Reversing Food Allergies
Are you gluten-intolerant or sensitive to dairy? Do you have digestive issues, or arthritis, fibromyalgia, or other immune-related disorders? Do you have children with eczema, ADD or ADHD, or on the autism spectrum?
I am opening enrollment today for my brand new online cooking class Reversing Food Allergies.
I’m really excited about teaching this class because I know so many people out there are suffering from food allergies.
Instead of taking the long, slow road like I did, you can get a jump start with me as your guide. Sure, it will still take time to heal, but you won’t have to spend all those hours learning how to cook, and you’ll have the support of me and your other classmates to support you along the way.
I know it is possible to get better because I did it myself!
And I am so grateful every day that I did. I can only imagine where I would be today if I hadn’t taken the road toward healing.
Watch the Video
My Recovery from Food Allergies
When I was 25, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. The pain in my knees was so bad, it would wake me up at night. Even worse, it was spreading to my fingers and my elbows.
I also had chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple chemical sensitivity, respiratory allergies and chronic sinus infections, as well as thrush on my tongue and sores in my nose that wouldn’t heal.
In short, I was a mess! I was only 25 but I felt like I was 95. The doctors told me that I would end up in a wheelchair, and that I should just put the knee surgery off as long as I could.
That wasn’t good enough for me! I had to find a way out. After much research, I discovered that I abnormal gut flora (typically caused by antibiotics) can cause auto-immune disorders like arthritis and allergies.
I did a 30-day elimination diet to find out what I was allergic to, and amazingly, I felt 95% better in that first few weeks. I knew I was on to something.
It took me about 2 years to completely heal, but when I did, I completely had my health back. Zero pain, no medication, no sneezing or fatigue. I was a new woman!
And best of all — I could eat gluten and sugar again with no symptoms. Hello, sourdough bread, pizza and chocolate croissants!
Get Started Today
You may already be on the GAPS diet, or SCD (Specific Carbohydrates Diet) — or you may be thinking about starting.
It can be so overwhelming to get started. Trust me, I know. The diet seems so restrictive — and it’s hard just thinking about everything you have to do to get up to speed. Plus, how will you feed your family, and where are you going to find the time to cook everything from scratch?
This 12-week class is going to teach you everything you need to know to get going — and stay on the diet. From the basics — learning how to make coconut milk and soaked almond flour — to making fermented foods and bone broth, to breakfasts, lunches and dinners. And I’m even throwing in a dessert class so you can make GAPS-legal grain-free cookies and dairy-free ice cream. Because we all need something sweet every once in a while.
What You Get
You’ll get lifetime access to 12 weeks of classes including:
- 50 video tutorials
- Over 200 recipes!
- A member’s only online forum to get support and get your questions answered
Click here to see the full class schedule.
Sign Up Now
The first class starts Wednesday April 6th. Enrollment ends March 31st.
Sign up and get lifetime access to 12 classes, plus access to the online forum.
Yes, I said lifetime access! Once you are enrolled, you can go back again and again to the video lessons and recipes and learn at your own pace. And the forum will be there for you as long as you need it.
It takes time to heal from food allergies, and I want to provide you with the tools and resources you need to help you get to the finish line.
Special Coupon Code: Save $50!
I am offering my readers an extra special discount of $50 off. There will be other coupon codes in the next few weeks, but this is the best discount you’re going to find. The early bird gets the worm — only $99 for 12 weeks of classes!
Email me today at annmarie@realfoodmedia.com and I will send you a special discount coupon code for $50 off.
This is only valid for my newsletter subscribers, so if you are not currently subscribed, make sure you do so right away so you will be eligible for the discount.
Hurry! This coupon code expires Wednesday March 23rd at midnight 12 midnight PST.
Just enter your email address below to sign up for my monthly newsletter, then email me and ask me for the $50 off coupon code — and then sign up!
Got Questions?
Please ask in the comments below.
