Oh hello there. You’ve found some very old content. Please read the disclaimer on this page before thinking I’m still a total sheep who has been sucked into a bone-broth worshipping fad diet. Been there, learned from that and am now a much less rigid human.

Post edited August 2016 to refine some points made. I’ve learned a lot and evolved my outlook since January and don’t want to mislead anyone.

It’s been a while since GAPS posts. Christmas, New Years, Travel, work, enemas, all have been taking up lots of time. On that last note – enemas – let’s dive right in to how I’ve stepped GAPS up a notch.

Busy … travelling, working, taking selfies with my friend Jo and her dog … despite my health adventures, I’m still loving life!

You see, for the first half of 2015 I was raving and raving about how much GAPS had helped me. However, in July last year I really started to notice the healing slowing. My constipation/diarrhoea came back. I was bloated and inflammed. I was starting to feel a bit tired and miserable … luckily with uni, travels and volunteer work I didn’t have time to slump into any type of depression (phew!).

By October I was really desperate. I felt 6 months pregnant every single day and despite the discomfort and embarassment of feeling ‘fat’, I was also in major, stabbing, cramping, pain! And it didn’t matter how strict I was with food (back to stage 2-3) or flexible; a bit of banana and fresh coconut smoothies. I felt vulnerable and confused. Then one day in Microbiology something clicked.

We were learning about not just bacterial overgrowth but candida overgrowth – and I flirted with the idea that they may be the culprit, but quickly dismissed it, thinking ‘oh Rach, stop being a hypercondriac, you don’t have candida’. But it played on my mind and certainly would’ve explained why I’d stopped progressing in my healing.

Bloating, fatigue, pain, poor appetite, weird stool stuff, all signs of fungal overgrowth. So I asked my kefir lady, Kirsty of Kultured Wellness, if we could have a casual chat, as she knows a lot about intestinal health and I figured “well what do I have to lose?”. I told her my symptoms and what I suspected, but explained that I’d been on GAPS for almost a year (a very low sugar version of it at that) and couldn’t believe I could have a fungal overgrowth with my diet the way it was. She agreed, but suggested that I try giving up all sugars and getting into Ketosis to starve whatever was driving me so mad.

May I take this opportunity to point out that the reason I didn’t consult a health practitioner about this was because I’ve had so many poor experiences with both western and complementary medicine practitioners. Since then I have found a naturopath that supports my health and nutrition values and is willing to work with me as an individual.  I feel much safer being under the care of someone with 20 years of clinical experience. Health coaches can be great stepping stones and can guide you to the right sorts of information and resources. However, the more I learn at uni, the more I realise how important it is, if you’re seeking help for a serious array of symptoms, to consult someone that has done a specific health or medical science degree and thus has years of clinical practice and decision-making to draw upon.

It was a bit full on at first (getting my head around ketosis and what-not) and I was quite tentative to get started (but then again, so ready to feel some relief). I thought I was already pretty low carb, but I guess those coconut cream smoothies and bowls of roast pumpkin all add up. Carbs and sugars, no matter how nutrient-dense their sources, have the potential to feed unwanted microbes such as candida and parasites – so my symptoms probably wouldn’t subside without letting my fave foods go for a while (much to my dismay).

Testing for ketone bodies – these days I’m a deep purple … loooooots of ketones!

I was to eat plenty of good fats, drink cups and cups of broth, quality proteins and non-starchy, non-sweet veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, cabbage, zucchini, leek etc.). This was pretty similar to my current diet, but I wasn’t looking forward to giving up pumpkin or coconut (and I’d just gotten banana back too). If I’ve learned anything, it’s that when you’re desperate you’ll try most anything (even if it sounds a little dangerous and you know it has the potential to do harm).

