How to Start the GAPS Introduction Diet?

( + How to Start GAPS Introduction Diet With Children )

The keys to success with starting the gaps introduction diet (or making any changes) are to keep your end goal in mind and to plan ahead. What brought you to seek information on the GAPS diet? Improved or vibrant health? Have you tried elimination diets and still have challenges? Do you have food allergies in your family or autoimmune disease? Sleep disturbances, rashes, undesirable behaviors? Be encouraged: our family has healed from all of these and more. Let’s get started and reach your healing goal together! Follow these step by step instructions below and you will feel empowered and confident how to start the GAPS introduction diet with your family.

Helpful Resources for How to Start the GAPS Introduction Diet

• To learn more general information about the GAPS Diet, see this post.
• To see the list of foods allowed on FULL gaps, see this post.
• If you do not already own a copy of the GAPS book by Dr. Natasha or the Stage by Stage With Recipes book by Becky Plotner, I highly recommend getting a copy of each.

Step 1: How to Pre-Plan Your GAPS Introduction Start Date

1. Make sure your spouse, caretakers, or other support systems are informed and on board with the plan for dietary changes. Some families take time off work or choose school break weeks to ensure meals are properly made and no accidental ingestions occur at daycare, school, or with other care takers. Use your judgement about your particular situation. Doing intro is an undertaking for many families, especially if you are not used to cooking this way. Be encouraged! Keep your end goals for improved health in mind; immense healing opportunity is waiting for you.
2. Write down a “start date” goal and save this post to reference back to as we follow the steps below to work backward toward that start date. Some families begin on full gaps and work backward to intro. Some (like ours did) will need to begin immediately in life-threatening or extreme situations. You can read more of our story in this post. It is best to start when you do not have a lot of other time pressure and schedule obligations, if possible. Who will be making most of the meals? Who will be feeding young children? How many days will it take you to do food preparation in advance? See step 2 for what and how to prepare
3. Are you new to whole foods eating? Do you have a lot of processed condiments, cereals, foods in boxes in your home? No judgement! Check out this condensed resource for transitioning to a whole foods diet. You can do a complete overhaul right away or follow the plan over the course of several weeks, depending on your start date.
4. Stop the flow of non GAPS foods into the home. Donate or use up ingredients on hand. Make grocery lists with GAPS ingredients and begin practicing preparing these foods. This post has a list of all the foods allowed on full GAPS.

Step 2: Source Whole Foods and Stock GAPS Ingredients

Having high quality meats, eggs, non fibrous vegetables, raw milk (if possible), and honey are key! Do not allow yourself to be overwhelmed. Take a deep breath and tackle these food groups one at a time. As with anything in life, once you learn what to do, it is easier to do each subsequent time.

1. Make a food and “space” budget for your GAPS foods. When sourcing high quality meat, pastured eggs, vegetables, and honey, you will likely need to more food than you think you might need. Plan your budget and freezer spaces accordingly. If budget allows, invest in a chest freezer if you do not already have one. Get the largest one you think you will need for your family size. Sometimes children will go through a time of food refusal. This is normal. However, most times children are very resilient and will (eventually) eat surprisingly large quantities of these nourishing foods. More often than not, after the initial food refusal stage (if there is one), it is almost as if we cannot get enough of the nourishing foods in our bodies. Our bodies are designed to heal with the right support. Allow your children to eat as much of the GAPS foods they would like; their bodies are working on healing, re-mineralizing, and absorbing much needed nourishment.
2. You will need a few tools, such as a blender, 5 gallon stock pot, and storage containers if you do not already have them in your kitchen. Check out this post for my full list of helpful tools.
3. Stock your freezer. If possible, buy meat from a local farmer who uses grass-fed and organic practices. If you do not know of a farmer, check your local Weston Price Chapter. You will want several whole chickens or cuts of bone in chicken meat, and bone in beef or venison cuts. Farmers generally offer a full, half or quarter beef at a cost effective rate. Our family of seven buys 1-2 whole beef each year, depending how successful our venison hunt is and if/how many chickens and meat rabbits we raised that year. Again, a chest freezer is a great investment.

