Since I first began thinking about doing the GAPS Diet for our family, I’ve often been asked what I would do with the issue of hospitality. When you are on a very restrictive diet, is there a place for hospitality anymore? What would I serve people? Soup and boiled eggs? What would I do if we were invited out to someone’s house?
Before I was completely aware of the list of allowed foods on the diet, I was under the impression that it would be more or less boring/bland/un-exciting foods that I would not want to serve to anyone other than our family.
It turns out that the soup-only stage is only a few days, and you usually begin adding more foods in fairly quickly. The Intro Diet can take as short as a week, if your body tolerates the new foods at each stage. Sometimes you have to slow it down or regress… it really depends on the individual (I, for example, am regressing and taking ghee out of my diet for now, because it seems that I still can’t handle dairy, nor can Ally). For the most part though, a person would be on what they call “Full-GAPS” (as opposed to the Intro), which has a very large list of “allowed” foods, with a multitude of recipes and possibilities.
Recently, I ordered the new GAPS cookbook. Upon receiving it, I was VERY pleasantly surprised to find a TON of amazing-sounding recipes!
Check out this list (the ones I’ll be trying first for sure!)…
Guacamole, Tomato-Rosemary Soup, Hungarian Mushroom Soup, Chili, Turkey-Pecan Waldorf Salad, Taco Salad, Granola, Breakfast Casserole, Peanut-Butter Pancakes, Banana Caramel Sticky Buns, Almond-Crusted Chicken Legs, Lamb in Coconut-Curry Sauce, Cilantro-Lime Chicken, Lemon Chicken with Broccoli, Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Portobello Pizzas, Hazelnut Pizza Crust, Banana Bread, Jalapeno-Cheddar Biscuits, Baked Apples and Walnuts, Pumpkin Pie with Coconut Crust, Strawberry Shortcake, Cappuccino Cupcakes, Peanut-Butter Pie, Bourbon-Peach Ice Cream, Coconut Macaroons, Fruit Leathers, Pistachio-Date Truffles, Orange Creamsicle Milkshakes, Nut Milk Lattes… and more!!! (Can you tell I love food?!). All of these are GAPS-legal (no grains/sugar/processed ingredients, etc).
Update: It looks like the Internal Bliss cookbook is available on Amazon, but the price is crazy-high. Here’s a newer published cookbook with GAPS recipes that looks amazing, and has great reviews: The Heal Your Gut Cookbook: Nutrient-Dense Recipes for Intestinal Health Using the GAPS Diet.
Once we’re on the Full-GAPS Diet, I don’t think it will be a problem at all to have people over and be able to cook them great food!
Going over to other peoples’ houses will present a greater challenge, but I am confident that it can be done with a combination of sharing our diet restrictions with friends who are willing to help, maybe bringing a bit of our own food, and perhaps an occasional bit of cheating once we’re well established in our healing journey.
Alicia
How is this going? We are going on GAPS in January, Lord willing, and my husband is a pastor. We may incubate for a few weeks until we’re on full GAPS but I have also wondered about hospitality. We have people over much more than we’re over other’s houses, so I can control what we eat. My main struggle will be desserts since I am famous for rich chocolate desserts and cheesecakes :). I’ll just have to be creative and open to other kinds of desserts.
thismama
yay, i am excited for you! And for hearing more about it! And I would love to try some of those recipes:) (cooking and eating;)
Christie
It’s not restrictive if you choose to see it as a challenge instead! Also, knowing you’re not offended if someone were to blunder when they did try makes it easier to give it a go as well. SO, once you’re settled in and past your critical time – let me know okay?
redandhoney
oh gosh, i’d never be offended at that. i would see it as a huge compliment and blessing that someone would be willing to try to cook stuff we can eat!! looking forward to doing that with you! 🙂