Update: In hind site ketosis wasn’t totally agreeable with my body and really stressed my fragile system out … But in all fairness it did kill the candida and resolve the tummy pain so I won’t say it was all bad or all for nothing (but I wouldn’t do it again any time soon)

Secondly, coffee enemas. WHAT!?!?!? I hear you lovely ones, I hear you. Again in hind site (I wrote this post in January ’16 and am editing it in August ’16) these were extreme and probably a little uneccassary (did I mention how desperate I was?). The theory is that they help to give your liver a detox and help to parasites and fungi (candida). It certainly gave my colon a good old clean and I’m pretty sure it did assist with some liver detoxification (as someone that suffered from autoimmune hepatitis for years, pretty much any liver detox tool does me at least some good).

My current stance on enemas is this. There is very little attainable science on the benefits but I will not discount my own positive experiences nor the experiences of many others that swear by them. I think if you are comfortable with the idea, one every so often might be useful, however if you’re moving your bowels every day and doing gentle activities such as taking epsom salt baths, drinking lemon water in the morning, ensuring a  low-chemical lifestyle and embracing a clean diet, then it’s probably safer to fore-go them.

At the end of the day, unless you have a chronic illness that has compromised your detox pathways, or are experiencing debilitating constipation, enemas are a bit extreme and like any intervention, come with their own set of risks.

To be completely honest, I wanted to delete all the posts about ketosis and enemas. I was ashamed for jumping head first into such hard core measures out of sheer desperation (and for taking advice from someone that is advising more from personal experience than years of clinical practice and decision making). I was even more embarrassed for sharing everything on here so soon, before I really had any tangible results or experience to show for things.

I think it’s important though that I leave them up – to show how I’ve changed, learned and evolved my thinking. I didn’t harm myself in either process and was very careful to listen to my body. Please know that I’m not pro-enemas or pro-ketosis, but rather believe that there are times when both interventions may be indicated. Just make sure you have a PROFESSIONAL (and I mean professional, not a coach on the Internet or a Facebook support group) to keep an eye on you and your health markers as you undertake these interventions.

The rest of this post is what I wrote back in January. A lot has changed since this time and my experiences and education throughout 2016 have helped me evolve my understandings of health and nutrition and the way I approach healing. This is not ‘advice’. Read that again.

So what stage of GAPS am I on now?

I don’t even know anymore. I know I can have meat, broth, bone marrow, fish and eggs. All non nightshade, non starchy, non-sweet veggies (except carrot and beets are fine fermented).

I can have ghee, butter, coconut oil, tallow, olive oil and activated nuts. All herbs and spices are go. Quality sea or Himalayan salt are my saviours. Call that what you will, that is my diet and it’s not that bad (update: yes, it really is that bad)

I’ll get delicious sweeter veggies and some fruits back when the candida overgrowth is under control, but for now I have to make sure it is starving.

Meat, fermented beetroot and cabbage and lots of avocado – ketogenic meals can be pretty delicious (just don’t think about what you can’t have!)

And, in all honesty, no sugar-coating, how am I finding the enemas? They’re okay. I actually enjoy them. 15-30 minutes of lying down doing nothing – reading a book or scrolling through Facebook … not too shabby. At first they’re a bit uncomfortable, and it takes some getting used to the explosion at the end. What comes out can be scary … I’m passing worms as long as 40cm (man, are they intense). Sorry, this is all very gross I know, but if you’re reading this, I’m assuming that you’re desperate too and willing to try anything … even flushing coffee up your colon.

Other than that, my only other secret is ACV (apple cider vinegar) shots, several times per day. The enzymes target biofilm, which is the encasing that tries to protect the candida from the inhospitable environment in the gut (they really hate a healthy, broth-fed gut). ACV breaks down biofilm and releases the awful fungi from where they dwell and then works with the ketogenic diet (which starves them) and coffee enemas (which release them).

I’ll do a whole post dedicated to ketogenic-friendly meals and snacks later this week, but for now, I hope this has given you some useful information to ponder.

Take care, be inquisitive, stay positive – there’s always an answer. I’ve been looking for answers since I was 11.

I’m only just figuring some things out now, but I’ve never stopped learning and growing (educational growth at least – physically I’m vertically challenged! We laugh, but it’s true – sighs).

Hugs, Hope and Hi-5’s,

Rachie