Disclosure: cmp.ly/4 and cmp.ly/5
Disclaimer: This class, website, and related materials do not constitute the practice of any medical or other professional health care advice, diagnosis or treatment. You should consult with your personal physician or other healthcare professional if you have any healthcare related questions or before embarking on a new diet or fitness program. There is no guarantee as to what you may experience or achieve by participating in this class. Click here to read the full legal disclaimer.
{ 70 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi! This sounds great. I know that half my family has had their gut flora damaged through antibiotics but I have two children with the same allergies (dairy, gluten) that have never had a round of antibiotics and I didn’t take them when I was pregnant. I am wondering if you think that this will help us? Or if we were born with these allergies?
Hi, Melynda,
Did you grow up taking antibiotics?
We pass our gut flora on to our children generation to generation.
Here is a video in which Dr. Campbell-McBride explains how this happens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7a6qL72UAU
Yes. Thank you so much. Trying to get over the guilt now…
My only other concern is that we hate fish. Except white fish.
Oh my goodness please don’t blame yourself! As though you personally are responsible for the onslaught of antibiotics and other pharmaceutical drugs we have all been exposed to. Please!
I don’t even blame the doctors or scientists because they didn’t know any better. They thought they were helping people. Little did they know they were fixing one thing and breaking something else!
As they say, “Don’t mess with Mother Nature.”
You don’t have to eat fish!
And if you do like white fish, I have a number of delicious recipes for white fish including ceviche (you will LOVE it), grain-free fish sticks, and Sole en Papilote, or sole cooked in parchment paper (sounds fancy but it’s so easy to make and it’s YUMMY).
Woot! I already signed up.
One question I always have on this that I’m curious if you’ll adress on how to stay on the diet – what about eating out?
Hi, Colleen,
I will absolutely be addressing this in the class, since it’s a very common problem.
Here is what I wrote on the FAQ page:
I almost always bring snacks and meals on plane trips. You can even bring hot foods such as chicken stock or soup in a thermos, and you can bring a small cooler to keep other foods cold.
When eating out in restaurants, there are lots of things you can eat. Order meat or fish with cooked vegetables — just make sure the food is not cooked in soybean oil.
Salads are also easy to find — just bring your own vinaigrette. Sashimi (sushi without the rice) is something easy to find in most cities — just skip the soy sauce (you can smuggle in your own fermented fish sauce, which is a great substitute for soy sauce).
How much is the course?
Oh I’m sorry I scrolled past that somehow a zillion times!
Don’t feel bad! I almost asked the same except you found it so I believed it had to be there, and it was!
I will make it more obvious in the post — sorry about that.
Hi there! I’ve been researching GAPS and am considering doing it but I am pregnant and nursing right now. I know it’s safe to do while being pregnant but I’m wondering if you think the class will help me in doing full GAPS- or are you just covering intro GAPS? My only drawback right now in doing the diet is that I already struggle to gain weight (I think due to digestion issues), and I just can’t afford to lose weight or slow my weight gain. I am very excited about this class- I think it may be the kick in the rear that I need to just start the diet!!
Yes it is absolutely safe to do GAPS while breastfeeding.
Baden, who wrote the GAPS Guide book, commented about this on her blog:
Yes, it is fine to start GAPS while breastfeeding (I did and many others have). Dr Natasha recommends a pregnant or breastfeeding mother skip intro and go directly to full GAPS.
http://gapsguide.com/about/
Here is even more information from Dr. Campbell-McBride from her FAQ page on her website:
1. I understand the dangers of doing Intro while nursing. Do you have any advice on what to do if eating the full GAPS diet (nuts, dairy, eggs, coconut oil, etc) causes reactions in the Mother? Do these not get passed on in the breast milk as well, and cause reactions in the baby, if the baby is also intolerant to them?
