“Intro” vs. Full GAPS: Which, When?

During one of the Certified GAPS Practitioner trainings that I taught recently, I was asked the question: what are the differences between Intro and Full GAPS, and when is it best to start on which. This is the answer that I gave. I hope it is helpful to you!

So first of all, we start with Full GAPS in the following instances: when one is prone to constipation, when one needs to learn the cooking techniques, when one travels a lot, etc. (See the list in the blue book.) Remember it is "prone" to constipation. Some people will tell you that they tend to have harder stools, or hard to pass stools, or tend to constipate. These people should start on Full.

We start on Intro if there is diarrhea present, with severe digestive problems, and with people who know the techniques and have the time and space in their lives to do it (that is, to risk days of die-off, etc.)

I think it may be easier to say that Full GAPS is Weston Price without grains, starchy vegetables, and most legumes (and GAPS has meat stock instead of bone broth).

IMO, people that come to Full GAPS from WAPF/Nourishing Traditions don't really have that much healing, because there isn't that much difference in what they are eating (see above).

If people come to Full GAPS from the Standard American Diet (SAD), or another high carb or highly processed diet, they will experience a good bit of healing (and die-off) because they have made such a drastic change - cutting out all the processed foods (lacking in nutrients and often high in toxins) and all the refined sugars and carbohydrates, and adding in healing foods.

If people come to Intro from WAPF, they will experience some die-off just by virtue of cutting out the carbs (grains, starchy veg, and legumes).

If people come to Intro from SAD/high carb/highly processed, they will have the most intense die-off (and possibly the most healing/most dramatic healing).

Differences:

Intro - six stages // Full - no stages

Intro- elimination diet and then gradually bringing foods back in, "soup and stock fast" during stage 1 (my terms) // Full - no elimination, no "fast" on soup and stock, no gradually bringing foods in

Intro - test foods one at a time as you introduce // Full GAPS - eat everything

Intro - start with the easiest to digest foods (meat stock and soup) and then challenge the digestive system in each stage (S2- stews and casseroles, S3 - sauté, S4- roast and bake, S5 - juicing and raw veg, S6 more baked goods and raw fruit //Full GAPS - no challenges, eat everything

To me, the real healing happens on Intro, when you are controlling the cooking techniques and the ingredients, and allowing the digestive system to heal while adding in live (cultured and fermented) foods, etc. Again, in my opinion, Full GAPS can be a "crapshoot". It is not that people cannot heal on Full GAPS; many of them do. However, that depends upon where they started - how malnourished were they, what symptoms do they have, how badly damaged is their gut -- AND -- what do they eat on Full GAPS. Full GAPS does not have a structure. People can eat anything that is "GAPS legal". That is why many people don't achieve the healing that they desire when they are on Full GAPS. To me, there are no controls. For example, just because there is fruit on Full GAPS, doesn't mean everyone on Full should be eating it/people would benefit from eating them. The same with legumes (lentils, Lima beans, split peas, etc.), and likewise with nuts and seeds.

Do you see the challenge?

This is why I personally will start people on what I call "modified" Full GAPS - no nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, or fruit. Because if you don't cut them out in the beginning for a while, it is like one hand behind your back - how are you going to get the pathogenic yeast, etc., into balance?

If you are interested, I did a video on this. I hope it is helpful. https://youtu.be/Vj-7scxgPng?si=x6wS0hU6OpNtYltT