Our Experience With The GAPS Diet & Reversing Food Allergies (GIVEAWAY)
There are a lot of reasons that I am dismayed by the mainstream medical community. The lack of real science behind their studies and the fact that they seem to exist only to sell pharmaceutical drugs for starters.
But what makes me mad and sad and all sorts of outraged is the fact that the focus is almost entirely on treating symptoms rather than addressing a more systemic problem. Heartburn is treated with stomach acid-lowering drugs when the problem is not enough stomach acid. Statins are prescribed to lower cholesterol, the very substance that helps heal inflammation in your body.
Food is Medicine, Medicine is Food
When I heard this story on NPR the other day (which Kristen also mentioned) I was not surprised by their findings. What did shock me was when the on-air journalist said "Researchers are now finding that ADHD can actually be treated with Diet." As if it is shocking that one’s diet could in any way effect their health and well-being.
And so it is with food allergies. We tell people to avoid foods because they make them sick, but never address why that food makes them sick or why they become sensitive to more foods or why their children become sick from still more foods.
Something is wrong.
Our Experience With the GAPS Diet
I can not say that I know exactly what it’s like to have a food allergy in the family because our family has never been officially diagnosed with one. We have had our own health struggles, though.
After our oldest son was born I had an infection which resulted in me taking antibiotics, which meant that our newborn son also got antibiotics. He and I have both struggled with symptoms of candida over the past few years. And while there are still occasional flare ups (usually due to too much sugar), I seem to have finally shaken off those annoying symptoms, as has our four-year-old.
And how did we do that? Diet. (gasp)
More specifically, we followed a very similar protocol to the one Ann Marie is basing Reversing Food Allergies on in which we:
- Removed all problem foods and started with a very basic diet of bone broths, meats, and vegetables.
- Took high quality probiotics and started eating more fermented foods like sauerkraut, yogurt, and kombucha.
- Slowly reintroduced foods like fruits, nuts, beans, grains, and dairy. As we reintroduced those foods we watched for any symptoms or stomach discomfort.
That is why I recommend the GAPS diet to anyone who suffers from anything related to food. I’ve just seen it work in my family and others.
And that is why I am excited to share Reversing Food Allergies with you. The class is based on the GAPS protocol and for those who need it, the leg work of knowing how to detox, cook, and plan is already done for you.
The GAPS protocol and this class are not promising that your food allergies will be completely reversed like Ann Marie’s.
What it does offer, though, is hope and help to truly heal the body rather than just treat the symptoms. The materials include:
- 12 Weeks of Online Classes
- 50 Video Tutorials
- Over 200 Printable Recipes!
- Online Support Forum for Members Only
Giveaway!
And today Ann Marie is giving away free enrollment to one of you! Just leave a comment below answering the question:
Do you have any food intolerances?
The giveaway will close Sunday night and I will announce the winner Monday morning. You can also check out the full class schedule, including recipes and video topics.
Food allergies / intolerances – yes. My hubby & children have various allergies including wheat (possibly gluten), soy, dairy, tomatoes (not all in one person, thankfully). I would LOVE to take part in this class!
Yes! The kids and I are on a strict no wheat, no dairy, no chocolate, no yeast diet. I keep feeling drawn to the GAPS diet, but don’t have the guts (no pun intended) to start. We really want to have another baby, and I know I need to do this ahead of time. Keeping my fingers crossed for this one. Thanks!
I took a food allergy panel prescribed by my Kinesiologist. The test results showed that I have a sensitivity to eggs, pinto beans, navy beans and kale.
My daughter has a gluten intolerance. The GAPS diet has always intimidated me, but I think it’s time to give it a try. Thanks for the opportunity to win the class.
Hi, I really need this course because two weeks ago my son who just turned three was hospitalized for the second time in six months with gut issues. In august of last year he under went two surgeries. The first one to try and remove stones and sludge from his bile duct and the second one to remove his gall bladder. He was only two years old! He has since been having more gut/IBS/colitis issues and no one knows why. I am borrowing the GAPS book from a dear friend trying to learn how we can help our son. Would love to take this course!
I don’t personally have any food intolerances, but I have many friends who do. One of my friends just recently started having problems with everything including gluten, dairy, and nuts–but no doctors can figure out why! I want to win an enrollment to this class so I can not only make sure my diet is well-balanced so I don’t develop any intolerances, but mostly so I can help my friend restore her health.
