You'll see some posts repeated because they contain our story and a recipe, or helpful information, but also a bit of how that relates to us.

Informational Posts

Putting the Pieces Together (24 Sept 13): includes the video where I first learned about the GAPS diet
GAPS Intro Diet - The Six Stages (27 Sept 13): As I was trying to figure out how to tell when to move from one stage to the next (which I never really did wrap my head around) I also wanted to get a better grasp of what we could eat in each stage. This post links to recipes and ideas for each stage. 
What We Eat Affects Everything (4 Oct 13): This links to an article about how food affects health.
GAPS Diet Recipes By Stage (5 Oct 13): I didn't want to start the diet until I knew there'd be things we could eat. So I started collecting recipes. 
Genetic Roulette Movie Streamable for Free (6 Nov 13): Link to the movie about how we're experimenting on ourselves with the Standard American Diet (SAD).
Articles on Grains vs. Fats, Microbes, etc. - a reference page (1 Jan 14): I started a resource page so that if someone asked me, "What about...?" I could look it up quickly.Something Has Happened in a Pervasive Fashion from the Environmental Perspective (11 Jan 14): Article on how things are changing in the world of food and it's affecting our health.


Our story - posts listed chronologically

Putting the Pieces Together (24 Sept 13): includes the video where I first learned about the GAPS diet
Day One-ish: Stage One of the GAPS Diet begins (11 Oct 13): The beginning of a broth based week.
The Kids Reaction to Stage One of the GAPS Diet (12 Oct 13): The kids didn't like stage one.
Yogurt and Eggs! (13 Oct 13): We moved through the stages quickly. Yogurt and eggs made such a difference.
Homemade Yogurt Is Rocking Our World (14 Oct 13): Homemade yogurt is really easy to make and it's cheaper than buying store bought. Better for you, too (because you know exactly what's in it and it's fresher than store bought so the little live cultures are healthier when you eat them).
Adding Pancakes and Reviewing Goals (15 Oct 13): Pancakes felt a little more normal. But we still couldn't add much honey.
Stage Three: End of Week One (18 Oct 13): I started to lump days together at this point.
Celebrating... Despite Lack of Potatoes (21 Oct 13): We celebrated my mom's birthday and caught up with my sister who started the diet when we did.
Sweet Things That Are GAPS Friendly (24 Oct 13): I've found snacks to be the hardest part of the diet. You can't just buy them in the store anymore.
Coconut Milk, Kids' Lunches, and Cabbage Soup (24 Oct 13): Packing lunches took lots of prep work the night before.
Meggie Had a Bloody Lamb - And Other Tales of Failure (25 Oct 13): Things didn't always go as planned.
One of the Grossest Things I've Ever Done (28 Oct 13): I drank straight broth. Remember, I don't like the taste of meat.
Lack of Snacks (1 Nov 13): Our biggest struggle, having the time and ingenuity to create new snacks. There's lots of recipes out there, but it's a trial and error process finding things that the family will like.
One Month on the Full GAPS Diet - Little Change in Symptoms (25 Nov 13): Change did come, it just wasn't really noticeable for us yet.
Woot! Two Small Victories Show That the Diet is Healing Me (6 Dec 13): Progress! Finally.
Gack! Liver! Run away! (10 Feb 13): I know we need to be eating more organ meats because they're so nutritious, but honestly, liver?!!




Recipes - posts listed alphabetically by type

GAPS Diet Recipes By Stage (5 Oct 13): I didn't want to start the diet until I knew there'd be things we could eat. So I started collecting recipes.

Savory Dishes
Cauliflower "Rice" Recipe (15 Oct 13): This is really yummy, especially with lots of butter. (Remember, butter is good for you.) It doesn't soak up sauces like regular rice, but it makes a passable base for stir fries and other dishes that you're used to eating with rice.
Pork Cutlets - GAPS Style (22 Oct 13): I started buying meat from a local ranch.
Fresh Cabbage Soup (7 Dec 13): Easy to make. Yummy.
Apple Carrot Curry Soup (7 Dec 13): Sooo delicious!
Greek-ish Salad (10 Jan 14): This is one of the family's faves. The kids love the chicken.
Chicken Adobo (11 Jan 14): Easy crock pot recipe.


