Ignore 
tantrums, screaming, crying and all other misbehaviours. Do not give him 
what he wants until he has had that one mouthful of the good food and do 
not let him leave the table. When he has had only one mouthful of the good 
food or literally just tasted it, give him the preferred food as a reward with 
lavish praise, hugs, kisses, tickles (whatever your child would most appre­
ciate) and let him go. In a few minutes repeat the whole procedure again. Only work on one mouthful at a time, reward and let him/her go. In a few 
minutes repeat again. Give your child only a small amount of the reward 
food: one or two crisps, a little piece of chocolate, etc. If he comes back for 
more, get him to eat another mouthful before rewarding him with another 
crisp, small piece of chocolate, eta These reward foods will have to be available only as rewards for eating the good foods, they must not be given 
to your child at other times, otherwise your child will wait for that time 
when he can get it without any effort. Keep the whole procedure positive 
and as happy as possible. After your child starts to take one mouthful of a 
particular food without any trouble, start demanding two mouthfuls of the 
same food for the same reward. You may spend a few days, a week or even 
more on the one mouthful stage, in different children it takes different 
effort. After you have conquered the two mouthfuls, move to three mouth­
fuls for the same reward. Slowly increase the number of mouthfuls until 
your child eats the whole meal. The examples of reward foods, which I have given here (chocolate, 
crisps) are foods which are not allowed on the GAPS nutritional pro­
gramme. However, in the initial stages when you are trying to teach your 
child the whole ABA concept use whatever works. Once your child has 
understood the rules of the game move to rewards allowed on the diet. If 
your autistic child can be motivated by any dessert ideas allowed on the 
diet, then - hooray! - forget about chocolate and crisps. Apart from favourite foods you can use anything else your child likes as a 
reward for getting him/her to eat the new food. For example, if your child 
likes to watch a particular video: put that video on, let it play for 5 minutes, 
then pause it. Offer your child a mouthful of the food you want to intro­
duce into his diet. Do not switch the video back on again until that mouth­
ful is eaten. Do not give in to tantrums, screaming, crying, etc. When your 
child has the mouthful, give him/her a lavish enthusiastic praise with hugs 
and kisses and switch the video back on. In a few minutes repeat the pro­
cedure again. If your child is not particularly interested in videos, use 
whatever he/she is interested in - toys, books, games. Obsessive 
behaviours and self-stimulation generally should not be encouraged in 
autistic children. However, if that is the only thing that would motivate 
your child, use them as rewards for eating the right foods. It is important to work on one food at a time. Do not try to introduce 
several foods at the same time. Decide for yourself what food is the most 
important to introduce first into your child's nutrition and work on it. It is 
sensible to start with foods which you think would be easiest for your child 
to accept. As you have conquered one or two foods and your child's menu 
starts growing you will find that introducing consecutive foods becomes 
easier and easier. In no time at all your child will be having a very nourish­
ing and varied diet. The important thing is not to get disheartened by the initial resistance from your child, but persevere. Hundreds of parents who have imple­
mented the ABA programme with their children had to go through the 
initial stage of tantrums to get their children to do anything, from simple 
"Come here" to more complex things. Nobody can teach a child who would 
not comply with anything you tell it to do. But once you have won that first 
battle, you have gained your child's compliance, which means that now 
you have a child whom you can teach! 1. Introducing new foods to GAPS children without language problems 
With GAPS children who do not have problems with communication the 
procedure is similar but much easier. The child has to eat the good food 
first in order to get what he/she wants: a preferred food, a game, a toy, etc. In these children I would not use non-allowed foods, like chocolate or 
crisps for rewards. You can use your home-made desserts, allowed on the 
diet. I am sure that most parents are familiar with the timeless mother's 
motto: Have your meal first, then you will get your pudding! Apart from 
that, use more sophisticated rewards as games, toys, trips to cinema, etc. rather than food rewards. Just like with autistic children, with other GAPS children it is important 
to start from small achievable targets, like one mouthful or a small piece of 
the food. If you try to suddenly introduce a large plateful of food, which 
your child hates, you are going to fail. Once your child will accept a small 
piece for a reward, slowly move to larger and larger portions. Be patient 
and consistent! Do not give in to whining, complaining or tantrums! If 
he/she does not eat the good food - he/she does not get the pudding (or 
any other reward)! As simple as that! You have to be firm. Once you have 
asked your child to have the one mouthful of food you cannot back off or 
allow any negotiations or manipulations. If you allow your child to win on 
the food issue, you have lost on many other issues! If your child refused the one mouthful of the good food and does not 
seem to care that he/she did not get the reward, it means that you have 
chosen the wrong reward ! Choose a reward which your child cares about 
strongly enough that he/she would do anything to get it. However, no 
matter how motivating the reward is never forget to add to it your lavish 
enthusiastic praise with a hug! Your child has to feel that he/she has done 
something really good when they had that mouthful of the good food! In the majority of cases once the children have had a good taste of a food 
which they did not touch before they actually start liking it. As their bodily flora starts to improve, a lot of cravings go away and the normal sense of 
taste returns, so your child will start developing a new liking for different 
foods. But to start this process off your child needs your help. On his/her 
own your child is not capable of braking the vicious cycle of cravings, 
toxicity and abnormalities in taste. Once your child has a good balanced 
diet, you can allow him/her not to eat a small number of foods which they 
particularly dislike. We all have these likes and dislikes. However, make 
sure that it is within normal proportions, 
It is very important to keep the whole process positive! Talk to your child, 
explain why you want him or her to eat this food, what good it will do in 
their bodies. Try to talk on this subject at every meal time using language 
and phraseology on your child's level making it fun, a game and a laugh. And when your child complies do not put any limits on your praise or 
expression of delight! Let your child really feel how happy he or she has 
made you by eating the good food! Your enthusiasm combined with the 
reward, given at the same time, will make this experience for your child 
something to look foreword to, to anticipate with pleasure at the next meal 
time. In conclusion I would say that about 60-70% of parents who come to see 
me with their children say up front that any idea of introducing any diet 
into their child's life is impossible! "My child will not eat it!" However, 
having implemented the ABA principles, which I have described here, 
most of these parents soon forget just how fussy with food their child used 
to be. Sitting down to a meal with your family becomes a normal and plea­
surable procedure, as it is supposed to be! SUPPLEMENTATION FOR 
CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH GAP SYNDROME 
We all love our small or grown up children very much and we are prepared 
to do our best for them, no matter how difficult or expensive it might be. That makes us vulnerable to try anything and everything in the hope that it 
will help our children. I meet family after family who give their child 10,15, 
20 or more of various nutritional supplements without any idea if any of 
them are doing any good. Nutritional supplements are expensive and the 
market is full of hundreds of various brands. Many of them have question­
able quality and the whole industry is not regulated very well. I cannot emphasise enough that an appropriate diet has to be the 
number one intervention in successful nutritional management of the 
GAPS child or adult. No pill in the world is going to come close to the effect 
of the diet on your patient's condition. When it comes to digestive dis­
orders in particular, and GAP Syndrome is essentially a digestive disorder, 
we have to be very careful what we introduce into the gut of the patient. Why? Because a lot of supplements may irritate an already inflamed and 
damaged gut lining and interfere with the healing process. You do not want 
to put a lot of effort into implementing the diet and then spoil the whole 
