Day 2 of GAPS Diet

I suppose I should clarify that I am attempting to do the GAPS diet and I don't claim to be doing it exactly as Dr. McBride lays it out. I may make some mistakes. For the most part I am attempting to follow Dr. MrBride's recommendations.

Today I found out about how to do the coffee enemas. The reality of actually doing an enema hit me and I am curious to see if I can actually go through with it. The purpose for doing the coffee enema is to cleanse the liver and the colon. It is a recommendation by Dr. William Kelly who is famous for this "unorthodox" approach to curing cancer. Yes, there are doctors out there who claim to be able to cure cancer without the use of damaging treatments like chemotherapy.

I won't go into Dr. Kelly's methods right now but his teaching was key in the further development of the concept of biochemical individuality. You can read his short book online at: One Answer To Cancer. It is fascinating and his work has been taken up by Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez in New York City and by Bill Wolcott, the author of the The Metabolic Typing Diet.

The concept of eating in harmony with your metabolism has been key in my reaching the level of health I've achieved. Reading the books mentioned above has been helpful but the greatest influence for me has been the teachings of my mentor and friend, Jim Marlowe. Jim is a local nutritionist here in Chicago and he is simply brilliant.

The most significant changes for me have been the almost complete elimination of cravings and dizziness and a remarkable improvement in my emotional state. I am calm, cool and collected, I do not have mood swings, and I feel good all the time. Sometimes I feel so good that I am tingling with bliss. This occurs most often after lunch when I've eaten one of my favorite meals in peace and quiet. It may sound corny or like I'm just saying this but it is true. The reason why this is so significant for me is because I used to feel discontented a lot. A state of existence that I assumed was just normal. And there were usually one or two days every month when I would feel blue. I was never to the point of being "depressed" on those days but I felt moody and had a certain sense of hopelessness. This is completely gone.

I also no longer have an unreasonably strong fear of flying. I used to have diarrhea (TMI?) the day I was to fly. My palms would get sweaty and I would be very nervous. I sometimes bordered on a panic attack if there was any delay or turbulence. Now, when I fly I still feel uneasy but nothing like I used to. This past autumn I took 6 flights and I was quite calm on each flight. I would like to emphasize that I have had no psychological counseling on this matter. Neither did I do anything different in terms of preparing to fly. The only change I've made is in my diet.

I digress. Maybe I'm avoiding the whole enema thing.....No, I actually have to admit to being very curious about it. But I will try to spare everyone the gory details about my enema experience. I have received quite specific directions on how to do the coffee enema. You can see Dr. Kelly's instructions on the coffee enema firsthand if you would like more details. Coffee enemas should be done under the guidance of a doctor.

Day 2:

Breakfast:
2 soft-boiled egg yolks with 2 home-made pork sausage. Spinach and bok-choy lightly cooked in chicken stock with salt and butter.

Lunch:
Rib-eye lightly cooked in chicken stock. Sliced celery and avocado eaten with olive oil, raw vinegar and nutritional yeast (Lewis Labs). Broccoli soup (leftover). Liver shake (1/2 chicken liver raw, freshly squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon, 6 oz. home-made beet kvass, dash of cinnamon, 1 tsp. raw honey) and 8 oz. home-made water kefir.

Dinner:
Meat from meaty soup bones cooked in beef stock. Dino kale lightly cooked in chicken stock with salt and butter sprinkled with freshly ground flax seeds. 6 raw oysters. 1 soft-boiled egg. Sauerkraut. 8 oz. water kefir.

I have been feeling fine, perhaps I little more hungry than usual but no cravings. I noticed today that my hands are drier than usual. Otherwise I've noticed no real changes. I am still waiting for my probiotic supplements.

Day 1 of GAPS Diet

After more-or-less abusing my body over the holidays (and enjoying every minute of it) I'm back home and I am ready to try a new strategy, which I have been contemplating for some time. It is called the GAPS Diet. The GAPS Diet is based on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) created by Dr. Sidney Valentine Haas in America in the early 20th century. SCD was later popularized by Elaine Gottschall in her book "Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet". Gottschall wrote the book after her success with it in curing her daughter, who had suffered from severe ulcerative colitis and neurological problems.