Snacks/Desserts
Almond Raisin Cookies (25 Sept 13): These are made with almond flour and a bit of coconut flour. To make them even more almondy, add a bit of almond extract.
Squash Fudge (24 Oct 13): Creamy and yummy!
Fried Bananas with Caramel and Cream (26 Oct 13): Yeah, baby!
Panna Cotta with Fruit Sauce Topping (3 Nov 13): This was a big hit. But the kids preferred when I used the coconut milk with guar gum in it.
Banana Ice Cream - Dairy Free, Easy to Make, and Yummy (17 Nov 13): Soooo easy to make and so yummy!
Grain-Free Muffin Recipe (21 Nov 13): Basic recipe that's easily adapted.
Coconut Pancakes - Paleo / GAPS (29 Nov 13): The kids loved these.
Soooo Simple Chia Mousse - GAPS / Paleo Easy Peasy Dessert (29 Nov 13): Good for school lunches
Coconut Flour Crepes - GAPS/Paleo (29 Nov 13): Crepes feel decadent and help you feel less like you're on a diet.
Grain Free Crackers (15 Dec 13): Finally, something to dip in stuff besides veggies.
Flourless Chocolate Cake (15 Dec 13): Pretty rich and dark. Good with whipped cream. (You don't have to add sugar to whipped cream to enjoy it.)
Simple Cream Custard (31 Dec 13): Rich. I like it with nutmeg on top.
Grain-Free Peanut Butter Cookies (14 Jan 14): It's hard to make enough of these at a time. The kids plow through them.
Chocolate Cookies (11 Feb 14): So easy to make. And there's no eggs, so you can munch on the batter!

Nathan asked me to make peanut butter cookies the other day. He had been eating a lot of peanut butter on apples until we realized that fruit was contributing to his runny nose. So then he switched to celery and peanut butter, but he said he feels like celery detracts rather than adds to the overall taste of the snack. So he asked me to try making some cookies.

I found a recipe on Detoxinista that I've modified only a wee bit (subtracted chocolate chips, added coconut flour).

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup peanut butter (Use a peanut butter that doesn't already have sugar or other things in it. Peanuts and salt should be all there is on the ingredient list. I used creamy peanut butter, but it probably doesn't matter.)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut flour
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
1. Mix all of the ingredients together.
2. The batter will be fairly wet. Use 2 spoons or a cookie scoop to drop by rounded spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. If you'd like cookies with fork pressed designs, let the dough sit for about 5 minutes. That will give the coconut flour time to soak up some of the liquid. You should be able to roll and smash the cookies then.
3. Cook for 6 minutes. By the time my cookies started to brown on top, they were burned on the bottom. So the sooner you take them out the better.

Chella David, Ph.D. and
Joseph Murray, M.D.

Celiac disease is on the rise, and not just because diagnostic tests are improving or that awareness is increasing. A study by Dr. Joseph Murray has found that people today are 4 times more likely to have celiac disease than people only 50 years ago. An article on the Mayo clinic's website describes Dr. Murray's study:

Dr. Murray's team tested the 50-year-old blood for gluten antibodies, assuming that 1 percent would be positive — the same as today's rate of celiac disease. But the number of positive results was far smaller, indicating that celiac disease was extremely rare among those young airmen. Surprised, the researchers compared those results with two recently collected sets from Olmsted County, Minn. One blood-sample set matched the birth years of the airmen. Those elderly men were four times likelier to have celiac disease than their contemporaries tested 50 years earlier. The second set matched the ages of the airmen at the time their blood was drawn. Today's young men were 4.5 times likelier to have celiac disease than the 1950s recruits. "This tells us that whatever has happened with celiac disease has happened since 1950," Dr. Murray says. "This increase has affected young and old people. It suggests something has happened in a pervasive fashion from the environmental perspective." (Celiac Disease: On the Rise, July 2010) 

Dr. Murray also found that celiac disease could be deadly when undiagnosed.