process by a pill. However, some supplements can be very beneficial and some are essen­
tial. The supplementation protocol has to be very individual and ideally 
should be worked out by a qualified practitioner. Here we are going to con­
centrate on absolute essentials. A majority of my patients progress very 
well with the use of diet and these essential supplements without adding 
anything else. The essential supplements for GAPS patients: 
1. An effective therapeutic strength probiotic. 2. Essential fatty acids. 3. VitaminA. 4. Digestive enzymes. 5. Vitamin and mineral supplements. Let us have a good look at each of these supplements. 1. PROBIOTICS 
Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria in the form of a nutritional supple­
ment of fermented food, which can be taken in an attempt to replace or 
supplement damaged indigenous flora. Contrary to antibiotic meaning 
"against life" probiotic means "pro-life" or "for-life" 
The use of probiotic bacteria in the form of fermented foods goes back to 
pre-Christian times. For thousands of years people fermented milk, fruit 
and vegetables, beans, fish, meats and cereals. Fermenting food improves 
its taste, makes food more digestible and preserves it. Today many cultures 
around the world routinely consume beneficial bacteria in fermented 
foods: sauerkraut - fermented cabbage (Russia, Germany and Eastern 
Europe), table olives and salami or fermented meat (Mediterranean coun­
tries), keffir (Russia), mazun (Armenia), kumiss (Russia and Asia), lassi 
(India), Gioddu (Sardinia), yoghurt and cheese (all over the world), fer­
mented fish (Korea, Sweden, Japan, Russia), fermented grains (Africa) and 
fermented soybeans (Asia), 
A Russian scientist Ilia Metchnikoff at the beginning of the 20th century 
put the subject of probiotics on a scientific basis. Working at the Pasteur 
Institute in Paris Metchnikoff noticed that country people in Bulgaria regu­
larly consumed fermented milk products and lived to an unusually great 
age in good health. He isolated a bacterium, which he called "Bulgarian 
bacillus" and used it in his scientific trials. Now this bacterium is known as 
Lactobacillus bulgaricus and is widely used in yoghurt production. Following his discovery the use of Lactobacillus bulgaricus as a health sup­
plement became very popular in European countries. When antibiotics 
came along the probiotics were largely forgotten. However, after 
Metchnikoff fs death in 1916 his research was continued in various countries 
around the world. In Russia, Scandinavia and Japan probiotic bacteria 
have been in use as a treatment for humans for decades. In the West the 
probiotics were used mainly in farm animal feed and a lot of scientific data 
has been collected about their health-giving properties for the animals. In 
the last couple of decades the use of probiotics for humans has become popular again and we have started to see more and more scientific publi­
cations on this subject. The scope of disorders where probiotics have been 
successfully used as part of treatment is rapidly growing. Naturally the biggest use of probiotics we have seen is in the treatment 
of gastro-intestinal disorders: 
• viral infections of the digestive tract 
• necrotising enterocolitis in infants 
• intractable paediatric diarrhoea 
• pseudomembranous colitis 
• traveller's diarrhoea 
• Clostridium Difficile enterocolitis 
• Helicobacter infection 
• enteropathogenic Ecolnnfection 
• inflammatory bowel disorders: Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and 
chronic pouchitis 
• irritable bowel syndrome 
• lactose intolerance 
• prevention of colonic cancer in laboratory studies 
In many cases adding probiotics to the treatment regimen not only 
improved the clinical picture but also cured the condition. Apart from digestive problems many other health problems have been 
shown to respond to treatment with probiotics: 
• allergies including food allergy 
• autism 
• chronic viral infections 
• urogenital infections 
• hepatitis, liver cirrhosis and biliary disease 
• tuberculosis 
• meningitis 
• malignancy 
• arthritis 
• diabetes 
• burns of various degree 
• perioperative care and intensive care in surgical patients and patients 
with massive blood loss 
• clinical infections 
• autoimmune disorders These are only the conditions about which scientific papers have been 
published. But, if you talk to any doctor or practitioner with experience in 
using probiotics, this list becomes much longer. So, what bacteria do we consider to be probiotic? 1, LactobacilliThis is a large family of bacteria, which produce lactic acid -
hence their name. Most commonly known members of this family are L. 
acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. rhamnosus, L. plantarum, L. salivarius, L. 
reuteri, L. johnsonii, L. casei 
and essential inhabitants of the human gut, mucous membranes of the 
mouth, throat, nose and upper respiratory tract, vagina and genital area. They are found in large numbers in human breast milk. Lactobacilli get 
established in the body of a new-born baby in the first few days and 
form a complex relationship with the host for the rest of his/her life. By 
producing lactic acid they maintain acidic environment (pH - 5.5-5.6) 
on mucous membranes, which suppresses the growth of pathogenic 
microbes. Apart from lactic acid they produce a plethora of active sub­
stances: hydrogen peroxide - a powerful antiseptic; anti-bacterial, anti­
viral and anti-fungal agents, which do not allow pathogens to get a hold 
in the gut. Lactobacilli engage immune system and stimulate activity of 
neutrophils, macrophages, synthesis of immuno-globulins, alpha and 
beta interferons, interleukin-i and tumour necrosis factor. They are 
involved in orchestrating the cell renewal process in the gut, keeping the 
gut lining healthy and intact. They are the most numerous inhabitants of 
the stomach and intestines and the main protecting agents in those 
parts of the digestive system. Lactobacilli were the first probiotic bacte­
ria to be studied and to be used as a supplement to benefit health. Indeed Lactobacilli are the most common bacteria in commercially 
available probiotics today, 
a. Bifidobacteria  Most commonly known species are B. bifidum, B. breve, 
B. longum and B. infantis, though there are around 30 different species 
identified. This is a large family of probiotic bacteria, which are most 
numerous in the human bowel, lower intestines, vagina and genital 
area. 90-98% of all bacteria living in the bowel of a healthy baby are 
Bifidobacteria. In an adult gut they are about seven times more numer­
ous than Lactobacilli and fulfil many useful functions. Apart from pro­
ducing different antibiotic-like substances which protect the gut from 
pathogens, engaging the immune system, maintaining gut integrity and 
health, they act as a source of nourishment for the body. Bifidobacteria actively synthesise amino acids, proteins, organic acids, vitamin K, pan­
tothenic acid, vitamin Bi (thiamin), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B3 
(niacin), folic acid, vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B12 (cobalamin), 
assist absorption of Ca, iron and vitamin D. Bifidobacteria are the 
second most numerous family of bacteria in probiotic supplements 
available on the market. 3. Saccharomyces boulardii  This is a yeast first discovered by a French 
scientist H Boulard in 1920. He observed that people in China treated 
diarrhoea with an extract from lychee fruit. He found the yeast in this 
extract which was named Saccharomyces boulardii. Supplementing this 
yeast has been found to be effective in treating various forms of diarrhoea 
in children and adults. Recently there has been a lot of interest in using 
S. boulardii as an antagonist to a pathogenic yeast - Candida albicans. 4. Escherichia coli  or E.  coli  E. coli is a large family of bacteria. Pathogenic 
members of this family can cause serious infections. However, physio­
logical strains of E. coli are normal and numerous inhabitants of healthy 
human gut. They normally occupy particular areas of the digestive 
system: the bowel and lower parts of the intestines and should not be 
found anywhere else. If they are found in the mouth, stomach or duode­
num that indicates an abnormality in gut ecology - gut dysbiosis. Physiological strains of E. coli fulfil a number of beneficial functions in 
the body: they digest lactose, produce vitamins (vitamin K and group B) 
and amino acids, produce antibiotic-like substances, called colicins and 
have a powerful stimulating influence on local and systemic immunity. They are very active against various pathogenic microbes including 
pathogenic members of their own family. Indeed having your gut popu­
lated by physiological strains of E. coli is the best insurance not to suc­
cumb to pathogenic strains of E. coli. That is what a German physician 
Alfred Nissle found in 1917 when he was trying to find out why some sol­
diers in the First World War did not fall prey to typhoid, when most of 
their comrades were ill. He identified a particular strain of E. coliin the 
stools ofthese soldiers, which was named the Nissle strain. He grew this 
bacterium and sealed it in gelatine capsules. After trying this product on 
