. I visited a naturopath who told me I was
anemic and severely vitamin D deficient. Hey, it turns out cow dairy is a
good source of vitamin D! He got me to start taking a bunch of expensive
supplements-cold liver oil, hydrochloric acidIbut being a broke kid
without insurance, I couldn’t afford it for very long.
so, what is “GAP” syndrome? do I have GAPS?
Healing has been as much of an emotional journey for me as it has been physical.
No wonder, as nutritional deficiencies have been linked to depression and anxiety, not to
mention other psychological issues including schizophrenia, epilepsy, ADD, and ADHD. GAPS
stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome, and is used as a blanket term to describe the the
dizzying number of conditions, diagnosed or otherwise, arising from a damaged gut. Conditions
include food allergies/intolerances, enterocolitis (colon inflammation), autism, autoimmune
disorders, hypothyroid, and countless others. The GAPS theory argues that all of these
conditions are, if not outright caused by toxicity and nutritional deficiencies, at least all respond
well to treatment by way of total digestive overhaul. This is the experience of Dr. Natasha
Campbell McBride, M.D. (who I will refer to as Dr. NCM from now on), mother of an autistic
child, who developed the GAPS diet, wrote a book about it, and has used it to treat/as therapy
for hundreds of children and adults in her clinic struggling with the aforementioned conditions
with great success. When I refer to “the GAPS book”, I’m alluding to her book.
GAPS is a throwback to the good ole days, even just 60 years ago, when nutrition
wasn’t an “alternative”, but rather the first step in treating health issues. Nutrition was rightly
considered the foundation of health and vitality, and this was emphasized both in the home and
in professional medicine. Parents still gave their kids hot chicken broth and cod liver oil on a
regular basis to keep them well. These days, we are just plain confused. There is so much
conflicting information about health and nutrition being perpetuated by the medical industry,
corporate-influenced government, and our own misguided loved ones, that it’s hard to tell what’s
healthy and what’s not.
Ultimately, it is our intuitive bodies that will guide us, but we can also look to the
past-back even farther than the cod-liver oil and broth of our grandparents, back to the wise
longstanding traditions of our pre-civilized ancestors, who for the most part led lives that were
anything but “nasty, brutish, and short”. In the 1 930’s, a dentist named Weston A. Price traveled
the world, studying isolated traditional peoples (including Europeans). Those communities with
intact dietary traditions, living exclusively on local foods, had excellent bone structure, longevity,
ease of childbirth, and remarkable immunity to the slew of modern diseases we struggle with
today. He published his findings in a collection of case studies entitled Nutrition and Physical
Degeneration which is available for free online. The GAPS diet emphasizes foods like liver and
bone marrow, that have been considered important, and even sacred in many of the cultures
studied by Dr. Price.
So who is GAPS for? Well, I think anyone who wasn’t lucky enough to have
escaped the damaging effects of consuming a Standard American Diet (SAD) could benefit from
it. All sorts of health issues from depression to acne to allergies can be healed, or at least
helped, by addressing diet, healing the gut, and thus strengthening our overall health and
immunity. GAPS is one solid approach to this. We can’t control our genetics, but we CAN control
what we put in our mouths.
If you don’t have any serious health issues, or you aren’t ready to make this kind of
commitment, check out the the Weston A.Price Foundation website (www.westonaprice.org) or
the book Nourishing Traditions to gain an understanding of basic human nutrition and healing
with traditional diet principles.
2: GAPS, AN OVERVIEW7
gut dysbiosis, leaky gut, and gut immunity
The GAPS premise is that foundation of health is a highly nutritious diet, and a
healthy gut with a proper balance of gut flora to assist in digesting and assimilating these
nutrients. We literally have trillions of micro-organisms inhabiting our bodies. Our guts alone
have 1.5-2 kg of bacteria, much of which is located in the small intestine. “All these bacteria are
not just a chaotic, microbial mass, but a highly organized micro-world with certain species
predominating and controlling others. The number of functions they fulfill in our bodies are so
vital to us, that if our guts got sterilized, we would probably not survive.” (McBride, Gut and
Psychology Syndrome, p.1 5)
Gut dysbiosis, or the imbalance of healthy gut flora, allows for the overgrowth of
pathogenic bacteria, viruses, fungi, etc; which produce by-products such as acid that damage
the gut lining. A degraded gut lining means mal-digestion and malabsorption, causing nutritional
deficiencies and other problems.
