An Intro to the Intro Diet. Don’t let the Intro Diet scare you off from trying GAPS. Let me break it down for you so that it’s not quite so intimidating…. The healing is worth it!

The GAPS Diet - An Intro to the Intro - What it is and why to do it. #gapsdiet #healing #naturalhealth #guthealth #diet #introdiet #grainfree #sugarfree #gaps

Contents hide
1 The GAPS Diet.
2 What is the Intro Diet?
3 An Intro to The Intro Diet.
4 How to Introduce New Foods.
5 The Intro Diet Break Down…
6 Realistically Speaking.

The GAPS Diet.

The GAPS Diet is split into two parts: the Intro Diet, and the Full Diet. If you have no clue what the GAPS Diet is, let alone why anyone would want to go on it, head on over here and check it out. Though the Intro generally comes first, there’s no hard, fast rule that you have to do the GAPS Diet that way. I’ve read plenty of stories of people who started on the Full Diet and slowly weaned themselves onto the Intro. It’s a personal thing, based on what you can handle, and how quickly you want your body to heal.

What is the Intro Diet?

While the GAPS Full Diet is pretty much a paleo diet with the addition of navy beans and fermented dairy (think yogurt and sour cream), the Intro Diet comes in 6 stages. Its basic purpose is to starve out the bad bacteria that have been residing in your gut and then build up the good. For most people this can really only happen one way: fast from anything that contains hard-to-digest starches. Starches feed the bad bacteria and yeast it’s pretty hard (dare I say, impossible?) to heal your gut while consuming them.
 

If you’re not quite sure what food has starch in it, let me tell you…

 
Everything. 
 
Kidding! But it sure feels that way when you’re nixing all your easy, family favorite dinners, and your kids’ favorite snacks! For the first bit of the Intro Diet, all you can eat is boiled meat, bone broth, and non-fibrous veggies. Exciting, eh?
 

An Intro to The Intro Diet.

The Intro Diet comes in 6 stages, the first of which is the fast/detox period. Depending on how your body handles this, you can stay on stage 1 for anywhere from a couple days to a month. During our first go with the GAPS Intro it took my family about a week to be free and clear of any detox symptoms (such as lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea, etc… it’s not always that bad, but it ain’t pretty either!). When I did it again by myself I stayed on the Intro for a month.

After stage 1 of the Intro you begin adding in the foods recommended by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, waiting in between additions to see how you react. Each stage is stayed on until all your negative reactions alleviate. The most common reactions to newly introduced foods are diarrhea, constipation, tummy ache, ear ache, rashes, and headaches.

How to Introduce New Foods.

The general rule for introducing new foods to your system is each night before bed, take a 1/2 teaspoon or so of whatever food you are wanting to introduce the next day, mash it up, and rub it into your wrist. Sleep on it, and if there’s no reaction in the morning, you’re free to try eating 1-2 teaspoons of said food. If you still don’t react, you can up your consumption daily until you’re eating normal portions.

(Tip: This little rule isn’t just for GAPS, it’s helpful for any time you think you might be reacting to a food.)

Since everyone progresses through the diet at their own personal rate, getting through the Intro can take up to 6 months. It took my family about a month for all of us to get through it safely when we did the diet together, and on my own later it took me a few months to get through the Intro.

 

The Intro Diet Break Down…

If you’re still reading and ready to get on to some healing, I’m outlining what you eat during each stage of the Intro. Remember that this is a general list. What you eat on each stage is up to how you react during each new introduction of food.

STAGE 1

breakfast:
room-temp water
chicken, meat, or fish stock w/ salt & pepper (save meat the boiled meat for later) 

 

lunch & dinner:
boiled meat & veggie soup (no fibrous or starchy veggies, i.e. pretty much only carrots, squash, peas, and onions)
w/ 1-2 t. probiotic juice (read, juice from the sauerkraut jar)
ginger tea w/ honey
 

STAGE 2

continue with stage 1
 
add in:
raw egg yolks to soups 
homemade yogurt
homemade ghee 
 

STAGE 3

continue with stages 1 & 2
 
add in:
mashed avocado into soups  
nut butter pancakes
scrambled eggs with ghee, avocado & cooked veggies
sauerkraut
 

STAGE 4

continue with stages 1-3
 
add in:
roasted & grilled meats (not fried) with boiled veggies & kraut
olive oil 
freshly pressed juice before breakfast (start w/ 2 T. carrot juice, increase to 1 c. add celery, lettuce & mint)
almond flour bread
 

STAGE 5

continue with stages 1-4
 
add in:
applesauce
lettuce and cucumber (then carrot, tomato, onion, cabbage, etc.)
apple, pineapple, and mango to carrot juice
 

STAGE 6

continue with stages 1-5
 
add in:
raw peeled apple
baked sweet foods sweetened with dried fruit
 

Spinach & Garlic Meatballs in the Instant Pot

 

Realistically Speaking.

My husband and I thought long and hard about it before plunging our family of six into the this Diet. We were already eating gluten and sugar-free, and I was dairy and egg-free as well. After months of prayer and research, finally jumped in. To say it was a shock for our systems is putting it mildly. By the end of the Intro, you’re eating enough variety to actually make a few regular meals, but the beginning can be very exhausting – especially when you’ve got kids you’re trying to convince to eat broth for the 300th time that week! Since progression through the Intro stages is personal – based on what each person can handle without reacting – making meals can be very frustrating!

All in all, the healing experienced during the Intro Diet is totally worth all the work. I can now eat foods I never thought I’d eat again! For a more detailed list of foods you can eat on the Intro Diet you can check out my post titled “What In the World Do I Eat Now?” It’s full of helpful tips and recipes for each stage of the Intro Diet.

This all might seem a little overwhelming, even discouraging. Don’t be dissuaded though, it can be done – and the results are worth it! If you want all the gory details on how my family survived the Intro Diet, head on over to my next post…

Have you ever thought about doing the GAPS Diet, but the Intro scared you off? Let me break it down for you so that it's not quite so intimidating.... The healing is worth it! #gapsdiet #healing #naturalhealth #guthealth #diet #introdiet #grainfree #sugarfree #gaps

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