Day 1 of our GAPS adventure

Although I went to bed feeling totally prepared last night, this morning was still a whirlwind of activity.  Over the past few months, I have been studying for how to implement the GAPS plan, putting my own spin on how to do so in busy work lives.  I purchased two 32 oz thermoses to keep broth warm all throughout the day, eliminating the need to use microwaves.  But then there was the issue of the soup.  A couple of Amazon purchases later, and Jeff & I were the proud owners of our mini crock-pot warmers.  I had completely forgotten the ginger tea, so found myself grating quickly (but not too quickly...way too early in the process to lose a finger) to make my first batch of homemade ginger tea.  We finally got packed up and off to work.

I got a text from Jeff that his sauerkraut juice had leaked, so I guess I'll be finding alternative travel supplies for that going forward.  Also, in my attempt to make the broth stay hot all day, I apparently made it too hot to drink.  So, hopefully Jeff found a mug at work.  I had one for my tea which I was able to use for drinking the broth.

After this morning's little adventure, I'm sure things will be better tomorrow.  Although now I am  worried that we do not have enough broth stored up in the freezer.  I'm sure it will all work out though, and we have at least won this small battle...just starting the plan.  Some of it has to be figured out as we go along.

You might be wondering what this GAPS thing is all about and why I mentioned so many random foods that are not part of the typical American diet.  The main goals are no preservatives (everything homemade), no grains and no refined sugars.  I'll talk more in future posts about what brought us to try this plan, but for now let's leave it at food allergies and Crohn's disease.  I will also share my notes below on how to eat during Phase I of the Intro GAPS diet.  This is what Jeff & I will follow for the next little while until we are ready to move into Phase II. 

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Start the day with a cup of room temperature filtered water.

Warm (not hot) meat stock all day with meals and between meals. It is important to consume soft tissues, fat and marrow when possible.

Add probiotic food (homemade sauerkraut juice or yogurt) into every cup of stock.

Warm (not hot) homemade soup made with meat stock and onions, carrots, zucchini, squash, broccoli. No cabbage or celery.  Remove skin, seeds & fibrous parts. Cook the veggies well, so they are very soft. Then add 1-2 Tbsp chopped garlic, bring to boil, then turn heat off.  Eat with soft tissues, marrow & meat from the bones. Add probiotic food to every serving. Eat often as desired throughout the day.

When adding probiotic food start with 1-2 Tbsp per day for 1-5 days,  3-4 Tbsp for 1-5 days, and so on until adding a few tbsp to every cup of stock & bowl of soup.

Ginger tea (with a little raw honey if necessary).