These days, there seems to be a baffling epidemic of food allergies and
intolerances. For many, gut dysbiosis leads to Leaky Gut Syndrome, a condition in which the
degraded gut lining allows partially digested proteins to enter the bloodstream, which can be a
cause of food allergies and intolerances (frequently milk and gluten), as the immune system
reacts to the maldigested food particles as “foreign invaders” by producing antibodies to them.
Additionally, a huge amount of our immunity and ability to fight infection is in the
gut. When the gut-lining degrades, immunity suffers. Leaky gut and gluten intolerance have in
fact been pointed to as a CAUSE of autoimmune disorders. Paul Bergner has an excellent
article about this available for free online at http://medherb.com/Therapeutics/Gastrointestinal_-
_Leaky_gut.htm.
These are all simplified explanations. For a more complete understanding, read the
GAPS book or look on the website for SCD (www.pecanbread.org).
healing with the GAPS diet
The GAPS diet aims to “heal and seal” the gut lining, restore gut flora, and
correct nutritional deficiencies. The protocol for this is to eliminate complex
carbohydrates including sugars and starches, which means no white sugar, potatoes, no
grains, mostly no beans, no lactose, and any processed “newfangled” foods. The
foundation of this diet is high quality meat, fish, bone broth, properly cultured dairy,
vegetables, fruit, soaked/sprouted nuts and seeds and ferments like sauerkraut. It also
suggests supplementing with fermented cod liver oil and a high quality probiotic. Most
people are advised to follow the diet for about two years, and after that, many people can
reintroduce certain foods. Not the same old crap as before, because the good ole SAD is
probably what got you so sick in the first place.
So, about complex carbohydrates. A deficient gut cannot properly digest
them thoroughly, so any undigested matter can feed an overgrowth of pathogenic flora.
So, the theory goes, one must “starve out” the bad guys by eliminating their food source
while the gut is repopulated with beneficial flora from ferments and probiotic
supplements.
Like any diet, following it blindly isn’t wise. Seriously, don’t do it because I’m
telling you to! Everyone’s body is different, and your body will tell you what YOU need.
Getting in touch with our intuitive bodies can be challenging at first, for a number of
reasons. First of all, when switching to GAPS you are shifting from a carbohydrate
(sugar)-based metabolism to a fat-based metabolism, which may cause temporary mood
swings, fatigue, and sugar cravings while your body adjusts to burning fat for energy,8
non-allowed foods, a brief explanation
This is an overview of foods allowed/not allowed on the GAPS diet, with my own
commentary and the occasional adaptation. See the official allowed and non-allowed
foods in the GAPS book. The SCD website has a really extensive list at
www.pecanbread.org.
GRAINS AND STARCH-Gluten-free diets have been garnering much attention recently.
Well, many gluten-free foods are still loaded with starch and sugar, which negatively
affects an already unbalanced gut. Many people with deficient gut flora develop a gluten
intolerance. Additionally, many people with so called “leaky-gut” syndrome develop
wheat allergies. Starch is a polysaccharide (long chain sugar) that takes a lot of work to
digest, and if the gut is deficient, it doesn’t digest properly and instead feeds an
overgrowth of potentially harmful gut flora like Candida albicans.
So, no grains including wheat, quinoa, rice, corn; no high-starch produce including
potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, etc.
SUGAR-Simple sugars (monosaccharides), like those found in fruit (fructose), cultured
diary (galactose), and honey (glucose) are more easily digested and welcomed in
moderate amounts, though if there is a serious candida overgrowth fruit and honey may
need to avoided until gut flora starts to balance out. Complex sugars (di-and
polysaccharides) are not allowed, such as those found in cane sugar (sucrose),
uncultured milk (lactose), and as a byproduct of starch digestion (maltose). Complex
sugars are difficult for those with a deficient gut to digest, so they can feed a gut flora
imbalance. Consumption of too much of any kind of sugar can cause blood sugar to
spike and drop, causing fatigue, and processing a lot of sugar requires minerals and
vitamins, further contributing to nutritional deficiencies. Your body should primarily be
burning fat for energy, not carbohydrates. Processed sugar substitutes and concentrated
fructose should also be avoided.