Dr. Natasha Campbell-Mcbride, the author of the book, "Gut and Psychology Syndrome" (GAPS) has used the SCD diet coupled with other practices to help many people suffering from autism, ADD, ADHD, depression, anorexia, schizophrenia and many other health problems. She expands on the SCD in various ways, which I will describe as I write about my "plan" for the next month. The goal is to improve my immune system function so that it is no longer attacking my thyroid. I will keep a personal record of what I eat and how I feel. After 3 months I will test for antibodies against my thyroid tissue.

The Plan:

Week 1

Avoid the following items:
All industrially processed food
All sweeteners except for raw honey, eaten raw
Most dairy, except butter and ghee
All grains and starchy vegetables and seaweed
All starchy foods such as arrowroot powder, cocoa, carob, baking powder, etc
All spices except salt and pepper

Eat mostly the following items:
Stock and stock-cooked meat, fish, seafood and vegetables
Raw and undercooked eggs
Lacto-fermented vegetables
Fresh vegetable juice
Raw meat and egg yolks
Nuts and seeds
Fruit
Raw Honey
Butter and ghee

Encourage Healing With the Following Practices:
-Drink 2-3 cups of homemade water kefir daily
-Take the following supplements (which are unique for my needs): zinc and vitamin A
-Take Fermented Cod Liver Oil (www.greenpasture.org) and High Vitamin Butter Oil daily
-Take 1 probiotic capsule daily (with a total strength of 30 billion CFU of 3 different probiotics: http://store.natren.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Store_Code=N&Screen=PROD&Category_Code=019&Product_Code=60090)
-Drink fresh vegetable and fruit juice daily
-Eat raw liver at least 2-3 times per week (either juiced or blended in beet kvass)
-I may take an enzyme supplement but I am still looking into that option.
-As usual, avoid, as much as possible, all toxins in my environment.
-Weekly coffee enemas (will talk more about these later....he, he, he)

Week 2-Week 4
Depending on how I feel I may introduce home-made yogurt, some cheeses and cultured cream at this point. I will also add spices and some raw veggies.

Day 1:
Breakfast:
Homemade pork sausage (seasoned only with salt and pepper) with 2 soft-boiled egg yolks. Spinach and bok-choy slowly cooked in chicken stock.

Lunch:
Rib-eye steak, celery and dino kale slow-cooked in chicken stock with salt and pepper. 1 egg and 2 tbsp. butter added to "soup" at the end. Freshly ground flax seeds and nutritional yeast added to the soup. Sauerkraut on the side. 8 oz. of fresh vegetable juice with 1 raw egg yolk.

Dinner:
Pork shoulder slow-cooked at 175 degrees with stock, salt and pepper. Broccoli soup (stock, broccoli, butter, salt and pepper), sauerkraut, sliced cucumber. Water kefir.

So far this has been easy. The meals have been very satisfying and I feel really good. But I do feel the pang of the "forbidden". I normally don't even crave things like chocolate or popcorn but the thought that I CAN'T have them makes me want them. Humans are so simple.

"What Jill Eats" Series

If you are ever feeling under the weather, or if you just want to give yourself a boost, drink raw liver. This is some powerful stuff. I usually drink it in my special liver drink (see below) but today I juiced the liver, which is another easy way to get some raw liver nutrition. I actually make it a habit to drink raw liver juice at least 1-3 times per week. Try it, it's not as bad as you may think.

Breakfast: 1 piece of bacon, 1 soft-boiled egg yolk, celery sticks and sliced cucumber. Raw, home-made yogurt with 2 raw egg yolks and 1/2 banana.

Lunch: Leftover goat curry, 1 soft-boiled egg, mushroom, spinach and tomato salad with raw, home-made sauerkraut, sprinkled with nutritional yeast and dulse.

