GAPS Recipes for Kids: 50+ Delicious Ideas the Whole Family Will Love (2024)

If your child suffers from inflammatory bowel disease, leaky gut syndrome, autism, ADHD, anxiety, or depression, chances are you’ve heard about the GAPS diet. Inspired by The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) and develop by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, GAPS stands for Gut and Psychology Syndromeand is intended to remove gut-damaging foods that are difficult to digest and replace them with nutrient-dense foods in order to allow the intestinal lining to heal and seal.

The GAPS diet isnot intended to be a quick fix, and is a much more regimented protocol used to treat leaky gut, gut flora imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies, and if you do a quick search on Google, you’ll read some pretty powerful stories about the gut-brain connection and how the GAPS diet has helped children overcome symptoms of autism, ADD, allergies, and more.

If you’re interested in pursuing the GAPS diet for yourself or your children, there are heaps of delicious GAPS recipes for kids online, but before we share our favorites, let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?

What is the GAPS diet?

The GAPS diet is based on the gut-brain connection, and is designed to heal and seal the gut lining, balance the immune system, and restore healthy bacteria within the gastrointestinal tract by focusing on diet, supplementation, and detoxification. There are several different stages of the diet, with new foods being introduced as you progress from one phase to the next. The diet eliminates dairy and sugar, allows minimal fruits and grains, and includes broths and probiotic foods to help the body heal.

Who can benefit from the GAPS diet?

The GAPS diet was designed to help those with food allergies and intolerances, behavioral and emotional challenges like autism, ADHD, anxiety, and depression, as well as other autoimmune disorders, but some would argue it can be beneficial to everyone when followed correctly.

Does the GAPS diet work?

The reviews are mixed. While some report their child was cured of all autism symptoms as a result of the GAPS diet, others question the validity of the diet, and while there shouldn’t be anyharm trying some of the GAPS recipes for kids listed below, it’s important to do your own research before deciding if a full-fledged GAPS diet is right you and your family. Educate yourself on the benefits as well as the potential risks, talk to your family doctor, and enlist the help of a naturopath to ensure you fully understand the ins and outs of the GAPS diet before deciding how to proceed.

What are the best GAPS recipes for kids?

OMG, where do we start?! GAPS for kids can be challenging, especially if your little one is already a picky eater, but thanks to all of the parents who have already done the hard work for us, we’ve found over 50 GAPS recipes for kids that promise to be as delicious as they are healthy.

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Proteins

Superfood Meatballs | The Family that Heals Together
Paleo Three Cup Chicken | How WeFlourish
Pesto Sausage Cakes | Just Take a Bite
GAPS Salmon Cakes | Taste is Trump
Chicken Breasts with Figs and Squash| Real Healthy Recipes
Roast Pork with Onion Apple Gravy| Phoenix Helix
Lemon Basil Shredded Beef| The Paleo Partridge
Balsamic Braised Beef Shanks| The Primordial Table
Simple Tender Pot Roast with Holy Grail Gravy| Phoenix Helix
GAPS Tuna Salad | How We Flourish
GAPS Meat and “Potatoes” | How We Flourish
Chicken with Plums Carrots and Apples| A Squirrel in the Kitchen
Kalua Pig| Nom Nom Paleo
Hawaiian Pork Roast| Beyond the Bite
Beef Brisket| Elana’s Pantry
Cinnamon Chuck Roast and Onions| Whole Life Eating
Italian Pork Roast |The Clothes Make the Girl
Pulled Pork and Roasted Vegetables| Gutsy By Nature
Honey Garlic Chicken| Sweet Potatoes and Social Change

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Breads/Pasta

GAPS Friendly Pizza Crust | The Soft Landing
Garlic Coconut Flour Bagels | Low Carb Yum
Coconut Tortillas | Wholesome Yum
GAPSSpaghetti and Meatballs | How We Flourish

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Side Dishes

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Desserts

FAQs

Does the GAPS diet really work? ›

There is no evidence to suggest that all components of the GAPS diet can help treat the conditions it claims to. Following this diet could, however, improve a person's gut health. It encourages people to eat fewer processed foods and more fruits, vegetables, and natural fats.

What is GAPS diet for kids? ›

So very roughly- you can eat meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, with emphasis on high quality fats. You are avoiding- anything artificial/processed, most starches, grains and legumes (with a couple exceptions). Dairy is split- fermented is fine, fresh is avoided.

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How long does the GAPS diet take? ›

The full GAPS diet introduces more foods aimed at healing and restoring the gut, according to Campbell-McBride. She recommends that people follow the full GAPS diet for 18 months to two years. On the diet, about 85% of the foods you consume daily should be from: Meat.

