The GAPS Diet and Mental Health (Guest Post)

When most people think of food, they think about the effects it has on their physical body. However, the more research we do about the foods we eat, the more we learn that they can also affect us mentally as well. This is actually good news for those who are following the GAPS Diet.

What Is the GAPS Diet?

In case you’re not familiar with what it is, the GAPS Diet is an eating plan designed to help restore the health of your gut, which ultimately helps enhance the health of the rest of your body. In an attempt to make a rather complex biological matter easier to understand, in giving your digestive tract the probiotics it needs via specific foods and supplements, it is better able to process and remove the toxins in your body. This, as a result, promotes better health. 

This way of eating has provided extremely positive results for people with chronic or severe medical conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), allergies, arthritis, diabetes, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and more. So what makes GAPS foods so good for you mentally?
Why are GAPS Diet Foods So Beneficial to Your Mental Health?
Research has connected a number of foods at the heart of the GAPS Diet with better emotional and mental health. For instance, one of the staple items on the diet is fermented foods. According to research presented by PsychCentral, the probiotics contained within these food items have been linked to “a reduction in anxiety and depression-live behaviors under stress.” Thus, eating them on a regular basis can potentially help stabilize and even boost your mood.

As another example, stage four of the GAPS Introduction Diet involves adding freshly pressed juices to your eating regimen, specifically starting with carrot juice. In a post about the health benefits of carrots, Dr. Mercola advises that carrot extract can help a person manage cognitive issues “and may offer memory improvement.”

Juicing in and of itself has been a life-changer for many people, like Jil Larsen. She used juicing and integrative nutrition to help her put her skin condition melasma in remission. She not only received a positive physical response to her dietary changes, but it changed her life in other ways too. After being so satisfied with what dietary changes had done for her, she decided to pursue a career as a health coach.

So Now What?

Basically, when you follow the GAPS Diet, you’re not only benefitting your body, but you’re also giving your mind the nutrients and energy it needs to function and function well. This means that you will likely experience a greater amount of productivity at both work and home, allowing you to reach higher levels of success in both areas.

To find out for yourself, you might just want to give the GAPS Diet a try. Who knows? You may just be surprised how good you feel (inside and out) when you do!
Shelly Stinson is a freelance writer based out of Denver, CO. When she’s not writing she enjoys researching and trying new diets, dining at local restaurants, and anything outdoors. Find her on twitter here: https://twitter.com/shellystins