Shannon (and Ann Marie), thank you so much for this post and information. I have been gluten-free and dairy-free for 3.5 years now, and this week I am intentionally re-introducing raw dairy – with all my fingers crossed that it goes well. In preparing for a pregnancy, I am tremendously hopeful that I can tolerate the dairy and nutrify my body in that way, but if I react badly at least this whole idea of healing the gut gives me hope that I won’t always have to eat such a restricted diet. I am taking Jenny McGruther’s class on fermenting foods, so can’t afford a second series right now, but I hope Ann Marie will offer it again in the future (unless I win the giveaway!). In the meantime, I’m pulling my only-started copy of Gut and Psychology Syndrome right now. Thanks again!
I am 35 years old and 7 months ago I told my son’s therapist that I decided I was supposed to be fat and in pain all the time. My health had declined so rapidly in the year and a half before, I could bearly function. I was on 10 medications: 3 for anxiety, depression, and “bipolar”; two for allergies, two for congestion, two for blood presssure, and one for pain that wasn’t helping anymore. I have had a lot of pain in my life, but never took medication until 5 years ago. Last year I came to the despair of knowing that every doctor had done all they knew and I was at a crisis. I could either get worse or figure it out. The therapist I complained to told me she had gone through similar symptoms. She prompted me to find foods I was having trouble with. I am on one blood pressure med now. I still have pain but haven’t felt this good for a long time. The problem–I am allergic to preservatives, but found I still have mild reactions to many things, even if they are organic. My friend sent me your ad because there isn’t much I can eat right now. I feel a lot better and know that I can feel GREAT–somehow! I hope I can take this class!
Thank you for the information about this. My family has struggled with various issues throughout the years and our doctors have never been able to help us. I’ve has asthma and allergies my entire life. In my 20s I suddenly became severely allergic to shellfish. My second daughter has a shellfish allergy too but also cannot eat any type of fish. She has struggled with severe chronic eczema starting with a sudden outbreak when she was two. She’s now 17 and her eczema gets so severe that her entire body is covered with it and perfect strangers approach her and ask her what is wrong with her, was she burned, etc. Like I said none of the many, many doctors we’ve seen over the years have helped her. Many of her doctors have told us that food has nothing to do with eczema and I would be behaving recklessly if I tried an elimination diet for our family. One doctor even told her to bathe in bleach. We’d try almost anything, but with the chronic asthma in our family (myself, my 17 yo and my 9 yo) we cannot use bleach in our house at all. We’ve also have toileting and constipation issues with my 9yo and sleep and behaviorial issues with my 6 yo and everyone suffers from allergies to pollen, grass, mold, mildew, animal dander, dust etc. Our family has reactions to foods that don’t seem to make any sense to me. From healthy foods like apples, carrots, bananas, avocados, hazelnuts, walnuts, quinoa, pineapple and fish, to unhealthy like chocolate, caffine, food dyes, and sugar, our family can sometimes have an allergic reaction as severe as our lips, eyes and throat swelling up, asthma attacks, skin breakouts and sneezing and itching to stomach issues and hyperactivity and then sometimes the same person will have no reaction at all to the food that bothered them before. I’m completely confused and trying to feed a 7 member family with all these various issues has me overwhelmed. I just don’t even know where to begin or how I could ever pull off a diet like this.
I would like to know the basic principles of addressing food allergies. It sounds like an interesting course. I used to be bothered my conventional milk products but drink raw milk now with no issues.
I have just discovered, three days ago actually, the relation to candida and some issues I’ve had for YEARS! I stopped eating everything but veggies and meat to see how my body would react…after further research, I think I need a bit more guidance! I would love to take this class! Thanks for the opportunity for all that you do, I’ve really enjoyed your blog!
I am in the process of realizing I might have food intolerances. I have been aware of some sensitivities, but am sick of dealing with them and want to figure things out for my and my children’s sake.
We are just beginning to understand our intolerances. So far we know dairy but we suspect wheat. I would love to get my family healthy!
No one in my family has ever been officially diagnosed with a food allergy, but i definitely know that we have some sensitvites…hubby has asthma, and allergies(environmental), and my oldest son has eczema which pops up every so often. Most illnesses in the body stem from an unhealthy gut environment, and i would love to learn how to heal ourselves with food.
For the last several months I have been struggling more and more with heartburn, stomach acid imbalance, indigestion problems and just feel in my gut that something is off! Two doctors and several nurses have all told me “Prilosec!” but just reading the back of the box and researching what it actually does in your stomach tell me this is not the way to go.