Yes, this is a serious concern. That is why it is best to do the programme before conception. But of course life is not planned and predictable, and some women have to start the diet while pregnant or nursing. Just do your best to keep your gut working well by eating homemade soups and stews made with meat stock every day. Make sure to eat plenty of animal fats. Avoid raw nuts, soak them overnight in salty water and use them in baking – this way they are easier to digest. If you are reacting badly to certain foods, then avoid them. Limiting fibre in your diet, which means limiting raw plant foods, will reduce food intolerances and reactions. You can have all the benefits of raw fruit and vegetables making juices from them. Eat your vegetables well-cooked as a soup or stew. Concentrate largely on eating animal foods (meat, fat, eggs, organ meats, fish, high-fat dairy), as they are easy to digest, and they provide concentrated amounts of nutrition for you and your baby. If you are eating dairy, concentrate on having high-fat products, such as butter and ghee, sour cream and natural creamy cheese.
http://gaps.me/preview/?page_id=32
I am covering full GAPS in the class, but we’ll start with the intro diet. Each person will decide on their own how long to stay on the intro diet, based on their own reactions. Some people need to stay on it longer than others — it depends on how sick you are.
And yes, as stated above, Dr. Campbell-McBride recommends that nursing mothers do the full diet from the start.
Here is the full class schedule: http://realfoodmedia.com/foodallergies/class-schedule/
From what I understand, the struggle to gain weight can be caused by digestion issues — due to problems with absorption. As the doctor says, the foods that make up the basis of the GAPS diet are highly nutrient-dense, so that should not be a factor in weight gain — if anything, it should help.
Jessica, me too (though not pregnant, only nursing). Since nursing i’ve lost even more weight. Also I want my 12yr old to do the diet for a month just to try (2 yrs is way too daunting – he won’t even consider), and he has a humungous appetite. How on earth am i going to keep him from going hungry, and I’m afraid of what it will cost financially as we don’t have a lot of money right now.
Hi, Charlotte,
Please see my response above.
I understand the concerns about getting enough food into your children and the issues with the cost.
It really is a personal choice based on what you can afford and how sick your children are. If they have abnormal gut flora and compromised health, it is not going to get any better until they heal their gut — and they are not absorbing their food properly anyway, so you are wasting money as it is and they are not getting adequately fed.
I will cover in the course how to save money and eat this way. There are lots of ways to use nutrient-dense foods that are inexpensive — like buying dried lentil beans and chicken broth for soups, and buying coconut and almonds in bulk. You can also buy grass-fed meat in bulk from farmers (I buy half a cow and store in the freezer) and I get cheaper kinds of frozen seafood (cod is usually very cheap, and sole — great for fish sticks).
Anyway, I’ll cover this in greater detail in the class, and I’m sure we’ll discuss it a lot on the forum.
Is it necessary that I know exactly what my food sensitivities are before starting this course? Thanks.
No, most people are not aware of their food sensitivities which is why we start with the intro diet.
I, too, would love this class. I’ve been moving toward GAPS for about 1.5 months now. Eating out does get in the way! DH is not interested and neither is my 6.5 year old. My 14 month old is another story – I try to keep him as close to GAPS as possible. I’m still nursing him as well. I would love more help in moving toward full GAPS and NOT CHEATING. I do have a gluten intolerance (honestly if I don’t eat gluten ever again I’ll be fine) but I also seem to have a hard time with dairy and just by eliminating grains/starches I’ve improved miles….
I am about to start the GAPS diet and your class sounds great!! I am in a similar situation as you were and would like to heal. Can I ask? What is your life and diet like now…post GAPS? Do you stick to the GAPS diet even though you are healed or since you don’t have your food allergies anymore, do you eat everything in moderation? Can you explain what life is like now in relation to you diet? I am trying to understand if I will be on GAPS forever. Thank you.
@Christine,
You can read my blog or my Facebook page to see what I regularly eat http://www.facebook.com/cheeseslave — I am always posting dinner updates.
No, I do not stick to GAPS. I did GAPS for a short period of time in 2008 because I was helping my husband (he didn’t stick with it and is still gluten-intolerant — although he has FINALLY given up gluten this past week — hooray!). I did not need to do GAPS but I was just helping him.
I eat everything in moderation. I eat bread (usually sprouted/soaked/sourdough), rice (soaked/sprouted), lots of dairy, meats, etc. I prefer sprouted grains because they are better for me, and I prefer raw dairy because it’s better — but I can eat anything with no symptoms (although unsoaked grains do make me a little gassy).
