GAPS, GFCF, SCD - Diets of healing need best foods

A growing and large segment of our developed world has discovered the health benefits of special healing diets such as GAPS (Gut and Physiology Syndrome),  SCD (Specific Carbohydrate Diet), and GFCF (Gluten Free Casein Free). There are other variations of these, all of these diets have a few things in common:

1. They all promote healing of a wide variety of conditions within the body, from  autism, behavior problems, tooth problems, dry skin, etc.

2. They are all based on a return to animals products, specifically animal fats to varying degrees

3. They all rely on unprocessed, natural wholesome foods.

We are not promoting nor even discussing the merits of any one diet over another, but what I would like to point out is that whatever diet you are using for your family's health, you require a steady supply of top quality animal products in your food. In fact, the quality of animal products is even more important because the quantities of animal products consumed increases.  How animals are raised, fed, cared for, and treated will directly affect your family's success with any of these diets.

Consider this example. An increase in animal fats consumed is a core component of most of these special healing diets. The reality is that the fat of an animal is where much of absorbed toxins resides, just as in humans. That means that animals raised in factory heavily medicated conditions can be loaded with toxic chemicals  By increasing your family's intake of these fats, you actually can increase the amount of toxins you are exposed to. It is an unfortunate truth that factory production of animal products is impossible with a wide array of chemicals and antibiotics.

I urge you to consider the source of your food, especially when using a diet to heal. Only small farm naturally raised meats and fats are the healthiest. The larger the operation is, the more risky the product becomes because practices on the farm start to resemble factories as size increases. Ultimately what you want to ensure the best foods available are these considerations:

1. Small size - allowing more natural methods without chemical intervention

2. Variety - multiple species should be living in a natural balance, one relying on the other, eliminating the need for chemicals and raising overall health

3. Openness - be wary of any situation that has closed doors. Healthy animals are not endangered by human visitors.

4. Organic practices - regardless of certification or not, are organic practices followed completely?

5. Feed  types - is all animal feed appropriate for the species (herbivores eating only grass, omnivores eating everything healthy

6. Available unprocessed - does the producer do any processing that alters the quality of health benefit of the food (pasteurizing, nitrates, etc)

7. Personal relationship - are you able to form a personal relationship with the person that is growing your food? Is there trust, openness, care between the producer and your family?

Too often we see food on a grocery shelf and just assume that all of the above is applied. But is it? Are you sure that the unknown corporations behind the labels care about your particular health problem? Are you certain that they will always choose nutritional value over profit when faced with tough decisions? I would propose that if your family has an identified health problem, and you are treating it with high nutrient foods, then the source of that food is one of the most critical elements to success.

I strongly encourage you to give some thought to this, and find a small local trustworthy farmer that understands your situation and will work with you to heal your family. Little Sprouts is one example of a farm that is committed to providing the best nutrition possible at reasonable prices. Our focus is not on corporate profits... we only want to make a decent living while helping people and families to achieve the best health possible.

We have our own personal experience with healing diets and completely understand the challenges, triumphs, and failures you go through with this approach. In future blog posts I'll discuss a bit more about our own family's experience and outcome. I can assure you that for us this  is a life mission, a ministry, as much as a business. You, and your family's health, as well as our own, is our top priority.