GAPS FOOD GUIDE

Approved foods List

Foods Allowed on the GAPS Introduction Diet

Stage 1

Vegetables (simmered in meat stock or water, no raw veggies)

• Artichokes
• Asparagus (soft parts only)
• Beetroot
• Bok choy
• Broccoli (no stalks – if causes stomach irritation, delay introducing until Stage 3)
• Brussels sprouts (if causes stomach irritation, delay introducing until Stage 3)
• Carrots
• Capsicum/bell peppers (if ok with nightshades, peeled until Stage 3)
• Cauliflower (no stalks – if it causes stomach irritation, delay introducing until Stage 3)
• Eggplant/aubergine (peeled and deseeded until Stage 3)
• Garlic (cooked or minced finely and added to hot food at the end of cooking)
• Ginger root
• Green beans (not string beans)
• Greens, leafy (if causes stomach irritation, delay introducing until Stage 3)
• Kale
• Leek (white part only, add softer green parts to a broth and strain out after cooking)
• Onions
• Peas (shelled)
• Pumpkin (peeled and deseeded)
• Spinach
• Squash, all kinds (peeled and deseeded on stages 1-3)
• Tomatoes (if nightshades are tolerated, otherwise leave until later stages)
• Turnips
• Watercress
• Zucchini/courgette (peeled and deseeded on stages 1-3)

Meat (from fresh or frozen, simmered in water; no grilled or roasted meats, minimal muscle meats)

• Beef
• Chicken
• Duck
• Fish
• Goose
• Lamb
• Pheasant
• Pigeon
• Pork
• Quail
• Shellfish
• Turkey

Fats (homemade or organic, grass-fed animals, no additives)

• Beef tallow
• Chicken schmaltz
• Coconut oil, cold-pressed (introduce gradually, can cause more die-off symptoms,)
• Duck fat
• Ghee (use the GAPS Dairy Introduction protocol to introduce slowly if you are healing a dairy intolerance – May need to delay until a later stage if highly sensitive)
• Lard

Condiments

•  Sea salt or Himalayan salt
• Pepper, white (ground) or peppercorns (remove after cooking)
• Apple cider vinegar (organic, raw)

Beverages

• Fresh lemon juice in warm water
• Chamomile tea (no additives)
• Mint tea (made with freshly chopped mint)
• Ginger tea (made with finely sliced or grated ginger)

Sweeteners

• Honey (raw, local honey, best kept to a minimum)

Other

• Meat stocks, made from meat on the bone, short cooked (no bone broths until full GAPS)
• Sauerkraut juice (homemade is best, or buy lacto-fermented – introduce gradually 1 drop on each meal, avoid eating fermented vegetables until stage 3)
• Fermented dairy, begin with whey (use the GAPS Dairy Introduction protocol to introduce slowly if you are healing a dairy intolerance – May need to delay until a later stage if highly sensitive)
• Fat bombs if needed for low blood sugar levels (honey mixed with butter/ghee/coconut oil, taken by teaspoon as needed)

Stage 2

All the foods from stage 1, plus:

Eggs

• Raw egg yolks (organic/pastured/free range)
• When raw egg yolk is tolerated, introduce soft cooked egg yolk (simmer in stock, add to soup)

Herbs

• Fresh herbs, no dried

Vegetables

• Fennel

Other:

• Stews and casseroles based on meat stock, fat, salt and fresh herbs
• Ghee (can usually be tolerated even when another dairy is not yet tolerated/ introduced)
• Pate (made from organic livers and allowed ingredients – serve as a condiment with food, or by spoonful)

Stage 3

All the foods from stages 1 and 2, plus:

Eggs:

• Whole eggs (scrambled in lots of fat)
• Whole eggs (poached in stock or water)
• No raw white, only cooked

Nuts:

• Almond butter (made from activated nuts, and cooked in nut butter pancakes with plenty of fat)

Cooked vegetables:

• Asparagus
• Cabbage
• Celery
• Celeriac
• Cauliflower and Broccoli florets (if not tolerated in stage 1)
• Mushrooms (if tolerated)

Raw vegetables:

• Avocado (ripe, mashed and added to soup)

Other

• Sauerkraut and fermented vegetables (homemade is best, or buy lacto-fermented – start slowly with just a few shreds of kraut/fermented veg)
• Turmeric (cooked)

Stage 4

All the foods from stages 1-3, plus:

Meats (to be introduced slowly) – no burnt or smoked meat

• Roasted meat (beef, chicken, fish, duck, goose, pheasant, pigeon, pork, turkey)
• Grilled meats (beef, chicken, fish, duck, goose, pheasant, pigeon, pork, turkey)
• Shellfish, cooked (crabs, lobster, crayfish, shrimp and prawns (shrimp), squid, octopus, clams, oysters and scallops)

Homemade fresh juices

• Cold-pressed (consume within 25 minutes of pressing)
• If using a blender/Thermomix, make sure you strain well to remove the fibre
• Carrot juice (begin by adding a few spoonfuls to dilute with warm water, or mixed with whey or yoghurt; gradually to one cup per day; once tolerated, add cabbage, celery, mint leaves, lettuce)
• GAPS ‘milkshake’ (made with carrot juice, egg yolks and 24 hr yoghurt/sour cream/coconut oil/ghee/butter)

