I have been on GAPS healing diet since April 2021. I know that you have noticed the word healing. When I decided to commit myself to changing my eating habits, my main goal is to improve my health and well-being. I was diagnosed with Schamberg's disease a few years ago. If you are not familiar with Schamberg's, it is a medical condition that is caused by leaky blood from small capillaries. This leakage does not damage the blood vessel and differentiates it from vasculitis. A skin biopsy will clearly give the right diagnosis. My skin has a lot of lesions, red patches that will look like rashes or even blood clots. I also have chronic fatigue and joint pains. For years, I have tried several diets to improve my weight but failed with the consistency field. Deep inside I know that it is the food that I eat that makes me feel icky, tired, and achy. There is no cure for Schamberg's. All the journals that I read indicate that it will go away on its own. BUT, it's been 5 years. I still have the rashes. Some days, you can't even see my rashes. Other times and seasons, it flares up..enough to get some looks or attention.

  Until I read these two books: Gut and Psychology Syndrome and Gut and Physiology Syndrome by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride. I was decided to give it a try and give all my best. If you are looking for detailed information on GAPS, this is not the right post for you. You can visit THIS website or scroll down for the resources that I will be sharing. These are the websites/blogs that had helped me through my journey (still helping me actually) and I learned so much from them. In the future,  I will be sharing GAPS recipes, hacks that may help you, positive changes, as well as the challenges that I have faced. So I hope you stick around, subscribe to keep an eye out on these particular posts.

Also read: What are Milk Kefir Grains? and How to Make Milk Kefir?

  In a nutshell, the GAPS diet is all about healing our gut naturally not through any processed and commercial quick-fix drink. A healthy body requires a healthy gut. Our human body functions beautifully like an ecosystem of its own, an ecosystem of life forms that interact, depend, and function with each other. The majority of microbes (gut flora) reside in our digestive system and what happens to our gut flora has a significant effect on each of the microbes inside our body. Healthy gut flora does all these amazing things:

1. It protects our bodies from toxins and "invaders" or damaging chemicals we may have consumed.

2. It aids in the appropriate digestion and absorption of food.

3. Our gut flora allows our digestive system to properly function. According to Dr. Natasha, not all nutrients come from food but also from our gut flora (see page 26 of the blue GAPS book).

4. Our gut flora is responsible for the production of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are the chemicals that are used by our nervous system that acts as "messengers" and have important roles in our brain and mood processing. Read page 28 of the blue GAPS book regarding serotonin (the happy neurotransmitter)and dopamine. (the motivation neurotransmitter).

 I HIGHLY recommend that you read the books. You may just want to read the yellow book or just the blue book. I have read both because, in the beginning, I did not know where to start or how to start. I wanted to see what are the major difference between the two. I am not a doctor and not a GAPS certified coach but I also highly recommend seeing professional help and doing all the research you can if this healing protocol is right for you, your family, and if it is something that you are very much willing to invest on. However, I can tell you that it is worth it. Your health is important. Yes, you will find a whole lot of excuses to not change my habits (i think I had it all) but you need to be stronger than those excuses. If you are on a mission on how to improve gut health naturally, the process will be hard at first but you can totally do this.

    Homemade meat stock is the cornerstone of the GAPS diet. Dr. Natasha recommends drinking meat stock daily (at least 5 times a day) for quicker healing. It contains all the necessary nutrients your gut needs for rebuilding, healing, and sealing. If you will be starting on the introduction stages/phases, meat stock NOT bone broth.  

What's the difference between meat stock and bone broth?

BONE BROTH is made from bare-bones usually made from cooked bones of leftover meals) and apple cider vinegar which is then cooked for a long time.

MEAT STOCK is made from raw pieces of the animal carcass with bones, joints, cartilage, fat, and muscles on it. If u use a whole chicken, it is preferred that you also use the skin, neck, giblets, and chicken feet if possible. If I have some chicken feet on hand, I do use them. I have also made it without chicken feet. Chicken feet add a whole lot of nutritional value to your stock as it is rich in collagen. Please do not let the chicken feet gross you out. The joints in the chicken feet are nutritious too but do not let that stop you from making the stock.

Why meat stock?

Properly made meat stock is healing and nourishing. In fact, it has been using for centuries as a healing remedy. When the stock is cooked, meat stock provides minerals, vitamins, amino acids, collagen, elastin, hyaluronic acid, and other nutrients. You will notice that when you store the meat stock in the fridge it turns into jelly! This is because of the high amounts of collagen and other nutrients of the connective tissues in it (Read page 219 of the GAPS blue book).

Is it hard to make? 

Absolutely NOT! The only effort I make is cutting up the joints to open up all the goodness when I used a whole chicken.

How long can you store it? Is it freezer-friendly?

You can store the meat stock for up to a week and yes, it is freezer-friendly. My meat stock doesn't usually last for two weeks! I use a 6-cup glass mason jar for storing my stocks.

Can you use the meat stock for any recipe or just for consuming it right away?

Yes, you can use it on recipes that call for a stock or broth. That is a frugal way to cut down grocery expenses and yet so healthy. I have used it on soups, stews, sauces, and gravy. Of course, you can consume it. My goal is to consume a cup 5 times a day. One cup every meal and with snacks.  You will be amazed at how meat stocks can keep you full.

Here's how to make the chicken stock.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken 

garlic cloves

onions

apple cider vinegar

Sea Salt

Peppercorns

water

chicken feet (optional but highly recommended)

Directions:

I removed the chicken breast from the whole bird for another recipe. I included all the parts including the wings, neck, and giblets. I also added about 4 pieces of chicken feet. You can skip the chicken feet if it is not available in your area. I did not take a picture of the chicken feet to spare you the not so glorious picture.

I reserved the chicken breast for another recipe. You can use it for casseroles, Mexican dishes, and soups. Of course, you can always use the breast in your meat stock and reserve all the meat for other recipes.

The blue book recommends just using natural sea salt but I always use a few garlic cloves, medium size chopped onion, 1-2 tbsp of natural sea salt,  1/2 tbsp peppercorns, and 2-3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar./

Put all the chicken parts into a soup pot and fill it up with water 2-4 l or just enough that all the chicken parts are covered in water. Add the salt, garlic cloves, onion, and apple cider vinegar. Bring it to a boil, and simmer for 2 hours until the meat is soft.

After 2 hrs, take the pot off the heat and let it cool for a while. Pour the stock through a sieve into another pan or bowl. Make sure the pan or bowl you are using is dry and clean to prevent contamination.

  I store my meat stocks in a mason jar. My husband packs a cup of stock every day for work. I store them in a thermos to keep the stock warm. Whenever I need to drink a cup, I just take the mason jar out from the fridge and warm it using the stove. Dr. Natasha does not recommend the use of a microwave. I love that I always have these stocks on hand when I need them for recipes. It adds so much flavor and nutrients to any recipe. 

 I also want to share that my kids ages 9 and 11 consume the stock as well especially when they are not feeling well. The meat stock is full of flavor and nutrient-dense.

Here's my meat stock. The one on top is my jelly-looking stock and the photo below is right after I warmed it up. It is so good and good for our body. If you do not know where to start on how to fix your gut health or in the beginning stages, start with consuming meat stocks regularly.