27 replies to this topic

[Skylark]

Well, the GAPS book says to take a probiotic and fermented cod liver oil. I'm still taking a multivitamin/mineral/trace element supplement as well because it helps my mental health. It's EmpowerPlus from http://www.truehope.com. Solgar and Metagenics also make really good "all in one" supplements if you want to go that direction.

At a bare minimum, you probably want to consider B12 as well as cod liver oil (for D and natural A).

[domesticactivist]

I can't believe I missed this thread! You've already gotten good advice.

Our family has been on the GAPS diet for a year and it has worked wonders for each of us in different ways. I highly recommend doing the introduction GAPS diet. It really helps both with healing and with identifying foods that cause you problems, since you start out so basic and slowly introduce them. I also love all the variety of naturally probiotic foods. (In addition to Fermented Cod Liver Oil and GutPro or Bio Kult probiotics).

[TLK879]

I can't believe I missed this thread! You've already gotten good advice.

Our family has been on the GAPS diet for a year and it has worked wonders for each of us in different ways. I highly recommend doing the introduction GAPS diet. It really helps both with healing and with identifying foods that cause you problems, since you start out so basic and slowly introduce them. I also love all the variety of naturally probiotic foods. (In addition to Fermented Cod Liver Oil and GutPro or Bio Kult probiotics).

Thanks for all the recommendations and advice. That is so great to hear that all of you have done so well on the GAPS diet. I'm looking forward to starting it and can't wait to see the results.

Where did you buy the B12 and cod liver oil and what brands are they? Thanks again!

[Skylark]

I get them at my health food store. Natural Factors B12 1000 mcg becasue it's methylcobalamin. That's one of the forms your body uses. I don't take theme every day becasue 1000 mcg is a lot. My local store doesn't have a 500 mcg methyl-B12. I get Carlson's cod liver oil, though I'm planning on ordering Green Pastures once this bottle is done.

[domesticactivist]

Thanks for all the recommendations and advice. That is so great to hear that all of you have done so well on the GAPS diet. I'm looking forward to starting it and can't wait to see the results.

Where did you buy the B12 and cod liver oil and what brands are they? Thanks again!

We use the Green Pastures Fermented Cod Liver Oil. Our daughter takes the Green Pastures Butter Oil/Fermented Cod Liver Oil blend.

My naturopath started giving me B vitamin shots. This is a good way to supplement it because it doesn't rely on your gut for absorption.

[Skylark]

My naturopath started giving me B vitamin shots. This is a good way to supplement it because it doesn't rely on your gut for absorption.

You might do a little poking around on PubMed. There are multiple studies showing that 1000-2000 mcg/day of oral B12 can reverse deficiency as well as shots in most people. Here's a little review to get you started. http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/21671542

[TLK879]

You might do a little poking around on PubMed. There are multiple studies showing that 1000-2000 mcg/day of oral B12 can reverse deficiency as well as shots in most people. Here's a little review to get you started. http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/21671542

Thank you for all the advice and links! I'm making some bone broth as I type I've gone through the GAPS book, but I don't see much about fermented veggies in there. It has sauerkraut listed, but doesn't really go into too much detail about the importance of fermented veggies. I know that it is important in the GAPS diet, but I was hoping to find more info about how to make fermented veggies and the benefits of them. I don't really have much money, so I was wondering if a fermenter is necessary. If not, how do I make the fermented veggies at home? How often do I need to do this, or can I just juice lots of veggies, steam them, or add them to my meat/bone broth? Also, I just realized that it says that only French artichokes are permitted. What are these? I bought some artichokes, before reading this. So, now I'm not sure if I can eat them.
Also, I have been reading about the intro GAPS diet, and it goes through various stages (from adding eggs, avocados, homemade probiotics, etc.). I was wondering how fast you should be going through these stages. Also, for those of you who cannot tolerate dairy, were you able to tolerate ghee or the homemade yoghurt? I'm actually not sure if I react to lactose, casein or both, so I'm wondering if I should try it. Or maybe I should wait on that till I can figure out more foods that I react/not react to.
One more question..is the multivitamin you mentioned free of gluten, dairy, soy, yeast, etc.? Sorry for all the questions. But, I'm just starting and I want to make sure I do this right.