himself he started manufacturing it under the name Mutaflor. Mutaflor 
is still available on the market. Some other physiological strains of E. coli 
have been studied and are used in some commercial probiotic formulas 
around the world. 5. Enterococcus Faecium  or Streptococcus  faecalis As the name would 
imply these bacteria, as with all other probiotics, were isolated from human stools. They normally live in the bowel where they control 
pathogens by producing hydrogen peroxide and reducing pH to 5.5. They break down proteins and ferment carbohydrates. There are a 
number of clinical studies showing that they are effective in treating 
various forms of diarrhoea. These bacteria are quite common in probi­
otic formulas on the market. 6. Bacillus subtilis or soil bacteria Bacillus Subtilis was first discovered by 
German microbiologists during the Second World War, which led to the 
use of this micro-organism in protecting German troops from dysentery 
and typhoid. After the war Bacillus subtilis was extensively studied in 
Germany, Russia, Italy, Finland, Eastern Europe, China and Vietnam. Number of subspecies were identified: B. licheniformis, B, cereus, 
B. brevis, B. mesentericus, B, pumilis, etc., most of which were shown to 
be therapeutic in animals and then humans. This led to the develop­
ment of a range of products with B. subtilis for animal use. For humans 
there are number of products with B. subtilis which have been used by 
doctors in Russia, Germany, Italy, Eastern Europe, Japan, Vietnam and 
China for decades. B. subtilis is a spore-forming microbe and is resistant 
to stomach acid, most antibiotics, temperature changes and other influ­
ences. It has strong immune-stimulating properties and is considered 
particularly effective with allergies and autoimmune disorders. It pro­
duces a whole host of digestive enzymes, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti­
bacterial and other active substances. Soil bacteria are not indigenous 
to humans, they are transitional microbes, which do not colonise the 
gut but go through it doing a lot of work on the way. We humans used to 
consume soil bacteria in large amounts when we were drinking water 
from wells and streams. In the process of evolution the human gut has 
developed a need for these transitional bacteria. One possible need is 
keeping the gut clean. B. subtilis species are used in waste management 
because they have a great ability to break down rotting matter and to 
suppress putrefactive microbes. By clearing out old putrefaction in the 
gut soil bacteria may lay the ground for re-establishment of normal gut 
flora. In my experience probiotics, which contain soil bacteria are the 
most effective probiotics on the market. The market offers a wide range of probiotic products from probiotic 
drinks to powder, tablet and capsule forms. Unfortunately, many of 
them are not strong enough or do not contain strong enough species of 
bacteria to be of therapeutic benefit. There is also a problem of quality control. The last "Which" magazine report showed that many brands of 
probiotics on the market do not have bacterial species listed on the label or 
do not have claimed bacterial strength. So, how do we choose a good 
probiotic? First of all it always makes sense to work with a qualified practitioner 
with experience in using probiotics who will help you to chose good-
quality supplements. If you are trying to chose a probiotic yourself, then 
there are some general guidelines to follow. 1. A good probiotic should have as many different species of beneficial 
bacteria as possible. A human gut contains hundreds of known species 
of different bacteria. We should try to get as close to that as we can. Different species of probiotic bacteria have different strengths and 
weaknesses. If we have a mixture of them then we have a better chance 
of deriving maximum benefit. 2. A mixture of strains from different groups of probiotic bacteria is more 
beneficial than just one group. For example, many probiotics on the 
market contain just Lactobacilli. A combination of representatives from 
the three main groups: Lactobacilli, Bifidobacteria and soil bacteria usu­
ally works best. 3. A good probiotic should have a concentrated amount of bacteria: at 
least 8 billion of bacterial cells per gram. You need to provide probiotic 
bacteria in large enough doses to see an improvement. 4. The manufacturer of the probiotic should test every batch for strength 
and bacterial composition and should be prepared to publish the 
results of testing. Once you have found a good probiotic you need to know how to use it. A 
good therapeutic strength probiotic will always produce a so-called "die-off 
reaction". What is it? As you introduce probiotic bacteria into a digestive 
system, they start destroying pathogenic bacteria, viruses and fungi. When 
these pathogens die they release toxins. These are the toxins, which made 
your patient autistic or schizophrenic or hyperactive. So, whatever charac­
teristic symptoms the patient has may temporarily get worse. Your patient 
may also feel more tired than usual, generally "off colour" or develop a skin 
rash. It is a temporary reaction and usually lasts from a few days to a few 
weeks in different individuals. To make this reaction as mild as possible, 
build the dose of your probiotic slowly. Start from a very small amount. Observe the patient for any "die-off" symptoms. If there are none then increase the dose. When you see a reaction, let your patient settle on this 
dose until the "die-off" symptoms disappear. Then increase the dose again 
and let the patient settle on it. Keep on increasing the dose until a therapeu­
tic level is reached. This period of building up the dose can take from a few 
weeks to a few months in different patients. It is very individual and depends 
on how much overgrowth of pathogenic microbes the person has in the gut. The therapeutic dose level of probiotic is individual and your health prac­
titioner should be able to help you with that. Here are general guidelines; 
An adult should have around 15-20 billion of bacterial cells per day. An infant up to 12 months of age can have 1-2 billion of bacterial cells per 
day. A toddler from 1 to 2 years of age can have 2-4 billion of bacterial cells per 
day. A child from 2 to 4years of age can handle 4-8 billion of bacterial cells per 
day. A child from 4 to 10 years of age can have 8-12 billion of bacterial cells per 
day. From the age of 12 to 16 we can increase the dose to 12-15 billion per day. Once die patient has reached the therapeutic dose level it should be 
maintained for around six months on average. It takes at least this length of 
time to remove the pathogenic flora and start re-establishing normal gut 
flora. Adhering to the diet is absolutely essential in this period. If you carry 
on feeding your pathogens in the gut with sugar and processed carbohy­
drates then the probiotic will not have much chance of helping you. After the therapeutic period is over the dose of the probiotic can be 
reduced to a maintenance dose level, which the patient has to adhere to for 
many years. It is important to reduce the dose as gradually as you have 
been increasing it. Observe any reactions in this period. The maintenance 
dose is very individual. Usually it is half of the therapeutic dose. In some 
cases the patient's maintenance dose is the same as the therapeutic. A lot of patients ask: Why do we have to have the maintenance dose? In 
other words why do we have to carry on taking the probiotic? this: we have been designed by Nature to have these bacteria every day 
with every mouthful of food or drink. We have changed our environment, 
water and food to such a degree that we are depriving our bodies of these 
vital bacteria. For people who have good, healdiy resident gut flora it may 
not present a big problem. However, for patients with GAP Syndrome it is a big problem. For GAPS people it is particularly vital to consume probiotic 
bacteria every day of their lives, because they do not possess their own. Their gut got populated by pathogens instead of beneficial bacteria and 
these pathogens are extremely difficult to drive out because they occupy 
different niches in the gut. To get into any of those niches the beneficial 
bacteria have to fight quite a battle. In fact probably the only time in our 
lives we have to populate our gut with beneficial bacteria is at birth, when 
the gut is sterile. Unfortunately most supplemental probiotics do not settle 
or colonise on the gut wall. They do their work in the lumen of the gut and 
then come out of the system. We have not yet found a way to replace the 
pathogens on the gut wall with beneficial bacteria. So, patients with GAP 
syndrome need to carry on taking probiotic indefinitely. To maintain the 
probiotic you do not have to carry on taking commercial preparations. You 
can supplement your diet with fermented foods in the form or home-made 
yoghurt, keffir, sauerkraut and other home-made fermented foods. One of the concerns about probiotic bacteria is that many of them do 
not survive the stomach acid. Patients with GAP Syndrome usually have 
low stomach acidity, so this is not a big problem for them. But to make sure 
