Intro Diet Recipes {Stage 3} – Afterthoughts (2024)

FAQs

How long do you have to stay on the Gaps intro diet? ›

The Introduction Diet lasts eighteen to thirty days (roughly three to ve days per stage) and involves removing all foods that might be gut irritants, such as dairy, from your daily intake. You then reintroduce certain foods slowly and look for adverse reactions.

The bottom line

The GAPS diet is a restrictive diet that was created to treat many different medical conditions. But, the current research right now does not offer any convincing evidence that this is true. Also, the diet can be hard to follow and has some health risks.

The GAPS diet eliminates all grains and legumes and emphasizes animal protein, homemade bone broth, non-starchy vegetables, and fermented foods. The following sample shopping list provides suggestions for getting started with this eating plan.

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

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.

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).

Foods to Avoid (or Limit)

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

FOOD FOR GAPS DIET STAGE 3

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.

Avoid all grains, sugar, potatoes, parsnips, yams and sweet potatoes.

What carbs are allowed on a gap diet? ›

Fruit to eat: bananas, figs, mangos, grapes, cherries, pomegranates, tangerines, oranges, pineapples, pears, kiwis, plums, dried fruit. BEANS. White navy beans, lima beans, and lentils are all good sources of carbs.

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.

(Make note: on stage 1 in the Introductory Diet, you are not allowed coffee. This is the one and only exception I have allowed for myself because my gut has healed so much since 2009 and I know that I tolerate milked-down coffee just fine. You might not.) I come home, eat more and work all day at my computer.

HOW LONG DOES STAGE 1 OF THE GAPS DIET LAST? You should stay on this stage for a minimum of five days and until major intestinal symptoms have disappeared.

As you feel better, return to a normal, healthy diet. The BRAT diet doesn't provide all the nutrients of a healthy diet. You should be able to start eating a more regular diet, including fruits and vegetables, within about 24 to 48 hours after vomiting or having diarrhea.

It's possible to lose weight on the GAPS diet, but that's not the aim of the protocol. Instead, it's used to address a variety of autoimmune, digestive and neurological conditions. If you're currently eating a lot of high-sugar or ultra-processed foods, moving to fresh, whole foods can result in weight loss.