GAPS Diet Beef Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is the gaps diet debunked? ›

Questionable claims of the GAPS diet. Despite brain-gut connection and the importance of maintaining healthy gut bacteria, there's no evidence that the GAPS diet is effective. Dr. Campbell-McBride makes many claims that aren't backed by science and promotes practices that go against traditional medical advice.

Red meat options: Short ribs, shanks, meaty neck bones, a bone-in type of roast, ox tail. If these aren't available you can use marrow bones with some stew meat, but don't use knuckle bones.

The benefit of meat stock is that it's more gentle and easy to digest and it's what to use on GAPS, but particularly during the GAPS Intro Diet. If you have a diagnosis of Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) you want to stick with meat stock.

It's a subset of the Paleo diet with the main distinction of forbidding starchy plants. This means avoiding or significantly restricting potatoes, sweet potatoes, plantains, yuca, taro, and all grains, including white rice. The GAPS diet is not intended as a long-term approach.

Downsides of the GAPS Diet

The GAPS diet is extremely restrictive, which has several consequences. For starters, this makes it time-consuming to plan and cook meals. More concerning, however, is that the diet was originally developed to help children suffering from behavioral and digestive issues.

The GAPS diet is a very restrictive protocol that requires you to cut out many nutritious foods for long periods of time. It also provides little guidance on how to ensure your diet contains all the nutrients you need. Because of this, the most obvious risk of going on this diet is malnutrition.

The lion diet is a highly restrictive form of the carnivore diet where only beef is eaten.

Selecting the right bacon is important: GAPS does not recommend smoked meats as they normally contain nitrites or other substitutes that are even worse than nitrites with alleged cancer causing agents so store bought bacon is out (including some nitrate free commercial brands).

Other cheeses that are allowed on Full GAPS: Asiago, Blue, Brick, Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Colby, Edam, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Havarti, Limburger, Monterey Jack, Muenster, Parmesan, Port du Salut, Roquefort, Stilton, Swiss, Romano, un-creamed cottage cheese (dry curd).

Bone broth and meat stock are known for their gut-healing and soothing qualities. Bone broth primarily uses a mix of bones and joints to make the broth, while meat stock uses gelatinous meat and meaty bones. A variety of vegetables and herbs, such as celery, carrots, and parsley can be included for depth of flavor.

Should I drink beef stock? ›

“While beef bone broth and chicken bone broth are healthful, beef bone broth has more collagen per serving. It is also better for gut health, for immunity, for sleep, and for mood. And it's better for skin and nails,” Schiff says.

The bones and tissues of many types of animal may make good bone broth, including cow, chicken, and even fish bones. Bone broth can provide important nutrients, especially minerals, derived from these tissues. This may make bone broth a beneficial dietary supplement for many people.

Dr. Campbell-McBride encourages fermented dairy and says you can add it beginning in the introductory phase of the diet. Vegetables that are not allowed on the diet include potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and yams. Beans and legumes are also not allowed on the GAPS diet.

Bananas are allowed on GAPS from the start but they need to be fully ripened or even overripe because they are easier to digest that way (less starch and more simple sugar). But as you get more and more used to the GAPS diet, it's said that even fresh bananas should be ok to digest by now.

Fruits in the GAPS Diet are only allowed in moderation: Apples. Banana. Berries.

Everyone's guts are semi-permeable. The mucous lining of our intestines is designed to absorb water and nutrients from our food into our bloodstream. But some people have increased intestinal permeability or hyperpermeability. That means their guts let more than water and nutrients through — they “leak”.

Other cheeses that are allowed on Full GAPS: Asiago, Blue, Brick, Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Colby, Edam, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Havarti, Limburger, Monterey Jack, Muenster, Parmesan, Port du Salut, Roquefort, Stilton, Swiss, Romano, un-creamed cottage cheese (dry curd).

They each are known for their gut-healing benefits with FODMAPs being more geared towards IBS and bloating (3) and GAPS geared towards neuropsychiatric symptom improvement. In truth, both diets can be helpful for both types of symptoms.