that your probiotic survives the stomach acid the general rule is to take it 
with food or after food, whenmost stomach acidis bound to foodparticles. Some manufacturers put an enteric coating on their probiotic capsules to 
protect them from stomach acid. I do not support this practice for two rea­
sons. First, the stomach needs probiotic bacteria just as much as any other 
part of your ..digestive system. In a stomach with low acidity all sorts of 
pathogens grow on the stomach walls. We need probiotics to deal with 
these pathogens. Second, patients with digestive abnormalities are often 
not able to break down the enteric coating on capsules. These capsules go 
in and out almost unchanged without doing any good. Perhaps not all bacterial species in your probiotic will survive the 
stomach acid. But, an important point to make here is that even dead the 
probiotic bacteria will do a lot of good in your gut. Their cell walls contain 
substances to stimulate immune response and they will also absorb toxins 
removing them from the body. A lot of food manufacturers have picked up 
on this fact and are planning to start adding dead probiotic bacteria into 
various foods. In conclusion, probiotic supplementation is absolutely vital for treating 
any of the GAPS conditions. Even in those cases, where the patient does 
not present with severe digestive problems I find that with the use of diet 
and probiotics a considerable improvement can be achieved. 2. FATS: 
THE GOOD AND THE BAD 
The human brain is about 60% fat (dry weight). Eveiy membrane of every 
cell and every organelle inside of cells are made of fats. Many hormones, 
neurotransmitters and other active substances in the body are made of 
fats. Fats are extremely important in our diet. The question is - what fats? There has been a great deal of conflicting information and misinforma­
tion about fats. In our modern society fats have been pronounced as evil and 
the food industry has sprung up to produce an abundance of low-fat and no-
fat products. Saturated animal fats, including those in meat, butter and eggs 
have been blamed for all sorts of ills, so the industry, again, has been quick to 
provide us with synthetic substitutes, butter replacements and spreads. People heard that vegetable oils are better for you, so a variety of different 
vegetable oils have become the cooking oils instead of traditionally used 
lard, goose fat and pork dripping. What the public does not know is how all 
these processed oils and fats are made and what exactly they contain. Hydrogenation and trans-fats 
Margarines, butter replacements, "spreadable" vegetable oils, shortenings 
and many other artificial fats are hydrogenated to increase their shelf-life 
and to make them the right consistency. You can find hydrogenated oils in 
most processed foods: chocolates, ice-cream, biscuits, cakes, breads and 
pastries, pre-prepared meals, crisps, snacks, etc. Hydrogenation is a pro­
cess of adding hydrogen molecules to the chemical structure of oils under 
high pressure at a very high temperature (i2O-2io 0C or 248-4ioo°F) in the 
presence of nickel, aluminium and sometimes other heavy metals. Remnants of these metals stay in the hydrogenated oils. Nickel and alu­
minium are both heavy metals, adding to the general toxic load which the 
body has to work hard to get rid of. Heavy metals, particularly aluminium, 
have been linked to many degenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's 
disease and dementia. But that is not the main problem with hydrogenated fats. Hydrogenation 
changes the chemical structure of the natural oils producing a whole host 
of very harmful fats. Many of these changed fats have not even been 
studied yet and we don't know what havoc they can wreck in the body. But 
a group, called trans-fats, have received a great deal of attention. These are 
unsaturated fatty acid, very beneficial for us in a natural state, whose 
chemical structure has been changed through processing. Trans-fatty 
acids are very similar in their structure to their natural counterparts, but 
they are somewhat "back to front". Because of their similarity they occupy 
the place of essential fats in the body while being unable to do their job 
making cells in a way disabled. All organs and tissues in the body get 
affected. For example, trans-fats have great immune-suppressing ability 
playing a detrimental role in many different functions of the immune 
system. They have been implicated in diabetes, atherosclerosis, cancer, 
neurological and psychiatric conditions. They interfere with pregnancy 
and conception, normal production of hormones, the ability of insulin to 
respond to glucose, the ability of enzymes and other active substances to 
do their jobs and have damaging effects on liver and kidneys. A breast­
feeding mother would have trans-fats in her milk fairly quickly after ingest­
ing a helping of a "healthy" butter replacement. A baby's brain has a very 
high percent of unsaturated fatty acids; trans-fats would replace them and 
interfere with the brain development. It is estimated that an average intake 
of trans-fatty acids in the western diet is 9-12 g a day, twice as much as our 
consumption of the rest of unnatural substances in foods. Given their abil­
ity to impair bodilyfunctions on the most basic biochemical levels, there is 
no doubt that their role in our modern epidemics of degenerative disease 
is greatly underestimated. Cooking oils have very high levels of trans-fatty acids, because in the 
process of extracting these oils from seeds very high temperatures, pres­
sure and various chemicals have been employed. Of course, anything 
cooked with these oils will also contain plenty of trans-fatty acids: crisps, 
snacks, chips, fish and chips and all fried foods. It goes without saying that 
GAPS children and adults should not have hydrogenated oils or trans-fats 
in any form or shape in their diet. On a chemical level all fats are made from a molecule of glycerine and 
molecules of fatty acids. As glycerine is the same in every fat molecule, it is 
the structure of fatty acids that is responsible for various functions of dif­
ferent fats in the body: from building hormones, neurotransmitters, cell membranes and nervous tissue to being the best source of energy. Many 
fatty acids our bodies can make themselves, but there is a group of fatty 
acids, which our bodies cannot make. These are the essential fatty acids. Essential fats 
Essential means - we cannot live without them. Essential fats contain fatty 
acids, which our human bodies cannot make, so we have to get them from 
food. These are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Every cell in the body 
depends on them for proper function and survival. These oils take part in a 
myriad of functions in the body on the most basic level. Our bodies, the 
brain in particular, are to a degree made up of them. Hundreds of clinical 
studies have been performed with the use of omega-3 and omega-6 oils, 
where they were shown to be effective in treating every health condition 
under the sun, including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, diabetes, 
depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, infections, 
cancer and so on. Due to food processing most of us don't get enough 
essential fats in our diets. Because of impaired digestion, there is no doubt 
that GAPS people are deficient in essential fatty acids and absolutely must 
have them added to their diet. Let us have a look at this subject in detail. There are two essential fatty acids, from which the body can make all 
others: 
omega-3: Alpha-LinolenicAcid or LNAfor short and 
omega-6: LinoleicAcid or LA for short. Both these fatty acids come from seeds and nuts. The richest sources of LNA (omega-3} are flaxseed oil (linseed oil), hemp 
oil and some exotic oils from kukui (candlenut) and chia. In smaller 
amounts this fatty acid is present in walnuts, soybeans, pumpkin seeds, 
canola/rape, rice bran, dark green leafy vegetables, egg yolk, animal fats 
(particularly wild), animal milk and, of course, in human breast milk. The richest sources of LA (omega-6) are evening primrose oil, safflower, 
sunflower, walnut, hemp oil and pretty much all seeds and nuts. In smaller 
amounts it is found in egg yolks, milk and human breast milk. LNA and IA are called "the parent fatty acids". From these two fatty acids 
the body can make other fats to be used in pretty much every function in 
every cell (FIG. 5). IOMEGA-3 i 
EPA 
fc)CoS«pent«cnoic Acid ": 
FIG. 5 Conversion of parent omega fatty acids (LNA and LA) into various 
derivatives in the body. Omega-3 fats 
From LNA (Alpha-Linolenic Acid) two very important omega-3 fatty acids 
are formed: EPA (Eicosapentaenoic Acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic 
Acid). EPA and DHA are absolutely vital for normal brain and eye develop­
ment. They are found in abundance in brain cells, nerve synapses, visual 
receptors, adrenal and sex glands. However, to make them from LNA the 
body needs a good supply of certain nutrients: vitamins C, B3 and B6, mag­
nesium, zinc and some enzymes. GAPS patients are almost routinely defi­
cient in these nutrients, so it is not difficult to predict that their bodies will 