So, no table sugar, maple syrup, uncultured milk, agave syrup, molasses, birch syrup,
rapadura, evaporated cane juice, sorghum syrup, fruit concentrates.9
PROCESSED VEGETABLE OILS-In their natural state these oils have unstable
polyunsaturated fats which are locked into nuts and seeds. When extracted they are
highly unstable and easily damaged by heat, oxygen, pressure, and light, and when
heated at a high temperature can turn into toxic trans-fats, which can “impair bodily
function on their most basic biochemical levels”. (McBride P.257). Even organic oils are
extracted at high enough temperatures to do this. Exceptions are cold-pressed olive and
flax oils. Vegetable oils are also far nutritionally inferior to quality animal fats. If you get a
chance, watch The Oiling of America, a lecture by Sally Fallon on the oil industry and its
demonization of animal fats. It’s free on youtube.
No canola, sunflower, safflower, soy oils; margarine (like Earth Balance), commercial
mayonnaise, condiments, shortening, or anything containing them like chips.
SOY-I won’t go into it much here, but the GAPS diet calls for soy to be avoided.
Traditionally fermented soy in the form of miso, tempeh, and natto can be reintroduced
when the diet has been completed.
BEVERAGES-No soda or sugary drinks. Fruit juice from the store is not allowed. No
beer made from grain. As for wine, it’s okay in moderation. but I would try to get sulfitefree.
PASTEURIZED (DEAD) MILK-A lot of people develop sensitivities to dairy, especially
cow dairy, and even cultured lactose-free diary. For many, the GAPS diet will heal the gut
enough that dairy can be carefully reintroduced (as well as other things the person was
previously sensitive to). Read more about it in the GAPS book (p.11 9-1 27: “What about
dairy?”) Modern pasteurization, which was only invented less than 200 years ago, is the
process of heating milk to high temperatures, which kills not only potential pathogens but
also beneficial bacteria, enzymes, and immune complexes naturally in the milk. It also
alters the biochemical structure of the milk, which denatures proteins including casein,
causing allergies and other issues. Pasteurization is so widespread because it allows
conventional dairies to factory farm cows with little regard for their health. For a farmer to
provide quality raw milk they must have rigorous standards for the cow’s (or goat, or
sheep, or buffalo, or reindeer’s) quality of life, health and diet. There’s plenty more info
online and in Nourishing Traditions. Culturing pasteurized (but not ultra-pasteurized)
dairy adds enzymes and good bacteria back, but culturing raw milk is far superior. Storebought yogurt and kefir, even live yogurt, usually hasn’t been cultured long enough to
digest all the lactose. So it’s best to make your own at first.
So, no uncultured dairy, store-bought cultured dairy.10
foundation foods
All “foundation foods” should be as natural and whole as possible (or rather, as you can afford),
be it organic, pasture-raised, local, wild-harvested, and most preferably from someone you trust.
FAT-Animal fat should be the bulk of fat consumed. It is the best choice for your high-heat
cooking/baking/frying needs.The Diet-Heart Hypothesis, or the myth that saturated fat and
cholesterol, namely those found in animal fats, cause coronary heart disease was called by
George Mann “the greatest scientific deception of our times” (For more info:
http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm). Animal fats are not only edible but are preferable, and
were consumed liberally by every robust and healthy isolated population studied by Dr. Weston
A. Price, with no link to coronary heart disease. Virgin coconut oil is also stable at high heat, and
cold-pressed virgin olive and flax oils are excellent but should not be heated.
Yes to all natural animal fat: pork lard, rendered sheep, duck, cow, bear fat, butter, and coconut
oil for cooking. Olive and flax oils unheated.
MEAT-High-quality meat, every part of it, bone broths, and organ meat. Meat, fish, and other
animal products have the highest content of vitamins, amino acids, minerals and other nutrients
of any food, in the most digestible forms. For example, the richest sources of dietary vitamin A
are liver, fish, egg yolks, and butter. Bone broths and meat stocks provide gelatin, which is
particularly healing for the gut lining and immune system. Meat from ruminants, like cows, goats,
and sheep should be pasture-raised. Ruminants are not made to eat grain, whether or not it is
“organic”.
ORGAN MEATS, ESP. LIVER-This one gets its own section. Some cultures, like the Neurs on
the Nile River in Ethiopia, consider liver so sacred that they aren’t allowed to touch it with their
hands. They use spears and special sticks to move it. It was consumed both raw and cooked by
nearly every culture studied by Dr. Price. It is high in protein, is the most concentrated natural
source of vitamin A, high in B vitamins, folic acid, and trace elements. Regarding toxicity: “One of
the roles of the liver is to neutralize toxins (such as drugs, chemical agents and poisons); but the
liver does not store toxins. Poisonous compounds that the body cannot neutralize and eliminate
are likely to lodge in the fatty tissues and the nervous system.” (WAPF Liver Files
http://www.westonaprice.org/food-features/liver-files) We should be eating high-quality pastured
meat anyway so any toxins present should be minimal anyway.
