GAPS diet - heard of it? Tried it? Thoughts?

[Fiasco]

Hi all,

I've recently started reading about Gut and Psychology Syndrome. It's intriguing. I'm wondering if anyone has tried the diet, and whether it had any effect on your mental health?

Fi

[solabear]

I'm vegan, 100% plant based for 2 years now and it was the best decision I've ever made in my life. I'm a lot healthier which is confirmed by my GP after blood test, and I feel a lot better. I wouldn't try any other diet after researching it I stick by it.

I hope this helped

[Fiasco]

Thanks for your reply solabear. I used to be a vegan a long time ago, but I wasn't a very smart one and made myself much more unwell. It was before I was diagnosed with coeliac disease too, so I didn't realise what I was doing. Ah the wonders of hindsight! For me personally, I feel much better eating animal products. Though I'm saying that I must admit I haven't tried again now that I'm older and wiser.

I tend to lean towards the idea that no one diet can suit everyone, because everyone is so different. But that's probably because every diet I read about puts forth such convincing ideas that I agree with them all! 😫

I have quite a few friends who are vegans and they feel very healthy, and others who aren't. Unfortunately I don't think I've found the ideal diet for myself yet (and I think my needs keep changing!). I'm severely anaemic at the moment, so trying to address that with supplements. My main problem is that even though I've avoided gluten for a decade now and my intestines have healed, I still don't seem to be absorbing and assimilating nutrients from my food very well.

perhaps you might not want to read about the GAPS diet - the author had a little bit to say about how she disagrees with vegetarianism. Not my opinion, I'm rather too open minded I think (hence why I can't make a decision lol).

I'm glad you've found a diet that works so well for you. I do believe that a healthy gut is strongly linked to mental health- the disagreements seem to be about how to get that gut health.

Fi

[solabear]

I must say that I'm a healthy plant based, I don't eat much processed food, mainly whole food and try to be as organic as possible.

According to my research, our digestive system is not designed to eat meat as we are not carnivores. Carnivores have short guts so meat is digested quick and goes through fast. Humans digestive track is long and meat products go through slowly which is not ideal hence the cholesterol has time to build itself in and also the bacteria is an issue which is why we have to cook meat. Carnivores are able to eat raw meat, without being sick.... we are not.

There is a really good book called "How not to die" based on scientific research and also the "China study", advocating whole food plant based diet.

Vegan doesn't mean it's healthy, it's just mean plant based. It has to be whole food, unprocessed.

i don't believe we humans are all different and require different diets. We are almost identical genetically, healthy plant based diet is proven to be ideal for all humans.

The vegan population has doubled in Australia in the last 2 years.....must be a good reason for it.

Also there is a new documentary available on Netflix called "What the health" ... it's worth watching , it's an eye opener.

Take care and hugs

Sola

[MsPurple]

I everyone. And thanks for sharing 🙂

In terms of GAPs diet I have really heard of it. It is not evidenced based. It doesn't have sound journal articles and research done in this area. Therefore I can not personally recommend it. The personal selling the diet does have a qualification in nutrition but is not a registered dietitian. To me it sounds like a fad diet and would not benefit someone long term (yes it may help in short term but not long term, not enough research has been done on it)

Veganism is a personal choice and it can be healthy if done correctly. Making sure you get enough protein, calcium (from soy/plant based products like soy milk), fibre, iron, energy etc. I am sure solabear after doing this for 2 years you have gotten a good handle on it 🙂 Just be aware that vitamin b12 is only found in animal based products so make sure you get some supplements in it (it has a long half life in the body so can take 2 years for you to become deficient). And yes there are vegan supplements for this too. I am not personally vegan but I admire those who choose to do it and do it the right way 🙂

Fiasco coeliac disease must be really frustrating to handle. Especially trying to go out to restaruants and not having traces of it. Some people don't understand the difference between intolerance and coeliac disease. Have you heard of the app called FoodSwitch (by bupa). You can scan a food label at the supermarket and it will tell you if it has gluten in it or not. It then can advise you on a similar gluten free foods (e.g. scan pringles and it will tell you a brand of gf products similar to pringles). I have found it handy to advise to clients.

I try and follow best practice and what the research shows. It is hard trying to find something that fits you and your individual needs online. Yes there is eatforhealth.gov.au which is made by the governments with dietitians. But the best advise would be to see a dietitian. They follow best practice, research and they are trained professionals.

[Fiasco]

Thanks solabear and ms purple. Interesting to hear your experiences. I haven't heard of that app before ms purple - thanks for sharing! The wonders of technology!

i also like the idea of eating whole foods as unprocessed as possible and organic as possible solabear. I do my best anyway. I like the idea of the whole food movement. The way you describe your thoughts about food sounds very similar to mine in that aspect.

A few years ago i tried the paleo diet, after reading about how some coeliac responded well to cutting out all grains. I was quite sick on it, (whether coincidence or not), and after a while went back onto rice (one of my favourite foods).

Ms purple, after I was first diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2007 I saw a dietician, and I was also seeing a naturopath. They were very helpful, but I still seemed to have many digestive issues. It's all very complicated! Sometimes I wonder if there are other issues affecting me that haven't been identified yet. (After all, I was very ill for a long time before anyone thought of testing for coeliac disease).

thanks for the discussion! I enjoy hearing about other people's ideas.

Fi

[MsPurple]

Hi Fiasco.

Does sound like we have similar aspects. Yes I love processed foods but I try have them sometimes. There is nothing wrong having it in moderation and portioned controlled (e.g. try have ice-cream once a week and not a whole tub)

It can be common to have some digestive problems with anxiety and depression. It can also be caused by some food intolerances. I suggest keeping a food and mood diary (e.g. Breakfast: muesli with dried fruit and milk, bloating, stressed at work) and see if there is a correlation. If not can be handy to take to a dietitian so they can investigate if there are any intolerances. I wouldn't suggest restrictive eating without guidance of a dietitian because can have a risk of nutritional deficiencies.

MP