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.

Well GAPSters it’s been real, but as you probably read in this post, I’m finally transitioning off the healing GAPS diet and introducing some nutrient-dense starches back into my diet.

I’ve learned so much on GAPS,  though I feel it’s time for me to move on, after all, this is not a forever protocol.

My body has changed so much over my 19 or so months of hard-core gut healing, and though I definitely made mistakes, on the whole, I feel the protocol has brought me a lot of wisdom (even if much of this wisdom has stemmed from the hindsight of said mistakes), and also replenished my depleted nutrient stores. Nothing like autoimmune hepatitis to rob you of antioxidants, vitamins and mineals, fatty and amino acids.

When I started this blog just under two years ago, I never intended for the blog to become a GAPS blog (although how convenient is the name? it’s like the present knew where the future was headed). I wanted to write about everything. Yes nutrition (I love me a good discussion about food), but also habits, psychology, relationships, art and pretty much anything else that tickled my creative fancy.

However, as things evolved, I found myself writing more and more about GAPS and, quite frankly, I’m bored.

So, as a send off to the end of my GAPS era, I thought I’d write about how I knew it was time to transition off of the diet – a process that can be  overwhelming for those who found digestive refuge in the company of their slow cooker. Is that just the most poetic sentence you’ve ever read about a crock pot? Just curious. I digress.

To be truthful, my biggest reason for feeling “ready” to transition off GAPS was that I feared I was starving my friendly gut bugs with the total lack of resistant starch and certain pre-biotics (in my diet) that technically aren’t “GAPS legal”.

• My systemic candida is gone.
• My stools are regular (touch all the wood).
• I am happy and energetic despite a challenging and stressful (and far too serious for my liking) year.
• My gut is settled (except when I’m drinking my gallbladder tonic to settle those pesky gallstones  … but lots all the vitamin C and probiotic overload from the lemon juice and ACV will do that to anyone. I figure those digestive upsets don’t “count”).

“Rachie-poo”, I thought, “I think you should roast one of those white sweet spuds that you’ve being eyeing off at the greengrocers.”

And so I did.

And it went down a treat alongside roasted zucchini, butternut, and carrots, plus kelp noodles and lightly cooked salmon (similar to this damn tasty dish).

The next week, I bought another and did the same thing. And so, sweet spud became a staple veggie on my weekly shopping list once again.

Then I found plantains and I got very excited (because these funky green banana-looking babies can be quite difficult to locate –  luckily more and more places are now sourcing them). I bought one and tried mashing it 50/50 with butternut, coconut cream and herbamare … yummo … just like white spuds (but better I think). So now whenever I can get plantains I stock up and enjoy them peeled, diced and steamed as a super-duper source of resistant starch fuel for my microbiota!!!

It was that simple. No big deal really. One day I was technically “On GAPS”, the next I was reunited with the humble sweet spud.

If anything I feel healthier ON starches than NOT on them … go figure. The reason I’m making a point of this is that GAPS (or any eating style that takes certain whole foods out for certain time periods) can do some funky stuff to your psychology. I’m not against extremism where it’s indicated. Ketosis helped me get rid of candida overgrowth. It was intense and certainly not fun … but short term it got rid of my candida without the need for commercial anti-fungals. So please don’t get me wrong, its just I know that elimination diets of any kind can turn nutrient-dense foods into “the devil” and in defence of food, it’s kind of unfair.

Take sweet spud as an example …

Normally – high in vitamins A and C, antioxidants such as lipoid acid (great for the liver and for blood sugar regulation), minerals such as Manganese and Potassium and a beautiful source of fibre … sweet spud get around me!

On GAPS – error moi gawwwddd it’s a starch, it will feed pathogens, it will make me sick, better avoid this knobbly  root veggie like the plague lest I get constipated from the complex carbohydrates irritating my sensitive bowels!!!!!!!!!!!