Unfortunately this article didn't address problems of gluten intolerance or gut disbiosis, which I'm more interested in. But the fact that celiac disease is on the rise shows that something in our environment has changed. And just because it hasn't caused celiac disease in us doesn't mean that it isn't affecting us some other way.

Dr. Murray hypothesizes a bit about what could have changed in the last 50 years to cause these health changes. According to the article from the Mayo clinic:

Dr. Murray lists several possible environmental causes of celiac disease. The "hygiene hypothesis" suggests the modern environment is so clean that the immune system has little to attack and turns on itself. Another potential culprit is the 21st century diet. Although overall wheat consumption hasn't increased, the ways wheat is processed and eaten have changed dramatically. "Many of the processed foods we eat were not in existence 50 years ago," Dr. Murray says. Modern wheat also differs from older strains because of hybridization. Dr. Murray's team hopes someday to collaborate with researchers on growing archival or legacy wheat, so it can be compared to modern strains.

This was pretty darn easy to make and the kids went back for seconds. I found the recipe on JustaPinch.com.

Ingredients
8 chicken thighs (I used 4 thighs and 4 legs.)
5 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 c liquid aminos (which I like better than soy sauce and it's better for you)
1 can (about 1 1/2 cups) coconut milk
1 c vinegar (I used white wine vinegar.)
8 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
4 bay leaves
1 tsp whole peppercorns

Directions
1. I used an enameled cast iron pan to cook this in, though the recipe called for a large skillet. Melt the coconut oil then add the chicken. Cook it in the oil until the outside looks mostly cooked.
2. While the chicken is cooking, mix the liquid aminos, coconut milk, garlic, ginger, peppecorns and bay leaves in another boil. Once the chicken has cooked for awhile (about 10 minutes or so) pour the sauce over it and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce to a simmer until the liquid evaporates. (I suppose if you're going to serve this with rice or another side dish that would be good with sauce, you might simmer until there's just enough liquid left for a nice sauce to go along with the chicken.)

I may try adding some veggies to this next time just so there's more than just meat and so that I can join in as well. Carrrots and cabbage might be interesting additions. 

I made salad for dinner tonight. It's the first time I've made a salad that the kids asked for more of. So I thought I'd post photos and a quick description of what I did to make the salad.

The Chicken
I should have made more chicken. I cooked up two chicken breasts for 3 kids. I heated a cast iron skillet and melted a huge hunk o' coconut oil in it. (Maybe 1/4 - 1/3 cup of coconut oil.) I cooked the chicken on high heat until both sides were well browned. When the chicken was about two thirds done it dawned on me that now would be a good time to add seasonings. So I started with salt and pepper. Then I decided to pull out the big guns and throw some Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute on there. That stuff could make cardboard yummy. Once the outsides were nicely browned, I put the chicken into the oven which had been preheated to 350. I have no idea how long it was in there. I basically decided to pull it out when I was done checking my email, so 20 - 30 minutes?

The Salad
I had bought one of those prepackaged salad mixes. But I knew that wouldn't be enough. So I used half a head of leaf lettuce, then topped that off with boxed lettuce mix, then sprinkled toppings on top of that. Toppings included pitted kalamata olives, chopped red onion, and sundried tomatoes. I had meant to add feta as well, but I forgot to toss it in. Ditto with some pomegranate seeds. Both would have gone well with the salad, but as I said, I got kudos from the kids even without those things in there. The only thing I might want to add that wasn't in here was some nuts - maybe pine nuts. Slice the chicken and put it on top. For myself I sliced up an egg instead.

The Dressing
This dressing is super easy to make and super yummy. The key is having quality ingredients. I put in a huge scoop of mustard (maybe 3 tablespoons worth?), the rest of the balsamic vinegar in the bottle (maybe another 3 - 4 tablespoons), and a whole lotta olive oil (maybe 1/4 -1/3 cup?). I whipped it up with a fork until it was emulsified. I drizzled some on top of mine, but Naomi had asked for hers on the side, so I put it on the side for all three kids. They ended up using it all up.