I have been researching what other options might be more effective and am a true believer in how food impacts our health to such a great degree!!! I would love to try this diet and hope that my system can return to normal again within the next few months!!!
Would love to learn more as I recently saw a naturopath about my daughter’s exzema and regular colds/flus and we are beginning to try working with different foods! Thanks for the chance to win:)
I’ve had problems with dairy all my life, and for a few years I had a sensitivity to pineapple. I also struggle with eczema, and my husband has been showing signs of candida overgrowth. A traditional diet has helped a lot, but eventually we need to figure out how to use GAPS to heal permanently.
We don’t officially have food allergies, but I have a hard time digesting wheat, even when soaked. That study on food dyes is great. I’ve noticed that for a long time with my boys (ages 3 &4), but it’s nice to have the “scientific study” to back it up…especially with relatives and children’s church workers!
I was diagnosed with RA when I was 16 and 12 years later I have been dealing with intolerances to gluten and lactose. Last year I was admitted to the ER and told my gallbladder had to be removed, I had no choice, and ever since that surgery I have had severe respiratory allergies and asthma (at one point needing to use a rescue inhaler no less than 8 times a day) which I had never dealt with in my entire life until after that surgery. The opportunity to be able to take this class would be a God-send to me, as I don’t know that we, being a one incould family in ministry, could afford it otherwise…but then that begs the question: can I afford NOT to take the class and be informed. My interest is certainly peaked!! Thanks for the opportunity!
I have Crohn’s disease and recently, my younger daughter was diagnosed with an egg allergy (only detected by the blood and skin test – no other symptoms, but we are avoiding it just the same). Your recent post intregued me aobut gut health and food allergies. Both sides of our families (but not our own) are plagued with severe peanut allergies too, so we have been intregued for quite some time). I too strugle with the “this can’t be the only way – there HAS to be more to it” reaction to symptomatic healthcare. I know I have to eventually do a GAPS diet for myself – I’ve been making the standard broth from chicken and turkey carcasses for years but never made the broth a main component in my cooking, really.
Most recently, our older daughter has had a lot of defiance issues with us. Although this can be attributed to many things, she seems affected by blood sugar levels and naturally, I’ve begun to question what she ingests and the need for a complete diet overhaul for her as well.
So there we are. a family of four and three of us have food concerns. Most people think I’m crazy for how much thought I put into our nutrition, especially since I have a weight problem. But I am trying, I just need someone to guide me along – at least ME at first so I can guide the rest of my family. Thank you for all you share on your blog.
Yes – gluten!! And oh, I’d love to be able to eat a LITTLE bit of it now and then… I’m waiting until our summer veggies are in to put our family on GAPS, and preparing for it until then.
I have a food intolerance to coconut and my daughter is lactose intolerant. I would love to know ways to reverse these (especially my daughter’s) and do so naturally.
Do I ever! I feel like I am allergic to everything in the world. I have recently found out that I cannot tolerate gluten through eliminating it and may have linked it to my infertility. I also have trouble digesting some gluten free products! I am trying to heal myself through food but am not sure how to completely do this yet. This class sounds amazing and would love to be chosen to further my knowledge and understanding of how my body works and hopefully fix my hormonal issues as well. I truly believe in the power of food and am hoping to figure it all out one day. I love your blog and find it so informative; I even linked you on my blog. Thank you for the opportunity to win this course!
-Ashley
It’s like you read my mind! My 2 year-old came down with a high fever at 7 days old, and even though he was born at home and we had high hopes of keeping him there, we had no choice but to go to the ER because it was a weekend. He was put on two IV antibiotics and then got a UTI while in the hospital, which was treated with another antibiotic. That poor boy has dealt with so many food sensitivities! I am also recovering from adrenal problems and can’t do any gluten and very little dairy. I need this course! So excited…
Yes, I have multiple food sensitivities and allergies and would love to take this course.
I have psoriatic arthritis, migraines, and stomach pain that have bothered me for almost 20 years. Six months ago was diagnosed with numerous food allergies..the worst of which are gluten, casein, egg, yeast, but include about 20! I am sure I must have candida and leaky gut which is causing all this, but getting no help from the doctors. I need to find a way to heal myself at this point.
I do not have any food allergies or intolerances that I know of but my kids each have several (my husband’s brother has a deathly peanut and tree nut allergy). My son is 6.5 and is allergic to dairy, soy, egg, peanut, and tree nut (he has outgrown white fish and wheat) while my daughter who is 4.5 is allergic to dairy, egg, peanut, tree nut, garlic, and sunflower seeds (she now is able to tolerate pork and strawberries – we have not tried sesame which was a no reaction on her last round of testing this fall). My daughter will eat about anything – she eats a pretty balanced diet and loves vegetables, soups, etc. My son is ridiculously picky so I have a feeling that getting him to eat the required foods for a GAPS diet would be almost impossible. 🙁
wow! would love to do this course. my 5 year old has a wheat allergy (among other things) and i’m keeping a close eye on my 1 year old for symptoms of food allergy.
I found out that I was allergic to citrus pretty late…in my 30’s. My son is starting to show signs also.
Can you please tell me what quality probiotics are? Do you get that from cultured dairy and fermented foods or do you buy a pill something?
Wow! I heard about this e-course and was really interested in it. My whole family, but particularily my 2 year old son has multiple food allergies. Right now he is on a special rotation diet that only includes about 12 foods he can currently tolerate. We’ve learned about how important digestion is and the GAPS book was so informative and helpful. I’ve been wanting to learn more about how to make more lacto-fermented foods and good bone broths for us along with other tips on how to heal the gut. I am really excited about this online course!
o please let me win this one giveaway. i have been struggling with digestive problems my entire life. i am so careful and conscious about what i eat, but to no avail. as a mother of three, i am tired and discouraged by this and just want some answers. eliminatimg gluten seemed like the answer, but then it stopped helping. maybe gaps is my answer, but restricting my diet without it helping is too hard. i’m sick of guessing. thank you for your lovely blog!!!
Both of my sons have peanut and dog allergies. One has shellfish sensitivities. I’m pretty sure I have gluten sensitivity. We’ve gone grain free and sugar free. I’m hoping to start GAPS after Easter ( the husband would like to celebrate it with family = food I would never serve despite GAPS). This class would be amazing! Thanks for the opportunity!
I have a dairy intolerance. I get lots of mucous in my nose. I’m hoping GAPS will cure this because I love raw goat’s milk!
I am gluten-intollerant and have a problem with heart burn and acid reflux. Am in the process of changing things in my diet, no coffee or chocolate, limited sugar, etc. It helps, but thinking I am not doing enough. Maybe I need to try the GAPS diet.
I just did the food intolerance blood test with my naturopath, and I am intolerant to 18 different foods. I was suspicous of the wheat, gluten and dairy, but was surprised about some of the others. I have suffered for most of my adult life (over 25 years) with chronic sinus infections, unexplained pain, insomnia (all my life, actually), back pain, and recently a multitude of injuries that won’t heal which include minor open sores & muscle problems. They just cut my hours at work so I can heal from an unexplained shoulder injury. I have eliminated most of the foods I’m intolerant to for a couple months, but am still have problems. This would be a God send. Thank you for considering my entry. Blessings, Leola
Allergies, food sensitivities, chemical sensitivities – yep, I have them. A friend of mine, who is a nutritionist, has helped me a lot this past year, but I am more concerned with my husband who has had intestinal problems since birth – I would love to take this class and heal both of us.
I would love to win enrollment in this course! I am gluten intolerant, and my daughter has a corn sensitivity. It is so encouraging to read that there may be hope for healing!
I have a daughter who is sensitive to cashews, pistachios, and hazlenuts. I have psoriasis and can tell that some foods irritate it. I would be interested in learning to truly correct our problems.
Not sure about intolerances per se, but have been diagnosed with a dairy allergy by blood tests, if that counts. Would love to win the opportunity to take this class! Thanks for the chance!
I don’t have any confirmed allergies but I know I’m sensitive to a number of things (milk and possibly wheat), and I also deal with blood sugar issues (hypoglycemic symptoms). I’ve already started to make changes in my diet, and would like to continue to do so in the future. I’d really love to learn more about what you have to say on this subject.
I haven’t been officially diagnosed with any food allergies but I sure do have plenty of others! I would love to win a spot in this class with the hope that I could address some of my issues that I strongly suspect are tied to poor gut health or food sensitivities: severe eczema (oh the itching!), low energy, digestion issues, poor sleeping, etc.
Thanks for the opportunity!
My daughter and I have an intolerance to cow’s milk. I had heard that raw milk can sometimes help with that, but do not have somewhere to purchase raw milk. My daughter has an intolerance to strawberries, also. Her symptoms are hive like and the last time she drank milk, they ran from her belly button up her chest & over down her entire back. Yikes!
Thanks for the opportunity to win this course.