not be able to convert parent omega-3 (LNA), from flax oil for example, 
into EPA and DHA, so much needed by their brains. Some researchers in 
the field believe that this inability to convert the parent omega-3 LNA to 
brain-building omega-3 EPA and DFIA in GAPS children and adults plays a 
big part in their problems (FIG. 6). So, just supplementing LNA as a flax 
seed oil is not enough for these patients, they need EPA and DHA ready-
made. The best sources of these two oils are cold water fish: salmon, sar­
dines, mackerel, trout and eel. The oil from these fish can be found as sup­
plements. Sea and freshwater algae and phytoplankton are very rich in 
these oils as well, that is where the cold water fish get their supply of 
omega-3 fats. Supplementing algae would have been a good way of getting 
these fats, however, the unpleasant taste of algae is a big problem, particu­
larly with children. Smaller amounts of EPA and DHA are found in seal fat, 
whale blubber, pike, carp, herring and haddock. Cod liver oil is a good 
source of DHA and EPA and one of the oldest ways of supplementing these 
essential fats. But apart from that it is a good source of natural vitamins A 
and D. Despite concerns about water pollution and quality control in dif­
ferent brands of cod liver oil again and again it has been shown to be most 
beneficial for GAPS children and adults. What about just eating fish? Eating 
fresh fish a few times a week is the best way of getting EPA and DHA for 
healthy individuals. However, for GAPS children and adults that is not 
enough due to their inability to digest foods properly and an overload of 
toxins, coming from the gut, which reduce amounts of essential fatty acids 
in the brain. GAPS people do need supplementing with EPA and DHA in 
the form of cod liver oil and other fish oils. Most fish oils, including cod liver oil, contain roughly equal amounts of 
EPA and DHA. However, there is evidence to show that GAPS children and 
adults need more EPA than DHA In the body DHA can be made from EPA. A British psychiatrist Dr Basant Puri has described a patient with severe drug resistant depression who completely recovered after supplementa­
tion with EPA rich fish oil. But the most astonishing result was seen on this 
patient's MRI scans of the brain. Before treatment with EPA this patient 
showed a typical for depression reduction in the thickness of the grey 
matter in the brain. After nine months on EPA his grey matter was restored 
to normal thickness. David Horrobin describes a similar example with a 
schizophrenic patient where, apart from dramatic clinical improvement, 
restoration of the brain tissue was seen on MRI scans. There are supple­
ments on the market now with a higher ratio of EPA to DHA and many 
patients report good effect from these oils. DHA is considered to be essen­
tial for building the brain structure, where EPA is considered more impor­
tant for the functioning of the brain. Both need supplementing in order to 
help GAPS patients. Omega - 6 fats 
LA (Linoleic acid) is a parent fatty acid for GLA (Gamma-Linolenic Acid), 
DGLA (Dihomogamma-Linolenic Acid) and AA (Arachidonic Acid). These 
fatty acids are essential for the immune system, hormone metabolism, 
inflammation, blood clotting and many other functions in the body. Many 
seeds and nuts contain these oils. lust as with omega-3 oils, to convert LA 
into GLA and DGLA the body needs magnesium, zinc, vitamins B3, B6 and 
C, so this conversion will also be a problem for GAPS patients, which 
means that GLA has to be supplemented as well as LA. GLA is found in 
evening primrose oil (9%), borage oil (24%), blackcurrant seed oil (18%) 
and hemp oil (2%). Many omega-6 oils can be very efficiently supplied 
through regular consumption of nuts (walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pine, 
Brazil nuts, etc.) and seeds (sunflower, sesame and pumpkin). Hemp oil, 
evening primrose oil, unrefined sunflower oil, borage oil and safflower oil 
are concentrated sources of omega-6 fatty acids, available on the market. One omega-6 fatty acid deserves particular attention as far as the GAPS 
conditions are concerned, Arachidonic Acid (AA), which makes up 12% of 
all brain fat. It is by far the most abundant fatty acid in the brain. Research 
shows that patients with autism, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and 
depression have low levels of AA in their bodies. What is happening in 
these patients is that AA and other fatty acids leak out of the cell mem­
branes, where they are naturally located. This deficiency in AA means that 
any function, no matter how small or large cannot be accomplished effi­
ciently between the brain cells, immune cells and other cells in the body. Why are GAPS patients loosing AA and other fatty acids from their cell 
membranes? The reason is not yet clear. However, a lot of research points 
in the direction of an enzyme, called Phospholipase A2 or PLA2, whose 
function is to release AA from the cell membranes. In GAPS patients this 
enzyme is overactive, leaching AA from brain cells leaving them deficient 
in this vital fatty acid. There are a number of things which can cause PIA2 
overactivity. Bio-toxins coming from bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites 
in the gut are usually the major cause. Chronic inflammation in the body 
activates PLA2 and we know that GAPS patients have chronic inflamma­
tion in their digestive systems. Exposure to heavy metals, pesticides and 
other chemicals is known to cause PLA2 overactivity. High levels of insulin, 
caused by the consumption of processed carbohydrates and sugars, is also 
a strong stimulant for PLA2 activity. Cutting out grains, starch and sugar 
will help to preserve a lot of essential fats in the brain of a GAPS patient. Aspartame, heparin, snake and bee venom, brain injury and lack of oxygen 
can induce PLA2 overactivity. Due to this enzyme GAPS patients actively 
lose AA and other essential fatty acids from their brains and other tissues in 
the body. That is why it is vital to supplement them in large amounts. We 
have talked about LA, LNA, EPA, DHA, GLA and their dietary sources. Where do we get AA from? Here is the surprise: AA comes from meat, eggs 
and dairy products. You can not find it anywhere else! The GAPS diet is rich 
in these foods and provides large amounts of AA, so vital for GAPS patients 
to have. At the same time the GAPS diet cuts out the foods which cause the 
loss of AA and other fatty acids from cell membranes-processed carbohy­
drates and sugar. We need both omega-3 and omega-6 oils. However, due to wide con­
sumption of sunflower oil, which is quite rich in omega-6, people generally 
get more omega-6 than omega-3 oils in their diets, which may predispose 
them to various inflammatory diseases. Clinical experience shows that for 
people with health problems it is important to have more omega-3 oils 
than omega-6 in their diet. The ideal ratio is disputed as it is probably very 
individual, but generally it is accepted that 2:1 of omega-3:omega-6 is the 
correct ratio in oil blends. For GAPS people it is vital to have not only 
parent essential oils (LNA and LA) but their derivatives as well (EPA, DHA 
and GLA). That is why it is important to supply not only seed and nut oils, 
but fish oils as well. There are good blends of seed/nut oils available on the market, where 
flax oil is the main source of parent omega-3 LNA and evening primrose oil 
is the main source of omega-6 LA and GLA. Look for the brands with twice more of omega-3 fatty acids than omega-6. As long as the 2:1 ratio of 
omega-3:omega-6 is adhered to, you normally cannot overdose on these 
oils. In fact the higher the dose the more health benefits are seen in the 
clinical practice. Look for high-quality blended oils which have not been 
refined, deodorised or adulterated in any way. Heat, light and oxygen 
destroy seed/nut oils very quickly, so theyhave to be supplied in dark glass 
bottles and refrigerated at all times. Never use them for cooking. They can 
be mixed with cold or warm food to give to the GAPS child or adult. Apart from the seed/nut oil blends make sure that you supplement EPA 
and DHA through good quality cod liver oil and fish oil. These oils are also 
highly perishable and should be refrigerated and protected from light and 
oxygen. To summarise on supplementation of fats 
GAPS children and adults should have a group of essential oils supple­
mented: 
1. A good seed/nut oil blend in the ratio of 2:1 of omega-3:omega-6 fatty 
acids. It will supply the parent omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Make 
sure that the oil is high quality, in dark glass and refrigerated. Depending on the age of the child start from a very small amount (a 
few drops added to the cold/warm food) and slowly build the dose up 
to 1-3 tablespoons a day. For children under the age of 18 months 1-2 
teaspoons a day are usually enough. For GAPS adults start from a tea­
spoon a day and slowly increase to 4-5 tablespoons a day. I recom­
mend introducing these oils gradually to avoid any reactions, which 
are possible in individuals with severe fatty acids deficiency. 2. Cod  liver oil, which will supply EPA, DHA, vitamin A and vitamin D. 