People keep sending me links for articles or videos related to diet. I thought I'd start a page where I list the articles in case I want to refer back to any of them later. So this page will be updated as I come across new articles.

The importance of our microbiome (healthy gut flora is key)

From NPR

Gut Bacteria Might Guide The Workings Of Our Minds, on Health News from NPR, November 18, 2013. Explains how there's growing evidence that the bacteria in our gut affect our mental health. The page includes an audio and a video portion. The video is a cartoon that explains what our microbiome is, how we get it, and what could be causing problems with it.

Microbiology and Technology of Fermented Foods, by Robert W. Hutkins. This is a somewhat technical document including 400 pages of information about fermented foods - their history, types of microbes, etc.

Your gut’s what you eat, too, by Peter Reuell in the Harvard Gazette. Studies show that a change in diet can have immediate affects upon our microbiome and that a change in diet can increase the amount of bilophila in the gut, a microbe known to cause colitis in mice.

Living in a Microbial World, by David Shardt in the Nutrition Action Health Letter, July/August 2012. This is essentially a microbe primer covering topics such as what our microbiome is, where it comes from, what affects it, and how it can be healed.

From Balanced Bites

The importance of healthy fats in our diet

Your “Healthy” Diet Could Be Quietly Killing Your Brain, Psychology Today, October 9, 2013. This article focuses primarily on brain health and the importance of a fat rich, low carb diet to avoid dementia/alzheimers.

Fats: Which to Eat & Which to Ditch, from Balanced Bites by Diane Sanfilippo, July 2010. This article gives guidelines about which fats are good to eat and which aren't.

Eating fat is good for you: Doctors change their minds after 40 years, by Jo Willey of the Express. Studies in the 70s showed a correlation between saturated fats and heart disease, but they never proved causation. New studies show that natural fats such as butter are better for the heart.


Problems with grains - GMOs, gluten, gliadin, and other issues

Modern wheat a "perfect, chronic poison," doctor says, on CBS This Morning, June 21, 2013. Dr. William Davis explains that wheat has been changed over the last 30 years. It now contains gliadin which is an issue for all consumers, not just those with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance.

How Grains Are Killing You Slowly, by Katie of the Wellness Mama. Katie explains how phytic acid in grains causes problems for the gut. (Sprouting the grain helps to remove the phytic acid.) She also touches on gluten and lectins.

Why Are So Many Allergic to Wheat Now?, by Melissa Melton of Truthstream Media, May 2, 2013. Melton shows that recent changes to wheat coincide with increased incidences of allergies, autism, and other issues. There's no proof of causality given, but a relationship is implied.

Arsenic in Your Food, from Consumer Reports, November 2012. Consumer Reports found that several brands of rice products contained high levels of inorganic arsenic, including organic brands. And that because the arsenic is often concentrated in the bran, brown rice tended to have higher levels than white rice. One suggestion to reduce the level of arsenic in rice is to rinse the rise before cooking, then cook with 6 cups of water to 1 cup of rice and pour off extra water once cooked. This washes away some nutrients but also removes arsenic. A more recent article entitled, There’s Still Arsenic in Rice (and It’s Probably Not Going Away), was published by Takepart.com on September 11, 2013. Once again, brown rice still looks problematic.


Milk/Dairy Issues

“The Devil in the Milk” — Dr. Thomas Cowan on how the A1 – A2 factor explains why even raw milk sometimes does not seem to be enough of an improvement over “store-bought”, by TheBovine, March 20, 2009. The type of cow that is producing the milk can affect how well people digest it.


Healthy Diet (This is more of an umbrella section for posts, videos, etc. that cover several topics.)

Nourishing Traditional Diets (2 hour video), by Sally Fallon of the Weston A. Price Foundation. In this video Sally Fallon explains how Weston Price explored traditional diets and what conclusions he came to regarding what we should be eating for optimal health. It includes many photos taken by Price during his travels.  This video is long, but worth watching.