Dinner: Clam and fish chowder (recipe below), sauteed kale, bell pepper, cucumber and celery salad with raw chevre (chive and garlic) and freshly ground flax seeds. Tall glass of fresh vegetable juice made with raw liver. (see below)

Clam and Fish Chowder:
2 dozen little neck clams
1 lb roughly chopped Rockfish, snapper or other white fish
2-3 tbsp. butter
1/2 large onion
1 whole bulb garlic
potatoes (optional)
sea salt
black pepper
1 tsp. dried or fresh thyme
dash of white wine
2-3 cups fish stock
1 cup raw cream

Soak clams in cold, filtered water for at least 30 minutes to remove sand. Saute onions and garlic in butter until soft. Add thyme and wine and then add sea salt and pepper to taste. Let cook for about 1 minute. Add Rockfish and saute lightly for 3-5 minutes and set aside.

In a separate pot steam clams until they are fully open. Remove from heat, remove meat from shells and chop into small pieces. Add stock to fish/onion mixture, bring to a light boil, add clams and reheat. Add 1 cup of cream (preferably raw but if not try to avoid ultra-pasteurized).

If you are adding potatoes: Dice potatoes and boil separately. Add into soup with clams, just to reheat.

Jill's juice today:
2 stalks celery
1 whole green pepper
1/2 cucumber
1 whole fennel stalk
2 carrots
1 whole, raw chicken liver
1/2 bunch cilantro
few leaves of kale

Jill's Special Liver Drink:
1/2 chicken liver or 2 oz. beef liver
1 raw egg yolk
4-6 oz home-made beet kvass
dash of cinnamon
juice of 1/2 lemon

Add all ingredients to food processor and mix. Drink with a smile! Drink quickly if you have issues with liver. But the cinnamon is great at cutting the taste.

"What Jill Eats" Series

Meals should be enjoyable. It's no use eating the perfect foods while stressing about it. Eat what you enjoy, eat in harmony with your metabolism and eat fresh, high-quality foods as often as possible and you may see an improvement in your health. Lunch is the one meal that I often eat alone and in peace. I love my lunches because I can eat whatever I want and no one is complaining about the food or yelling at me :)

I savor my lunches. I eat slowly, usually sitting in the sun or with a lit candle, listening to my favorite classical music. It is a spiritual experience. It enables me to really experience how delicious and nourishing my food is. And often I feel a rush of "feel-good" hormones as I am eating. Top that off with the fact that my meals are infinitely satisfying to me on so many levels; visually, texturally, nutritionally and taste-wise, and you have a recipe for health!

Breakfast: 1 soft boiled egg, 2 pieces of bacon, 2 celery sticks, raw home-made yogurt shake with banana and 2 raw egg yolks

Lunch: Raw ribeye steak marinated in olive oil, lemon and soy sauce, sauteed kale, bell pepper, cucumber and celery salad with olive oil, vinegar and sea salt, mixed with sauerkraut raw garlic/chive chevre, freshly ground flax seeds, nutritional yeast (Lewis Labs) and dulse. 8 oz. of water kefir.

Dinner: Goat curry (recipe below), mushroom, spinach, and tomato salad with olive oil, raw vinegar and sea salt mixed with raw chevre and sauerkraut. Fresh vegetable juice mixed with beet kvass and 1 raw egg yolk.

Jill's Goat Curry Recipe:

1/4 cup butter or ghee
1/2 large onion
1 bulb garlic
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
other chopped veggies (optional) such as celery, carrots, potatoes, string beans, etc
home-made curry powder (see below)
2 lbs. goat stew meat
2-3 cups beef stock (or other stock)
8-12 oz. coconut milk
1 tbsp. arrowroot powder (optional)
Almonds, cashews or peanuts (optional)
Lacto-fermented sauerkraut or other LF vegetable such as carrot, daikon or kohlrabi

Warm ghee. Add onions and stir and saute at low-medium heat until soft. Add curry powder, garlic, tomatoes and other veggies and saute until veggies are slightly soft. Add goat meat and continue to saute and spread curry powder on meat. Brown meat slightly (optional). Add beef stock and coconut milk and cook at very low temperature for 6-8 hours. If thicker consistency is desired add arrowroot powder before serving. To add powder: remove some warm broth and add to arrowroot in a cup or small bowl. Dissolve powder in broth and then add back to curry. Let heat for a few minutes until sauce thickens. Serve with ground almonds or other nuts and the fermented veggies (they go so well with curry, something I learned in Japan). If your curry is too spicy add yogurt (a trick I learned in India).