Depending on the age of the child give 1-2 teaspoons a day. For chil­
dren under the age of 18 months half a teaspoon is usually enough. It is 
sensible to start from a small amount and slowly build up the dose. I 
consider cod liver oil an absolute must for GAPS patients, children in 
particular, because it supplies them with vitamin A in the most appro­
priate biochemical form. Look for detailed information about vitamin 
A in the next chapter. An adult should have 2 teaspoons a day or an 
equivalent in capsules. 3. Fish oil with higher ratio of EPA to DHA, as more EPA seems to be 
beneficial for GAPS patients. There are no toxic levels for these oils. Start from a small amount added to your child's food (not hot) and 
slowly build the dose to 1-3 teaspoons a day (up to 1 teaspoon for chil­
dren under the age of 24 months). An adult should start from a small 
amount and build the dose up to 3-4 teaspoons a day or an equivalent 
in capsules. Make sure that you supplement the oils after food or with food, not on 
an empty stomach. If you supplement oils on an empty stomach the gall 
bladder would empty its bile into an empty duodenum in order to deal 
with the oil, which may cause cramps, belching and nausea. There are two oils which patients ask about the most, as they contain 
both omega-3 and omega-6 fats in considerable amounts. These are hemp 
oil and flax seed oil. Hemp oil is a fairly recent oil on the market. It contains both omega-3 
and omega-6 fatty acids in the ratio of 1:3. It is too heavy on omega-6 fatty 
acids to be supplemented on its own to GAPS children and adults. Flax seed oil is too heavy on omega-3 LNA, it contains 4 times as much of 
omega-3 as omega- 6 fatty acids and also should not be supplemented on 
its own. Olive oil is a time-proven health-giving food, used by Mediterranean 
countries for centuries. The long list of benefits include lowered risk of 
heart diseases, healing and anti-inflammatory effects, stimulation of bile 
flow, activation of liver enzymes, antioxidant activity, stimulation of pan­
creatic enzymes, anti-cancer effects, anti-bacterial and anti-viral activity, 
membrane development, cell formation and cell differentiation. Virgin 
olive oil has been shown to improve brain cell maturation and function. And yet it has not got much in the way of essential fatty acids which shows 
us that we need much more than just omega-3 and omega-6 oils. It con­
tains some LA (omega-6) in a range from 3.5 to 20% and LNA (omega-3) 
from 0.1 to 0.6%. It is an excellent source of oleic acid (omega-9), a 
monounsaturated fatty acid, which has an ability to strengthen the Thi 
arm of the immune system. But the most important elements in olive oil 
are its minor components: beta carotene, vitamin E, chlorophyll, squalene, 
phytosterols, triterpenic substances, polyphenols and hundreds of others. Many health-giving properties of olive oil are probably due to these minor 
components. However, heat, deodorization, refining, degumming and 
other processing destroys and removes these vital substances. That is why 
it is very important to buy unrefined extra virgin cold pressed olive oil. "Virgin" means that the oil has been extracted from whole, undamaged olives without refining. If it does not say on the bottle "virgin" then it is 
refined. There is no international standard for cold pressing of oils, so dif­
ferent manufacturers mean different things when they say that their oil is 
"cold pressed". However, there is a distinct difference intastebetweencold 
pressed virgin olive oil and just virginolive oil, so I recommend buying cold 
pressed as well as virgin and use it liberally on ready served meals and 
salads. It is not a good idea to cook with it, as the heat will destroy the 
minor components and change unsaturated fatty acids into harmful trans-
fatty acids. It is best to cook with fully saturated fats, like ghee (clarified 
butter), butter, coconut oil, goose and duck fat, pork dripping and lard, 
because they do not alter their chemical structure, when heated, and in 
small amounts are beneficial to health. Animal fats have received a great deal of bad publicity in the last few 
decades. They have been blamed for all sorts of ills, and yet they are an 
integral part of our anatomy and physiology. They are not called essential, 
but we cannot live without them. Fat on meat does not just contain satu­
rated fatty acids, it contains very important short-chain fatty acids, 
monounsaturated and polyunsaturated essential fatty acids. Pork, for 
example, contains 10% or LA (omega-6) and 34% of monounsaturated fatty 
acids, which are abundant in our skin and arteries, keeping them supple 
and soft. Native people in the north of Japan have a very high percent of 
pork in their diet while being free from heart disease, arteriosclerosis and 
other health problems, which fats are commonly blamed for. Native people 
in Mongolia largely live on lamb and lamb fat and yet they are not known 
for being afflicted with any of the diseases of the western world. We forget 
that the fatty tissue of animals is not just made of fat, it has got many other 
substances in its structure, which our bodies need. We do not know every­
thing about these fats yet by a long way. What we do know, however, is that 
if we try to separate meat from the fat, we get sick. Nature put fat into meat 
for a purpose and that is how meat should be consumed, together with the 
fat, collagen and cartilage in it; that is the form our bodies have been 
designed to take up dietary meat - as a whole. It has been shown in many 
clinical studies that the protein from meats has to come with the fat to be 
properly digested and used by the body, when the two are separated vari­
ous health problems develop. Animal fats contain mainly saturated fatty 
acids which do not change their chemical structure when heated and are 
the best fats to cook with. A rich source of saturated fats is coconut. Coconut and products made 
out of it (coconut oil and butter, coconut milk, coconut cream, etc.) have been out of favour in the last decades. Based on ill-founded research and 
commercial interests coconut and other tropical fats have been blamed for 
raising blood cholesterol and the risk of atherosclerosis, which made them 
very unpopular. And yet tropical fats have been used by indigenous people 
for thousands of years. These people generally are known for very low 
incidence of atherosclerosis and heart disease. About 50% of fatty acids in coconut is lauric acid. Recent research shows 
that in the body lauric acid gets converted into a highly potent anti-viral, 
anti-bacterial and anti-fungal substance, called monolaurin. Such 
pathogens as Candida Albicans, Helicobacter Pylori, HIV virus, measles 
virus, herpes virus, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, influenza and 
many others are susceptible to monolaurin. Lauric acid is also one of 
the natural ingredients of human breast milk, protecting the baby from 
infections. Other fatty acids, found in coconut, are caprylic and myristic acids, 
which also have a pronounced anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal 
properties. For example, caprylic acid has been in use as an anti-fungal, 
anti-candida supplement for decades in the form of capsules and tablets. It is a good idea for GAPS patients to have coconut on a regular basis. Coconut can provide a natural source of anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and 
anti-viral substances for these patients as well as many other nutritional 
factors. The question is - in what form? People in the tropics use coconut in its natural state. The nut and juice 
inside are very rich in saturated fats, fibre, vitamins, minerals, vitamin E, 
tocotrienols, carotene and many other micro-nutrients. Fresh virgin 
coconut oil, full of flavour, contains most of these useful substances and is 
used extensively in the tropical countries for cooking, and because it con­
tains saturated fats, it virtually does not change its chemical structure 
when heated. Unfortunately, coconut oil available in the West is very differ­
ent from its natural virgin tropical counterpart. It has been hydrogenated 
to make it harder and to increase its shelf-life. In the process of hydrogena­
tion trans-fatty acids are formed, which are well known to cause 
atherosclerosis and heart problems. The hydrogenation process requires 
the use of aluminium and nickel, traces of which would stay in the hydro­
genated coconut oil. At the same time the process of hydrogenation 
destroys vitamins, including vitamin E, carotene, tocotrienols and many 
other useful nutrients. And as if that is not enough many brands of coconut 
oil and coconut butter in the West go through a refining process which uses heat and solvent chemicals; Not surprisingly, studies with this sort of 
coconut oil show that it does increase blood cholesterol. As usual, the best thing is to follow nature and have coconut in its natu­
ral form. You can get fresh coconuts in most supermarkets. Please, look in 
the recipe section for different ways of serving it. In conclusion 
The important point is that we should consume natural fats in their 
natural state without processing them . It is processed foods, which con­
tain masses of unnatural adulterated fats, that should be blamed for our 
modern health problems: the crisps and chips, margarines and butter 
replacements, breads and pastries, biscuits and cakes, sweets and choco­
lates, our TV dinners and other pre-prepared lazy meals, our cooking oils 