You don’t have to be on GAPS forever.
Oh, also, lately (past 2 weeks) I’ve been doing the 4 Hour Body Diet which you might see on Facebook. That is a book written by Tim Ferris. I’m just doing it again to support my husband, who is doing it.
It’s oddly VERY similar to GAPS — except it allows all kinds of beans and you get one cheat day per week.
Not going to do this diet forever — just for another month or 2. It’s not a diet to heal the gut — it’s just for weight loss.
Being now allergy-free, I can attest to the power of changing one’s diet. I am blissfully enjoying all my favorite foods, too!
Isn’t it AWESOME?! Congratulations!
HI.. wondering if this would be something I should recommend to my sister? She is highly allergic to tree nuts and recently has had more things added to her list. Just didn’t see any nut comments.. thanks
Yes, many people have reversed nut allergies with the GAPS diet. I can’t guarantee that anyone will reverse their allergies of course.
Diagnosed with Celiac Disease in 2001 and now having more bizarre allergy issues. Heading to Dallas to a nutritionist the 21st. Any suggestions as to more questions to ask him?
He leans toward the holistic and healing with nutrition and supplements, not drugs, which is why I am going.
I am so interested!
Not sure what to tell you. The only way I know how to get better is to heal your gut. This involves changing your diet and taking strong therapeutic grade probiotics.
So, Annmarie, you did GAPS but did not eat it. So going back to a WAP style diet with moderation makes sense for you and it makes sense that it works. I still question people who actually NEEDs GAP being able to ever really go back to WAP. I’ve been on the yahoo group for a long time and see lots of healing but it doesn’t seem like many ever go back to ‘normal’, or your ‘moderation’ so to speak. I’d love to hear otherwise!
I did something similar to GAPS back in 1995. There was no GAPS back then, but I followed something similar.
It took me 2 years to heal my gut.
Then I was able to go back to eating *anything*. I had never heard of WAPF back then — didn’t find that until 2007. I ate anything I wanted — gluten, dairy, sugar, you name it. And I had no symptoms or reactions.
oops my last post was supposed to say “did not NEED it”
Sorry!
My husband and I are planning on beginning GAPS early next year… hubby thinks he may have some food sensitivities (he’s not exactly sure to what – and he thinks it might just be when he eats hardcore “junk” – like fast food) but I’m not sure that I do… I’m also nursing. Would it be doable to have me start on the full diet right away and have him do the intro? Or can he just skip the intro as well? What exactly is the purpose of the intro and why would you do it/not do it?
Yes you can start on the full diet right away and he can start on the intro.
Starting on the full diet is only recommended for pregnant and nursing mothers. Everyone else should start on the intro diet. This is really the only way to find out what your food sensitivities are.
The intro diet helps you find out what you are allergic to. Many people never experience any healing because they either skip the intro diet or they don’t do the intro diet long enough.
Me again (pregnant and nursing momma)- just read this comment and since I would be starting on Full GAPS, I’m wondering if I would still be able to heal my gut this way? Since I wouldn’t be able to determine my food sensitivities, I’d still be eating food that could potentially be hurting me…. Or maybe it would just take alot longer to heal my gut?? I’ve never thought about the point you made before now…. what are your thoughts…wait to do it until I’m not preg/nursing (which could be a long time from now) or just start now….?
I’m wondering along the same lines…. But i do feel it’s an incredibly healthy diet anyway, with no sugars apart from honey and fruit in moderation and all the wonderful fats and fermented foods, broths, veggies etc. I think healing happens on the full diet doesn’t it? it’s just a longer process, and some of the case studies in Badens GAPs guide didn’t do the intro as they didn’t know about it but still saw amazing results (if i’m remembering correctly).
Yes, I think you are right- it might be worth it anyway to just do the diet since it is so incredibly healthy. I’m sure that it would be a tremendous way to nourish a growing baby! I’ve just started reading Baden’s GAPS guide but have skimmed the book and I do think you are right, too, about some of the case studies.
