The Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet – GAPS Diet has its foundation on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) created by Dr. Sidney Valentine Haas to heal digestive disorders. SCD gained great popularity after a mother, Elaine Gottschall, healed her own child and became an advocate for SCD. Elaine Gottschall is also the author of the popular book Breaking the Vicious Cycle. Intestinal Health Through Diet.

Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride has taken SCD and evolved it further to create a full protocol for healing digestive disorders and subsequent issues. In her clinic in Cambridge she specialises in nutrition for children and adults with behavioral and learning disabilities, and adults with digestive and immune system disorders.

GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndrome. The GAPS diet was developed and designed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. The GAPS diet is a strict elimination diet that requires you to cut out grains, pasteurised dairy, starchy vegetables and refined carbs.

She believes that conditions affecting the brain are often linked to ‘Leaky gut’ syndrome. She promotes the GAPS diet as a natural treatment for people with conditions that affect the brain, such as autism.

There are three main phases to the GAPS diet:

1. Introduction phase: this is split into 6 stages and is the most intense part of the diet because it eliminates most foods. It’s called the “gut healing phase” and can last from three weeks to one year, depending on your symptoms.
2. Maintenance phase: this is the main part of the GAPS diet and can last 1.5–2 years. During this part of the diet, you are advised to base the majority of your diet on the following foods:
   1. Fresh meat, preferably hormone-free and grass-fed
   2. Animal fats, such as lard, tallow, lamb fat, duck fat, raw butter and ghee
   3. Fish
   4. Shellfish
   5. Organic eggs
   6. Fermented foods, such as kefir, homemade yogurt and sauerkraut
   7. Vegetables
3. Reintroduction Phase: this is where you begin to come off the full GAPS diet and slowly reintroduce foods.
   You’re likely to be on the full diet for at least 1.5–2 years before you start reintroducing other foods. The diet suggests that you start the reintroduction phase after you have experienced normal digestion and bowel movements for at least six months. This stage can be a long process as well as you introduce foods slowly over a number of months. Each food is reintroduced individually in a small amount.

The GAPS diet is quite a complex diet compared to others. We recommend doing further research before starting the protocol.

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https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/gaps-diet