GAPS Diet & Nutrition,  The GAPS Diet

What can you eat on the GAPS Intro Diet?

 

photo credit: comprock

I am writing this post for myself as much as for all of you. I’ve had a handwritten list that I’ve been carrying around for a long time now, and I keep thinking, what if I lose it? Well, no worries anymore, it’s right here!  🙂

So why did I compile my own list of what to eat throughout each stage of the GAPS diet? Because the lists I was finding weren’t complete. There were foods missing, and I was confused about what to add when. I spent a lot of time researching the book, as well as gapsdiet.com, and I came up with,what I believe is a well-researched, comprehensive list. I hope you’ll think so too. 🙂

So, here’s a list of what you can eat on the GAPS Intro Diet!

 

Stage 1

  • artichokes, cooked
  • beef, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • beef tallow, homemade
  • beets & beet root, cooked
  • bok choy, cooked
  • broccoli, cooked, no stalks
  • brussels sprouts, cooked
  • carrots, cooked
  • cauliflower, cooked, no stalks
  • chamomile tea
  • chicken, boiled or simmered in broth or water  
  • coconut oil (may cause more die-off symptoms, introduce gradually)  
  • collard greens, cooked
  • duck, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • eggplant, cooked until soft
  • fermented vegetable juice, homemade, lacto-fermented (introduce gradually)  
  • fish, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • garlic, cooked or minced finely and added to hot food at the very end of cooking
  • ghee (introduce gradually)  
  • ginger root
  • goose, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • green beans, cooked (but not “string” beans)
  • honey, raw, local is best
  • kale, cooked
  • lamb, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • lard, homemade
  • lemons in warm water (for drinking)
  • mint tea
  • onions, cooked
  • peas, shelled, cooked
  • pepper, black, green & white (peppercorns, ground pepper)  
  • peppers, de-seeded and cooked (I think only bell peppers, not hot peppers like jalapeños)
  • pheasant, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • pickles juice, from homemade lacto-fermented pickles  
  • pigeon, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • pork, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • pumpkin, cooked (fresh, not canned)
  • quail, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • sauerkraut juice, homemade, homemade, lacto-fermented (introduce gradually)  
  • sea salt  
  • shellfish, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • summer squash, cooked
  • spinach, cooked
  • tomatoes, cooked (This is debatable. If you’ve had issues with tomatoes before, hold off on tomatoes.)
  • turkey, boiled or simmered in broth or water
  • turnips, cooked
  • watercress, cooked
  • winter squash, cooked
  • yogurt-homemade, 24 hour yogurt (introduce gradually)
  • zucchini, cooked

Stage 2

  • all of the above foods, plus:
  • egg yolk, raw
  • egg yolk, soft boiled (if raw egg yolk is tolerated well)
  • fresh herbs

Stage 3

 

Stage 4

  • all of the above foods, plus:
  • dried herbs  
  • carrot juice (freshly juiced)
  • grilled meats (beef, chicken, duck, fish, goose, pheasant, pigeon, pork, turkey)
  • olive oil
  • roasted meats (beef, chicken, duck, fish, goose, pheasant, pigeon, pork, turkey)
  • shellfish, cooked

Stage 5

  • all of the above foods, plus:
  • apple puree, cooked
  • apple juice (freshly juiced)
  • cucumber, peeled
  • lettuce-soft parts
  • mango juice
  • mangoes
  • onions, raw
  • papaya juice
  • pecan flour  
  • pineapple juice
  • spices-pure, single  
  • string beans
  • tomatoes, raw
  • walnut flour  

Stage 6

Full GAPS

Note that it is very important to read Dr. Natasha’s book Gut and Psychology Syndrome to really understand The GAPS Diet, and how to introduce each new food.

