GAPS Intro, redux

I wasn't intending to do it.

When Baden (of "GAPS Guide", and the GAPS Guide book) posted that she was getting ready to re-do the intro diet, and offered to support others who wanted to do it as a group, I thought, "well, that's good. A lot of people will benefit. Maybe I'll do it again at some point, but not now."

Not now indeed. I am starting my thesis (and that is part of why I haven't been writing here, because I have been thinking, planning, finishing my coursework...) It is Spring in Port Angeles, so we have been taking winter things off the boat, ripping plastic off the windows, eating geoduck, foraging for nettles. Everything, really, but doing the internal Spring Cleanse that might be in order.

But two things happened: Baden is crazy persuasive, with her gentle matter-of-fact approach. She doesn't push anyone, which gives people room to make their own decisions (I admire this trait, something I need to emulate). And I, like Baden, have allowed non-GAPS foods to slip in over time, which recently has been having unwanted effects. A few old symptoms have returned--mild vertigo, water retention, basal temperatures dropping.

I think I am both ready and in need of that Spring Cleaning.

So, without planning, at least not consciously, I have started Intro this morning. I didn't have all the supplies ready, but I was pretty close. I had to use lime in my water instead of lemon, and the soup I had for breakfast was some that I had canned last summer (thank goodness I am such a miser and can't bear to throw anything away!) I am sipping ginger tea as I write, hold the honey. Because craving sweets is definitely another of those pesky issues that has reared its ugly head.

I tried to talk myself out of it. Several times. The Thesis. The Spring Cleaning. Foraging. Easter is coming, and I always make candy for the kids: luscious marshmallows, nut brittle, truffles--all made with honey and love. So many things to get in the way of self-love. But, you know what? I can still make the candy, and I can not eat it. I am a strong adult, and I can take care of myself. I can make a pot of soup for me, while cooking for the family. Intro is not forever, and the payoff is huge.

I may not do it perfectly. In the past I have cut a few corners, but this time I am trying to do it textbook-style. Just to see what happens. Maybe I will be able to introduce dairy this time, after three years with butter as the only dairy I can tolerate. Maybe by being strict right now, I will have more freedom down the line.

And that's what it is about for me. Freedom. Freedom from symptoms, from worry, from complications. GAPS is about eating simply and healthfully. It's about making a meal that satisfies, not one that impresses. It's about giving my body a rest. It's not prison--it's the opposite: pure freedom.

If any of you are still hanging with me after my erratic habits of the last two years, thank you. And if you are motivated to do your own Spring Cleaning, do let me know. Let's support each other toward the freedom of true health.