Other

• All nut and seed flours/meals, activated then ground and baked into bread
• Extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed)
• Herbs (dried)
• Turmeric (dried)

Stage 5

All the foods from stages 1-4, plus:

Raw vegetables:

• Carrot
• Cucumber, peeled
• Lettuce
• Onions
• Tomatoes (if you do not have any reaction to nightshades)

Cooked vegetables:

• String beans

Fruit:

• Apples/applesauce (cooked, pieces or puree, have with fat)
• Homemade fresh juices (cold-pressed, drink within 25 minutes of pressing, if using a blender strain well to remove fibre)
  • Apple juice
  • Mango juice
  • Papaya juice
  • Pineapple juice

Kinds of milk – homemade

• Almond milk

Other:

• Spices (pure, organic, single-test one at a time)
• Turmeric (raw)

Stage 6

All the foods from stages 1-5, plus:

Vegetables (raw or cooked)

• Black radish
• Broccoli (with stalks)
• Cauliflower (with stalks)
• Lettuce
• Spinach

Fruit (raw or cooked)

• Apple
• Apricots
• Banana
• Berries
• Black Sapote
• Cherries
• Kiwi fruit
• Nectarines
• Papaya
• Peach
• Pear
• Pineapple
• Raspberries
• Satsumas

Juices

• Tomato juice

Dried Fruit (preservative-free, no added sugar, sulphur or vegetable oils)

• Dates
• Prunes
• Raisins

Kinds of milk (homemade)

• Coconut milk and cream

Herbs/Spices

• Cinnamon
• Coriander
• Dill

Other

• Capers
• Vinegar
• Honey (can increase amount)

Food Allowed on the Full GAPS Diet

All foods from stages 1-6, plus:

 

Vegetables

• Peas (raw)

Fruit

• Dried fruit (preservative-free, no added sugar, sulphur or vegetable oils)
• Grapes
• Grapefruit
• Kumquats
• Lemons
• Limes
• Melons
• Olives (preservative-free or homemade brine)
• Oranges
• Tangerines
• Freshly made juices (homemade)

Meats

• Fried meats, in approved fats/oils
• Barbequed meats (home barbecued – no burnt meat; smoked is fine if no preservatives/sugar)

Dairy

• Butter (regular or cultured, grass-fed, preferably organic)
• Cheeses (aged) Asiago, Blue, Brick, Brie, Camembert, Colby, Edam, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Havart, Limburger, Monterey Jack, Muenster, Parmesan, Romano, Roquefort, Stilton, Swiss, Cottage cheese

Nuts/seeds/meals/nut butters  (preferably activated or roasted)

• Almonds
• Cashews
• Hazelnuts
• Peanut butter (preferably homemade, no sugar)
• Peanuts
• Pecans
• Pine nuts (if Chinese pine nuts, make sure you activate or roast them to prevent pine mouth)
• Walnuts
• Sprouted seeds
• Tahini

Herbs/Spices

• Mustard seeds
• Nutmeg

Legumes (homemade, soaked and cooked well)

• Lentils
• Lima beans
• Navy beans

Oils

• Almond oil
• Avocado oil

Beverages (alcohol in minimal amounts)

• Coffee (weak)
• Gin*
• Herbal teas
• Scotch*
• Tea (weak)
• Vodka*
• Wine (dry red/white)*

Other

• Bicarbonate soda (natural, no aluminium)
• Cellulose (in supplements only)
• Citric acid

*  I don’t personally advocate alcohol, but these are allowed in minimal amounts if desired

Foods to Avoid on GAPS

• Processed food and canned food (these usually contain additives including preservatives, colours, flavourings, starch, yeast, lactose, wheat or sugar)
• Any kind of sugar and all foods that contain it (eg. chocolate, biscuits, cookies, fruit drinks, cakes, ice cream, pastries, cupcakes, muffins, etc)
• Any kind of syrup (eg. maple syrup, corn syrup, molasses)
• Aspartame and any artificial sweeteners (this is a brain toxin)
• Legumes (beans and pulses of any kind, until full GAPS when well-prepared lima beans, lentils and navy beans may be added)
• Soy and any kind of product made out of soy (including soy sauce/tamari/shoyu)
• Grains and pseudo-grains (wheat, oats, rye, rice, barley, semolina, spelt, couscous, quinoa, buckwheat, teff, millet)
  • Any baked goods made of the above (e.g. bread, cakes, biscuits, muffins, pancakes, batters, breadcrumbs, pasta)
  • Breakfast cereals
• Roots and starchy vegetables/legumes or anything made from them (potato, sweet potato, parsnips, tapioca, cassava, Jerusalem artichokes, yams, carob, mesquite)
• Milk – with the exception of fermented milk products such as raw hard cheese, butter, ghee, sour cream, creme fraiche, yoghurt, and kefir (no sugar or preservatives, organic)
  • No pasteurised milk
  • Note: Goat’s and sheep’s dairy is often better tolerated than cow’s dairy due to the protein and carbohydrate structures being easier to digest for many people.
• Fruit juices – except freshly pressed and strained
• Alcohol (no beer or spirits – small amounts of preservative-free alcohol allowed on full GAPS, see above)
• Coffee and strongly caffeinated tea (small amounts of weak, organic coffee and tea allowed on full GAPS)
• Soda/soft drinks (mineral water is allowed)
• Anything else with additives, preservatives, colours, flavourings, added sugar and other chemicals