My 2 yo is sensitive to dairy, egg whites, nuts, fish, and soy (which we don’t eat). How does GAPS work with so many dietary restrictions when it looks like much of the food is based on dairy, eggs and nuts? She has eczema and rosacea if we don’t control her diet. She refuses coconut milk and cocoyo, and veggies most of the time (“Don’t like it, mommy!”). I consumed raw mlik and pastured eggs thru my pg and BF her. She began weaning to raw milk at 12 mos until she fully weaned at 20 months and we learned the milk was making her sick. She is also in daycare FT and I pack her lunch entree most days since the “food” they serve has allergens. I am overwhelmed by GAPS since I work FT but know we would all benefit from the protocol.
GAPS diet is not mostly dairy/eggs/nuts. GAPS diet is mostly meat, fish, broth, and non-starchy vegetables. That is what the “intro” diet is. You are not even allowed nuts or coconut on the intro diet.
Most GAPS kids are very picky eaters at first but in time, they get used to the new foods and they eat happily.
By the way, my 3-year-old is picky, too and will often tell me she doesn’t want something or doesn’t like it. I just keep serving it, and eventually she will start to like it.
There are lots of people who do GAPS without nuts or eggs. It does make it more challenging, but there is good potential to reverse the allergies to nuts and eggs. I am going to include a lot of recipes without eggs and nuts. If you can’t do nuts, you can use coconut milk and coconut flour.
There are also lots of folks who are allergic to dairy who do GAPS. When you start the intro diet on GAPS, you don’t eat any dairy. Then you start by introducing ghee, which is clarified or strained butter, in a small amount to see if there is a reaction.
If there is no reaction, you continue to eat ghee, then you progress a few days later and try to see if you can tolerate a small amount of well-fermented yogurt or kefir. If there is no reaction to that, you move on to butter, then hard cheese, then soft cheese, then milk and finally cream. You have to give some time — at least a few days — between each introduction.
It can take as little as a couple weeks to as long as a couple years to go through the dairy stages.
Most people have no problems tolerating ghee, whey and yogurt/kefir right from the start.
You mentioned that you have MCS. Did this diet help with that?
Yes, it went away.
I should add — of course, I cannot guarantee these results for everyone. Your results may vary.
I am very intrigued. We’ve already made quite a few changes in what my family eats, but my son is still having issues. I’m excited to take this class and see if GAPS can help him.
I hope it can! I can’t tell you how excited I am about all the wonderful things that are going to happen as a result of this class. I can’t wait!
My son has had his evaluations from me, his teacher, and the school psychologist. Today is his 1st doc appointment w/ that evaluation. I am going to ask about GAPS. I have to try this before we even consider medications. I will let you know how it goes at the appointment today!
OK. He’s official. ADHD. I feel like I’ve been holding my breath for 5 years. We’re being referred to a psychologist and a psychiatrist. His primary doc is very amenable to all the options and learning what will work for our son the best. Diet, behavioral, and/or medications. We’ll start with the behavioral, your class will help with the diet, and we won’t have to resort to medications.
Thanks for giving so many of us hope. Sometimes that’s all we have.
I just have a quick question about making stock… how important is it to use only organic/grassfed bones? What do you think about Whole Foods meat/bones? (The ones that have a 2 according to their meat-rating system.) Also, what is the best type of fish to buy in order to make stock with?
Ideally you want to use organic/grassfed. When you make stock, you are trying to extract all the minerals out of the bones – you don’t also want to be eating chemicals and pesticides. That said, most of the toxins are stored in the animals fat, not the bones, so it’s more important to eat grassfed/organic butter and cream etc.
Can you find a local farmer who will sell you grassfed bones? You might try asking your local Weston A. Price Foundation chapter members where they get their soup bones.
You want a non-fatty fish for making stock. Such as sole, halibut or sea bass. I typically use Thai snapper b/c they often have it on sale at the local Whole Foods AND it has the head on. If you include the head, you include the thyroid gland, which means the stock will be much richer in minerals including iodine.