Step 3: Prepare Meat Stock and Ferments

1. How to make your first batch of milk kefir. This is the easiest and fastest food I have ever fermented at home. Check out this post for a simple recipe to follow and where to source grains from. I enjoy plain kefir, and my children enjoy it mixed with honey. As you are able to introduce fresh pressed juice and raw fruits on stages 4-6, you can make smoothies with the kefir as well. We consume TONS of these 3 ingredient kefir smoothies, so I make large batches ahead of time and freeze into portioned sizes in glass containers.
2. Make meat stock (not bone broth) and freeze in these glass storage containers. I do not recommend freezing stock in mason jars, as even with headspace, they often break in the freezer.
   Note: some people have reactions to a particular meat or vegetable. In the beginning, it can be better to make fresh stock every couple days until you know if there will be a reaction. For example, our son reacted to celery (which we had used in stock). Once we identified this, we were able to cook large amounts of stock (with non-reactive veggies) and freeze ahead. Depending on your family size, it is good to have several gallons of “safe” or non-reactive stock prepared ahead of time, as each person will consume several cups of broth per day. Using a crock pot can also be incredibly helpful if you are making a lot of fresh stock.
3. Begin fermenting vegetables. If you have never fermented vegetables, here is a tasty and easy fermented carrot recipe that picky eaters love! I was nervous to try fermenting food at home, but it is very simple and cost effective. Sauerkraut is a must on the GAPS diet, if no allergy to cabbage. Other good options our children really enjoy are fermented dilly beans, kohlrabi, and beets. Fermented vegetables are simply vegetables, sea or rock salt, and time. You can add in additional herbs and seasonings for flavor variety. Generally ferments are ready to eat within about 2 weeks, so plan backward from your start date. This may be shorter or longer depending on the temperature. You can move the ferments to the fridge or a cool basement to slow fermenting.

Step 4: How to Make GAPS Introduction Diet Pancakes

1. Stage 3 includes GAPS Pancakes. These are so yummy and nutritious, and anticipated after stages one and two! Check out this post for the fastest way to make them and fresh. They freeze well, so making large batches ahead can be very helpful! (Note- consider trialing a smaller batch to start to ensure no food reactions occur before making larger amounts.)

Tips for Success

1. If you are starting the GAPS introduction diet with your family, I have found it incredibly helpful to get everyone involved in the kitchen. Toddlers, spouses, and all age children that are interested. When children help prepare food, they tend to eat it better and be more grateful.
2. Share the “why” and science behind starting the GAPS diet with your children in an age appropriate manner. If they are old enough to read, let them peruse the recipes and books. Our children, even our 3 year old, talk about how their “sauerkraut bacteria are battling the bad guy bacteria”, how their soup is “healing any holes in our guts”, and “I’m going to have lots of broth so I can have lots of treats!” It is amazing how quickly they understand and want to nourish their bodies well, too.
3. On the first several days of adjustment, planning distractions helps keep the mind off food. A few ideas: playdates at parks, beach, library, bowling, a new movie, fishing, camping. Consider feeling a little under the weather is a possibility with the adjustments and extra rest may be desired over an outing the first day or so, but this generally passes quickly.
4. Have community to confide in. Whether this is your spouse, a friend, or a GAPS Facebook community, it is helpful to be able to share ideas, hopes, frustrations, and victories that come with starting something new.

I hope these steps help your family on your GAPS journey! Please feel free to comment any questions or your own experiences, I would love to hear from you.

Resources

Posts

What is the GAPS Diet? An Easier Explanation
Foods Allowed on the GAPS Diet
Large Family Kitchen Essentials + GAPS Diet Must Haves
How to Make Milk Kefir?
3 Ingredient Fermented Milk Kefir & GAPS Yogurt Smoothies
How to Make GAPS Diet Meat Stock?
How to Make Fermented Carrots (That Picky Eaters Love!)?
GAPS Diet Fermented Foods
How to Make GAPS Diet Pancakes in the Oven?

Local Farm: Weston Price Chapter

Free E-book: 10 Steps to an Easier Diet Overhaul – A How To Guide For Families With Picky Eaters

Favorite books

1. Gut and Psychology Syndrome
2. GAPS, Stage by Stage, With Recipes

Shop This Post

• chest freezer
• blender
• 5 gallon stock pot
• glass containers

This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.

Favorite0