Hippocrates, often referred to as the father of modern medicine, said, “All diseases begin in the gut.” Hippocrates also said, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” One could say that these are the founding principles that Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride based the GAPS Diet upon. GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome.
GAPS Diet Review
GAPS is focused on precise diet based on the evolution of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet or SCD. The SCD diet uses supplementations, detoxification, and lifestyle changes for healing digestive disorders and other issues. These issues include diseases such as autism, hyperactivity and attention deficit, dyslexia, dyspraxia, depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and others (statement not evaluated by the FDA).
Many people report the GAPS diet has healed them of digestive diseases, auto-immune disorders, and blood sugar issues. While it may be hard to believe that this list of serious disorders can be linked to the gut, consider Dr. Campbell-McBride’s credentials.
Dr. Campbell-McBride established a connection between the functions of the digestive system and the brain. She holds a Master of Medical Science in neurology and a Master of Medical Science in human nutrition.
After practicing as a neurologist for 5-yrs and a neurosurgeon for 3-yrs, Dr. Campbell-McBride started a family. When her son was diagnosed as autistic, she began an intensive study into causes and treatments of autism. It was during this time that Dr. Campbell-McBride developed her theories on the relationship between neurological disorders and nutrition and completed a second Postgraduate Degree in Human Nutrition.
Having treated her son off the autistic spectrum, Dr. Campbell-McBride returned to practice in 2000 and to run the Cambridge Nutrition Clinic. She has specialized in using nutritional approach in treating children and adults with learning disabilities and other mental disorders, as well as children and adults with digestive and immune disorders.
GAPS Diet and Weight Loss
Although the GAPS Diet is not promoted as a weight-loss diet, people do lose weight and gain vitality and good health by following it. GAPS is one of a number of diets such as SCD, Paleo, Primal BluePrint, Weston A. Price Foundation, Wheat Belly, and the Bariatric diet, which refrain from the principals of the Standard American Diet (SAD). Read: “Mark Sisson Primal Cookbook Review”
Instead, the GAPS diet, and those diets listed above, are in favor of the following healthy eating principals:
- Eliminate processed foods, most or all grains, and sugar or all non-natural sweeteners; Read “Fixing Our Obesity Epidemic”
- Eat pasture-raised without hormones or antibiotics meats and poultry, wild-caught fish, and bone broths;
- Eat a variety of fresh organic vegetables;
- Eat homemade fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and kimchi.
Click this link to buy the GAPS Diet book on Amazon for about $21. Or visit the GAPS Diet website to learn more.
Living life larger than ever,
My Bariatric Life
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