[TLK879]

Also, where can I buy the fermented cod liver oil, B12, and good multi-v for a decent price? I know that these are all pretty pricey, but I was wondering if you knew of any discounted websites. Thanks!

[Skylark]

The veggie ferments are not optional, especially if you can't eat yogurt. Probiotic pills are helpful but they're not a substitute for eating probiotic food. You're trying to repopulate your intestine and the more different kinds of live bacteria you can eat, the better. Remember, the bacteria in probiotic pills are dormant. The bacteria in homemade yogurt or sauerkraut is alive. You should have some fermented veggies or yogurt a couple times a day.

This is how I do my ferments, only I just use my hand to mash the sauerkraut into my jars. I got the Caldwell starter to be sure my first attempts worked. I use one-quart widemouth canning jars I found locally. Now I start my batches with a little juice and cabbage from the one before. Supposedly you can use yogurt or kefir whey but I am disinclined to put dairy into my ferments because of my intolerance. I do have a friend who does hers without cultures and she says it works fine. http://wildfermentation.com has a basic sauerkraut recipe with just the cabbage and salt.

If you are confused about GAPS food lists, check the SCD ones. This will answer your question about artichokes.
http://www.breakingt...illegal_a-c.htm

The GAPS stages are completely up to you. You have to listen to your body. Campbell-McBride recommends intro if you have a lot of GI trouble, or if you have intolerances and need to seal your gut lining. I tried intro, but I found it nearly impossible working full-time so I'm on full GAPS, minus dairy.

I can't help you much with discount supplements. The stuff I take is a specific formula for mental health and it's only available through True Hope. I watch for sales on fish oil and cod liver oil.

[TLK879]

The veggie ferments are not optional, especially if you can't eat yogurt. Probiotic pills are helpful but they're not a substitute for eating probiotic food. You're trying to repopulate your intestine and the more different kinds of live bacteria you can eat, the better. Remember, the bacteria in probiotic pills are dormant. The bacteria in homemade yogurt or sauerkraut is alive. You should have some fermented veggies or yogurt a couple times a day.

This is how I do my ferments, only I just use my hand to mash the sauerkraut into my jars. I got the Caldwell starter to be sure my first attempts worked. I use one-quart widemouth canning jars I found locally. Now I start my batches with a little juice and cabbage from the one before. Supposedly you can use yogurt or kefir whey but I am disinclined to put dairy into my ferments because of my intolerance. I do have a friend who does hers without cultures and she says it works fine. http://wildfermentation.com has a basic sauerkraut recipe with just the cabbage and salt.

If you are confused about GAPS food lists, check the SCD ones. This will answer your question about artichokes.
http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/legal/legal_illegal_a-c.htm

The GAPS stages are completely up to you. You have to listen to your body. Campbell-McBride recommends intro if you have a lot of GI trouble, or if you have intolerances and need to seal your gut lining. I tried intro, but I found it nearly impossible working full-time so I'm on full GAPS, minus dairy.

I can't help you much with discount supplements. The stuff I take is a specific formula for mental health and it's only available through True Hope. I watch for sales on fish oil and cod liver oil.

Thank you!! All of this helps a lot! Have you tried the Ghee or the homemade yogurt at all, or did you just avoid it because of your intolerance? I am also afraid, but kinda curious to see if I react to it. Do you think the fermented cod liver oil is a lot better than other types of cod liver oil? In other words, do you think it is worth it to spend the extra money on the quality brand? Thanks again!

[Skylark]

Glad to help! Any dairy other than a little ghee makes me sick. I haven't tried the fermented cod liver oil to know. It sounds really good - I just found Carlson's on sale and figured I'd try that.

[TLK879]

Thanks! If I take digestive enzymes w/ probiotic, B12, multi-vit, and cod liver oil do you think it is too much? I'm on the GAPS intro, so I'm not sure if it will affect the diet or not. Do you think it is essential that I take all of those, or maybe just a few? Thanks!

[Skylark]

You are over-thinking this. Listen to your body. Try a week with only cod liver oil (which is really a food), try a week with more stuff. See which week feels better. Over time you will come to find what you need and what you don't, and it will be different for you than for anyone else on the board.