Yes to liver, kidney, brains, heart from trusted sources.
EGGS AND CULTURED DAIRY-Cultured dairy provides high quality fat, vitamin D, and other
nutrients. Cultured dairy provides a good dose of beneficial bacteria for the gut, including
Lactobacilli. Also lactic acid in cultured diary is soothing to inflamed gut lining. Hard cheeses are
okay if you can digest them.
Yes to yogurt, kefir, sour cream, crème fraiche, piima cream, butter and ghee; from goat, cow, or
sheep.
EGGS-Eggs are highly nutritious. It is recommended to consume raw egg yolks frequentlycracked into soups, or fried eggs with the yolks runny. Dr. NCM recommends 4-8 raw egg yolks,11
PRODUCE-Pretty much any non-starchy fruit and vegetables are good. Ideally they’re
organic/non GMO/pesticide free. Wild greens and berries and roots (make sure they aren’t too
starchy) are free, great, and nutritionally superior to domesticated produce. Be sure to use
strong ethics when wild-harvesting of course, and even better, go for the weeds. Pick some
dandelions from your yard. Also, in general, don’t go too crazy on the fruit, especially if you have
a candida overgrowth. Also only eat organic versions of the following produce, as they are the
most heavily pesticided: spinach, cherries, peaches, apples, strawberries, celery, sweet
peppers, nectarines, and pears.
NUTS/SEEDS/CERTAIN LEGUMES-Non-rancid, preferably that you shell yourself or are at
least raw when you buy them, and must be properly soaked overnight and rinsed, or sprouted,
then dehydrated or roasted if you want ‘em dry. Lentils and white navy beans are the only beans
permitted, and only if you soak them overnight, and some people still have problems digesting
them. Nuts, seeds, grains and legumes all contain phytates, also called phytic acid, or what
many nutritionists call “anti-nutrients”, which make them difficult to digest unless they are
processed correctly. Why? It makes sense if you think about it, it’s a reproductive advantage for
them. They are all essentially seeds of various plants that are trying to pass through the
digestive systems of animals intact so they can then be pooped out and sprout a new little plant
in a big pile of poopy fertilizer. One thing to note is that the nuts of store-bought nut butters
generally haven’t been properly prepared so it’s ideal to grind your own if possible. You can
make great baked goods out of nut butters, and nut flours, as well as coconut flour. There’s a
million recipes in books and on the internet for GAPS-friendly baked goods.
SWEET THINGS-Raw honey is permitted. Also don’t go too crazy on it because it can spike your
blood sugar and feed candida overgrowth if that is an issue. Unprocessed stevia is good.
Sweeten baked goods with dried fruit. After a little while eating this way, the thought of cane
sugar will probably be overwhelming and things like dried bananas and dates will be sufficient to
satisfy your sweet tooth. The Primal Bodies, Primal Minds book by Nora T. Gedgaudas has good
information about limiting sugar consumption and the epidemic of insulin-resistance.
BEVERAGES-Weakish, freshly made coffee and caffeinated tea is okay. Caffeine can be okay
in moderation if its compatible with your constitution. Strong coffee and tea can irritate an
already inflamed digestive tract. Coconut milk makes a great coffee and tea creamer, way better
than nut or seed milks. As for alcohol, the GAPS diet says that distilled spirits like vodka,
whiskey and gin are okay, but they aren’t required to list their ingredients so often the
mainstream stuff has questionable additives. Wine is fine in moderation (sulfite-free if you can
manage). I would recommend making your own alcohol, and since you’re trying to heal yourself
anyway check out Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers by Stephen Herrod Buhner for instructions
on making mead and cider. Then you can be sure of the quality of all the ingredients that go into
it. There’s also a whole array of “small beers”: homemade probiotic beverages with a small
amount of alcohol so you could drink them every day with less of a load on your already
struggling liver.
FERMENTS-KRAUT! Making your own kraut is easy and affordable. The GAPS diet
recommends eating some probiotic food with every meal. This also includes all the cultured dairy
mentioned above, kvass (like beet kvass), lacto-fermented pickles, and numerous other things.
Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz has simple instructions for making a variety of fermented
foods.12
supplementation
A note: I was very resistant to supplementation at first, because my experience
that they’re for the most part expensive, faddish, and most of them useless.
However, I was convinced to take a select few and they seem to be going a long
way.
FERMENTED COD LIVER OIL-For centuries northern cultures of Russia,
Scandanavia, Canada, Iceland, and others have fermented fish livers and guts
and eaten the oil produced by it. Traditionally-fermented cod liver oil provides
vitamin A and D in easily digestible forms, as well as cholesterol and omega-3 fatty
acids. It’s best to take the traditionally fermented stuff, because standard
processing methods destroy a lot of the natural vitamins A and D in the oil, so
synthetic forms are often added back which defeats the purpose.The only
company that I know of that makes traditionally fermented cod liver oil is Green
Pasture, which you can order online (see end for sources). Recommended dosage
is ½ tsp to 1 tsp a day.
PROBIOTICS-Consuming fermented foods like yogurt and kraut goes a long way
in re-establishing gut flora, but supplementing with a high-quality probiotic
supplement, like BioKult, will increase die-off of toxic gut flora and proliferate the
good stuff like Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria, as well as soil bacteria, which is a
transitional bacteria we all used to have in our guts when humans still drank from
natural water sources, and others. There’s information in the GAPS book about
using enemas to introduce probiotic bacteria directly into the colon.
OTHER SUPPLEMENTS-Additional supplements can be taken, like digestive
enzymes, or a nut/seed oil blend, but I would suggest trying to get all the nutrients
you can from food sources, and taking all supplement suggestions with a grain of
salt. For instance, artichoke leaf is a good bitter herb that stimulates hydrochloric
acid production, so try that before spending a wad of cash on an HCL supplement.
We’re trying to make this affordable here.13
GAPS compared to other diets
PALEO/PRIMAL DIET
The general concept of the paleo diet is that humans were healthiest when eating a preagrarian diet and that the advent of agriculture approximately 1 0,000 years ago, with it’s subsequent
explosion in grain consumption, is the root of most modern health problems. While paleo and GAPS are
remarkably similar (minus paleo permitting of starch and uncultured dairy) the difference is that GAPS is
specifically a gut healing diet that one adheres to for a period of time, whereas the paleo/primal diet is
more of a life-long “blueprint” based on an interpretation of a hunter-gatherer or pastoral diet. One
critique I have of some of the paleo/primal diet philosophies is that they seem to make assumptions of
what hunter-gathering humans must have eaten without much actually historical evidence, and with little
acknowledgment of contemporary hunter-gatherer cultures. The Weston A. Price foundation has much
more solid information on this. The best information I’ve found about paleo diet philosophy is at
www.chriskresser.com.
NOURISHING TRADITIONS/WESTON A. PRICE PHILOSOPHY
As I mentioned before, Dr. Price traveled the world studied the remarkably healthy isolated
cultures with intact food traditions, and recorded the devastating changes that took place following the
adoption of modern processed foods. He documented his findings in his book Nutrition and Physical
Degeneration which is available for free online.
Along came Sally Fallon and Mary G Enig, who started the Weston A. Price Foundation
and wrote Nourishing Traditions, which is part food philosophy, part cookbook. Unlike the paleo/primal
diet, which is specifically based off a modern interpretation of a strictly hunter-gatherer diet, this
philosophy and book includes wisdom from traditional cultures who have incorporated agricultural staples
into their cuisine, but, knowing that things like grain, lactose, and nuts/seeds/legumes are difficult to
digest, have developed low-tech methods of processing them to make them more digestible. Examples
include introducing sourdough culture to wheat, using lime to process corn, and fermenting beans. Much
of this wisdom has been lost with the transition to large-scale industrial agriculture and oppression of
traditional cultures.
ANTI-CANDIDA DIETS
Anti-candida diets have received much attention recently. The overgrowth of a family of
yeasts, Candida, which exists naturally in our healthy bodies but is tightly controlled by beneficial
bacteria, becomes invasive in our bodies and produces toxic substances such as acetaldehyde and
constant low levels of ethanol. A popular anti-candida diet eliminates all sugars, including fruit, yeast,
fungi and fermented foods. However, candida lives in the digestive system along with 500 or more other
microbes. The anti-candida diet doesn’t necessarily eliminate starchy vegetables or grains, so if these
complex carbohydrates are consumed, they can ferment and putrify in a deficient gut, becoming a source
of toxins and food for the candida and other unwanted flora. I would recommend doing more research,
but what what I’ve read is that if there is a candida overgrowth, following the GAPS diet strictly and
additionally limiting consumption of carbohydrates, sweets, and nuts will reign in the systemic candida.
