That's what one of my friends said to me recently about the GAPS diet. It really can be overwhelming to try and take in all the information and acquire all the new kitchen skills at one time. That's why I suggest not taking it in all at once, but gradually. Master one concept or aspect of the diet and incorporate it before moving on to the next. Once you feel you have gotten the main things down, you can begin the introduction protocol in earnest.
"START LOW AND SLOW"
This is a common nursing adage regarding medication dosage, particularly when first starting a new medication for an elderly or immune-compromised patient. I think it can be applied to nutritional protocols as well. Starting "low and slow" with the GAPS diet has a great benefit: it can be really overwhelming not only mentally, but physically to start the introduction diet cold turkey. Particularly for the person who has eaten an average Western diet for their whole life. Even if you eat comparatively healthy, it can still be a bit of a shock, and your body will experience withdrawal symptoms from cutting out all your grains and sugars and dairy. So why not ease into it? It might be easier on you - mind, body, and soul.
As a first step toward implementing the diet, why not cut out all gluten? Give your body a couple weeks or even a month to adjust. Then, cut out all dairy. As you remove food items one at a time, this will give you the time needed to learn how to adjust your cooking, recipes, kitchen skills and supplies accordingly. Next, remove all sugars - white sugar, artificial sugar, natural sugars like maple syrup and honey - all of it. When you feel ready, cut out the gluten-free grains and fruit. Remember, as you cut out your carbs, your body will need more fats to metabolize properly. Don't be afraid to add them! Natural fats from animal bones and soft tissues, cold-pressed olive and coconut oils, and organic butter or ghee are good sources.
Now you are essentially on the full GAPS diet (minus honey). When you feel that this is somewhat manageable and your withdrawal symptoms (like severe sugar and carb cravings, low blood sugar, and constant hunger) have abated, you can transition to the introduction protocol.
For example, I think the two most overwhelming aspects of the diet are the homemade broths and fermented foods. How about starting out by getting into a broth-making routine. Find out your best local source of chicken, beef, and fish bones. Get a "broth-pot" set up in your kitchen. Add a cup of homemade broth to your meals.
When you no longer feel overwhelmed by broths, start making a probiotic beverage like raw milk kefir, water kefir, or kombucha (or all three!). Find cultures, aquire the needed supplies (jars, bottles, funnel, plastic strainer, etc) at your leisure, and experiment until you have it down the way you like it. Start incorporating it into your diet a little bit at a time, starting with a tablespoon a day and working up to several ounces (or more if you can tolerate it) with every meal. Next, try some sauerkraut or kefirkraut.
When you are no longer overwhelmed by some basic fermented foods, there's not much left to do! Stock the fridge with lots of meat and veggies (it already should be by this time anyway) and pull together a few of your favorite simple soup recipes. Plan a good time to start the introduction diet. Maybe over the weekend if you work full-time. Or when you have some time off. You will be spending a significant portion of your day in the kitchen for a while, especially if you are doing the diet as a family.
Don't get discouraged if it takes you a while to get things going. I spent about 6 months on a modified diet before I actually began the full introduction diet. My body is pretty sensitive to changes right now, but I didn't experience any significant withdrawal symptoms or cravings when I transitioned to the introduction diet. It just felt good, because my taste buds were already largely re-oriented to a healthy diet.
As always when beginning a new nutritional protocol or lifestyle change, discuss your plans with your doctor and make sure that it is safe for you to make the planned changes. I am not a doctor. Do not use this site as a replacement for primary medical care.
Enjoy the adventure!
you were right, this is a very helpful post :) thanks!
ReplyDelete