Over 2,000 years ago Hippocrates proclaimed that “all disease beings in the gut”, and according to Huffington Post, “it’s common to overlook the health of our gastrointestinal system, even though it contains 10-times more health-determining bacteria than the rest of our body.” Most people have a healthy balance of bacteria in their system, but a lack of bacterial diversity. Western society treats any malady with medications, and as a collective we take a lot of pills for a lot of problems: medications like antibiotics, birth control, anti-depressants, antacids, etc. Chronic stress and exposure to environmental toxins can also alter digestive secretions, gut permeability, blood flow, and diet sensitivity.
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While our stomachs are considered an external organ, they are housed inside our bodies and their job is to protect us from harmful substances that try to enter our bodies. Trillions of bacteria can be found inside our bodies, and that bacteria play an important role in how well or poor our bodies function. When this bacterium gets paired with other viruses and fungi in your system, they become known as microbiota, and each person’s makes up a unique environment. Our intestines and colon are lined with millions of bacteria that play a role in our metabolic function and hardiness of our immune system. While we have a lot of bacteria all throughout the body, it is specifically the bacteria in our digestive systems that can have a direct link to our health and well being.
People who experience illnesses and diseases often have an imbalance of bacteria: sometimes there is too much of one type, or they are lacking a diversity of bacteria to begin with. Research has been conducted that has been able to connect dots between diseases, illnesses, and the bacteria content of your gut; that bacteria can have an impact on the following:
The GAPS Diet can assist in the healing of your gut which may lead to the remission or disappearance of symptoms. The diet hypothesizes that when you focus on improving gut health, leaky gut syndrome which can lead to many of the above ailments, can be cured by fortifying your gut microbiota to decrease permeability and the leaking of toxins into the bloodstream. This is a healing protocol that can fix gut ailments, reduce inflammation, and potentially treat certain conditions that have manifested in the brain, but that begin in the stomach.
The diet puts an emphasis on foods that are good for the gut and high in nutrients, and the elimination of several food groups that are hard on the digestive system. Limited research exists out there about the GAPS Diet and whether or not it can back up its touted benefits, but either way it is clear that bacterial health in the gut can play a large role in many aspects of a person’s health. There are, however, many studies that can back the individual components of the GAPS Diet and those studies show that following one or more of the components of the diet can lead to a slew of health benefits.
It is recommended that you implement the introduction portion of the diet first, before jumping into the Full GAPS Diet, but if you do not suffer from severe digestive issues or food sensitivities, you can, probably, very easily jump straight into the Full Diet. Supplementation is also an important part of the diet, and mainly include the use of a high-quality probiotic. Make sure you research different brands before purchasing, many do not deliver the strength or bacteria variety that the bottle claims to deliver. To find a good probiotic make sure you look for the following characteristics:
Other important supplements on the diet include vitamin and mineral supplements, Vitamin A, essential fatty acids, AND digestive enzymes as needed for your individual body and digestive health needs. Detoxifying can be difficult and can cause damage to the body on top of its accumulated toxins. Supporting the body’s natural detoxification process helps repair damaged tissues.
Many people are dissatisfied with more traditional and available treatments for disorders like autism and are looking for new ways to attempt to treat their disease and symptoms. Those who give the diet a chance normally see a cessation of food intolerances and sensitivities, and sometimes even a full recovery from their ailment. You will find people out there who have tried the diet and claim that it does not work, and in fact, it may not have worked for them, but for better or for worse you will most likely come out at the other end of the diet feeling slightly better if not completely better just from eliminating many sources of food that are not optimal for our systems in general like highly-processed, sugar-laden fast foods, and packaged foods.
There is no guarantee that trying out the GAPS Diet will cure your ailments, and while there is no guarantee, there is no harm in trying out the diet in order to heal your gut. Approaching this diet with an open mind could potentially lead to dramatic health improvements like the total removal of allergies or skin conditions. This diet may not be suitable for everyone, such as vegetarians or vegans who may struggle to meet their nutritional needs based on the approved foods list because the diet relies heavily on products derived from animals.
The GAPS Diet should not replace your current medication or treatments of conditions, but should be used in conjunction with traditional treatments to improve your gut health. Always consult the advice of a certified health care professional if you suffer from a pre-existing condition before you start the GAPS Diet. If your doctor does not recommend that you adhere to the GAPS Diet, you can always do it in a modified form like excluding carbs, or sugars, or grains instead of all of them at the same time and see what happens to your digestive system.