Week 12 - What GAPS has helped so far

Our vacation was great! I planned meals carefully and am glad that slightly spicey/flavorful dishes taste just as good cold as hot. We had a fridge/freezer and a stove, so we could do eggs in the morning and ate lots of salad and frozen yogurt with the heat. I also made awesome grain free brownies so we wouldn't be tempted by all the desserts. It was a good week.

Now that I'm back (and trying to post a backlog of recipes) I thought I would make a list of all the complaints that have gone away or improved since I started GAPS.

• mental clarity
• no longer chronically cold, even in the summer - basil body temp much higher
• chemical sensitivity is much much less
• sensitivity to scents, strong flavors/odors
• sun headaches are gone
• sunburn less easily
• chronic nausea is gone and there are only a couple foods that cause very mild queasiness
• gas discomfort
• skin problems - acne is much improved, dandruff is gone
• no more severe symptoms when hungry
• blood sugar issues
• less sleep needed
• symptoms of thyroid problems 
• hair fall out
• body odor
• confusing fertility signs completely cleared up

Not to mention my palate has widened and I like things with a lot less sweetness than before. We've discovered a lot of new vegetables and learned to like foods that are more bitter, sour, tangy, spicey, etc. 

Keep in mind the GAPS changes for me include:

• lots of good fats -  organic, grassfed butter, virgin coconut oil, palm oil, bacon fat, beef tallow, chicken fat, lard
• only buying grass-fed or pastured animal meats and eggs and following this guide for fish
• daily fermented cod liver oil
• daily sauerkraut
• daily probiotic
• daily stock
• raw milk, lots of homemade 24+ hour yogurt
• raw honey, stevia as sweeteners
• lots of fresh, cooked, fermented vegetables, buying organic where it counts.
• soaking and dehydrating nuts and seeds
• no grains - although I will be bringing back sprouted and fermented grains soon, since they do not seem to bother me.

We've also been very illegal here and there - at parties or eating out, and it always reinforces how beneficial this diet is. I also have not dis-allowed chocolate, but am sweetening it with the allowed sweeteners. Allowing chocolate in small quantities and raw dairy and cheese has made this doable for our family for long term - especially since I can't really have fruit.

We'll be doing grain-free full time for another couple weeks, but after that we are going to bring back grains in smaller quantities than pre-GAPS, and make sure they are properly prepared by soaking, sprouting, fermenting. I can't wait to make some sourdough!