So you’ve come to the realisation that you and your family REALLY need to do The GAPS Diet… there’s only one thing standing in the way… your partner!! They’re not too keen on the whole idea… it may be they think it’s a load of rubbish, maybe they’re more inclined to listen to their doctor rather than a Naturopath or GAPS Practitioner or maybe they’re in denial that there’s any issues at all. Whatever the case, the question is “how do I handle this?”
Well, here’s a few tips that might be of use, and of course make sure you do it in a comfortable, relaxed setting where you’re not going to be interrupted, and have some books or information there to show them if you think that may be useful.
One condition I seem to treat over and over again is eczema in both children and adults. For young children and babies this can be very distressing and uncomfortable and in teens (especially young women) it can not only be painful and uncomfortable it can also be very damaging to their self esteem.
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (or SIBO) is a significant health issue with many patients going through life not realising that their gut bacteria is severely out of balance. Although we have bacteria throughout the body the highest concentration should be in the colon, however, in the case of SIBO we tend to find there’s too much bacteria in the small intestine and an overgrowth has occurred.
SIBO can present with constipation (SIBO-C), a combination of constipation and diarrhea (SIBO-M) or with diarrhea only (SIBO-D), which is the most common. It can also be the cause of histamine intolerance, bloating, gas, abdominal pain, belching, flatulence and nausea just to name a few.
A question I get asked time and time again.. “how do I get my kids to take their supplements?” Yep that is a tough one and for me it was… let’s say… a Battle Royale!!
As many of you already know I was fairly convinced there were issues with my son from a young age so with this in mind I was seeing a Naturopath very early in the peace so he did get used to being given things to take when he was young. Not to say this made it any easier nor was he any more compliant.
It’s hard to believe that 5 years ago we started The GAPS™ Diet as a family….. At the time, when we started the protocol I really didn’t know how it would all turn out but 5 years down the track I can absolutely say, without a doubt, it was definitely worthwhile. So, given how beneficial it was and continues to be for our family I thought I’d take a little trip down memory lane to share some of the high’s and lows of the experience.
Fermented dairy is a big part of The GAPS™ Diet and quite often even those who hav had difficulty digesting dairy in the past will find they can tolerate the yogurt and whey made themselves following the The GAPS™ Diet Protocol. The main difference between GAPS yogurt and commercial yogurt is that it is fermented for 24 hours to breakdown the lactose in the milk making it easier to digest.
Keeping a kids diet on track can be hard work but in my experience NOT keeping it on track is harder work. Processed foods are so difficult to keep away from our children especially as they get older and are perhaps out with friends more or just socialising more. These foods are designed to be attractive, tasty and most importantly addictive and the problem I find is they also increase the behavioural issues we experience, especially as parents of children on the spectrum. Due to the highly sensitive nature of their gut health I find to many transgressions = more difficult to manage behaviours = frustration. My advice, if things go astray, don’t beat yourself up, it happens. Simply get things back on track as quickly as you can and you’ll soon turn things around again.
If you’ve every suffered from reflux, heartburn, indigestion, bloating, GERD, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohns, constipation or diarrhoea then this may be just what you’re looking for.
