When I did GAPS in 2014 it was by the book, and documented step by step on this here blog. I attended numerous lunches and birthday dos, and even went to a hen party.
Stone. Cold. Sober.
And that was fine. I was in the zone. My buzz came from knowing I was healing my leaky gut. With each week that passed I knew I was becoming more and more healthy, and was utterly thrilled with the results.
I also had three teeny children aged 0-4, and averaged four hours sleep per night. Socialising wasn’t at the top of my agenda, and I could take or leave the booze.
Fast forward to now, and things are different
My children are 3, 5 and 8 – they are much more challenging, as well as home educated. Although I’ve stuck rigidly to the food side of GAPS Intro this time around, I just haven’t been able to say no to the social side.
Whilst reaching for the gin/wine bottle every night wasn’t doing me any favours, the release of seeing friends and having a few drinks is absolutely necessary. Living in a chronically stressful, pressure cooker environment is phenomenally hard, and escaping from it once in a while is beneficial for me.
Finding the elusive balance
When I re-embarked on GAPS a month ago, I was drinking too much and convinced that this was at the root of a lot of my problems. I only wish it was that simple! Unless you haven’t noticed, I’m ridiculously hard on myself, and tend to blame myself when things go pear shaped.
I’ve learnt this past month that GAPS is not a cure all for chronic stress, if the root of the stress doesn’t come from you. It will, without doubt, help you think clearer, especially if you’re coming from a starting point of poor health and a rubbish diet. Coming from my starting point however, it’s just not as cut and dry.
My solution
So, I’m fostering my own version of GAPS. Which entails eating stages 1-4 Intro Diet food, having one coffee a day if I fancy it, and a few drinks once a week max. The drinks will be either good quality vodka or gin mixed with fresh lime and soda, or home made water kefir or kombucha. No more wine loaded with sulphites, no more shop bought tonic water. If I’m drinking, those drinks will be completely natural. GAPS has broken my three or four times a week drinking habit, which is amazing.
This might seem lame to some, a cop out even, but I’m comfortable with this, and I think it’ll provide a good balance. It’s all very well and good saying that you don’t need alcohol to have a good time, but as long as it’s being enjoyed in moderation I don’t think it’s a problem.
To enhance my good gut bacteria as much as I possibly can, I have started taking a highly potent probiotic, and will be sharing regular updates to tell you if I’m feeling better for them.
All in all this journey of mine is about a path to better happiness, and I’m really excited about where I’m already at with it.
Watch this space!
Mummy Tries GAPS 