A little bit of preparation goes a long way. Jumping into the GAPS diet without any preparation will likely make things much harder and may even lead to you quitting due to how challenging the diet is on a daily basis.
I spent about a week doing some prep work before I put my son, Raleigh, on the GAPS diet back in 2017. Knowing what I know now, I would have done more. I also encourage my clients to take the time they feel necessary to prep, as well as walking them through prep, so that they can be as successful as possible once they begin.
So if you are getting ready to pull that GAPS trigger these are some things I would recommend you do to prepare:
- Make some meat stock. I came to GAPS as a novice in the kitchen. Meat stock is often daunting to the beginner but once you get the hang of it, it is quite simple. If you are able to spend some time working through the kinks and figuring out which method (stove-top, crockpot/slow cooker, oven) works best for you, you will find it much easier to work meat stock into your cooking rotation throughout the week. Not only will this give you good on-the-job training, but it will provide you with meat stock you could either enjoy in meals before you begin or freeze for later use. I always tried to keep a small stash of meat stock in the freezer for days when I was tired, sick, or something came up.
- Stock your larder. Taking the time to stock up on some GAPS essentials is important. Saturated animal fats, herbs, spices, salt, honey, black peppercorns – just to name a few – are worth stocking the pantry with so that you have plenty of what you’ll need to make your GAPS meals. If you plan to begin on the full GAPS diet your larder will include more, and can include things like dry navy beans and lentils. Be sure to check your GAPS book for a list of full GAPS foods that you can be sure to have on hand.
- Meal plan. Purchase a GAPS cookbook like this one, or look over all of the recipes Dr. Natasha has in her GAPS books and plan out, tentatively, your meals. I also have a 30-day Full GAPS meal plan you can purchase here.
- Get necessary utensils. You likely have pots and pans, a cutting board and a knife. These are essential and will be used daily. But there are a few other tools that came in handy for me, personally, that I went out and bought before I began. First, I purchased an immersion blender. I knew I would be making pureed soups and I didn’t want to pour piping hot soups into my plastic mixer to blend. The immersion blender was a cheap, yet incredibly helpful tool while we were on Stages 1 & 2 of Intro. You eat a lot of soup on those stages and to be able to easily puree them was really nice.
- Plan to Journal. Journaling in some capacity, daily or weekly, is a really important part of navigating the GAPS diet. I grabbed a spiral notebook that I left on my counter and jotted down things daily that felt pertinent to my son’s day. The journals I kept while he was on the GAPS diet became guideposts. They helped me solve difficult problems and are a treasure trove of information. They have also become a valuable keepsake to me.
If you can do some or all of this you will find that you have set yourself up for success once you are on the diet. As always, find a coach if you are struggling. We help you navigate the ins-and-outs of the diet and can help you troubleshoot all of these areas. I am taking new clients so please reach out if you’d like GAPS coaching.