and spreads, our salad dressings and mayonnaise, our sauces and condi­
ments, etc. Eat fats in the form that Nature provided and you will not go 
wrong! For example, butter is much healthier than any so-called "healthy" 
synthetic substitutes. I would like to emphasise, that GAPS children and 
adults need plenty of natural fats. Let them eat the fat on the meat, the skin 
on the poultry, pour plenty of cold pressed virgin olive oil on their served 
meals, give them good cod liver oil and fish oil on a daily basis. Supplement 
their diet with good quality blends of nut/seed oils with 2:1 ratio of omega-
3:omega-6 fatty acids (LNA, LA, GLA). As well as olive oil, you can use these 
oils as a dressing on their salads and ready served meals. Contrary to pop­
ular belief, fat is the preferred source of energy in the human body and 
remember, the brain and the rest of the nervous system are largely made 
up of fats. There are some added benefits of supplying your GAPS patient with gen­
erous amounts of natural unprocessed fats. The more natural fats the GAPS 
person has with his/her meals the less he/she will crave sweet and pro­
cessed carbohydrates, which will make it easier to remove these harmful 
foods from the diet. And as you get processed foods out of the diet, you will 
automatically get the bulk of harmful hydrogenated fats and trans-fats out 
as well. A good supply of natural dietary fats has another benefit, important for 
GAPS patients, it stimulates bile production. Secreting bile is the natural 
way for the liver to rid itself of toxins. GAPS children and adults are very 
toxic people. The bulk of detoxification in the body happens in the liver. Allowing the liver to drain itself on a regular basis will help the patient to 
detoxify quicker. We live in a world of fat phobia, created by commercial interests and 
funded by them research Fats constitute a large part of our bodily struc­
ture and functions. That is why every health problem can be linked to 
abnormalities in fat consumption: too much unnatural fats and deficien­
cies in natural fats. Stick to the natural fats and make sure that your GAPS 
patient gets plenty of them. You will see the results for yourself. 3. VITAMIN A 
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, which means that it comes as a part of 
dietary fats. It exists in many biochemical forms. The parent vitamin A is 
called retinol. Common dietary sources are organ meats like liver and 
kidneys, dairy products, eggs and oily fish, like herring, sardines and tuna. However, the richest sources are liver oils from marine fish, such as cod, 
halibut and shark and from some mammals, such as the polar bear. The 
most accessible liver oil available to us is cod liver oil . Cod liver oil has been around for a very long time. Our parents remem­
ber how their parents gave them a spoon of this oil every day to build up 
their immune system. Cod liver oil contains omega-3 essential fatty acids 
and vitamin D, but its most important asset is probably the vitamin A in its 
natural pre-formed biochemical shape. Unfortunately, due to digestive 
problems, GAPS children and adults usually cannot absorb or use other 
forms of vitamin A, commonly found in supplements: retinyl palmitate, 
retinyl acetate and others, A natural form of vitamin A found in cod liver oil 
appears to be the best form for these patients. But why do GAPS patients need supplementation of vitamin A? Vitamin A deficiency is a big problem in the less developed world. Approximately 350,000 pre-school children become blind each year 
because of vitamin A deficiency and the majority do not survive (WHO 
1996). But in western countries deficiency in this vitamin is considered to 
be rare because of the wide consumption of dairy products, eggs and forti­
fied foods. Also the body has the ability to store enough vitamin A, mainly 
in the liver, to last at least for three months. On top of that vitamin A can be 
manufactured in the body from a large group of plant-based substances, 
called carotenoids. There are approximately 600 different carotenoids in 
nature (in green leafy and brightly coloured vegetables and fruit), 50 of 
which can be converted to vitamin A. Based on all this knowledge western 
populations generally are not advised to supplement vitamin A. However, all this applies to people with healthy digestive systems, which 
GAPS children and adults do not possess. In people with digestive problems the picture is very different. The absorption rate of carotenoids 
can be less than 5%, which makes them largely useless as a source of vita­
min A. Also in order to convert carotenoids into vitamin A the body needs 
magnesium, zinc, many amino acids and other vital nutrients which, in a 
person with poor digestion, are always in short supply. To absorb retinol 
(the pre-formed vitamin A) from dairy products, liver, eggs and other foods 
a good supply of bile and pancreatic enzymes is needed. Many GAPS 
patients have whitish pale stools indicating that their bile production and 
fat digestion are very poor. In clinical practise people who cannot digest 
fats always present with vitamin A deficiency. Digestive system problems and vitamin A deficiency are in a "chicken 
and egg" relationship, where it is not clear which is the chicken and which 
is the egg. As we have already discovered, poor digestion causes vitamin A 
deficiency. But vitamin A deficiency can cause digestive problems. In fact 
gut disease is one of the symptoms of vitamin A deficiency, because the gut 
lining is one of the most active sites of cell production, growth and differ­
entiation. Neither of these processes can happen properly without a good 
supply of vitamin A. Leaky gut and malabsorption are the typical results of 
vitamin A deficiency. According to WHO (1996), in western countries lactating women and 
infants are two groups at high risk of being deficient in vitamin A. Lactating 
mothers need to have much more of this vitamin in their diet, than the rest 
of us, and due to all the modern factors many women in our society may 
have poor reserves of vitamin A. So it is possible that many infants do not 
get a good supply of this vitamin in the first months of life, which makes 
their digestive systems prone to developing problems later on. As always 
the health of the baby starts from the health of the mother. It is not only the digestive system which suffers from inadequate supply 
of vitamin A, its functions in the body are multiple, involving pretty much 
every aspect of health. It is essential in immune response, brain develop­
ment, vision, cell differentiation, embryogenesis, reproduction, growth 
and many other functions. One of the functions of vitamin A is its role in immunity. In fact, the 
earliest name for vitamin A was "anti-infective vitamin". In vitamin A 
deficiency both specific and non-specific immunity are impaired: the 
humoral response to bacterial, parasitic and viral infections, cell-mediated 
immunity, mucosal immunity, natural killer cell activity and phagocytosis. Supplementation of vitamin A in children shows proliferation of normal B 
and T cells and better response to antigens. Acute deficiency of vitamin A VITAMIN A 189 
with night blindness and xerophthalmia in the west are indeed rare. But 
vitamin A inadequacy in the absence of clinical acute deficiency is not rare 
at all. More than 200 million children around the world suffer from vitamin 
A inadequacy (WHO 1996). These children do not have any visual prob­
lems, typical for deficiency, instead they are very prone to infections, 
because their immune system does not function properly. Infections, par­
ticularly with a high fever, destroy a lot of vitamin A in the body. In clinical 
practice patients with febrile conditions require supplementation with this 
vitamin. GAPS children go through numerous ear and chest infections with 
fever in the first years of life, which would reduce their vitamin A reserves 
in the body (if they had any reserves) and predispose them to further 
infections. Obviously the best way to establish whether your child has a vitamin A 
deficiency is to test for it. But simply by analysing the clinical picture and 
health history I would say that all GAPS children and most GAPS adults 
need supplementation with a natural form of vitamin A, the best source of 
which is cod liver oil. As always, nature knows best. Clinical experience and 
some studies show that synthetic forms of supplemental vitamin A (retinyl 
palmitate, retinyl acetate, etretinate, accutane and others) do not work for 
these patients. So, cod liver oil it has to be! The question is - how much? A typical cod liver oil would provide 800 micrograms of vitamin A per 10 
ml of oil. A teaspoon (5 ml) of this oil would provide 400 micrograms. Recommended daily allowances for vitamin A (UK, USA, Europe, 
WHO): 
• 0-12 months of age: 150-350 micrograms per day (roughly from a third 
to an almost full teaspoon of cod liver oil). • 1-3 years of age: 200-400 micrograms per day (half to a full teaspoon). • 4-6 years of age: 200-500 micrograms per day (half to a more than a 
full teaspoon). • 7-10 years old: 250-700 micrograms per day (roughly two thirds of a 
teaspoon to almost a full dessert spoon). • 11-15 years: 250-1000 micrograms per day (from roughly two thirds of a 
teaspoon to two and a half teaspoons of cod liver oil). • Adults: 300-1000 micrograms a day. • Lactating mother: up to 1300 micrograms per day (more than three 
teaspoons of cod liver oil). We have to remember that these daily allowances have been established 
for healthy individuals.
