Eating Off GAPS - Effects of Diet Change

In November of 2011, we quit the GAPS Diet and started to eat a more conventional diet.  We did so because I began to seek the Lord and discovered in God's word that when Jesus healed people, he often said that it was their faith that healed them or according to their faith it would be done to them.  He also said that anything is possible for Him who believes.  ( I was reading through the Gospels.)  I read God's word and I prayed for faith to believe.  God gave me faith and I took us all off of the GAPS diet.  Not only did we not see regressions, but we began to improve.  We could eat anything!  Now, all five of my children and I have regular bowel movements everyday.  Eczema is gone!  (with the exception of two tiny patches, one on each girl)  Eye contact is great in all of my kids.  No signs of autism in any of my kids.  Everyone is happy and engaged in family life.  Everyone is growing and developing and learning on or above level.  Praise the Lord!  It is a true miracle.  One day we were reacting to everything and were imprisoned by a very strict diet and fear of chemical exposure everywhere we went.  The next day we were free from fear and were not reacting to anything.  All glory to God, we are free!

Granted, this is the simplified version of our story.  The details and the journey are not quite that simple.

Since having been healed, we have had to figure out how to eat, what to spend our time and money on, and what is important in life.  We continue to take some probiotics.  We continue to include homemade sauerkraut with our meals daily.  We continue to have broth, but not everyday, mostly because it takes effort to make it and now that we are off GAPS no one want to eat boiled meats.  Hmm.  We continue to buy mostly organic and natural.  We continue to buy pastured eggs and meats.  However, we also eat out and buy packaged foods.  Lately, we have had lots of ice cream, sometimes ice cream with corn syrup or HFCS.  (YUCK!)  I aim to buy packaged products with a short list made up of mostly organic ingredients.  But, we had been eating out a lot and have been purchasing more and more convenience foods.

I have to say this.  It just isn't satisfying.  Now that we can eat anything, we waste a lot of food, mostly because we eat a bit and then do not want the rest.  The leftovers do not seem to appeal to anyone.  I can't get anyone to eat the leftovers, and I don't want them.  Therefore, we move on to the next food, which does not get finished, and no one wants those leftovers either.  Such waste!  While we were eating whole foods only, we enjoyed every bite, ate more than seemed humanly possible, and never let any of it go to waste.  Leftovers were eaten as is or were remade into something new.  We did not have lots of bottles, jars, and boxes to recycle.  I kind of miss the GAPS/whole foods way of life, but I do not miss being bound by it.  It was a lot of work and it controlled our lives.  I loved the way everything got used and little was wasted.  I loved being satisfied by the food and not feeling hungry all the time.  I loved being able to create new dishes when we added a new food and the excitement that everyone felt when we made something for the first time.  It is amazing how fast we gave up the excitement of eating out.  Nothing sounds very good or appetizing.  Hmm.

Also, I know that we are truly healed because everyone is growing and learning and because everyone is happy and on level in every area of development.  Empathy and caring for the needs of others has blossomed at our house.  When everyone was sick, they just cared that someone would meet their own needs, but now they care about the needs of others, and that is so awesome.  However, when we were on the GAPS diet, we rarely got sick.  Now that we are eating rice, bread, crackers, sugar, etc., we have been sick a lot.  These last few weeks have been really intense.  Three bugs in three weeks.  I know it is a bug because the symptoms go from one kid to the next to the next.

So, no more signs of auto immune deficiency or autism, but our immune systems seem to be less effective to fight off normal bugs due to the high sugar content of our diet.  Hmm.  It seems that it is still wise to make healthy choices about foods and supplements.  It matters what we put into our bodies.  It matters what we put into our minds.

Read God's Word.  Ask God to help you understand it and to give you faith to believe it.  He will answer you if you cry out to Him.  He will give you wisdom if you ask for it.  He will teach you if you ask Him.  His Word says so, and I have experienced it or myself.  Ask, and you will receive.