GAPS Food List Wellington | Total Health Chiropractic (2024)

FAQs

Is the GAPS diet legitimate? ›

It's promoted as a treatment for people with brain disorders such as autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and autoimmune diseases. However, many health professionals have criticized the GAPS diet as being too restrictive and promoting unsupported health claims.

Downsides of the GAPS Diet

The GAPS diet is extremely restrictive, which has several consequences. For starters, this makes it time-consuming to plan and cook meals. More concerning, however, is that the diet was originally developed to help children suffering from behavioral and digestive issues.

Starchy Vegetables

Vegetables that are not allowed on the diet include potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and yams. Beans and legumes are also not allowed on the GAPS diet.

Fruits in the GAPS Diet are only allowed in moderation: Apples. Banana. Berries.

The full GAPS diet

Acceptable GAPS foods include: eggs. meat, fish, and shellfish (fresh or frozen only) fresh vegetables and fruit.

Other cheeses that are allowed on Full GAPS: Asiago, Blue, Brick, Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Colby, Edam, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Havarti, Limburger, Monterey Jack, Muenster, Parmesan, Port du Salut, Roquefort, Stilton, Swiss, Romano, un-creamed cottage cheese (dry curd).

Selecting the right bacon is important: GAPS does not recommend smoked meats as they normally contain nitrites or other substitutes that are even worse than nitrites with alleged cancer causing agents so store bought bacon is out (including some nitrate free commercial brands).

The GAPS diet focuses on reducing intestinal and systemic inflammation. By removing grains, pasteurized dairy, starchy vegetables, and refined carbohydrates, the diet aims to minimize inflammatory triggers in the gut. This reduction in inflammation may have positive effects on overall health and well-being.

It's a subset of the Paleo diet with the main distinction of forbidding starchy plants. This means avoiding or significantly restricting potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, yuca, taro, and all grains, including white rice. The GAPS diet is not intended as a long-term approach.

In the original GAPS Book, Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride recommends nut butter at this stage. In recent conversations, she now believes that, for most people, it is a good idea to wait to introduce nuts until Full GAPS.

Is oatmeal allowed on gaps? ›

Foods to Avoid (or Limit)

Grains, including cereal, oats and wheat. Sugar, honey, agave syrup, and molasses.

The GAPS diet is directly linked to weight loss as it promotes the growth of healthy microbiome in the gut. It reduces inflammation, insulin resistance, and unhealthy fats. It does this by replacing bag bugs like acidic compounds and fats with healthy fats.

The Mayo Clinic Diet is the official weight-loss program developed by Mayo Clinic experts. It is based on research and clinical experience. The program focuses on eating delicious healthy foods and increasing physical activity.

They each are known for their gut-healing benefits with FODMAPs being more geared towards IBS and bloating (3) and GAPS geared towards neuropsychiatric symptom improvement. In truth, both diets can be helpful for both types of symptoms.