3: DISCUSSIONS14
herbs and GAPS
Healing with herbs falls short if diet is not addressed. And nutritional healing plans
could benefit much from the use of herbs. It appears that the main philosophies of the GAPS diet
such as limiting carbohydrate intake, emphasizing high fat and moderate protein consumption,
and restoring healthy gut flora, have been incorporated into the practices of a lot of contemporary
herbalists, including Phyllis Light, Paul Bergner and Susun Weed.
I spent some time researching herbs that would be compatible with the strict GAPS
diet. If one was strictly eliminating ALL complex carbohydrates, that would mean disallowing
mineral-rich, liver supporting roots like burdock and dandelion because they contain inulin (a
polysaccharide), and mucilagenous herbs like marshmallow and plantain, which can be
beneficial for inflamed guts.
The thing is, Dr. NCM the person who developed the GAPS diet is notan herbalist.
Actually the practice of “starving out” complex sugars was borrowed from the Specific
Carbohydrate Diet, which was developed by Elaine Gottschall (also not an herbalist) who breaks
it down scientifically and has an extensive list on her website of all technically “illegal” and “legal”
foods based on their content of complex carbohydrates.
I talked to a few herbalists about it. Dr. Kenneth Proefrock, an amazing herbalist
and naturopath I met who works with low-income patients at a clinic in Phoenix, has treated
autistic patients using GAPS. As for marshmallow or plantain, he doesn’t split hairs. He’ll just use
trial and error and if it seems like the symptoms intensify, he’ll forgo those plants and try others.
The author of the GAPS Guide says there are advantages to weaning off herbs and
supplements when starting GAPS.
“There are multiple reasons to take only what’s necessary during the early stages of healing.
They include:
1. An opportunity to see what it is our body is actually experiencing.
2. An opportunity to witness the impact of and healing effects of food.
3. An opportunity to learn how to adjust diet to relieve symptoms and promote healing.
4. Avoidance of gut aggravation by extra ingredients commonly found in supplements.
5. Elimination of unnecessary expenses, money which can be put into food and other critical
resources.”
But he goes on to explain, “All of this said, the aspect of including elements as
specifically indicated by your body several months into healing must be recognized. Supplements
and medications can indeed be useful adjustments to a powerful healing protocol…the key thing
is to allow your body and mind to see the effects of a simple, food-based program rather than
leaping from one symptom-specific remedy to another. In other words, a remedy should be a
minor adjunct approach to a program that is well-thought out, longer term, deeply nourishing,
otherwise free from gut aggravators, and actively healing.”
(http://gapsguide.com/2011/11/14/supplements-gaps-illegals/)
That’s all I have figured out so far. I intend to look into it more in the future, and as
GAPS and similar diets gain visibility, I expect more will be known and published about how to
use the diet in harmony with herbal medicine.15
digging deeper
Many people use the GAPS diet to heal specific diagnoses, like Crohn’s disease or
Irritable Bowel Syndrome, with great success. Then there are people like me, whose health
struggles are still somewhat mysterious. But I can’t stand not feeling well, and I particularly can’t
stand knowing exactly why, or if it will ever go away. I guess that’s one reason they call it GAP
syndrome-many of us fall into “gaps” in the medical system, where WE know something’s wrong
with us, we can’t figure it out, and the only common diagnosis is hypochondria. Very often the
issue stems from or is exacerbated by poor gut health.
Since I started the GAPS diet five months prior to writing this zine, I’ve seen huge
improvement in my own health. A lot of “fog” has lifted. I’m digesting better, I feel stronger and
clearer, my immune system is stronger, my food intolerances are fewer. I don’t have the
unpredictable energy spikes and drops I once did. I’ve developed an sophisticated awareness of
my own body and its cycles and limits. I have developed something of a sixth sense about food,
where I can generally predict how a food will make me feel before I eat it.
This moment is a snapshot in my healing journey. I still feel tired and run-down a
lot. I still have mysterious symptoms like occasional low-grade fevers and brain fog. Frequently
I’ll sleep for 11 or 1 2 hours at night. I can’t travel hard, I can’t get drunk without it hitting me like a
bag of bricks the next day.
