A friend is pushing GAPS

Post Reply New Topic

I have a friend whose whole family is eating the GAPS diet, and last night she told me that she knows several kids who "got" autism and then went on GAPS and they "reversed" their autism. I said, actually, it's not something that you acquire but something that you have from birth. She agreed, saying that in most children leaky gut is something that kids are born with and once you heal the gut you heal the damage that has arisen from it.
I was feeling very confused. I know that my son's sensory concerns are vastly improved now that he is gluten free. He hasn't eaten wheat in over ten months and he is a lot calmer and less panicky. But I don't really feel that his whole SELF is a side effect of how his gut functions. I looked at the GAPS diet summary and it just is impossible for him. One of his biggest, longest lasting aversions is to meat. He would have a very difficult time doing this diet.
What's the consensus on this mentality? Does it have merit? I googled some and found the random families who "cured" their kids. What do you all think?

https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/ga ... qus_thread
GAPS Diet
Posted by Harriet Hall on May 7, 2013 164 Comments

A correspondent asked me to look into the GAPS diet. I did. I was sorry: it was a painful experience. What a mishmash of half-truths, pseudoscience, imagination, and untested claims!

http://pursuitofresearch.org/can-health ... e-illegal/

I don't recall having any sensory issues as a kid. But, having a way above average test scores did allow me to go to some very good schools, so it wasn't all bad. On the other hand, a lot of parents these days can't afford to send autistic kids to the best schools in the country.

I recall acing the math part of the SSAT--getting every question right! And it wasn't particularly unusual--I had a habit of doing unusually well in written exams. That, together with an uncanny ability to know what an Aspie would do in various situations, tends to suggest that I'm somewhere on the spectrum.

Is there any mention about a proper exercise going with the diet? The lack of exercise might have just as much to do with the symptoms kids display as the diet they get--I know a diabetic who went on vacation and found out that is diabetic issues went away! Of course, his normal work/home life doesn't allow that level of exercise.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/28/magaz ... .html?_r=0
Here is a interview with someone who is actually doing scientific research.

He says there needs to be a lot more research before one can talk about therapies.

This friend's recommendation is solely on the diet healing the gut. That there are invisible holes in the intestines and by eating the correct foods, we will heal the gut and therefore cure his autism. No exercise is mentioned at all. so...I'm not sure what conclusion to draw.

The Science based Medicine is the one I'd first come across as well, and she certainly slams it. Of course, for my particular friend, that would be her reinforcement that regular doctors don't believe, would just mean that she is right! It's all kind of conspiracy-ish.
Thanks for taking time to look into it with me!

It could also be that if your child can handle a GAPS diet, it is likely that he didn't have autism to begin with. A lot of kids on the spectrum do have dietary issues that would make the GAPS diet impossible.

I don't believe a diet can "cure" autism, but it can help with energy levels, distressing experiences (e.g. anxiety, mood swings), and just general health. A friend of mine is also recommending I try out the GAPS diet but for digestive upset that I have been struggling with, not for autism symptoms. The GAPS diet is intended to heal the gut to get rid of the bad flora in the gut, but that will not change your brain - I think any claims otherwise are bollocks.

By the way, I eat a 100% plant-based diet. I made this very clear to my friend who suggested the diet to me and she said it's possible to do a fully vegan version of the GAPS diet. This diet would require consuming a lot of nuts and seeds, but apparently it is feasible. I have not had a chance to look more into this yet, but it's something worth considering.

I suggest not paying attention to the latest weird diet claiming to cure autism.
Just eat healthy and be active.
I am autistic, have no gastrointestinal problems, and have not been on any weird diets.

I have followed a medicinal diet very similar to GAPS for the last few years. My ASD symptoms have gone from their worst to their best - I'm living a second life for it. I've incorporated a lot more into my protocol and if you're interested in reading about it, feel free to PM me.

The GAPs diet has helped me tremendously and I am a different person than who I was about two years ago. It has not cured me at all, but made my mood swings almost insignificant and took my irritations away. I also have less sensory issues because of it.

I still am awkward socially and prefer to be alone than in a crowd of people. But, I really prefer it that way and don't think I am really missing out on anything.

My only need for companionship will probably come in the form of a husband/boyfriend someday, but I have no use for friends at the moment as they are exhausting.

Diet can have a huge effect on the mood, health and well being of everyone. Much of the food commonly eaten can have negative effects. It's not a 'cure' all senario though. Your friend just sounds like she doesn't really understand.

I disagree with those saying it's not a "cure" and your friend doesn't understand.

I've done far more than just a strict diet, FAR more. But the net result of altering my gut flora etc has been that my ASD symptoms are now subclinical and I wouldn't likely receive a diagnosis unless I were to a coach an expert through the traits I still have.

Hell, one of my coworkers is about to begin her studies for a Masters degree in Neuropsychology & has no idea what my diagnosis is because the symptoms are not obvious. I have yet to inform her of my differences, either. But I find it interesting and funny that someone who's studied a lot of behavioural things has no idea I'm an Aspie. It also goes to prove that what I do works. Well, that and the entirely new & better life I'm living for it.

I've also had some biochemical experiences over the last couple years that further prove that I know what causes my ASD symptoms and how to successfully treat them. I really do need to do some writing soon and update my "story" so that it includes the cliff notes of those things as I've learned them more recently than when I shared my story here on WP in January of 2014.

The OP described her friend talking about a cure after someone 'got' autism. I have been on the strictest elimination diet, I still have my aspergers characteristics, and I was not trying to eliminate them. Eating considerable less wheat has been beneficial to my well being, and for some just this can enhance well being more than it has for me. Effective as it can be it of course is not some kind of autism cure!

re: "got" autism - I believe that, too. My symptoms were never so terrible as they were 4 years ago. I remember thinking "wtf is this? I never used to be like this.. something is causing this, I just have to figure out what." It took meeting one of my closest friends, an herbalist, and his father, a Naturopathic Doctor, and reading more than 10,000 pages to figure it out. After reading "The Complete Guide To Asperger's Syndrome" by Dr. Tony Attwood I realized I've had symptoms my entire life, but also that they got worse and worse a few years ago. I figured out what was making everything worse and how to deal with it.

Eating less/no wheat has improved me, too, but is only a fraction of what I've done. Add in everything else I've done and it's a much more effective treatment. Not "cure," but extremely effective treatment protocol. Feel free to pm me if you'd like to read my story as I posted it here in January of 2014. You may learn some things that benefit you/connect the dots to why some things help you but there's still significant symptoms.

I am a little confused, are you saying that of all the people on WP their autism would be improved with diet. I agree diet can do lots of things for a lot of people. Are you though saying diet can almost completely eliminate autism?