I hope this list is helpful to you! 🙂

 

60 Comments

  • Cindy

    Now that you’ve made this awesome list, can you also post some notes about timing for each stage? I’ve got the book, but I’m a little unclear what happens if you don’t have the obvious physical symptoms that she mentions. (Like she’ll say to introduce only after the child no longer has dia_____! 🙂

    • J Paige Polson Edwards

      Timing is going to be different from person to person. One person might move through a stage in only days while another person would be several weeks. I am in stage 4 starting today. Each one has been about 3 days with no symptoms of diareah so I move forward. The issue I have been facing has been my blood sugar levels have dropped so low I get shakey, light headed and very awnery. So I have had to use honey or fruit to help. (she has a video on YouTube saying if you need something that is full gaps legal during intro, to listen to your body, so I am trusting that.) I quickly learned that I am not able to handle oranges yet, blueberries are borderline, but raspberries, cooked apple, and ripe banana seem to be okay and are keeping me more stable.

      • wallace callow

        Hi! I’m glad I found this list because it’s comprehensive and clear. I just started the intro diet, on stage 2. And yesterday I tried skipping ahead to stage 4 on a few foods, fried pork chop and an egg. And I paid the price for it. I’ve had what I believe has been a UTI, and after taking herbs for that, and a possibly large prostate, the symptoms diminished, but didn’t vanish. This diet has helped a lot, already. Today I’m back to feeling good, again. You just need to feel it out, I guess. I wonder if fried and BBQ meats are allowed on the full diet? Or afterward?

  • Joanne Smith

    Hello – thank you for the list. We just started the GAPS intro diet today. I decided to share with everyone what we have been doing … we hope to encourage others like we have been encouraged. Feel free to visit my blog, offer suggestions, or whatever. Thank you!! http://ourgapsdietjourney.blogspot.com/

  • J Ray

    Thank you so much for this list! I have even referring to it daily for over a month now :-). The GAPS Diet has been life changing for me. The fermented vegetables have helped me more than any supplement or diet I have ever tried. My candida finally (after almost a year on anti – candida diet, antifungals and probiotics) seems to have cleared up. The coat on my tongue completely disappeared and I had a ton of die off with the introduction of fermented vegetables. I am feeling better every day! Thank you so much again for your very helpful list!

  • Jaclyn

    Your stage one list is much more permissive than what is listed on gapsdiet.com, as well as the Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care. Can you explain the discrepancies? I want to do it right, but I also don’t want to be denying myself (and my kids!) things we actually COULD be eating! Our diet has been pretty bare bones for more than a week now! Thanks! 🙂

  • Cam

    The intro has far fewer veggies listed as appropriate for stage 1. I think it’s only broccoli, cauliflower, summer and winter squash. Not peppers, artichokes and what not. Where did you come up with the other veggies?

    • Kate Renee Cochran

      Late reply– I just started GAPS, but I believe they are ok as long as they have been simmered at least 30 minutes with your meat stock. Nothing raw at this point.

      • Gael Geniesse

        I’ve been on the Gaps diet for 2 years and I still have to be careful with raw – once in a while I juice carrots, celery, apple and cucumber and just now and can tolerate most of the time. Can do small salad of broccoli sprouts, shredded carrot – just have to be careful.

  • Carissa

    Thank you for this list! Do you know if it is ok to make fresh juice using carrots, celery, apple, lemon and ginger to drink during stage one/the intro? Thank you for your help!

  • HK

    This quote is straight from the book, in the homemade soup description, in Stage 1 of the intro diet. Note the “etc.” in the list of veggies. That may alleviate some of the concerns being expressed in the comments here. “Bring some of the meat stock to boil, add chopped or sliced vegetables: onions, carrots, broccoli, leeks, cauliflower, courgettes, marrow, squash, pumpkin, etc. and simmer for 25-35 minutes. You can choose any combination of available vegetables avoiding very fibrous ones, such as all varieties of cabbage and celery.”