Gut_and_Psychology_Syndrome.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        Ignore 
tantrums, screaming, crying and all other misbehaviours. Do not give him 
what he wants until he has had that one mouthful of the good food and do 
not let him leave the table. When he has had only one mouthful of the good 
food or literally just tasted it, give him the preferred food as a reward with 
lavish praise, hugs, kisses, tickles (whatever your child would most appre­
ciate) and let him go. In a few minutes repeat the whole procedure again. Only work on one mouthful at a time, reward and let him/her go. In a few 
minutes repeat again. Give your child only a small amount of the reward 
food: one or two crisps, a little piece of chocolate, etc. If he comes back for 
more, get him to eat another mouthful before rewarding him with another 
crisp, small piece of chocolate, eta These reward foods will have to be available only as rewards for eating the good foods, they must not be given 
to your child at other times, otherwise your child will wait for that time 
when he can get it without any effort. Keep the whole procedure positive 
and as happy as possible. After your child starts to take one mouthful of a 
particular food without any trouble, start demanding two mouthfuls of the 
same food for the same reward. You may spend a few days, a week or even 
more on the one mouthful stage, in different children it takes different 
effort. After you have conquered the two mouthfuls, move to three mouth­
fuls for the same reward. Slowly increase the number of mouthfuls until 
your child eats the whole meal. The examples of reward foods, which I have given here (chocolate, 
crisps) are foods which are not allowed on the GAPS nutritional pro­
gramme. However, in the initial stages when you are trying to teach your 
child the whole ABA concept use whatever works. Once your child has 
understood the rules of the game move to rewards allowed on the diet. If 
your autistic child can be motivated by any dessert ideas allowed on the 
diet, then - hooray. - forget about chocolate and crisps. Apart from favourite foods you can use anything else your child likes as a 
reward for getting him/her to eat the new food. For example, if your child 
likes to watch a particular video: put that video on, let it play for 5 minutes, 
then pause it. Offer your child a mouthful of the food you want to intro­
duce into his diet. Do not switch the video back on again until that mouth­
ful is eaten. Do not give in to tantrums, screaming, crying, etc. When your 
child has the mouthful, give him/her a lavish enthusiastic praise with hugs 
and kisses and switch the video back on. In a few minutes repeat the pro­
cedure again. If your child is not particularly interested in videos, use 
whatever he/she is interested in - toys, books, games. Obsessive 
behaviours and self-stimulation generally should not be encouraged in 
autistic children. However, if that is the only thing that would motivate 
your child, use them as rewards for eating the right foods. It is important to work on one food at a time. Do not try to introduce 
several foods at the same time. Decide for yourself what food is the most 
important to introduce first into your child's nutrition and work on it. It is 
sensible to start with foods which you think would be easiest for your child 
to accept. As you have conquered one or two foods and your child's menu 
starts growing you will find that introducing consecutive foods becomes 
easier and easier. In no time at all your child will be having a very nourish­
ing and varied diet. The important thing is not to get disheartened by the initial resistance from your child, but persevere. Hundreds of parents who have imple­
mented the ABA programme with their children had to go through the 
initial stage of tantrums to get their children to do anything, from simple 
"Come here" to more complex things. Nobody can teach a child who would 
not comply with anything you tell it to do. But once you have won that first 
battle, you have gained your child's compliance, which means that now 
you have a child whom you can teach. 1. Introducing new foods to GAPS children without language problems 
With GAPS children who do not have problems with communication the 
procedure is similar but much easier. The child has to eat the good food 
first in order to get what he/she wants: a preferred food, a game, a toy, etc. In these children I would not use non-allowed foods, like chocolate or 
crisps for rewards. You can use your home-made desserts, allowed on the 
diet. I am sure that most parents are familiar with the timeless mother's 
motto: Have your meal first, then you will get your pudding. Apart from 
that, use more sophisticated rewards as games, toys, trips to cinema, etc. rather than food rewards. Just like with autistic children, with other GAPS children it is important 
to start from small achievable targets, like one mouthful or a small piece of 
the food. If you try to suddenly introduce a large plateful of food, which 
your child hates, you are going to fail. Once your child will accept a small 
piece for a reward, slowly move to larger and larger portions. Be patient 
and consistent. Do not give in to whining, complaining or tantrums. If 
he/she does not eat the good food - he/she does not get the pudding (or 
any other reward). As simple as that. You have to be firm. Once you have 
asked your child to have the one mouthful of food you cannot back off or 
allow any negotiations or manipulations. If you allow your child to win on 
the food issue, you have lost on many other issues. If your child refused the one mouthful of the good food and does not 
seem to care that he/she did not get the reward, it means that you have 
chosen the wrong reward. Choose a reward which your child cares about 
strongly enough that he/she would do anything to get it. However, no 
matter how motivating the reward is never forget to add to it your lavish 
enthusiastic praise with a hug. Your child has to feel that he/she has done 
something really good when they had that mouthful of the good food. In the majority of cases once the children have had a good taste of a food 
which they did not touch before they actually start liking it. As their bodily flora starts to improve, a lot of cravings go away and the normal sense of 
taste returns, so your child will start developing a new liking for different 
foods. But to start this process off your child needs your help. On his/her 
own your child is not capable of braking the vicious cycle of cravings, 
toxicity and abnormalities in taste. Once your child has a good balanced 
diet, you can allow him/her not to eat a small number of foods which they 
particularly dislike. We all have these likes and dislikes. However, make 
sure that it is within normal proportions, 
It is very important to keep the whole process positive. Talk to your child, 
explain why you want him or her to eat this food, what good it will do in 
their bodies. Try to talk on this subject at every meal time using language 
and phraseology on your child's level making it fun, a game and a laugh. And when your child complies do not put any limits on your praise or 
expression of delight. Let your child really feel how happy he or she has 
made you by eating the good food. Your enthusiasm combined with the 
reward, given at the same time, will make this experience for your child 
something to look foreword to, to anticipate with pleasure at the next meal 
time. In conclusion I would say that about 60-70% of parents who come to see 
me with their children say up front that any idea of introducing any diet 
into their child's life is impossible. "My child will not eat it. " However, 
having implemented the ABA principles, which I have described here, 
most of these parents soon forget just how fussy with food their child used 
to be. Sitting down to a meal with your family becomes a normal and plea­
surable procedure, as it is supposed to be. SUPPLEMENTATION FOR 
CHILDREN AND ADULTS WITH GAP SYNDROME 
We all love our small or grown up children very much and we are prepared 
to do our best for them, no matter how difficult or expensive it might be. That makes us vulnerable to try anything and everything in the hope that it 
will help our children. I meet family after family who give their child 10,15, 
20 or more of various nutritional supplements without any idea if any of 
them are doing any good. Nutritional supplements are expensive and the 
market is full of hundreds of various brands. Many of them have question­
able quality and the whole industry is not regulated very well. I cannot emphasise enough that an appropriate diet has to be the 
number one intervention in successful nutritional management of the 
GAPS child or adult. No pill in the world is going to come close to the effect 
of the diet on your patient's condition. When it comes to digestive dis­
orders in particular, and GAP Syndrome is essentially a digestive disorder, 
we have to be very careful what we introduce into the gut of the patient. Why. Because a lot of supplements may irritate an already inflamed and 
damaged gut lining and interfere with the healing process. You do not want 
to put a lot of effort into implementing the diet and then spoil the whole 
process by a pill. However, some supplements can be very beneficial and some are essen­
tial. The supplementation protocol has to be very individual and ideally 
should be worked out by a qualified practitioner. Here we are going to con­
centrate on absolute essentials. A majority of my patients progress very 
well with the use of diet and these essential supplements without adding 
anything else. The essential supplements for GAPS patients: 
1. An effective therapeutic strength probiotic. 2. Essential fatty acids. 3. VitaminA. 4. Digestive enzymes. 5. Vitamin and mineral supplements. Let us have a good look at each of these supplements.
You should not give in to tantrums, screaming, crying, or other misbehaviors. Instead, offer a small amount of the new food and reward them with praise, hugs, and kisses.
What should you not give to your child when they refuse to eat a new food?
Probiotics are essential for GAPS patients as they help to restore the balance of beneficial bacteria in the gut, which is crucial for their health.
What is the importance of probiotics for GAPS patients?
The text does not provide specific examples of fermented foods that can be used as rewards for GAPS children. However, it does mention that it is important to use rewards that your child likes and finds motivating.
What are some examples of fermented foods that can be used as rewards for GAPS children?
According to the text, the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A for a 7-10 year old GAPS child is 250-700 micrograms per day (half to almost a full dessert spoon).
What is the recommended daily allowance of vitamin A for a 7-10 year old GAPS child?
The text does not provide a specific recommendation for the intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. However, it emphasizes the importance of getting these essential fatty acids from natural sources such as animal fats and not from processed foods.
What is the recommended way to take omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids?