INTRODUCING THE GAPS DIET - HOW TO GET STARTED?

The GAPS protocol stands for Gut And Psychology Syndrome. It was developed by a neurologist and nutritionist, Dr. Natasha Campbell-Mcbride, after observing in her young patients suffering from psychic disorders that their microbiota were systematically out of whack. This syndrome refers to the link between many mental disorders and digestive system dysfunction. Admittedly, it has been much debated in the scientific community, not least because of its restrictive nature. It would therefore be interesting to explore the principles of this diet, highlighting the scientific studies that do or do not show its effectiveness.

The GAPS diet is based on the specific carbohydrate diet or RGS, which we owe to a renowned American pediatrician, Dr. Sidney Valentine Haas, who practiced in the first half of the 20th century. Dr. Haas and his colleagues had been investigating the effects of diet on celiac disease and other digestive disorders for many years. The results of their research were published in 1951 in a comprehensive medical work entitled "The Management of Celiac Disease".

The diet described in this book was acclaimed by the medical profession worldwide as a treatment for celiac disease. Unfortunately, as celiac disease came to be known as gluten intolerance (or gluten enteropathy), the RGS diet fell into oblivion until Elaine Gottschall revived it. Building on her success with her own daughter, over the years she has helped thousands of people suffering from Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, celiac disease, diverticulitis and various forms of chronic diarrhoea.

However, it was with young children suffering from a combination of digestive problems and serious behavioral problems associated with autism, hyperactivity or nocturnal anxiety, that she saw the fastest and most spectacular results. After devoting many years to researching the biochemical and biological foundations of the diet, she published a book entitled "Breaking the Vicious Circle. Intestinal Health Through Diet".

As the mother of an autistic child, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride treated her child on the basis of this diet. A physician, neurologist and neurosurgeon with a Master's degree in nutrition, she has relied on this dietary protocol for many years in her medical practice, and has introduced a number of adaptations for patients with neurological and psychiatric pathologies. Over time, her patients have referred to this diet as the "GAPS diet".

The GAPS diet is a dietary protocol which, using well-targeted natural foods (gluten-free, dairy-free, sugars, starches, cereals and additives) and a few supplements (probiotics, etc.), aims to detoxify the body and restore correct permeability of the intestine and a normal digestive system, re-establish a healthy microbiota, and prevent or reduce the symptoms of neurological and/or physiological diseases (e.g. allergies). Its primary aim is not weight loss.

I wish you every success as you embark on your GAPS adventure. You'll see, it's well worth the effort!

Dr. Campbell-McBride's theory is based on the fact that neurological diseases occur as a result of excessive intestinal permeability linked to a dysfunction of the digestive system. In effect, this intestinal permeability leads to the intrusion of bacteria and toxic chemical substances from our diet into the bloodstream.

Once in the body, these substances affect the nervous system, leading to the diseases that result from these abnormalities. The GAPS diet heals the intestine by preventing toxins from entering the bloodstream. According to a 2008 study by the Public Health Institute of Finland, reducing intestinal permeability could also help prevent type I diabetes.

Read the information provided on these pages by Natasha Campbell-McBride, as well as her book, Le Syndrome Entéropsychologique (if you're in a hurry, you can read the Guide et recettes pour manger GAPS, which summarizes the treatment and its implementation from a practical point of view).
Determine your profile to find out whether to start with the introductory diet or the total diet (to help: Guide et recettes pour manger GAPS, chapter "Par quoi commencer?" p.21).
Decide when to start the GAPS diet.
Prepare for implementation by equipping yourself with the essential kitchen equipment and ingredients, choosing your basic food supplements and organizing an environment conducive to detoxification (to help: Guide and recipes for eating GAPS, chapter "In 10 points, what you need to know and plan before starting", p.26).
Cook!
If you have any questions, please contact me for a session.

Read the information provided on these pages by Natasha Campbell-McBride, as well as her book, Le Syndrome Entéropsychologique (if you're in a hurry, you can read the Guide et recettes pour manger GAPS, which summarizes the treatment and its implementation from a practical point of view). If you go to your therapist without doing so, you risk wasting time and money.
Make an appointment with a certified GAPS therapist to establish your profile and define a plan of action.
If there's a waiting period before your appointment, familiarize yourself with this new cuisine by making a few GAPS recipes that tempt you (to help: Guide and recipes for eating GAPS).
Get equipped and get cooking!

It's vital to remember that starting a GAPS diet from one day to the next is totally inadvisable, and even less so without medical or dietetic advice and monitoring. In fact, the transition from a normal diet to GAPS is a gradual one, with an initial introductory phase leading up to the GAPS diet itself.
It's also clear that stopping the diet doesn't happen from one meal to the next. You have to go through a final stage called the dietary reintroduction phase in order to return to a normal diet.

It's also important to stress that these programs are not for people who can't make the commitment. It takes dedication and perseverance, and while Christelle can guide you every step of the way and help you make the required changes, the success of the program will depend to a large extent on how well the changes Christelle has recommended are implemented. Unfortunately, this is not a quick recovery program and can take up to a year to fully recover. However, in my opinion, one year of sacrifice is not much for a lifetime of health and happiness.