  • HK

    This list is great. It’s a shame the original book isn’t similarly organized.
    One error I noticed is that the soft boiled eggs in stage 2 actually should include the egg white.
    From the book,
    “Add raw organic egg yolks.It is best to have egg yolks raw added to every bowl of soup and every cup of meat stock. Start from 1 egg yolk a day and gradually increase until your patient has an egg yolk with every bowl of soup. When egg yolks are well tolerated add soft-boiled eggs to the soups (the whites cooked and the yolks still runny).”

    • Nikki

      What she means about the white refers only to how it should be cooked, not that you should consume the white. Discard it and eat only the yolk.

      • Gerald Braun

        Brenda, thank you so much for posting!!! Can you tell me why I should first introduce raw eggs prior to cooked eggs? I have never tried a raw egg and the thought of it leaves me feeling a bit a nausea..

        • Sara

          Raw is much easier to digest and absorb. Organic free-range eggs are safest. I would never eat raw egg yolks from commercially farmed chicken eggs.

  • Allan Flynn

    Ive been stuck in Stage 1 with severe constipation for 8 weeks. Admitedly Ive made some mistakes such as adding some a smallish amount of mushrooms, celery, fennell and/or herbs such as corriander or parsely to my soups along the way which may have been a contributing factor to the delay of my progress and my condition?

    Anyhow thanks to your list I can be more selective with my vegetables.

    Incidently how did you work out that mushrooms were only part of the full GAPS diet? .

  • Joni Zander

    Looks like almond butter and peanut butter can be moved up to stage 3. In the Stage 3 pancake recipe, “organic nut butter (almond, walnut, peanut, etc.)”

  • Erin

    I love love love you for this! I felt so limited going into stage 1 bc of how non – specific she is in the book. I love the research and her passion but I desperately wish it was much more user friendly. Thank you for all your time on this!!!

  • Dorota trupp

    This list is very misleading, please take it off. I’m a certified GAPS practitioner and this is not helping but making it harder for people to go through introduction diet.

    • Brenda

      Dorota trupp, please let me know what is misleading about this list. I do not want to mislead people, of course. Please give me examples of what you mean. I got all of this information from Dr. Natasha’s book and website, so I am not sure which part of it is incorrect?

        • Diane

          Dorota is listed on the GAPS website as a certified GAPS Practitioner. http://www.gaps.me/preview/?page_id=496 In order to receive this certification, you must be a health care practitioner that has attended the GAPS training course, and these practitioners are receiving their training directly from Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride. I would take her advice over someone who just decided to come up with a list on a blog. There is a reason it is called STAGE 1. Now, that being said, the time each person stays in stage 1 can vary, but having such a list as above could be misleading some people who just aren’t ready for foods that may be considered more advanced. If they are following this advice, and not finding improvement in their situation, they may come to believe that GAPS won’t work for them.

          • Brenda

            Diane, thanks for the comment. 🙂 I am not a GAPS Practitioner, but I was on the GAPS Diet for 3 years, have read the book multiple times, and have spent several hours in the front row, listening to Dr. Natasha speak in person. When I have questions about the diet, I e-mail her and she e-mails me back. This list wasn’t meant to tell people how to go through the diet, only what is allowed (according to the various sources I mentioned above) on each stage. I hope it is helpful for people. The method in which people go through the intro and which foods are introduced and in what order will be individual. 🙂

      • Dorota Trupp

        There are far too much vegetables listed in the stage one introduction diet. The foods that should be eaten in abundance such as bone broth, chicken/fish stock isn’t listed/highlighted at all. One who has no idea about the diet will think that it’s OK to have all the cooked vegetables you have listed anytime of the day, with meat in whatever quantities, wheres first stage of the diet focuses on removing the fibre and consuming large quantities of bone/meat and fish broths in order to allow the lining of the intestine to heal. Dr Natasha clearly states that you only eat small quantities of vegetables that are very well coded and have little fibre: onions, carrots, broccoli, pumpkin, zucchini etc, while you have there fibrous veggies listed such artichokes, collard greens, peppers, green beans, kale etc- too much fibre for digestive system to handle on stage one. People will not get results if they won’t skip the fibre right on the beginning. Focus on highlighting the foods they need to eat the most of, especially in stage one of introduction diet.

