What Does Your Doctor Think of the GAPS Diet?

We’ve been hearing from more and more patients with questions about the Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet, or GAPS diet

Just about every week seems to bring a new type of diet to the market. Some of them are great. Others can be confusing and not necessarily beneficial for your health and well-being, especially when undertaken without the help of a doctor or trained medical professional.

We want to help you navigate this quagmire of dietary fads by breaking down some of the more popular diets, how they work and how our Parsley Health doctors recommend approaching them.

The Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet, or GAPS diet, was created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride , a neurologist and nutritionist. It was derived from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) created by Dr. Sidney Valentine Haas “to naturally treat chronic inflammatory conditions in the digestive tract as a result of a damaged gut lining .”

Similar to a paleo diet, on the GAPS you eliminate foods that can be difficult for the body to digest.

You’ll cut out things like:

• Grains
• Sugar
• Refined carbs
• Processed foods.

You will be able to eat things like:

• Meats
• Fish
• Vegetables
• Fruits other than avocado
• Egg Yolks
• Olive Oil
• Fermented dairy like kefir
• Bone broth is also recommended with every meal

The GAPS diet also recommends including a small amount of raw fermented vegetable juice with each meal and using ghee and coconut oil for cooking.

“GAPS is believed to have a positive impact on digestive diseases like Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis and IBS, allergies and arthritis, and neurologic issues like ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, depression and schizophrenia,” explains Parsley Health founder and CEO Dr. Robin Berzin. “GAPS can be effective because, like paleo, you eliminate the grains that are triggers for inflammation , digestive issues, gut bacterial imbalances and immune dysfunction — issues that too many people suffer from today.”