Can you eat eggs on GAPS diet? ›

Hence the importance in introducing many egg yolks to the GAPS Diet on a daily basis. Free range organic eggs are the best source because they wont be fed antibiotics or have exposure to environmental chemicals. One of the best foods for treating adrenal fatigue is raw egg yolks.

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Are bananas allowed on the GAPS diet? ›

Fruits in the GAPS Diet are only allowed in moderation: Apples. Banana. Berries.

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Is cheese OK on the GAPS diet? ›

Other cheeses that are allowed on Full GAPS: Asiago, Blue, Brick, Brie, Camembert, Cheddar, Colby, Edam, Gorgonzola, Gouda, Havarti, Limburger, Monterey Jack, Muenster, Parmesan, Port du Salut, Roquefort, Stilton, Swiss, Romano, un-creamed cottage cheese (dry curd).

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Is peanut butter allowed on the GAPS diet? ›

FOOD FOR GAPS DIET STAGE 3

In the original GAPS Book, Dr. Natasha Campbell McBride recommends nut butter at this stage. In recent conversations, she now believes that, for most people, it is a good idea to wait to introduce nuts until Full GAPS.

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Are potatoes on the GAPS diet? ›

Vegetables that are not allowed on the diet include potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and yams. Beans and legumes are also not allowed on the GAPS diet. On the GAPs diet, sugar is considered harmful to the gut lining.

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Can you drink milk on GAPS diet? ›

You can buy ghee or make it yourself. Dairy Products to Avoid: On GAPS we need to avoid all unfermented dairy (with the exception of butter, of course.) So, no milk, fresh cheeses (like ricotta, mozzarella, feta, cream cheese, etc.) or fresh cream.

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Where do I start the GAPS diet? ›

Stage 1: Consume homemade bone broth, juices from probiotic foods and ginger, and drink mint or chamomile tea with honey between meals. People who are not dairy intolerant may eat unpasteurized, homemade yogurt or kefir. Stage 2: Add in raw organic egg yolks, ghee and stews made with vegetables and meat or fish.

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What are the side effects of the GAPS diet? ›

Campbell-McBride states that symptoms such as vomiting, severe stomach pain, distended stomachs, and extreme diarrhea or constipation, as well as increases in the symptoms you're trying to eliminate with the GAPS diet, are totally normal. Given time, the diet will work and your gut will begin to heal.

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Can you eat tomatoes on gaps? ›

Well-cooked vegetables, with all fibrous stems and peels removed: beets, bok choy, broccoli (no stalks), brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower (no stalks), collard greens, eggplant, French artichokes, garlic, green beans, kale, onions, peas, peppers, pumpkin, spinach, squash (winter and summer), tomatoes, turnips, and ...

Can you eat honey on GAPS diet? ›

HONEY. The GAPS recommends choosing honey as the sweetener of choice. Yes, it's sugar but it also has plenty of other beneficial properties.

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Is coffee ok on GAPS diet? ›

Coffee tips

I encourage you to avoid it completely for at least the first six month of GAPS, while your nervous system and hormones are regenerating. In addition to the stress of the caffeine and other chemicals in coffee, it's heavily sprayed with pesticides, and decaf is processed with terrible chemicals.

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Do people lose weight on the GAPS diet? ›

It's possible to lose weight on the GAPS diet, but that's not the aim of the protocol. Instead, it's used to address a variety of autoimmune, digestive and neurological conditions. If you're currently eating a lot of high-sugar or ultra-processed foods, moving to fresh, whole foods can result in weight loss.

Which diet program is the most successful? ›

“It's not surprising that the Mediterranean diet ranked number one,” says Jackie Newgent , a registered dietitian, Forbes Health Advisory Board member and panelist for our best diets ranking. “First, it's not a 'diet' as we have come to think of diets; it's a lifestyle.

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Is the GAPS diet anti inflammatory? ›

The GAPS diet focuses on reducing intestinal and systemic inflammation. By removing grains, pasteurized dairy, starchy vegetables, and refined carbohydrates, the diet aims to minimize inflammatory triggers in the gut. This reduction in inflammation may have positive effects on overall health and well-being.

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GAPS Recipes for Kids: 50+ Delicious Ideas the Whole Family Will Love (2024)

What is the GAPS diet?

Who can benefit from the GAPS diet?

Does the GAPS diet work?

What are the best GAPS recipes for kids?

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Proteins

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Breads/Pasta

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Side Dishes

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Desserts

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Breakfasts

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Soups/Broths

GAPS Recipes for Kids: Drinks

RECOMMENDED READING:

FAQs

Does the GAPS diet really work? ›

What are the side effects of the GAPS diet? ›