        • Anonymous

          I disagree with you, and I’m very grateful the list author didn’t take your advice.

          The author makes no aspersions that this is a “how to do GAPS: the complete guide”. She does not imply anywhere that this is all there is to GAPS, it doesn’t even discuss timing. She pointed out that she hasn’t found a similar resource that lists which foods are safe and which aren’t. That’s all this is. She made this list for her own benefit, and decided to share it in part so she won’t lose it and also for the convenience of others.

          If anyone tries to do GAPS based on an unofficial resource alone, they’re likely to fail. The official resources make all of those things very clear. It is not the job of everyone who ever mentions GAPS to put in an intensive explanation of what GAPS is and how to properly do it. It’s the responsibility of those who want to do GAPS to put in the time to research it.

          It does sound like you disagree on what the research has said is and isn’t allowed in the intro diet. That’s fair. I admit, I was surprised to see kale, spinach, etc on it- as those are all foods that many people have a difficult time digesting. I certainly won’t be eating them while on the introduction diet and will be re-introducing them quite carefully, as they make me very ill. It’s my understanding that you’re supposed to drink the juice produced by fermenting these vegetables from the start, though, could that be what’s led to the author’s confusion?

          • Brenda

            I know it’s been 8 months, but thank you for this comment. I agree with this: “If anyone tries to do GAPS based on an unofficial resource alone, they’re likely to fail.” And yes, though I have had lots of experience with GAPS and took extensive notes when I listened to Dr. Natasha speak at the Weston Price Conference, I am not an expert on GAPS, nor is this an official site. I am a mom who put my family on GAPS for 3 years. I have read through the book multiple times, but I am not Dr. Natasha. 😉 Please, everyone, don’t do the GAPS Diet based on my suggestions alone. Read the book.

            “It is not the job of everyone who ever mentions GAPS to put in an intensive explanation of what GAPS is and how to properly do it. It’s the responsibility of those who want to do GAPS to put in the time to research it. The author even puts in links directly to the official resources, so it’s easy for people to find those resources from this list.”

            Thank you. YES! I wasn’t trying to give a comprehensive overview on how to do the GAPS Diet. I was only sharing (based on the resources I mentioned above) the foods that are allowed. That’s all. Not how/when/how much/if all of these foods are good for everyone and all of their issues….Just a list. =)

        • Gretchen

          “Here we will go through some details, specific for the Introduction Diet. Bring some of the meat stock to boil, add chopped or sliced vegetables: onions, carrots, broccoli, leeks, cauliflower, courgettes [zucchini], marrow, squash, pumpkin, etc. and simmer for 25-35 minutes. You can choose any combination of available vegetables avoiding very fibrous ones, such as all varieties of cabbage and celery. All particularly fibrous parts of vegetables need to be removed, such as skin and seeds on pumpkins, marrows and squashes, stalk of broccoli and cauliflower and any other parts that look too fibrous. Cook the vegetables well, so they are really soft.” (http://www.gapsdiet.com/INTRODUCTION_DIET.html)

          I made a chart of the fiber content of some GAPS vegetables to illustrate what I will refer to below (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByNo0knYDwScZEZORE44T2o1V1E/edit?usp=sharing).

          The fiber content of 1 cup of the vegetables explicitly allowed above are highlighted in green on the chart and are listed below:

          Onions, 2.9g
          Carrots, 4.6g
          Broccoli (florets only), 3g
          Leeks, 1g
          Cauliflower (florets only) 2g
          Zucchini, 2.5g
          Pumpkin, 2.7g

          “Squash” is listed generally, however fiber content appears to vary widely (listed in descending order):

          Acorn squash, 9g
          Hubbard squash, 6.8g
          Butternut squash, 6.6g
          Yellow crookneck squash, 2.5g
          Zucchini squash, 2.5g
          Spaghetti squash, 2.2g

          The fiber content of the vegetables explicitly disallowed are highlighted in red on the chart and are listed below:

          Cabbage, 2.8
          Celery, 2.4

          “All varieties of cabbage” is listed and pictures can be viewed here (http://www.johnnyseeds.com/c-16-cabbage.aspx).

