The GAPS Limited Diet Menu Planner is here!

If you’ve been waiting for the GAPS menu planner, it is now available!

I am very happy to be able to offer this menu planner for people who follow Full GAPS, SCD or Paleo diets.  This menu planner is also dairy-free with nut-free options.

It is also a great menu planner as an elimination diet or for people who are on a yeast-free diet.

I have personally found this diet to be extremely helpful in my own life.  I truly can’t believe the changes that have occurred in my life as a result of following a grain, starch, sugar and yeast free diet.

To name just a few major changes, my lifelong mood swings and depression have almost completely vanished.  I have much more energy and the anxiety that I began to experience postpartum has been replaced with a peaceful and happy mind and heart!

I am really full of gratitude for the diet coming into my life!  I have been writing about these changes in my blog, and will be continuing with my post-postpartum experiences very soon.  You can read about my experiences with GAPS here.

Who can benefit from the GAPS diet?  (Find out more here at the official GAPS website)

Anyone with the following symptoms or experiences in life:

• Depression
• Autism
• ADHD
• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
• Learning disabilities
• Schizophrenia
• Anxiety
• Nightwakings
• Behavioral problems
• Hyperactivity
• Bipolar disorder
• Ecxema
• Asthma
• Colic
• Failure to Thrive
• Fussy eaters
• IBS – Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Frequent colds, flu or ear infections
• Dyslexia
• Dyspraxia
• Not breast-fed
• Have had numerous courses of antibiotics
• Chronic cystitis
• Mood swings
• Poor memory
• Difficulties to concentrate
• Underweight
• Crohn’s disease
• Ulcerative colitis
• Any other digestive disorder

There is hope!

If you are new to following a very limited diet like the GAPS diet, it can be overwhelming to know where to start first. It may seem like you can no longer use almost everything you used to cook with.

Or, if you’ve been following it for a while, you may be looking for some new and yummy dinners to prepare.

The good news is, there are some great alternatives to “normal ingredients” and some great recipes that are grain, starch and sugar free.

When you and your family start following this diet, it is vital that you plan ahead before you go shopping at the store. The GAPS Nourishing Foods Menu Planner does it for you!

All dishes are free of the following:

no grains or starchy seeds like quinoa or amaranth

no wheat

no gluten

no dairy (Full GAPS does contain dairy but I have made this menu planner dairy free except for butter.  If you can’t eat butter, coconut or olive oil can be used.)

no soy

no refined sugar (only honey and fruit are used as sweeteners)

no starchy vegetables like potatoes, yams, sweet potatoes, and parsnips

no corn

no peanuts

no legumes (Full GAPS does contain some legumes but I have left them off this menu)

no shellfish (I didn’t include this because of the common allergen issue)

no pork

no preservatives, MSG or other artificial ingredients

There are options for the following:

Egg free – If you are egg-free, many of the items can be made egg free.  Some recipes will need to be replaced with egg-free recipes.  I will be working on an egg-free version of this menu planner soon.

Nut free – If you can’t eat nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seeds are used as replacements.

What does the menu planner include?

The GAPS Menu planner includes 4 weeks of menus, spread out over 4 weeks.  Each week includes the following:

• A menu for 5 delicious and creative dinners plus 5 complementary side dishes each week
• Two soup recipes each week made with nourishing broth
• One dessert recipe a week to compliment your meals
• Easy to follow recipes for each dish
• An organized shopping list for the entire week, which is coded to each meal so you don’t have to cook every dish
• Kid-friendly ideas for each recipe
• Ideas for substituting main ingredients for each recipe
• Nutritional information is included in all recipes.
• Recipes focus on using fresh produce and whole foods.
• Family-friendly recipes!
• Plus articles about health, allergies, and other food issues.

BONUS recipes and info: Starting a diet like this is daunting and many people don’t know where to start. Plus you will likely be very hungry in the first few weeks.  Because of these reasons, I have added more recipes and a lot more instruction to these menu planners than my other menu planners for specific diets.

In addition to the dinner and dessert recipes, you will also receive the following:

• One Weekend Project Recipe
  • Examples include chicken broth, beef bone broth, lacto-fermented sauerkraut, mayo, and ketchup
• One  Baked Good – snack, bread, or cereal
• One Drink or Smoothie
• One Breakfast Recipe

Don’t know where to start with the basics?

Because people have asked me to include more information about the basics in this planner, you will also receive the following instructions and tips in the menu planners:

• Planning ahead for leftovers for lunch and snacks
• List of allowed and non-allowed foods (condensed version)
• A quick note about necessary kitchen equipment
• How to soak and dehydrate nuts and seeds
• How to make your own nut and seed flours
• How to make your own nut butter
• How to make sauerkraut
• How to make chicken broth
• How to make beef bone broth
• Two recipes for making coconut milk
• How to make almond milk
• How to make ketchup and mayo
• How to make yogurt
• How to make ginger tea
• Where to buy nuts and grass fed organic meat

Here are some of the recipes that you will enjoy in the four menu planners:

Dinners and sides:

• Nourishing Vegetable Chicken Soup
• Veggie Pizza
• Zucchini Noodles or Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Marinara
• Chicken Tacos and Guacamole
• Hearty Fish Chowder
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Fish Sticks
• Butternut Squash “Chili”
• Southern Crispy Chicken
• Mashed Cauliflower “Potatoes”
• Cauliflower Leek Soup
• Curried Butternut Squash Soup
• Butternut Squash and Carrot Fries
• Plus more!

Breads and Desserts:

• Coconut Bread
• Granola Nut Cereal
• Fruit Cobbler
• Almond flour tortillas
• Apple Cinnamon Coconut Cake or Muffins
• Biscuits
• Crackers
• Blueberry and Zucchini Spice Muffins
• Spice Cookies
• Banana Pancakes
• Plus more!

If you have not yet read the GAPS Guide by Baden Lashkov, and are planning on implementing the GAPS diet, I highly recommend you order her book and read it before attempting to follow this menu planner.

Baden offers simple and practical advice on how to start this diet, taking things slow and steady according to your pace.  She also covers important information about juicing and supplements that is vital to healing that is not covered in the menu planner such as taking Cod Liver Oil and Probiotics.

If you want more detailed and scientific information about how and why this diet works, you can also order The Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell-McBride, who created the GAPS protocol based on the SCD diet.

Ongoing support with your diet:

I am here to answer questions as you move through the menu planner.  You can email me here.

There is also an amazing resource through Yahoo Groups where you can ask questions and receive support in your diet.  Click below to join the group:

Click to join GAPShelp

Ready to order your GAPS menu planner?  Click here and then scroll to the bottom of the sign up page. You can also find the page in the sidebar under GAPS, Paleo and Limited Diet Weekly Menu Planner.