GAPS Intro: Stage Six and Conclusion

Our food life is (mostly) back to normal!

Stage Six consists of adding back in raw fruits, and slowly introducing “extras” like coconut products, coffee, dried fruit, and legumes/beans. This has been going very well, though these “rich” foods are definitely more difficult for me to digest without the supplementation of stomach acid. Hooray for apple cider vinegar! A few delicious chocolate (healthy!) treats are sure in order!

My Conclusions

I'm glad we did the Intro. Strangely enough, it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Upon reflection, I think a big part of our success was having done Full GAPS for so long before starting. My die-off of bad bacteria was pronounced when I started Full GAPS; for several weeks I felt very ill and had a lot of stomach pain. It was nearly as bad as the health problems I was aiming to bring into control by starting GAPS in the first place! However, this allowed a lot of healing early on for me. When I started the GAPS Intro, I didn't have much bad bacteria to die off, though I still have the need to heal and seal the lining of my gut. This is will continue to take time and commitment to a healthful diet.

Goals for the Near Future

• Increase magnesium. I had been taking a magnesium supplement, but I went off all supplements when beginning the Intro. This has slowed down my excretory system, especially since an increase in magnesium is helpful for detoxification.
• Continue with Full GAPS (including bone broth, fermented veggies, healthful fats, and therapeutic-strength probiotics).
• Try a new supplement. My nutritionist has taken classes from Dr. Axe. It looks like this product is tailored to my problems.
• Re-do the Intro. Okay, but not yet! I'm going to go back on Full GAPS for a couple of months to build up my nutrients, and then see if I can achieve some deeper healing for my gut (and try to reintroduce eggs and almonds once again)! Originally, I thought I would be disappointed if I would have to re-do the Intro, but now that I've done it once, it's WAY less intimidating.

Your Homework

Wait, what? Aren't you a grown-up out of school, reading a blog in your spare time? You didn't sign up for homework! I’m certainly not your authority figure and I have no way of checking up on you, but ...

I hope you've been following my GAPS Intro journey because you care about me. But really, I’m writing these blogs because I care about YOU. GAPS is hard enough for a family of seven, without me needing to chronicle it! I should really be working in the kitchen, not sitting on my duff! So, I hope you've also been reading because you care about the stewardship of your body, your health, and the health of your family. I hope you've learned a thing or two and been inspired to try something new (or, should I say old, as in ancient?)! Here are some suggestions of where you might start:

• Make your first “ferment”
• See if you can plan a menu without grains for 3 days
• Switch a few of your conventional fruits and veggies for their organic alternative to minimize pesticides and maximize nutrients
• Pick out a new fruit or veggie to try the next time you shop for groceries
• Learn how to make bone broth
• Say “no” to fast food for a month, or pre-packaged food for a week
• Experiment with a new and healthful fat, like coconut oil or pastured lard
• Add sea salt to your diet
• Create a few go-to protein-based breakfasts
• Kick added sugar out of your life for a week (or better yet, forever!)
• Discover a source of local grass-fed meat
• Commit to reading a book about natural health

Choose one of these healthful choices for yourself and your family! And when you've mastered it, try another! That’s where this all started for me. Before you know it, you’ll be on your own journey to better health—and maybe you'll even blog about it!