          The problem – which appears to be contributing to confusion – is that the fiber content of some of the allowed vegetables (i.e. carrots, 4.6g; broccoli (florets only), 3g; onions, 2.9g) is HIGHER than the disallowed vegetables (cabbage, 2.8g; celery, 2.4g).

          In this case, I suggest we defer to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s own advice: “Listen to your body’s needs, communicated to you through the senses of desire, smell, taste and satisfaction… It is essential to listen to your body’s desires when
          you are following the GAPS diet the Introduction Diet or the Full GAPS Diet. Your desires will let you know how quickly to move through the stages of the Introduction Diet. It is possible that you would have to eat something not allowed on a particular stage if you really desire it, because that is what your body requires at that time, and you have to respect it. You are unique and nobody can prescribe the right sequence of food introduction for you. If you were following the GAPS Introduction Diet to a letter and felt well, but then one day you get a strong desire for, let’s say, raw tomatoes (which are not included into the plan), then listen to this desire! This is your body telling you that it needs particular nutrients at this particular time, and raw tomatoes will provide
          them. If you deny your body that need, you may get yourself into trouble: your
          electrolyte balance may get upset or your hormones may not work well, or something else will not work. Yes, you would have ‘cheated’ on the diet by
          eating tomatoes, but once that particular need of your body has been satisfied,
          you can continue with your programme. Any progress goes through two steps
          forward then one step back, and healing is no exception. So, don’t worry about ‘cheating’ on the diet sometimes if your body has really asked for it. This is not cheating; this is working with your body and respecting it. Remember, your body knows infinitely more about itself than we will ever know with all our intelligence and science!

          Remember also that your body’s nutritional needs change all the time. So, your desire for foods will also change all the time: what felt wonderfully satisfying for breakfast may not be appealing for lunch, and what was delicious in the afternoon may feel repulsive at dinner time. All these feelings are very valid and should be listened to! You are a unique individual, so what suites one person around the table may not suite you at all” (http://www.doctor-natasha.com/one-mans-meat-another-mans-poison.php).

          I originally wrote this in Microsoft Word because it is long, and copied and pasted it. I tried to correct any formatting errors, but please excuse if it still comes through jumbled.

        • Gretchen

          “Here we will go through some details, specific for the Introduction Diet. Bring some of the meat stock to boil, add chopped or sliced vegetables: onions, carrots, broccoli, leeks, cauliflower, zucchini, marrow, squash, pumpkin, etc. and simmer for 25-35 minutes. You can choose any combination of available
          vegetables avoiding very fibrous ones, such as all varieties of cabbage and celery. All particularly fibrous parts of vegetables need to be removed, such as skin and seeds on pumpkins, marrows and squashes, stalk of broccoli and cauliflower and any other parts that look too fibrous.”(http://www.gapsdiet.com/INTRODUCTION_DIET.html)

          The above paragraph has resulted in some confusion as to what specific vegetables are allowed on the GAPS Introduction Diet. I made a chart of the fiber content of some GAPS vegetables to illustrate what I will refer to below (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByNo0knYDwScZEZORE44T2o1V1E/edit?usp=sharing). The vegetables explicitly allowed above are highlighted in green on the chart, and the vegetables explicitly disallowed are highlighted in red. The problem – which appears to be contributing to confusion – is that the fiber content of some of the allowed vegetables (i.e. carrots, 4.6g; broccoli, florets only, 3g; onions, 2.9g) is HIGHER than some of the disallowed vegetables (cabbage, common, 2.8g; celery, 2.4g). To deal with this discrepancy, a person could simply begin Intro with low fiber vegetables and gradually introduce vegetables with a more fiber and see how their body responds.