Health is a puzzle, and knowledge is power. For those of us without an obvious
diagnosis from conventional medicine, there cannot therefore be an obvious prescription from
conventional medicine. One approach to healing, if specific medical conditions are not
diagnosed, is to simply put one’s trust in this diet and see if a lot of the mysterious symptoms
disappear. The GAPS diet seems to be a panacea for some, but not all. Sometimes we need to
dig deeper. While the treatment plans offered by conventional medicine are often bleak
(pharmaceutical cocktail, anyone?), the tests they offer can be useful, especially if the issue is a
chronic infection, as these cannot always be healed completely by addressing gut health.
Examples include Epstein-Barr virus and Lyme disease. The trick is being stubborn and doing
your own research. Luckily, once the diagnosis is clear, it may be easier to find alternative
healers who can supplement the GAPS healing program with pointed treatments specific to the
condition.
A lot of GAPS people take this opportunity to investigate other environmental
factors and reduce their toxic load for the sake of their health. I’ve heard folks talk about getting
mercury fillings replaced, switching to non-toxic cleaning products and personal care products,
and getting out of their moldy houses.
Since the time I started writing the zine, I’ve spent a lot of time investigating my
own health. Only recently have I realized that mold illness may explain many of my symptoms.
While I feel confident that the GAPS diet will help me detox from this, identifying this as a
possible cause will help me seek out more specific treatments.16
1. Ease in at your own pace. You are shifting from a carbohydratecentered metabolism to a fat-centered metabolism. It can be challenging to go “cold
turkey” if you usually eat a lot of carbs. If it’s really difficult, try giving up one thing a
week, like gluten, then sugar, then grains, etc. The GAPS book recommends
following an Introduction Diet, where you start off with just broth and soups and
slowly add in other allowed foods to test for food sensitivities and do some focused
healing of the gut. If you’re having issues giving up carbs, one option is to do the
Intro Diet BACKWARDS, then forwards again.
2. Prioritize “adding” over “subtracting”. There is a wise concept in
western herbal traditions that says TREAT DEFICIENCIES FIRST. Don’t exhaust
yourself trying to eliminate all the non-allowed foods immediately. Focus FIRST on
incorporating the nourishing foods, particularly broth, organ meats, ferments, etc.
Then it will be easier and more sustainable to start cutting out the damaging foods
(sugar, starch, etc). Again, you can try to do the Intro Diet backwards.
3. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. It can be a confusing
thing. Detox reactions can be dramatic and often feel like a relapse or worsening of
one’s symptoms, especially when introducing fermented foods or probiotics. It can
be too much stress on the body to detox too quickly, so NCM says, try adding
ferments and probiotics slowly, and when the detox reaction subsides a bit, add a
little bit more.
4. Support your emotional health. Don’t let it food take over your life.
Stress, and anxiety can be some of the biggest barriers to healing. Many fall into
the trap of obsession over what they are eating, and guilt associated with
“cheating”. When I feel down, I take inspiration from that Aaliyah song-”if at first
you don’t succeed, get yourself up and try again” . Spend time cooking with friends,
and celebrate your food. Eating and healing should be a deeply fulfilling activity. If
it’s not, why are you doing it?
4. TIPS AND TRICKS17
making it cheap and doable!
BUY BULK stock bones, meat, raw milk, etc and split the cost with friends.
RAISE YOUR OWN chickens or ducks for eggs, raise your own meat rabbits, grow your own
produce in your garden.
MAKE FRIENDS WITH FARMERS and see if you can do work-trade (like help with a slaughter)
to get good stuff like bones and organ meats that they might not sell retail anyway.
PARTICIPATE IN A SLAUGHTER: It’s a way to connect directly with your food source and
assure that the process is humane. You don’t even have to raise the animal yourself, you can
look on craigslist and people will practically be giving away roosters and non-laying hens and
male ducks, etc.
WILD FORAGING: Be nourished by the wild. Nature provides wild greens, roots, mushrooms
and berries which often grown in your yard as weeds. Take great care to practice ethical
harvesting practices. It should be noted that, since humans have so severely disrupted the
earth’s ecosystems, animals like deer and even wild boar overpopulate many areas and hunting
tags are inexpensive for them.
URBAN FORAGING: Dumpster fancy meat and produce from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.
Keep an eye out for fresh roadkill deer and raccoons. Locate the good fruit trees in people’s
yards around town, get a food dehydrator, and go buck wild.
recipes/meal ideas
These are foods that I make and eat a lot. Therefore, they contain a lot of dairy and eggs. I
encourage you to do your own research on the many GAPS/SCD/paleo websites for dairy-free,
egg-free, nut-free, and other allergen-specific recipes!