My son was recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, just wondering if you think we will be able to leave him on his medication while doing this and still properly heal his gut.
I am not a doctor so I can’t advise anyone on whether or not to take medication.
I would have him follow the doctor’s orders and stay on the medication until the doctor notifies you otherwise.
You can certainly be on medication while doing this diet — when I first started healing my gut, I was on medication for my allergies and for pain.
kinda off topic but i was wondering what i can do to prepare for taking antibiotics in a couple of weeks? i’m getting lasik eye surgery done and for the post-surgery, i’ll need to be taking antibiotic eye drops to prevent infection for a week. can anyone advise? i’m nervous about further damaging what i’m trying to build up right now with fermented foods, probiotics, etc.
Maybe someone else can comment. I don’t think there is a lot you can do except take more probiotic/fermented foods now and then start again after you are off the antibiotics.
btw, i can’t wait to start this course as my 3 and 5 y.o. boys have multiple food allergies, including life threatening ones to peanuts and dairy. i’m hoping that through GAPS diet, we’ll be able to heal their leaky guts and eliminate the other allergens that are not as severe like eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, seeds, soy and wheat. i’m SO nervous sending my son to kinder in the fall — it’s like releasing him to the wolves with all his food allergies!!!
I’ve signed up for your class and am very excited about getting started, but I do have a question about expectations.
A little history: My 3 1/2 year old daughter has severe food allergies, diagnosed at 3 months old (ingesting allergens through my breastmilk). She was (and still is) allergic to milk, wheat, eggs, beef, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame & sunflower seeds. The pediatrician said he’d never seen higher results. I was very uneducated at that point and decided that I simply could not change my diet while working full time, caring for an infant, maintaining my home, etc… so she went on soy formula from then on. I realize now that I should’ve fought the fight and changed my diet, but what’s done is done now. She is retested every year by a scratch test and RAST test, and has never had any improvements. She has had accidental ingestions of milk and cashew (both extraordinarily tiny amounts)… milk was controlled by a high dose of benedryl, the cashew required Epi and the emergency room.
My question is about expectations. Can I really expect a reversal of food allergies from a child like this? I know that she will benefit from GAPS no matter what, and I’m committing to it… but (no guarantees, of course), I just want to know what’s possible. I really don’t want such high hopes if it isn’t possible in situations like ours. Does this make sense? Thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and I do look forward to reading your response.
Maybe I also should have mentioned that she suffers from lifelong severe eczema (she was originally tested b/c of a huge weeping rash on her cheek), and has not yet been diagnosed with asthma, but definitely has asthmatic tendencies and requires breathing treatments semi-regularly. She’s on Zyrtec and Singulair daily, & Xopenex as needed.
Hi, Heather
Sorry I missed this!
I wish I could tell you that you can absolutely expect all of her allergies to go away. I wish I could tell you that you can absolutely expect ANY of her allergies to go away. Of course, I can’t guarantee anything. All we can do is try and hope and pray that she gets better.
That said, I have seen so many people reverse all kinds of health challenges with the GAPS diet, including kids like yours who have lots of allergies and intolerances.
You are very brave and very strong to get started now. I am certain that you will not regret it. And please don’t beat yourself up for the soy formula. What’s done is done, as you said, and now it is time to start on a new path.
Are you going to be doing GAPS too? Most likely you also have abnormal gut flora, since that is what our kids inherit — our flora.
Thank you so much for the kind words. There are certainly no guarantees with anything, but it is encouraging to know that it *could* happen. This is certainly more hope than any doctors have given me, and it is empowering to feel like I can finally DO something — rather than the standard allergist answer of ‘avoid’. Thank you for teaching this class. I’ve read alot of people giving you flack about charging for the class, but I think it is 100% worth it to have a supportive and knowledgeable person there to hold our hands, so to speak, along this difficult but necessary path. Thank you for doing what you’re doing.
Forgot to say that, yes, I am doing GAPS too. More kids are definitely on our agenda in another couple of years, and I am hoping for healing for my future babies too.
