I Want to Start GAPS: A How-to Guide
Updated: Jul 23
The GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) protocol is a journey. The aim is to heal the gut (the duodenum - small intestine) and restore the microbiome, nourish the body with the most impactful foods and support its detoxification system. Damaging and hard to digest foods are eliminated for a time and there is a real emphasis on preparing food fresh and from home. If you're ready to begin the GAPS diet or at the very least add some of the foundational foods and tools into your life, it is highly recommended to be prepared and have some, or all of the things available to achieve it. I have prepared this guide so that you know what's required for preparing the foods, what sort of food is important on GAPS, expected preparation times and any helpful tips for anything that arises throughout this journey.
What Sort of Equipment Will I Need?
You will be preparing most of your food. The reason being, many foods - especially store-bought are not what they seem. There are some food companies out there trying to do the right thing but the idea is to have freshly made, ideally local and in season foods that we know exactly what it contains, or as close to. You will need to do some cooking! So I'll make a mention of the most important things you'll need.
Why Homemade
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Unknown Ingredients: We need whole, fresh, unprocessed foods that we know what's in them.
Misleading or Confusing Labeling: Many products do not require specific labelling or claim health benefits when in fact they are not what they claim to be.
It's a Journey: Healing takes time, foods are prepared gently, certain things are introduced gradually. It is a time for self discovery and reducing the burden on our digestive system.
Essential Equipment for Food Preparation
1. Stock Pot
Meat stock is essential in this protocol, the gently cooked jointy, connective tissue and close to the bone meats produce collagen, gelatin, and amino acid rich stock which not only restores the gut lining but provides many nutrients required for the body to heal.
Types: Ideally a heavy-based dutch oven style pot or a quality stainless steel pot (preferably nickel free). You need a lid to constrain the liquid. Slow cooker - only if the stock can be brought to the boil first before simmering.
Not Ideal: Pressure cooker - this is because it can degrade the meat and bones too far - making meat stock is a gentle cooking process.
2. Jars, Crocks, Fermenting Vessels
Fermented foods are a non-negotiable because we need probiotic goodness, these are equally as beneficial for gut health due to the synergistic nature of the epithelial activity as well as microbial.
Jars: These can be used to make sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, fermented vegetables
Crocks: Not entirely necessary but great for bigger batches for families
Fermenting Vessels: These could include yoghurt makers, airlock jars, kefir makers and more but often the ferments can be made without
3. Access to Fresh Produce and Filtered Water
You want to ideally source your food locally from farmers, farmers markets, small grocery stores, delivery boxes, community swaps or home grown. The freshest foods provide all the vitamins, minerals, and fibre and macronutrients. They also support detoxification, contain high bioavailability and optimal nourishment whilst on GAPS. Filtered water is a non-negotiable as you are eliminating toxins and regular tap water contains elements that are not conducive to healing.
Best: Fresh, preferably organic fruits and vegetables and the best quality meats (grass-fed/finished), organ meats, pasture-raised eggs and high quality fats (animal and GAPS friendly plant oils)
Better: Spray-free, free-range, local produce, additive free, snap frozen
Good: GAPS is possible on conventional foods. Bear in mind, healing may take longer
4. Juicer
Juicing is essential for delivering live enzymes, therapeutic grade vitamins and minerals for cleansing and detoxifying toxins in a concentrated form without the fibre for sensitive digestive system.
What to use: A combination of many different fruits and vegetables, usually 50% tasty and 50% less tasty but therapeutic. Only use about 5% fresh beetroot.
When: To be consumed on an empty stomach before food or around 2 hours after eating
How to make: You can often pick up well priced juicers on marketplace or blend desired foods and squeeze through a nut-milk bag. Freshly made is the most potent
5. Freezer Friendly Containers
You will quite often need to make meat stocks, soups and some foods in advance so freezing them is a great way to store them and is sometimes required for the most sensitive people.
Freezer friendly glass: These can be containers or jars - this is important because food expands when it freezes
Silicone: Preferably good quality food-grade. Let the food cool before pouring into these.
Zip-lock bags: Very handy for storing portions after freezing.
Other Handy Things for Food Prep
Most of the things mentioned above are the most important but here are a few items that can make things easier, some are optional.
1. Sieve, Muslin Cloth, Nut Milk Bags
These come in handy for straining out juices, peppercorns, herbs, straining ferments like kefir, or covering soaked/sprouted foods.
2. Starters or Cultures
These are not entirely necessary because you can start a ferment with some whey or brine, they can just make preparing food a little less daunting to begin with. Often you can get things like excess kefir grains from people in your community.
3. Garlic Crusher
You add crushed garlic into your meat stocks often. You can just chop it but some people find it handy to quickly crush the garlic into their soups.
Kitchen Essentials
A knife, saucepan (especially for warming meat stock), wooden chopping board, thermometer, heat resistant jugs, ladle, measuring spoons and cups, scales, mixing bowls, baking pans, stainless steel funnel, fermentation weights (optional).
Preparing Ahead
There are some foods that require making ahead of time, like sauerkraut - which needs a minimum 4 weeks for most people (longer for extra sensitive or histamine prone people).
1. Fermented Foods
These are some things that take time. You don't need to make these first, although sauerkraut is one that we have people prepare but be mindful that some of these need days to weeks or need to be made prior to gain something like the whey from the yoghurt.
2. Batch Cooking/Preparation
Prepare large batches of meat stock that can be used for soups as well, and/or to be frozen. Allocate a day or a few hours to do your ferments - get some friends together or get the kids involved to save time. It is much easier to stick to the protocol when you are prepared.
3. GAPS Friendly Snacks
Many GAPS people are re-balancing their microbiome, which means crowding out pathogens and dealing with cravings. Having some pre-prepared snacks like fat bombs, dates with butter are helpful so as not to "will power" their way through.
Supporting Detox
Supporting detoxification and helping the body deal with die-off are equally as important as the food. Here I list a few other suggestions to make this more comfortable.
Access to Natural Waters: Swimming in the ocean, lakes and rivers
Binders & Homeopathics: Helpful for die-off, binding and removing toxins
Bath, Sauna, Sunshine: These all play a part in helping the body rid toxins
Enema Kit: This is something some people need time to become open to but it will accelerate healing and is incredibly helpful to have as a detox support when needed quickly
To Conclude
The GAPS protocol is an incredible way to heal deeply. For some, they require the Introduction Diet and others the Full GAPS. It is possible to do the protocol without assistance, for some conditions though - it is advised to work with a practitioner. Remember, whichever direction is taken it really is a marathon, not a race. Everyone is unique with different needs and the results will differ from person to person or whatever condition they are dealing with.
Even before diving into GAPS, just beginning with incorporating meat stock is a fabulous way to get started.
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