The GAPS diet - what it is, and why you need it
What is the GAPS diet?
The term GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology (+/or Physiology) Syndrome. It was first coined by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride, a Russian medical doctor and neurologist, in 2004 after she observed that many of her clients had both neurological and physiological conditions that could be related back to poor gut health. Aka the gut brain connection.
After joining these dots, she then went on to develop a therapeutic diet which resulted in improvements to her patients’ symptoms and overall health. This then led to her publishing a book of the same title which shared the concepts and principles of the GAPS diet with the world.
The main goal of a GAPS diet is to balance your gut bacteria and improve digestive function. This is done by combining whole and fermented foods, as well as detoxification principles over the course of time to rebalance your body. So why is this so important?
The gut – the cornerstone of your health
Your digestive system is the cornerstone of your health. It is a finely tuned mechanism that is responsible for breaking down and absorbing your nutrients. When it is not functioning well, instead of providing nutrition, it becomes a source of toxicity and any cell, organ or system of the body can show symptoms of distress and even develop into chronic health conditions.
For example, symptoms like constipation, diarrhoea, gas/wind, regurgitation/reflux, skin rashes, food intolerances, frequent colds, ear infections and runny noses, stomach aches, weight fluctuations, failure to thrive, headaches, brain fog, poor concentration, and fatigue can all indicate poor gut health. When symptoms like these are not addressed it can lead to more chronic health conditions such as eczema, asthma, food allergies, autism, ADHD, learning issues, dyspraxia, dyslexia, mood disorders, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and even Autoimmune conditions.
Gut bacteria and health
Microbes, bacteria, microbiome…. these are all interchangeable terms for the trillions of tiny organisms we have living both on and inside of you – many of which have been with you right from Day 1!
These microbes share a symbiotic relationship with you. They need to be fed and looked after much like your pets do. Even though you have trillions of these guys, most of them camp out in your gut and eventually outnumber your human cells by 10 to 1.
In return for looking after them they benefit you by doing the following:
· Breaking down your fibre to provide your gut cells with energy
· Helping you manufacture certain vitamins
· Developing and training your immune system
· Protect you against pathogens
· Breaking down certain toxins
· Helping you regulate your body weight & mood
· Helping regulate inflammation and reduce disease
Development of your microbiome from birth
Every step of the way from when you are born to about the age of 3, greatly affects your microbiome. From the way you are first delivered into the world, to who you cuddled in those first few minutes, to the environments you are exposed to along the way combined with what you put in your mouth, body and on your skin, very much determines the diversity and population of this bacterial ecosystem. When you encounter curve balls in any of these areas it can lead to imbalances in the number and types of bacteria present in your ecosystem causing dysbiosis (aka imbalanced gut bacteria).
Causes of poor gut health
Dysbiosis is a term used to describe any disruption to your gut bacterial ecosystem. When these bacteria are in balance, they live in harmony with one another regulating each other and give us great gut health. However, when they are disrupted in some way or dysbiotic, it changes the number or type of bacteria living in our gut which results in symptoms or health conditions arising.
Common disruptors to our gut health can occur from:
· C-section delivery vs vaginal delivery
· Bottle feeding vs breast feeding
· Antibiotic use
· introducing complex foods before your gut is ready
· consuming highly processed foods
· exposed to an overly hygienic environment
· stress
· a low fibre diet
· sedentary lifestyle
· additives, preservative and chemicals in foods and products we use on our bodies
Leaky gut
Leaky gut can be another cause of poor gut health. This occurs when the connections between your gut cells loosen and become as the term suggests - leaky. These gut connections help prevent anything moving across your gut lining unnecessarily and activating the immune system. This can happen when you are exposed to certain foods like gluten as well as certain bacteria and viruses.
The problem with leaky gut is that can activate your immune system into defence mode. When it does not recognise these particles as normal, it tags them as foreign causing the body to clean them up. When this occurs, we can develop symptoms such as diarrhoea, constipation, eczema and skin complaints, food intolerances & sensitivities, brain fog, joint pain, and longer-term autoimmune conditions.
Our GAPS and gut health naturopath in her natural element! Michele uses GAPS diet, or nutritional strategies, as well as herbs and supplements when indicated, to support your healing journey.
How the GAPS protocol helps gut health
The GAPS diet is designed to remove the foods that are damaging to the gut and difficult to digest to promote the healing of leaky gut and a healthy microbiome. It is not for the faint hearted and requires a level of commitment to preparing clean wholesome foods.
Grains, starchy vegetables, and refined carbohydrates are eliminated from the diet and instead replaced with nutrient dense and probiotic rich foods that are easier to digest and support your bacterial ecosystem. The meal plan itself follows 2 streams – the Introduction Diet and the Full GAPS diet.
Stages of the GAPS diet
There are 6 main stages on the Introduction diet consisting mostly of homemade bone broths and vegetable soups, boiled meats and stews, fermented products and healthy fats and oils. This gives your digestive system the best chance to heal, and you are encouraged to go through each of the stages at your own pace, introducing certain foods in each of the 6 stages.
The Full GAPS diet is generally introduced after the introduction diet has been completed and is aimed at continuing to provide the body with nutrient dense foods to promote great gut health.
When we consume foods that provide the body with all the elements needed for physiological processes, it is balanced biochemically and runs smoothly much like our car. The GAPS diet is not for everyone, but when utilised for certain health conditions it has profound results. If you are interested in finding out more about how the GAPS diet may help you, or your child, book a free 15min chat with Michele, our resident gut health and GAPS naturopath.
