Gaps Diet Stories – Regina and Elijah

I met Regina in a GAPS yahoo group. She is full of life and passionate about her son, GAPS and her relationship with God. She is a great example of what my friend Dawn calls “the warrior mama”, working overtime to find healing for her child. Although as you will see, healing is still on-going for this young man, and there is much to celebrate. So read and rejoice with Regina and her son Eli (the little guy in the photo)..

1.  How long have you been on the GAPS diet?

2 years .9 months

  2.  What was going on that made you decide to pursue the diet? My youngest son Elijah was displaying extreme food allergies, developmental delays and chronic behavioral problems

3. Did you start with Full GAPS or Intro first? How long have you been on each?

We tried to start off with full GAPS first. Elijah wouldn’t eat the food. Our Gaps practitioner at the time told us to start off with full GAPS so we did full GAPS for 5 months. Eventually we were  able to transition him to the intro phase. He stayed on steps 2 to 4 for almost 2 years. He’s been on full GAPS for the last 8 months. Although he is on full GAPS, his diet is still limited. He still can’t have an unlimited amount of fruit, nuts or high salicylates and Candida foods

 4. What kind of progress or healing have you seen?

We are seeing miracles. When we first started the diet  Eli could only eat meats, broth, a few veggies, and eggs. Now he can have gelatin/jello, baked goods, fruit and more selections of veggies. He was extremely reactive to butternut squash. Now he can eat it without a problem.  Prior to the diet Eli had no language. He didn’t even respond to his name and he didn’t acknowledge us as parents. Elijah has just been mainstreamed to a regular school setting. He spent a year and a half in a special ed program. I was just informed on his latest IEP meeting that he is functioning at 73 percentile when 80 percent is normal. When we initially had his IEP done at age at age three, he was functioning at 9 months old in some skills, 12 months old, and 23 months in most skills. He was almost two years behind, but now at 5 years old he is a few months behind, The Lord God is good

 5. What other strategies have you implemented along with GAPS? Why?

We implemented sacral cranial therapy. One of the Osteopathic doctors that we saw suggested the therapy. We did speech and occupational therapy .We did NAET (Nambudripad’s Allergy Elimination Technique) to help with his extreme allergies, but I didn’t see much progress with NAET. We have  recently combined homeopathic therapy/supplements with GAPS. Since adding homeopathic supplements we are seeing the most progress. We are currently doing ABA (applied behavior analysis) therapy to help control his behavior.

6.  Are you off the GAPs diet?

 No, Eli is still on the gaps diet. He will make three years on the diet in March of 2014.

 7.  Are there areas where you have not seen healing so far?

Eli still has food allergies and still experiences die off reactions. He still can’t have a lot of fruit.without showing negative behavioral changes. However I recently added a pear back, and so far so good.

 8. What has been the hardest thing about following the GAPS diet? 

Not being able to eat out and buying the pastured meats and organic foods.

 9. What has been the best thing about following the GAPS diet?

The best thing is the miracles we are continuing to see. Eli’s immune system has strengthened. I forgot to mention prior to GAPS he was always sick with either a cold or an ear infection. He hasn’t had either in about a year. As a family we are all  eating better. The rest of the family is following the full GAPS program about 90 percent of the time. Having our little boy back is worth all of the stress that comes with the diet

 10. Do you have any advice for a person considering going on the GAPS diet?

Reading the Gut and Psychology book thoroughly is so important before starting the diet. Getting connected and asking questions on the GAPS forum before starting is paramount. Lastly, if you don’t see results after eight months, seek out a knowledgeable GAPS homeopathic doctor  who is experienced in detox, parasites and metal issues

11 Is there any you would like to add to the above comments?

I wish I had sought out a homeopathic doctor earlier.  Prior to being blessed with our ND we took Eli to an osteopathic doc and two GAPS practitioners. If I could do it over again I wouldn’t have waited almost two years before praying for and seeing a homeopathic doctor.