          In this case, I suggest we defer to Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride’s own advice: “Listen to your body’s needs, communicated to you through the senses of desire, smell, taste and satisfaction… It is essential to listen to your body’s desires when you are following the GAPS diet the Introduction Diet or the Full GAPS Diet. Your desires will let you know how quickly to move through the stages of the Introduction Diet. It is possible that you would have to eat something not allowed on a particular stage if you really desire it, because that is what your body requires at that time, and you have to respect it. You are unique and nobody can prescribe the right sequence of food introduction for you. If you were following the GAPS Introduction Diet to a letter and felt well, but then one day you get a strong desire for, let’s say, raw tomatoes (which are not
          included into the plan), then listen to this desire! This is your body telling you that it needs particular nutrients at this particular time, and raw tomatoes will provide them. If you deny your body that need, you may get yourself into trouble: your electrolyte balance may get upset or your hormones may not work well, or something else will not work. Yes, you would have ‘cheated’ on the diet by eating tomatoes, but once that particular need of your body has been satisfied, you can continue with your program. Any progress goes through two steps forward then one step back, and healing is no exception. So, don’t worry about ‘cheating’ on the diet sometimes if your body has really asked for it. This is not cheating; this is working with your body and respecting it. Remember, your body knows infinitely more about itself than we will ever know with all our intelligence and science!

          Remember also that your body’s nutritional needs change all the time. So, your desire for foods will also change all the time: what felt wonderfully satisfying for breakfast may not be appealing for lunch, and what was delicious in the afternoon may feel repulsive at dinner time. All these feelings are very valid and should be listened to! You are a unique individual, so what suites one person around the table may not suite you at all.” (http://www.doctor-natasha.com/one-mans-meat-another-mans-poison.php)

  • Pamela

    Oh my goodness! I just came across this page and I am sooooo happy and grateful! I read the GAPS book and lent it out a few years ago and cannot remember to who! These lists are awesome and I can’t thank you enough for putting it all together:) THANK YOU!!!

  • Emi

    Regular cottage cheese is NOT allowed on any part of the GAPS diet. Dry curd cottage cheese aka farmer’s cheese is allowed. You absolutely must clarify this on your list, as just writing “cottage cheese” is incredibly misleading. Cottage cheese has lactose, which is not allowed on the GAPS diet.

    • Kirsty

      I believe this may be a mistake. In stage 3 pancakes are introduced made with nut butter – not nut flour, egg and squash or other vegetables. At the end of stage 4, once all other stage 4 items are introduced bread baked with almond flour can be tested – starting with 1 small piece a day. If there is no reaction the amount can be slowly increased. If there is a reaction wait a week then try again.

  • Anonymous

    I don’t cook, I don’t eat much meat and I don’t like most fermented foods, except milk-based which aren’t on the list. Where can I get protein? Can I used boxed bone broth and other commercial foods since I don’t cook (no room, no equipment, too expensive)?

    Also, why don’t you provide an email address for questions? I don’t use any of the social sites you list for contact.

  • Anonymous

    PS. Current research suggests and fat – especially animal fat – is part of the cause of permeable gut, which I understand is a major cause of a lot of intestinal issues. Animal products also place a strain on the kidneys for those with diabetes. Any thoughts?

  • Gerald Braun

    Can anyone tell me why I should first introduce raw eggs prior to cooked eggs? I have never tried a raw egg and the thought of it leaves me feeling a bit a nausea..

  • sylvie slaninová

    Hello, I would like to ask. I don’t have such a bad troubles like it can be and I read that you can go true the 6 stages in 4-6 weeks if everything goes well. But how it can be done in 4-6weeks when you need to introduce 1 food every three day? That doesn’t make sense. Do I understand it wrong? How often should I introduce new food into the diet? I am confused. Thank you very much for your answer

    • brenda

      Hi Sylvie, if you’re doing well, you can introduce more than 1 food per three days. 🙂 Introducing food so slowly is for people who have a lot of symptoms going on.

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