Thursday, March 28, 2013

The GAPS Diet Take Two: Starting Over with More Knowledge

I'm drinking a very nice Fetzer white wine, local and sustainable, sweet and tangy. It may be my last in awhile: I'm going to try to do the GAPS diet again!

On the GAPS diet, wine is not allowed, because of the sugar levels. The diet is so restrictive, I can't seem to do it. Most people ask me, "What can you eat?" Meat and veggies, with minimal fruits and nuts is the answer. But it's more complicated than that - for the full GAPS diet approved list see here.

The initial symptoms to starting the GAPS diet are harsh, too. Carb withdrawals include lethargy and body aches, toxicity from bacterial die-off also includes lethargy as well as low moods, and the lack of your usual treats certainly leaves you at a loss for how to reward yourself for all your hard work at the office! It's amazing how much I've used foods to deal with stress! Looking at all the symptoms, it's no wonder I couldn't stick to the diet.

Armed with more information and better plan, this time I'm determined to really do it! I've also trained my boyfriend in the proper ways to support me, and educated him on the ins and outs of the diet. Moral support here cannot be underestimated.

Here's the current plan:

5 days of no refined sugar: done!
5 days of no grains or refined sugar: in progress.
5 days GAPS intro diet stage 1 (only boiled vegetables and meats, broths, and kraut juices!)

These are followed by 5 days each of the other stages of GAPS diet, each stage adding a few more food groups.  At the end of April, I will reach stage 7, the full GAPS diet, which my doctor instructed me to continue for another 5 months at least. So, if I decline dinner invitations in this time, please understand! It may take even longer.

This plan came from the help of the website Home, Health and Happiness. The GAPS diet is relatively new, being first published in 2004. There are limited resources for it, so I can't begin to tell you how grateful I feel for their ebook on the GAPS Intro Diet. Be warned though, the author of the website and book is sharing this from her personal experience. Her advice for dealing with carb withdrawals is to drink some juice and take a nap. Unfortunately, we don't all have the luxury of taking a nap when we feel we need. However, the organization of her website and ebook are very helpful for getting started on the GAPS diet.

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