Home-made Curry Powder:
1 tbsp. cumin seed
1 tbsp. coriander seed
1 tsp. mustard seed
1/2 tsp. clove seeds
1 tsp. fenugreek seed
1 -2 tbsp. turmeric powder (or seeds?)
dash to 1 tsp. chili powder (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 tsp. cardamon
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper
dash of allspice
dash of cinnamon

Grind seeds in a coffee grinder (this is an invaluable kitchen tool and can be bought for about 10$). Mix all ingredients.

If you don't have all of these spices the curry will still come out great, as long as you have at least cumin, turmeric, coriander, chili, salt and pepper. The more spices you can add, the more complex the taste will be. Freshly ground seeds render a tastier curry as well.

I often mix the seed portion of curry powder in larger amounts and store in a jar. When I want to make curry I just grind and then add the other powders.

"What Jill Eats" Series

I suppose it's presumptuous to assume anyone cares what I eat, but I think there may be a few out there. Perhaps out of sheer curiosity, perhaps for new meal ideas, perhaps for fodder to make fun of me (enter my brothers).....who knows.

Joking aside, this is actually serious stuff. I feel fabulous most of the time. I'm not perfect and I don't want to be but I do feel great in spite of a persistent underlying weakness in my thyroid. For a long time I've been looking for the magic reason why my thyroid is not working right. You know, that one thing that is going to cure me. Well I've come to the realization that it is most likely a set of factors that have contributed to that weakness. And I think I have accepted the fact that I have a weakness (OK, maybe I do want to be perfect).

You see, I feel soooooo good. My mood is even, I'm calm and accepting, I have lots of patience and I just feel content all the time. There is this underlying pervasive feeling of satisfaction and sometimes even giddiness that I walk around with. My kids do get me frustrated sometimes, again, I'm not perfect, really. And sometimes things bother me but I soon return to that calm, content feeling. And I have plenty of energy, which can come in handy sometimes. My point is that I think it may be valuable to share with others about what I am eating. And perhaps other people can post their ideas as well.

Please keep in mind that everyone is unique in how they metabolize food. (ie: how they produce and use energy) So my needs will not be the same as everyone else. Right now I tend to have a mixed need for high and medium protein foods and low and medium carbohydrate vegetables coupled with a moderate need for fat. Grains rarely make an appearance and fruit is eaten as desert, if at all. Dairy is eaten raw of course. Eggs I usually have in the form of just the yolks and I eat them mostly raw. In the summer I was eating a lot more raw beef but in this cold weather it just doesn't feel right.

I always pay attention to my body. Anyone who is focused on eating well should be engaged in this process. Eating well is an art form. There is the need for knowledge of course, but that must be coupled with intuition, open-mindedness, and careful observation. Dogma is for the dogs. Whatever you learn from a book or from a nutritionist should serve as a guideline, not a rule. If you are inspired to make a change, do so, but listen to your body. It will tell you what works and what doesn't.

Yesterday this is what I ate:

Breakfast: 1 soft-boiled egg, 2 celery sticks, 2 raw egg yolks in a banana and raw yogurt shake

Lunch: 4 chicken legs (marinated overnight in lemon, butter, fresh garlic, sea salt, thyme, rosemary, and sage and then slow-cooked in a covered pot at 225 degrees for 8 hours), 1 soft boiled egg yolk, cucumber, spinach, and mushroom salad with olive oil, raw vinegar, sea salt, nutritional yeast (Lewis Labs is the best), dulse and freshly ground flax-seeds. A glass of water kefir.

