Anyone experienced remission or used GAPS diet?

[Kayli]

[rtm99]

Hi Kayli,

I've never tried it but found some very interesting posts along the lines of sciencebasedmedicine.org/ga...

All the best.

decide.

[Kayli]

Ugh, maybe not

[xsnorkelx]

Yes I have experienced remission as long as I totally avoid food I'm sensitive to (wheat and milk). I also am not great with onions. No symptoms now at all! I force down a green smoothie daily which I think helps. I've never tried gaps.

[Kayli]

How long did it take to start being symptom free? How long have you had IBS.

[CrohnsBabe]

Hi Kayli,

I did achieve complete remission using the GAPS Diet but from Crohn's. You are probably aware that Crohn's and IBS are on the same spectrum, Crohn's being quite a bit more serious but a close relative to IBS all the same. I have been in remission and med-free for 3 years and that's after failing all of the conventional drugs and treatments. You can read the full account of my experience with GAPS here:

crohnsbabe.com/about/my-hea...

And I agree with what kerrym212 said. It is wisest to get help with implementing this diet, at least in the beginning stages. You need to know what you're doing as it can be very confusing as laid out in the book. I've seen people get subpar results with GAPS for lack of knowing how to approach it. Also, it can take some time to heal depending on severity of symptoms. Although it's possible to see immediate results, in general, one has to be patient. I always recommend that people give it a good 4-6 months (intro diet included) and see. Often, minor tweaks need to be made to suit the individual but if you understand the concepts you can apply it to your situation.

If you don't have the book, I would recommend getting it and reading it first. If it resonates with you and makes sense to you, you may want to give it a try and see. It gave me my life back!

Hope that helps. Happy healing!

-Tara

[Kayli]

I found a practitioner/nutritionist who practices this. I got really cold feet before meeting with her. She was writing to me about milk and how I should never give my kid milk. I understand why, but it just sat with me the wrong way. I haven't ruled it out. I also found someone that followed Paleo for a year and is in remission from IBS for 8 years. I am trying to read everything now to educate myself. I think the fear is that I could do more harm than good. However, I have been eating more meat and broth and I can tell I feel less symptoms. I'll read your story I feel better hearing about testimonials from others before trying myself.

[CrohnsBabe in reply to Kayli]

I completely understand how that experience with the practitioner might turn you off, Kayli. And really "milk" and "dairy" are way too broad of terms as there are many ways in which dairy can be consumed for healing and therapeutic value. To throw the baby out with the bathwater when it comes to dairy is unfortunate as many with Inflammatory Bowel Disease have shown vast improvement by adding foods like homemade yogurt and kefir to their diet. Homemade kefir improved my symptoms DRAMATICALLY. So while milk can be a very big problem in certain forms - primarily commercial/pasteurized, absolutes when it comes to certain foods could end up selling someone short of the possible benefits. There is much anecdotal evidence that temporary adherence to SCD/PALEO/GAPS/Grain-free diets work wonders for many illnesses, especially IBD. The fact that your body responds positively when you eat more broth and meat is a very good sign that you are headed in the right direction. Sounds like this could be a good route for you. There are many stories like mine out there and I encourage you to seek them out. Educating yourself and becoming an empowered patient is the best thing you can do and it's exciting to see that you are doing just that - kudos!

[Kayli]

Tara,

Also what do you eat now? Meaning, while I assume you follow a super healthy diet now…do you ever have a cookie again or a cup of coffee?

[CrohnsBabe]

Haha, I get asked that all the time. My diet is always changing depending on the season and what I feel my body wants and needs. After strict adherence to GAPS for a year and a half I now enjoy all foods and practice an 80/20 approach meaning that 80 percent of the time my diet is very clean and therapeutic, the other 20, I allow myself to eat what I want, cookies and coffee included. I particularly enjoy pizza now and then. I have achieved durable remission and can eat out or at social occasions just fine. By choice, I do limit wheat and other foods that I have tested sensitive to but I can still have wheat if it so happens. I just prefer not to. I generally consume gluten-free grains only as it makes my body happier that way. Most of the time I crave healthy foods anyway because once you can tell the difference in how it makes your body feel, you just gravitate toward it. And if I do indulge now and then I'm watchful to not let it get out of hand. Too many days of eating junk just makes one feel crappy in general and I'm not much interested in having that kind of experience anymore at this stage of my evolution.

[Kayli]

I saw your site, inspiring. It is nice to hear good news.

[CrohnsBabe]

Thanks, Kayli! Happy to hear it. There IS good news out there despite what some doctors might say.