Simplified GAPS Outline
THE NUTRITIONAL PROGRAM
1. Diet
2. Supplementation
3. Detoxification and Life-style Changes
1. DIET
The GAPS Diet is made out of three stages:
1. GAPS Introduction Diet
2. The Full GAPS Diet
3. Coming off the GAPS Diet.
Please, read in detail about these stages in the GAPS book.
2. SUPPLEMENTATION
The essential supplements for GAPS patients:
A. An effective therapeutic strength probiotic
B. Essential Fatty Acids
C. Vitamin A
D. Digestive enzymes
E. Vitamin and mineral supplements.
A. An effective therapeutic strength probiotic
Probiotics are most commonly used in the treatment of gastro-intestinal disorders:
- viral infections of the digestive tract
- necrotising enterocolitis in infants
- intractable pediatric diarrhea
- pseudomembranous colitis
- traveler’s diarrhea
- Clostridium Difficile enterocolitis
- Helicobacter infection
- enteropathogenic E. coli infection
- inflammatory bowel disorders: Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and chronic pouchitis
- irritable bowel syndrome
- lactose intolerance
- prevention of colonic cancer in laboratory studied (1, 2)
- 1. http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=12121&news_iv_ctrl=0&abbr=pr_hf_
- 2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2635701/
In addition to digestive issues many other health problems have been shown to respond to treatment with probiotics:
- allergies including food allergy
- autism
- chronic viral infections
- urogenital infections
- hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and biliary disease
- tuberculosis
- meningitis
- malignancy
- arthritis
- diabetes
- burns of various degree
- perioperative care and intensive care in surgical patients and patients with massive blood loss
- clinical infections
- autoimmune disorders
- While many conditions may benefit from the use of probiotics, the above list has had scientific papers published on the benefit of probiotics with the specific condition.
General Guidelines for choosing a good probiotic:
a. A good probiotic should have as many different species of beneficial bacteria as possible.
b. A mixture of strains from different groups of probiotic bacteria is more beneficial than just one group.
c. A good probiotic should have a concentrated amount of bacteria: at least 8 billion of bacterial cells per gram.
d. The manufacturer of the probiotic should test every batch for strength and bacterial composition and should be prepared to publish the results.
(Bio-kult is the recommended probiotic and Dr. Campbell-McBride is one of the inventors)
B. Essential Fatty Acids
GAPS children and adults should have group of essential oils supplemented:
a. A good seed/nut oil blend in the ratio of 2:1 of omega-3:omega-6 fatty acids.
b. Cod liver oil to supply EPA, DHA, vitamin A and vitamin D.
c. Fish oil with higher ratio of EPA to DHA, as more EPA seems to be beneficial for GAPS patients. There are no toxic levels for these oils.
C. Vitamin A
As listed previously, vitamin A is recommended in the form of Cod Liver Oil(CLO). Vitamin A deficiency can cause digestive problems.
Leaky gut and malabsorption are the typical results of vitamin A deficiency. Unfortunately, due to digestive problems, GAPS children and adults usually cannot absorb or use many forms of vitamin A, commonly found in supplements.
A natural form of vitamin A found in CLO appears to be the best form for these patients.
D. Digestive Enzymes
People with abnormal gut flora almost without exception have low stomach acid production. Toxins produced from bacteria such as Candida and Clostridia have a strong ability to reduce secretion of stomach acid.
Stomach acid is the first barrier for huge numbers of microbes arriving with every bite of food or drink we consume. If the stomach is not acid enough, these bad microbes may have a chance of colonizing in the stomach itself.
Dr. Campbell-McBride recommends that GAPS patients supplement with stomach acid. The most physiological preparation available is Betaine HCl with Pepsin.
Pancreatic Enzymes
These are the enzymes people generally think of when hearing the words “digestive enzymes”. These enzymes are usually combinations of proteases, peptidases, lipases, amylase, lactase and cellulase.
In a healthy digestive tract, these enzymes are naturally produced by the pancreas. If normal stomach acidity can be returned, these enzymes should work efficiently.
Dr. Campbell-McBride recommends supplementation with stomach acid. If you feel benefit from the use of these supplements, make sure they do not contain fillers or binders which may interfere with the healing process in the gut.
E. Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
Dr. Campbell-McBride does not generally recommend any vitamin or mineral supplementation at the beginning of the program. Some patients may require targeted supplementation but this is a matter for a qualified practitioner to decide.
If you are going to use supplements
a. Choose supplements without any ingredients which may aggravate the gut condition.
b. Choose supplements with a high absorption rate.
c. Keep supplements to an absolute minimum.
3. DETOXIFICATION AND LIFE-STYLE CHANGES
The first and most important thing is to remove the main source of toxicity, which means cleaning up and healing the gut.
Since this alone will not rid the body of years worth of toxic build up in the system, juicing is recommended. Juicing provides very concentrated fruit and vegetable nutrients to the body in an easily absorbed form.
Black Elderberry is also beneficial and has strong immune-stimulating properties and it is one of the most powerful anti-viral remedies known to man.
The General Toxic Load
An important part of the treatment is reductio of the general toxic load. Keep your house chemical free and avoid bringing anything into the home which will let off chemicals such as new carpet, furniture, and paints. Also remember that your skin absorbs just about everything it comes in contact with so be very cautious with the products you put on your skin.
Household plants are great at reducing the toxic air in our houses. They consume the toxic gases and replace them with oxygen and other beneficial substances.
This is a brief summary of important points addressed in Gut and Psychology Syndrome. It is very important to read the sections devoted to these areas in the book for a clear understanding of each.