Friday, October 7, 2011

GAPS Diet

Have you ever heard of the GAPS diet?  I hadn't a month ago, but the more I hear, the more intrigued I am.  Here is the first video of six that give background and explain it.  I recommend watching all six videos.  They talk about autistic children, but it also applies to children with ADHD, and other behavioral problems.


I have a son with ADHD, and we face challenges every day in working through it.  I have a nephew who is autistic.  If this works, then why doesn't everyone do it?  In first looking at the diet, it's overwhelming!  It is a lot different from how we normally eat, and takes a huge lifestyle change.  I asked my son if he knew that eating the way I do would help him be able to concentrate and not take his medicine anymore would he do it?  And he said no way.   That surprised me, because his ADHD causes a lot of stress.  He loves his treats, though, and it seems like torture for him to take them away. 

The more I read about GAPS, though,  the more convinced I am that we need to do this as a family.   I found a blog called Health Home Happy, and there is so much great information!  My favorite resource is the monthly GAPS diet meal plans with shopping list.  I had been using a similar service, but the food wasn't healthy, so I cancelled.  I loved the convenience of having it all planned out for me, though, so I'm really glad that I found a resource for this. 

The GAPS diet is very much like what I now eat.    There is an even more restrictive diet that is necessary for those who have severe issues, which is called the GAPS introduction diet.  You're supposed to do that for one to six or more months, depending on the severity of the problem.  It helps heal the gut, which is the basis for these mental problems.   Then you would do the regular GAPS diet that isn't as restrictive.

I've ordered the meal planning for one month, and am going to try it for my whole family.  My husband is ready to hop on board & eat healthier, too, so this will be a way that we can all eat together rather than me with my meals separately.  I think this will be a good starting point for us, and then maybe in January I can start the Introduction diet with my hubby & a few of my kids.  I'm pretty sure I'll need that more intensive program.  OKAY!  Monday we're in! 

2 comments:

  1. This is interesting, and with Harrison I already knew there were certain foods and things that definitely make him worse behavior wise...hmm...maybe we will have to try this too. Aside from being healthier, it would be a better way to live, and Harrison could go off his medications.

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  2. Okay-this is starting to weird me out! I just saw on Facebook that you liked Synergy Dental, and I actually just had my first appointment with Dr. Ulm last week. Now, you're talking about the GAPS diet, which is something that I've been researching quite a bit. I think we must be going down similar paths! I'm also so glad to hear that you liked the ginger!!

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