The GAPS diet for OCD is a good solution because this diet can improve our health from diseases of digestive origin. However, it is necessary to respect the duration of this diet and to follow it strictly during this period so that it offers you its benefits.
To treat OCD you must first know its cause. If it is due to a bad balance of the intestinal flora, or OCD disorder is the origin of a digestive disease the gaps diet for ocd then can be effective.
If not, or if the cause is a past history (which someone has already experienced in the past) it should be a balanced diet away from bad eating habits and regular visits to a psychologist.
If it is a neurophysiological cause (e.g. due to a brain inflammation) the medical treatment associated with the diet gaps may be sufficient. This usually speaks for itself because only a specialist can determine the real cause and suggest the right treatment, depending on the case.
If not, I assure you that the GAPS diet is a very good diet for psychological disorders and digestive diseases and their consequences. In fact, it was originally designed to treat autism. Then the diet was extended and became very interesting for other diseases.
What foods to avoid if you have OCD?
Gaps diet for ocd requires to avoid strictly refined products.
- Sugar and sweets
- industrial juice and soft drinks
- chocolate
- commercial coffee
- pastries and cakes
- Pizzas, hotdogs and any other fast foods.
- eggs: max 4 to 5 times a week
- Refined products
- Cereals except for lentils and white beans.
- Milk and unfermented cheeses.
- Foods containing starch: pasta, bread, potatoes.
- Syrups
- All authorized foods must be organic.
What’s OCD?
It’s a psychological disorder that is characterized by indiscriminate thoughts of obsession, such as the impulsive desire to repeat acts or mental acts like counting or reciting a sentence internally.
These acts and thoughts usually cause anguish and anxiety for these people and they think that nobody understands them or understands their actions. The most common fear is the fear of contamination and checking, so the person can not touch anything for fear of touching a microbe. or he continues to check something.
What can cause OCD?
Several causes are put forward but the real cause remains unknown, often antecedents i.e. an accident that this person has experienced in the past as Freud had defined it in his book “psychoanalysis of neurotic syndrome”.)
Other causes :
- Depression
- Genetic factors
- neurophysiological facets, that is to say, it happens in the neurons, in case of nervous inflammation for example, the OCD can be a complication
- Immune factors (common streptococcal infection)
Can a poor diet cause OCD?
A poor lifestyle can trigger this disease, a diet rich in refined foods, industrial, and an insufficient intake of water, fruits and vegetables can trigger certain psychological disorders, the OCD is also not far.
Indeed, in a study, they found a high rate of OCD in people who have an eating disorder, either polyphagia, bulimia or anorexia, so eating less or more can affect your mental health. The best thing to do is to choose a balanced diet and apply its principles.
What’s exactly a GAPS diet?
The Gaps diet is a very healthy diet recommended by many nutritionists and doctors. This diet takes care of the intestinal microbiota responsible for physical and moral well-being!
It was developed by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride who used to treat digestive tract diseases and other autoimmune diseases and psychological disorders of digestive origin.
The characteristics of this diet
- Restrictive diet
- The duration of this diet should be on average 2 years, depending on the case and the recovery.
- This diet prohibits all refined foods, sugar, certain grains, foods and starch.
- In this diet you can eat all fruits and vegetables, meat, fish, oilseeds, fermented dairy products.
- Unlike the AIP diet, the GAPS diet does not prohibit all grains because they are a very good source of fiber (which helps to balance our microbiota), a good source of vitamins, minerals and iron.
To learn more about the difference between the AIP diet (autoimmune protocol) and the GAPS diet: Gaps or Aip diet reduces inflammation more?
The gaps diet is also characterized by broths: (fish or meat soup). Especially during the first phase of the diet the goal is to let our intestines rest a little by a liquid gaps diet.
Will my OCD come back after stopping Diet?
If you don’t follow the diet strictly for 2 years, the diet mayn’t be effective. Therefore, this diet must be followed strictly for an average of 2 years (depending on your case).
The diet is not too strict, you can introduce lentils or white beans sometimes, all fruits and vegetables are allowed, even fermented dairy products. So this diet may seem difficult to follow in the long term but it must be applied strictly if you wish to have results.
Steps To Succeed your GAPS diet for OCD
- Follow the diet strictly for 2 years. No cheat days.
- Practice a sport activity to reduce stress.
- Consult a psychotherapist regularly to relieve your anxiety.
- Ask the doctor to take some food supplements necessary for the proper functioning of your body and also to avoid deficits.
- For a better mental health it is necessary to have a good life hygiene, to sleep on time (before 11pm), to drink a lot of water (but not at meal time)
- Practicing a regular physical activity for at least 35 minutes a day.
- You should take up to 6 fruits and vegetables a day. However, you should not overdo it by eating too many vegetables and fruits.
Their fiber intake is important for your health, but an excessive intake of fiber can damage the health of your gut and the gaps diet for ocd will not succeed like that. To find out more: what are the risks of excessive fiber intake.
Bottom Line
Finally, the Gaps diet was originally developed to treat autism, because a relationship was discovered between the health of the microbiota (gut flora) and mental health. So if we treat the cause, the disease will be treated.
In this case, the GAPS diet for OCD can be effective, also for other psychological disorders such as OCD and digestive illnesses or to improve your gut health.
The gaps diet for ocd can give you good results if you strictly follow its principles because the GAPS diet alone is not enough in most cases, a healthy lifestyle must also be associated. The gaps diet should be prescribed by a nutritionist if you have OCD.