Or another fun example … a chickpea …

Normally – fibre; tick, protein; tick, prebiotics; tick, makes a mean homemade falafel and hummus dip; tick … “come to mamma you sexy little legume”

On Paleo – cavemen in their grunting, ape-like glory didn’t enjoy falafel and even though it’s millions of years later, I probably still haven’t evolved quite enough to consume this humble beige coloured pea … oh imagine the gusts of wind that would escape my lower territory should I dare to embrace such a “modern” food on the evolutionary scale

Now just so I don’t get hate mail (and sound like I’m contradicting myself at the same time), I will say that yes, for people with an overgrowth of pathogenic or opportunistic bacteria in their guts, short term, sweet spud might be a no-go. Likewise with chickpeas … if you don’t have the right types of bacteria to digest their prebiotic fibres, then your friends and rellies better run and take cover because man alive is that going to create some scary-smelling flatus or what?

Under normal, healthy circumstances however, both are perfectly acceptable foods to eat on a regular basis, but when we attach ourselves to a label or commit to a certain lifestyle, they may become ‘fear-foods’ for no good reason other than some book or blog listed them under “non-allowed foods”.

Which gets me to something my 19 months on GAPS taught me (and I did touch on this a few posts ago) … our diet will continue to evolve as our health status changes.

What works for you right now may be totally different in several months time and different again a year later. Some foods/snacks/meals will stick with you through thick and thin, for a number of reasons;

• They’re affordable.
• Yummy.
• Easy, or
• Simply make you feel damn fine.

Others will come and go with the seasons, or as your needs change (I used to put tallow in just about EVERYTHING … now even the thought of it gives me a tummy ache – smelly beef fat what even?).

I’m still not an advocate of the whole “everything in moderation” mantra because, well …

What defines “moderation” (???) and what defines “everything” (???) .

Let me tell you, if “everything” includes margarine I’ll forevermore declare “oh HELL no sister!”

No matter how these unnaturally yellow spreads masquerade as “health FOODS”, I can assure you, Mr Olive and Mrs Sunflower Oil are not fulfilling their life purpose in these artificially solid states.

I have come full circle in my approach to whole foods and the “listening to your body” stance. So long as the food is;

• Real.
• Whole.
• Not-mucked with by people in lab coats, or combined with so many additives that your head spins just reading the first line of the ingredient list
• Right here, right NOW you feel you’re thriving on it …

I can assure you it’s a good choice in the moment … even if a certain foodie philosophy says “N-O”.

I have gone to some extremes over my time on GAPS and for the most part, I believe each stage played an important part in teaching me lessons that I can take into my future career as a clinical nutritionist and community health advocate. These stages also aided the healing process. If I hadn’t had such rigid guidelines at certain points I;

a) wouldn’t have the hind sight and wisdom that I do now, and

b) I may not have healed as thoroughly as I need to.

But now that I’ve come out the other side and continue to create a lifestyle that fosters health maintenance, but without chugging litres of bone broth daily or abstaining from some of my favourite foods in the name of intestinal epithelial repair, I want to share these parting words …

Stay open minded, patient, willing to change, accepting that nothing is constant, no one knows your body like you do, science doesn’t currently hold all the answers so stop waiting for “evidence-base” to make ALL of your health decisions.

Food and nutrition and living a low-tox life is very important but for goodness sake don’t let a day go by without also having a good laugh, a warm hug, getting some sunshine and/or fresh air, moving, dreaming, stretching, LIVING. LOVING. THRIVING …

… and release the need to hold onto old-hat beliefs that no longer serve you.

HEALTH is your birthright but don’t forget to LIVE (and laugh lots) whilst working to maintain that state … because whilst I may have forgotten this for a period of time, there is in fact more to life than GAPS muffins, sauerkraut and epsom salt baths …

Don’t ever stop LIVING while you’re healing lovely one, keep the (for lack of a better word) “journey” fuelled with fun,

Hugs, Hi-5’s and Hopeful Humour

Rachie xxx