CHICKEN BROTH
Take a whole chicken cut into parts, or chicken pieces on the bone, put them in a crock pot and
fill it to the top with water. Add carrots, leeks, onions, or whatever you want to impart flavor into
the broth. Add a dash of vinegar and let it sit for about a half an hour to draw minerals from the
bones. Bring it to a boil, and skim the foam off the top. Let it simmer on low heat 3-4 hours.
Strain out the bones and vegetables, and pick out the chicken pieces to eat later (make chicken
pancakes!). Broth freezes well in yogurt containers, or keeps well in the fridge in mason jars for
a few weeks.
GRAIN-FREE PANCAKES
Peel any type of winter squash and blend it in a food processor or chop finely. Mix in a dollop of
nut butter, and crack an egg or two into it. Experiment with proportions until you’ve figured out a
good consistency for the batter. Cook in a cast iron pan on low, covered, in lard, ghee, butter,
duck or other animal fat, or coconut oil. You can add a dash of salt, a bit of honey, or sliced
bananas.18
BASIC MAYONNAISE (from healingnaturallybybee.com)
1 whole medium or large egg
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon mustard, optional and to taste
1/4 teaspoon ocean sea salt, to taste
1. Beat egg in a blender on low speed.
2. Add lemon juice and seasoning, if desired.
3. Continue to blend on low, or by pulsing it, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the small
opening in the top.
4. Continue blending until smooth.
5. It will keep for about 2 weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Note: You can also cut the olive oil with half melted coconut oil, which makes it a lot milder. OR
substitute melted bacon fat for the olive oil. YUM.
POACHED EGGS
I’ve become addicted to these. Yum.
Boil water in a small saucepan. Turn down to a simmer and add a dash of apple cider vinegar.
Use a spoon and swirl the water into a “whirpool”. Crack an egg or two in the center of the
vortex. Cook for two or three minutes until the white is cooked and the yolk is still runny. Strain
and eat with lots of butter.
traveling and healing
Staying in one place, while immensely challenging for some of us, can be a huge catalyst for
healing. It’s been a learning experience for me to not divulge the instinct to run away. However,
the reality is that we all must abandon the hearth at times out of necessity, even when trying to
heal, for our friends & loved ones or for much needed mental health vacations. Here’s some
ideas for what you could eat if you must travel.
-Canned sardines in olive oil
-Canned tuna. Good with an avocado smashed in it.
-Smoked salmon
-Hard-boiled eggs with butter or animal fat.
-Jerky-turkey, beef, venison, salmon. Make it yourself to assure it doesn’t have unwanted
preservatives or sugar.
-I like to carry a jar of bacon fat to put on food and cook with. With a secure lid.
-If you can digest the small amount of lactose, unsweeted store-bought yogurt.
-Soak nuts and seeds ahead of time, and dehydrate fruit yourself. If this isn’t possible, prioritize
roasted nuts over raw, and only go for the unsweeted dried fruit.
-Make a lot of kraut and carry it with you in very well-sealed containers19
5. RESOURCES
BOOKS
-Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, ADD. , Dyslexia, ADHD,
Depression, Schizophrenia by Natasha Campbell-McBride
-Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life by Nora T.
Gedgaudas
-Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook That Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet
Dictocrats by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, PhD.
-Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets ofAncient Fermentation by Stephen Harrod
Buhner
-Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz
-Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall
-The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice, and Sustainability by Lierre Keith
WEBSITES
www.gapsdiet.com
www.westonaprice.org
www.pecanbread.org
This is the website for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. There’s a great recipe section.
www.chriskresser.org
This guy, Dr. Chris Kresser, has an EXCELLENT “Beyond Paleo” website. Tons of info about
grains, dairy, leaky gut and other health issues, gut flora…and as well as GAPS info. Great
podcast show too.
www.healingnaturallybybee.com
Bee offers a diet plan similar to GAPS. The highlight is her recipe section.
www.greenpasture.org
Source of traditionally fermented cod liver oil.
www.medherb.com
This is the site for the Medical Herbalism publication that’s edited by clinical herbalist Paul
Bergner. There is some excellent information about leaky gut and autoimmunity.

6. CONTACT
Feel free to email me with questions, comments, your own story, if you want to do food tradesI
eatsomedamndandelions@gmail.com