Dinner: Pork shoulder (marinated in mustard, sea salt, black pepper, tomato paste (from a jar not a can), and garlic powder and then slow cooked at 225 degrees for about 8 hours) eaten with slices of gruyere cheese (this is a fabulous combination by the way). Also, sauteed kale and a tomato, celery and orange bell pepper salad with olive oil, raw vinegar and sea salt.

After dinner: Green Pasture Fermented Cod Liver Oil mixed with Butter Oil and Kombucha. (Green Pasture is the only brand I would recommend for cod liver oil.) Cod liver oil taken with butter oil has a synergistic effect.

Simple, Delicious and Nourishing

This is such a great meal and most kids will love it.

Ribeye Steak with "Creamed" Broccoli Soup

You can cook the ribeye however you like. This is super-duper easy. Either broil on low until done to preference (the less you cook the meat, the more nutrients will be maintained). Or you can slice the steak thinly and saute in butter and salt (literally you can cook for 1-2 minutes). Or you can do a Carpaccio (I usually eat this for lunch: raw ribeye sliced thinly and then drizzled with olive oil, naturally-fermented soy sauce, raw vinegar and Lewis Labs' Brewers Yeast).

The soup is a bit more involved but still very simple.

Creamed Broccoli Soup
(this can be dairy-free quite easily)

1 head broccoli
dash of thyme
4 tbsp. butter (can substitute with olive oil or leave out)
5-6 cloves of garlic (or a whole head if you want to give the immune system an extra boost)
sea salt
4-5 cups stock (chicken or turkey is best but beef would be fine as well)(use home-made stock if possible)
1 tbsp. raw cream per bowl of soup (optional)

Wash broccoli and soak in filtered water to remove any little critters. Saute garlic and thyme in butter, olive oil or a bit of stock (or all three). Once garlic becomes fragrant add broccoli and about 1 tsp. sea salt and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add stock, cover and bring to a light boil. Simmer until broccoli is tender but do not overcook (you want to retain the nutritional value of the broccoli). Puree contents of soup. Add sea salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowl and add 1-2 tbsp. raw cream.

Note: If you are not using cream you may want to use less stock so that the soup is thicker. You can also easily thicken soup with arrowroot powder (Remove some of the warm liquid from the soup, add to small bowl with about 1-2 tbsp. arrowroot powder and dissolve with a spoon. Return thickened liquid to soup and stir in. Soup will take a few minutes to thicken).
Arrowroot powder is rich in calcium and is completely gluten-free.

Some Simple Recipes

It should be easy to cook. I usually make super-duper simple dishes so I have time to do other things like make sauerkraut and cheese.

Here are some recipes I like:

Homemade Sausage:

1 lb. pork sirloin cut into 1" cubes
1/2 cup pork fat
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. ground rosemary
1 tsp. ground onion powder
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 tbsp. dry sherry
3 cloves garlic
3 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup stock (beef, chicken, duck or turkey)

Mix pork, fat and all spices together in food processor. Form into patties. Heat stock and butter in frying pan. Cook patties in stock and butter on low flame with pan covered until cooked through (or leave pink on the inside if preferred).

Tuna Tartar:

3/4 lb raw sashimi-grade tuna
1 avocado
2 tomaotes
1 tsp. dried wakame seaweed
1 tbsp. diced fresh dill
1 tbsp. diced fresh cilantro
2 tbsp. diced fresh scallions
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
cayenne (optional)

Rehydrate wakame in hot filtered water for about 30 minutes. Chop tuna, avocado and tomatoes and place in a medium-sized bowl. Drain wakame. Add all other ingredients to bowl and mix together. Add dash of cayenne to add some spice.

Meatloaf:

1 lb ground chuck
1/2 lb ground sirloin
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs (preferably home-made)
2 tbsp red wine
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup fresh basil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
3-5 cloves finely minced garlic

Grind dried herbs in a spice grinder. Mix all ingredients in a bowl (by hand, do not squeeze meat). Place in a loaf pan to set mold, then remove meatloaf onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until desired temperature (135-155 degrees depending on your taste). If you have a grinder, grind the chuck and sirloin yourself.