How to Start an Ancestral Diet (without Overwhelm)
Have you exhausted the elimination diet, FODMAPS, AIP, gone dairy and gluten free and still facing stubborn challenges? You are not alone. Sometimes our bodies need more support than “just” removing offending foods; we need to ADD in some helpers as well! Deeply nourishing foods, such as animal fats, can create incredible results for healing, energy, and elimination of health challenges. Our family is a big proponent of the GAPS diet! Moving toward the GAPS diet or an ancestral diet can be a big change. Here are the steps our family took to help us be successful.
Why Our Family Started the GAPS Diet
Our family started the GAPS diet immediately following an anaphylactic food reaction for our oldest child. We had previously done an elimination diet and ate only “healthy” foods while trying to identify the cause of stubborn eczema and sleeplessness. Within just a few days, we started to notice improvements in several challenges (that we didn’t even realize were not “normal”!) While the GAPS diet can seem “hard”, living with a chronic illness or condition is also hard. After learning we had the power to help our children heal with food, we committed to the change. 7 years later I am so happy we did! We have continued with the foundations of this diet over the years and have all been healthier and happier as a result.
Why Make A Change to an Ancestral or GAPS Diet
The GAPS Diet has helped people recover from allergies, auto-immune disease, asthma, skin conditions such as eczema, feeding issues, chronic ear infections, and digestive disorders such as diarrhea, constipation, and IBS. It also has a large impact on those with autism, ADHD, sensory disorders, depression, and more, due to the gut-brain connection. If you have challenges with any of these conditions, or just want to establish a strong and healthy foundation of health, I highly recommend getting a copy of Dr. Campbell-McBride’s book Gut and Psychology Syndrome – I still reference this book regularly after many years!
How To Start a Whole Foods Diet
Below are the first 5 steps I recommend to transition, step -by-step, toward a healthier, more traditional diet. Completing these 5 steps is NOT following the GAPS diet in it’s entirety; rather, it is a great starting point if you are learning how to cook from scratch. Consider breaking each step into Week 1, Week 2…and so on, or use whatever pace you need to according to your season of life. Remember, baby steps are better than not moving forward at all. You can do this!
Step 1: Add in the Good
When starting anything new, it is often easier to focus on the fun or good things first. After making a few positive changes and habits that feel like easy wins, we often gain more courage or confidence to take the next (and sometimes harder) steps. First, I recommend learning how to make meat stock, which is the foundation for healing and sealing the gut lining, which is a large step in the right direction for resolving many health challenges. Another fun place to start is to learn how to make a GAPS dessert , which tend to be very simple yet delicious!
Step 2: Create a Well-Stocked Freezer and Pantry
Many changes require an investment in learning, time, or finances. Treat yourself to a favorite cup of tea and quiet time with a notebook and make a list of new ingredients and cooking items you will invest in over time. Often, GAPS families will order a portion (for example, a quarter or half beef) or full animal directly from a farmer who has grass-fed and organic farming practices. Purchasing directly from a farmer saves money, ensures higher quality and nutrition, and allows flexible cuts of meat to be utilized for GAPS recipes, especially making meat stock.
- Begin using up pantry foods and/or filling a donation box with items.
- Find a GAPS recipe your family enjoys, and 2x-4x this recipe (WIN: You already have broth, dessert, and maybe a few other options from Step #1!)
- Create the habit of portioning leftovers for easy lunches.
- Freeze leftovers into family-sized portions for future meals.
- Repeat with another recipe, then another…you will be able to stock your freezer go-tos more quickly than you thought!
Step 3: Replace Desserts With a Honey Alternative
Why not sugar? Sugar and corn syrup contribute to tooth decay, gingivitis, diabetes, metabolic disease, excess body fat, inflammation, and fatty liver disease. They can also be highly addictive and deplete our bodies of minerals.
Trying a new dessert recipe is a yummy way to experiment with replacing refined sugar with a natural
sweetener like honey. Involving children in the baking process will help them enjoy eating new foods and transition to a healthier, whole-foods diet. Honey contains antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, prebiotics, and small amounts of amino acids. It’s local pollen content can also provide allergy relief.
A super easy place to start is with 2 ingredient fat bombs! Simply mix a 1-1 ratio of butter (or any animal fat) and honey. We also love to add cinnamon in ours. You can melt and pour into fun shapes using silicone molds and store in the freezer. (Here we are continuing to add in the good + stock the freezer for easy go-to staples!)
Step 4: Replace All Seed and Vegetable Oils With Natural Fats
Vegetable oils are extracted from seeds like the rapeseed (canola), soybean, corn, sunflower, and safflower, and
they were nearly nonexistent prior to the early 1900s when new chemical extraction processes were invented. Unlike coconut or olive oil, these vegetable oils are not pressed or separated naturally; they must be chemically separated, deodorized, and altered. These are some of the most chemically altered foods in our diets, yet they are promoted as healthy.
Eliminate: corn, soybean, cottonseed, canola, grapeseed, margarine, fake butter or vegetable oil
Replace with: Butter, coconut oil, cream, palm oil, lard, tallow, fish, avocado oil, olive oil. When possible, choose grass-fed and organic options.
Step 5: Find Other Hidden Sources of Sugar and Seed Oils
Attention: Salad dressings, nut butters, jams, and condiments!!
Petroleum-based solvents and acids are often used to make vegetable or seed oils. More chemicals are then used to improve the color & separate the oil, which creates a harsh odor; it must be chemically deodorized to be
palatable. In this step, create the habit of reading labels. Look through condiments, sauces, salad dressings, nuts, seeds, and nut butters and identify the ingredients.
Write a grocery list with a plan to swap out healthier options. Consider using olive oil or healthy homemade avocado mayo as a base condiment. Simply add in different seasonings or a splash of vinegar for Italian or ranch dressing, dip, and favorite dishes like chicken salad. Replacing daily use items is a simple way to cut back on a large percent of overall sugar and unhealthy oils in our diet.
Next Steps
Transitioning your diet using these 5 steps is a great way to begin your Whole Foods and then GAPS diet journey.
- If you are ready to move on to the GAPS diet for deep healing, see this article here. And order this book.
- If you need more support or baby steps to help you get there, check out this short, free e-book that includes the next 5 steps to take toward implementing a whole foods diet.
Have you transitioned to an ancestral or whole foods diet? I’d love to hear your best tips and wins below!
Resources
Posts
What is the GAPS Diet – An Easier Explanation
Healthy Homemade Avocado Mayo
GAPS Diet Desserts
Free E-book: 10 Steps to an Easier Diet Overhaul – A How To Guide For Families With Picky Eaters
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