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I have long had major cognitive dissonance about the merits of paleo vs. low-carb vs Weston Price type diets. But in reading a bit about the GAPS Diet, it seems to be "connecting the dots" for me. I've been peripherally aware of the issue of gut health and gut bacteria's role in obesity and auto-immune issues for several years now, but have also been rather dismissive of it also. Feeling that, at best, it played a minor role is overall health. Now I am starting to think this has been a HUGE intellectual "blind-side" in my thinking. That restoring gut health and bacteria is actually a HUGE piece of the overall health puzzle for many folks.

What I find especially intriguing is the the idea that GAPS Diet sort of "bridges the gap" between paleo and the excellent research of Dr Price. That paleo is the best way to heal the gut, but once gut is healed one should be able to tolerate properly prepared whole-grains.

This being a paleo-board, I'm sure some of you will question the wisdom of EVER leaving paleo diet - even after gut is healed - but remember that Price said the HEALTHIEST tribe he studies was NOT carnivorous, but rather a tribe that lived on fish and properly prepared whole grains. I could just never reconcile that fact, with paleo theory, even though I know I personally do better on a paleo-sih diet.

So anyone here that was once "grain intolerant" that has been able to go back on properly prepared grains via the GAPS protocol?

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I have written quite a bit on the importance of gut bacteria. I think it's definitely the missing link in a lot of discussions here. Like why don't some people do well on low-carb diets? Perhaps their gut bacteria have trouble adjusting to producing SCFA without hindgut fermenting carbohydrates (if someone could figure out how to fix that, it would be a big thing because SCFA are very important for healing the gut, but the kind of people who need to heal the gut are the kind of people who tend to have issues with hindgut fermenting carbohydrates). Seriously, I can't believe there are some people who believe that fermentation in the gut is not important? It baffles my mind. I think it perfectly explains why the Inuit, Siberians, and other Northern tribes go to a massive amount of trouble (raiding MICE NEST???) to get certain plants.

"Dr. Oz recommends that people who have trouble eating certain foods or have good intolerances, should avoid the problem foods. This suggests that the problem is somehow in the intolerant person, even though there are no genes for food intolerance and very few cases of food intolerance result from an immune reaction. Food intolerance is actually the inability of an individual's incomplete gut flora to digest certain types of food."- Dr. Art Ayers

I think if you are eating a way that truly heals, your tolerance for crap should get better, not worse. That doesn't mean you should eat it, but I often become a little alarmed at people bragging at how terribly they react to things, justifying it by saying "well, it's not food anyway."

People in the Paleolithic probably had stomach of iron. The evidence for the kind of things they ate (smashed up rodents with lots of tiny bones, carrion, people, cycads) makes it clear that they weren't exactly delicate flowers. Even modern foragers will tolerate SAD food well and enjoy it, it's the chronic effects that get them.

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 Brilliant post. Yes indeed...why are so many of us such delicate flowers who have anomalous responses to foods which people have eaten for thousands of years. I am starting to believe gut bacteria is a HUGE part of that puzzle, rather than a minor one. And that gut bacteria may also play a key role in morbid obesity. Wow, you really got my mind racing with ideas now. – Mystery Man X Mar 13 2012 at 15:46
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 I love the mice nest thing. – Matt Mar 13 2012 at 15:54
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 Another thought here about this whole gut bacteria deal. We often ponder "what's changed in our diet habits or environment" in past 30 years to cause the explosion of diabetes, obesity, auto-immune, IBS, etc? No one thing of course, but perhaps lack of proper gut bacteria is a HUGE part of what is causing all this. Why is our gut bacteria screwed up? Lots of reasons probably. But I believe the abuse of cesarean sections is a BIG reason. Vaginal birth is how baby gets all that good bacteria! C-sections may be causing a LOT of this. Creating legions of "bacterially challenged" kids from birth. – Mystery Man X Mar 13 2012 at 15:55
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 Also, the fact that when I was a kid, antibiotics were handed out like candy. "Oh, you have a cold? Have some antibiotics! Nevermind that it's a VIRUS." – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Mar 13 2012 at 16:06
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 @ Melissa - Ditto on antibiotics. Also I gotta think chlorine in water isn't so hot for good gut bacteria. Or chlorine from the Splenda many low-carbers use with wild abandon. – Mystery Man X Mar 13 2012 at 16:36
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It still does not bridge the gap. Jaminet et al did a good job of uncovering how humans ideally should eat and have eaten, and grains are not on the menu.

I don't doubt one bit that a tribe may have a tradition that figured out a workaround to the damage grains do, but I don't live with that tribe and eat how they eat, so... Never mind!

I wouldn't go out of my way to fix up the gut just so you can put something damaging in it again and hope for a better result.

The healthy bacteria stuff is very interesting. Isn't that how apes can digest more plant material than we can? If you avoid the grains, the bacteria isn't as critical I would think.

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You could very well be right. I lean toward the notion that whole grains, while not outright pathogenic for all people in all situations, are indeed the least optimum food in the food chain for humans. I think part of my interest in "vindicating grains" is one of economics. I have a higher than average income, and even I struggle with grocery budget issues trying to feed my family. Let alone a poor single mother out there. I'd love for grains to be "ok" cause them is cheap calories. But of course cheap dies not = healthy. – Mystery Man X Mar 13 2012 at 14:48
As if by serendipity, I came across this indicating that perhaps not even "traditional" societies uses whole grains as heavily as some would lead us to believe. thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/… Then of course we have Anthony colpo who actually advocates white rice rather than brown, because he believes whole grains are even WORSE than refined. anthonycolpo.com/?p=852 Kinda makes a fella say hmmmm Though I still feel a GAPS diet could indeed "bridge the gap" between "safe starches" and a no starch diet. At least for some. – Mystery Man X Mar 13 2012 at 15:24
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 "If you avoid the grains, the bacteria isn't as critical I would think." I would do some research on that if I were you. – Bread-Eating Beelzebub Mar 13 2012 at 15:37
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This is possibly the most interesting post I have ever seen on this site.

To answer your question, yes. If I in what I would arbitrarily define as a state of "health", I can eat like a whole cake and feel good the next day. If I am "sick", a single slice of bread will mess up my stomach. Same thing applies to alcohol and milk.

Looks like I'm gonna start drinking again.

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YES! I believe the gut biota is the next BIG frontier in healthcare. I can't wait for conventional medicine to get with it. They'll probably find narrow-spectrum antibiotics to get rid of bad gut flora fast.. then a decade later they'll realize they created resistent bad flora.. The GAPS diet is the way to durable, permanent health, and it's available now. Perhaps the food industry will eventually catch on? We do have technology to preserve food without preservatives - canning, freezing - so WHY are prepared foods laced with chemicals? WHY so much sugar everywhere, so much salt, WHY the excitotoxins?

read http://odddlycrunchy.blogspot.com/2012/01/you-are-what-eats-what-you-eat.html

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"Listen to Mother Nature, who made our guts and all the food they’re meant to digest." Nicely said. – Wozza Mar 14 2012 at 5:30
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Fish and grains suggest they were omnivores, with decent access to both animal and plant sources. I would expect such a tribe to present certain healthier markers than a purely carnivorous tribe. It's still quite a leap to go from that to saying that whole grains are necessary for optimal health.

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I've found for me that I'm more sensitive to gluten after being away from it. But I also think that I was gluten intolerant, but didn't know it. I'm not sure about other grains, but I know they definitely make me hungrier.

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