I started the GAPS Intro on January 2nd, 2013. You can read more about GAPS here. I’ve been doing some pretty significant research and have come up with the following list for what is allowed on the 1st stage of the Intro (there are 6 stages to the Intro- I am planning on doing a few days on each stage unless I start seeing signs I need to stay where I am).

My crock pot making ‘perpetual broth’. I haven’t turned it off in seven days!

I won’t lie, the first stage of the Introduction is plain; lots of soups and broths. That’s about it.

To be added to broth/soups:
Whey from homemade yogurt (as long as you have already done the elimination/challenge for dairy: I haven’t, so I won’t be using whey)
and/or
Liquid only from homemade fermented vegetables. I live in Seattle and am incredibly lucky; we have a -great- local sauerkraut/other fermented vegetables producer: Firefly Kitchens. I -love- their stuff, especially their ginger carrots, dill sauerkraut and cortido. Stage 3 is when you get to start eating the vegetable portion of the ferments. For now it’s just the liquid.

My homemade cortido on the right and some Firefly Kimchi on the left. Unlike most store-bought fermented vegetables those made by Firefly Kitchens are not pasteurized, so the important enzymes and probiotics remain intact.

Homemade meat and fish stocks (I started my first crock pot of perpetual broth two days before I began the diet: pretty sure I’m going to need to have more than one crock pot with this way of eating).

All of the following food must be boiled to cook it, and the veggies have to be incredibly mushy before eating: (this is to help with digestion: fiber, while very important, can be hard to digest for many people. Don’t worry, you will get some crunchy goodness soon!)

Shellfish (shellfish includes mollusks and crustaceans) and fish

Poultry (chicken, turkey, duck, pheasant, pigeon…)

Grassfed ground beef (Trader Joe’s), free range chicken thighs (Costco) and a side of wild Pacific salmon (Loki Fish based out of Seattle).

Meats: Beef, Lamb, Pork, wild game

Vegetables (make sure to remove stems/other fibrous parts of the vegetables prior to cooking): Onions, garlic, leeks, shallots, carrots, zucchini, squash, pumpkin, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, mustard greens, turnips, Brussels sprouts, artichokes, beets, spinach, green beans, green peas, bell peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and mushrooms.

Other: mint tea, chamomile tea, ginger tea (from fresh ginger), lemon (a small amount squeezed into tea or mineral water), very small amount of honey to sweeten the tea, ghee (homemade), black or white pepper and sea salt.

My saving graces: an insulated Kleen Kanteen I use for my teas and on the right (silver) is a thermos I use for keeping my broth warm.

Resources for making your own:

broth

fermented veggies

yogurt

ghee

*The information I have included here or elsewhere on my website is not to be considered treatment or diagnosis or any particular disease or condition. Always consult your health care practitioner before undertaking any new health regimen.

Day 1 of my GAPS Intro journey:
Pre-breakfast: filtered water with a squeeze of lemon
Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner: I put a package of organic chicken thighs in the crock pot last night (folks in the Seattle area, Costco sells organic chicken in their freezer section for a really reasonable price, FYI) along with some onions, carrots, tomatoes, water, sea salt and pepper. I’m going to puree some of the broth/veggies and put some of the chicken meat in the resulting soup and eat it throughout the day.
“Snacks”: broth I made using the ‘perpetual chicken stock’ method and mint tea sweetened with a little honey.