Aww you’re so sweet!
That’s funny I hadn’t read anything out there about people giving me flack for charging.
Honestly I don’t know why anyone would complain about the price of this class. It’s less than $13 per class if you pay the full intro price which is $149. You’ll get an average of about an hour of video instruction each week, plus over 200 recipes and an online support forum that you have *lifetime* access to! You wouldn’t even get all that if you took a class at a community college.
Plus, even if you just bought the books, Gut & Psychology Syndrome and Gaps Guide by Baden Lashkov (I feel that you really need both books if you are going it alone), those 2 books will cost you $40-50 right there. So yeah, you’re paying a little bit more but you get up to speed a lot faster and get a lot more support.
Anyway, I don’t have to tell you all this! LOL!
Excited to watch your daughter’s progress and looking forward to having you in class!
hi heather jones,
we’re also going to be starting GAPS soon, namely b/c of my kids’ food allergies. my 5 y.o. son is anaphylactic to peanuts and dairy and allergic to tree nuts, fish, eggs, shellfish and seeds. my 3 y.o. son is allergic to fish, shellfish, eggs (possible anaphylactic), dairy, nuts, soy and wheat. perhaps we can stay in touch so that we can keep encouraging each other?!
Hey Felicia, I’d love to! Email me at hdmoore@gmail.com — or better yet, find me on facebook (Heather Jones Moore). It would be incredibly encouraging to know someone who is going through the same things that we are, and are trying desperately to change our kids lives. I look forward to hearing from you!
Hi there!
I already signed up for the class, but I hope you don’t mind answering this question:
Can you explain to me the difference between GAPS and SCD? I’m confused by some of the points of disagreement – like SCD’ers say BioKult can cause an overgrowth of one of the probiotic strains included. Also – is milk and cream allowed on GAPS? That’s a big no-no on SCD. These differences are really confusing to me and I just want to do the right thing for my daughter.
I am a nursing mama hoping to heal my 20-month old daughter who has many allergies/intolerances including dairy, soy, eggs, citrus, coconut, avocados, etc. etc. etc. We have been on SCD for 2.5 months and I am looking to increase her healing.
She had horrible reflux and was “failure to thrive” – which have both resolved on SCD. But she is still reacting to her “no” foods and it seems like the number of foods she’s sensitive to is actually increasing on SCD.
Thanks for your thoughts – and I look forward to the class!
~Annie
Hi, Annie,
Absolutely!
The GAPS diet is based on the SCD or Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which was created by Dr. Sidney Valentine Haas to heal digestive disorders. SCD became popular after a mother, Elaine Gottschall, healed her child and became an advocate for SCD. Elaine Gottschall wrote a book called, Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet.
SCD was really just a diet, and GAPS is an expansion of that diet. GAPS has a 3-pronged approach: diet, supplements and detoxification. This is why we are not just covering cooking and diet in the class, we are also going to have one class on how to detoxify (juicing, salt baths, cleaning out the toxic chemicals in your home, etc.)
In addition, GAPS has a different intro diet than SCD. In the intro diet, SCD allows lactose-free dairy but GAPS also excludes casein (milk protein) from the intro diet (dairy is reintroduced on GAPS after the gut has had time to heal).
Also, GAPS incorporates a lot more bone broth, and Dr. Campbell McBride recommends grass-fed meats and dairy, organic foods, and things like cod liver oil. SCD really didn’t get into this stuff. In a way, GAPS is kind of like SCD meets WAPF.
SCD allows storebought juice but GAPS does not — only freshly squeezed and pressed fruit and vegetable juices are allowed on GAPS.
GAPS only allows white navy beans, lima beans and lentils.
SCD does not allow supplementation of Bifidus (a probiotic bacteria), which Dr. Campbell McBride supports.
Lastly, baking soda is not allowed on GAPS but it is allowed on SCD. Dr. Campbell McBride says that GAPS patients are low in stomach acid and consuming baking soda would make this problem worse.
Sorry, I hit REPLY without answering the rest of your questions…
SCD’ers say BioKult can cause an overgrowth of one of the probiotic strains included.
I believe this has to do with the issues about Bifidus — I also think some SCD’ers don’t like the matodextrin that is in the BioKult. Dr. C-MB says there is not enough of the maltodextrin for her to feel that it is a concern, but she recommends different probiotics if an individual does in fact react to it.
Also – is milk and cream allowed on GAPS? That’s a big no-no on SCD.
No. Dairy is slowly reintroduced, one dairy product at a time after the intro diet period. Dr. C-MB recommends the following order of reintroduction, starting with ghee or clarified butter, because it is the easiest to digest and ending with cream, which is the hardest to digest:
1. Ghee
2. Butter
3. Yogurt/kefir
4. Hard cheeses
5. Soft cheeses
6. Milk
7. Cream
These differences are really confusing to me and I just want to do the right thing for my daughter.
Just remember that GAPS evolved out of SCD. So SCD was first, and then Dr. C-MB developed it further and turned it into GAPS.
Thanks for your response! I’m sorry, but I’m still confused! If milk and cream are allowed on the diet (I’m understanding that it’s at the end of the intro list and may be a long time before someone was actually consuming those foods) wouldn’t there still be an issue with the lactose feeding the bad gut bacteria? Or is it that once you can tolerate milk and cream you’ve sort of graduated out of SCD/GAPS?
Also, for the probiotics, I understand about the disagreement with Bifidus and that some people think it can cause problems with overgrowth. My question is – does it? Why would Dr. C-MB use a strain that people say is problematic? Or is it not actually problematic? These fundamental differences between SCD and GAPS are still a bit confusing to me. Are there other probiotics you can use if you have concerns about BioKult (I apologize if this is all stuff you’ll be getting into in the class!)
I’m on the SCD Yahoo listserve and people there are very militant – for lack of a better word – about strict vigilance and I just wouldn’t want to go through all this effort to screw it up by going “off” SCD and over to GAPS. I hope you understand. As a mama with a child who’s been ill all her life, I’m just trying to make the very best decisions and find the best path to healing.
So I just signed up for the class as did one of my friends who has told me several times about the GAPS book. I have been slowly changing our diet since my 6 yr old was born and in the last year and a half have whittled it down even more when I finally decided I had Candida (confirmed by a naturopath and my 4 yo has it too). So we already do gluten free, raw dairy (for the two in the family without Candida), soaked nuts, seeds and grains and lots of other things like that. I’ve never really done an elimination diet though and am frustrated that after this long I still have horrible excema on my hands (though there are times when it has gone completely away). And I’ve gone back and forth between people who say no fermented foods and no probiotics to people who say yes. I guess the more information I get and opinions i get, the more confused I get. I’m hoping that this class will help me sort it all out and figure out what is causing the eczema for me and one of my daughters and what my other daughter is reacting to (we’ve discovered nightshades so far…). I can’t wait to see what you’ve got to offer!
Will you be providing meal planning and menus? I’ve been trying to do this type of thing for a long time but the head work is overwhelming! If you tell me/give a selection of what to eat in week sized soundbites, I’m totally in!
Hi, Kelly no I will not be providing meal planning and menus. I’ll be giving you plenty of recipes — main dishes and sides, breakfasts etc. Everyone will be going at their own pace (some people stay on intro for one month and others for several months).
Food allergies, candida, intestinal flora issues. These are things that so many folks don’t know about and just go ahead in their daily lives just taking the discomfort and the meds that the doctors might want to give to combat intestinal issues. This is great info on the issue of food allergies and everyone should read it! Of course the other side of the issue are the one’s that know they have a problem and won’t take the time to learn how to realign the diet to help themselves. Those are the one’s that suffer at their own hands! Great info!
Is the discount still available for the online class? I have signed up for the newsletter but have yet to receive the coupon code.
Is the class mentioned above scheduled to begin in 2012 or did it begin in 2011?
Thank you,
Ella B
{ 2 trackbacks }