3 Day Gaps Diet Meal Plan in 6 Stages (Printable, PDF)

Honest lead: The GAPS (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) diet was created by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride and claims to treat autism, ADHD, depression, schizophrenia, and other neurological conditions by “healing” a leaky gut with a long, highly restrictive elimination protocol.

There are no randomized controlled trials showing GAPS treats any of those conditions.

This article explains what the diet is, what the phases look like, what evidence exists (and does not), and why a registered dietitian must be involved before anyone, especially a child, is put on it.

Read This Before You Start

GAPS is a long, highly restrictive elimination diet that can last one to two years. It removes entire food groups, including all grains, starchy vegetables, pasteurized dairy, refined sugar, and most legumes.

In children and in adults with any underlying medical condition, this level of restriction can cause nutritional deficiencies, unintended weight loss, disordered eating patterns, and, in autism spectrum patients with existing food selectivity, worsened intake.

If you are considering GAPS for a child with autism, ADHD, or a mood disorder, please involve a pediatrician and a registered dietitian (RD or RDN, ideally one experienced with pediatric or gastrointestinal nutrition) before making any changes.

Diet is not a substitute for evidence-based medical or behavioral care.

What Is The GAPS Diet?

Introduced by British neurologist and nutritional consultant Natasha Campbell-McBride in her 2004 book, the GAPS diet is built on the hypothesis that a compromised intestinal lining (“leaky gut”) allows toxins and microbes to reach the bloodstream, where they influence brain development and mental health.

The proposed fix is a two-part protocol:

• An Introduction Phase broken into 6 stages, meant to “heal” the gut wall.
• A long Full GAPS (Maintenance) Phase, followed by a slow Reintroduction Phase.

The centerpiece foods are homemade bone broth, fermented foods, animal fats, pastured meats, non-starchy vegetables, and, later, cold-pressed olive and coconut oils, nuts, and small amounts of fruit.

What The Evidence Actually Shows

The GAPS diet is often marketed as a treatment for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, and even schizophrenia.

It is important to be clear: no peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials support GAPS as a treatment for any of these conditions. Case reports and personal testimonials exist. Robust clinical evidence does not.

Broader elimination-diet research is mixed.

A Cochrane review on dietary interventions for autism found insufficient evidence to recommend any elimination diet, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has cautioned that restrictive diets in ASD carry real nutritional risks and should only be pursued under professional supervision.

For irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Ford et al.

2018 (PMID 30203800) and later Cochrane-tracked reviews find modest short-term symptom improvement with structured low-FODMAP protocols, not with GAPS-style regimens.

Mayo Clinic likewise stresses that any long elimination diet should be time-limited and supervised, with a plan for reintroduction to avoid deficiency.

None of this means everyone reporting benefit is imagining it. Eliminating ultra-processed food, added sugar, and alcohol while eating more vegetables, fiber, and fermented foods often does make people feel better. That is not the same as evidence for the specific GAPS mechanism.

The 6 Stages Of The GAPS Introduction Phase

The introduction phase progresses only when the person tolerates each food group without loose stools, pain, or other reactions. Movement can take days at each stage or many weeks.

Stage 1

Homemade meat and fish bone broth, well-cooked meat and vegetables (from broth), ginger tea with honey, unpasteurized homemade yogurt or kefir if dairy is tolerated, and probiotic-rich juices from sauerkraut or fermented vegetables in tiny amounts.

Stage 2

Add raw organic egg yolks stirred into broth, stews made with meat or fish and non-starchy vegetables, ghee for those who tolerate dairy fats, and increased fermented vegetable juice.

Stage 3

Add ripe avocado, GAPS-recipe pancakes made from nut butters and eggs, fermented vegetables in small amounts, and scrambled eggs cooked in ghee, duck fat, or goose fat.

Stage 4

Add roasted and grilled meats, cold-pressed olive oil, freshly pressed vegetable juices (starting with carrot), and GAPS-recipe almond flour bread.

Stage 5

Add cooked apple puree, small amounts of raw vegetables starting with peeled cucumber and lettuce, and small amounts of raw non-citrus fruits.

Stage 6

Add more raw fruits including citrus, and small amounts of baked goods sweetened with dried fruit. When tolerated, move to Full GAPS.

The Full GAPS (Maintenance) Phase

Most of the daily menu is built from:

• Fresh meat, fish, and shellfish (preferably grass-fed or wild).
• Organic eggs.
• Non-starchy vegetables, cooked and raw.
• Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt) at every meal if tolerated.
• Animal fats (tallow, lard, ghee, duck fat) and coconut oil.
• Bone broth with meals.
• Baked goods from nut and seed flours only, in moderation.

Excluded: all grains, starchy vegetables (potato, sweet potato, yam), soy, refined sugar, pasteurized dairy, most legumes, packaged and canned foods, and processed additives.

The Reintroduction Phase

Only after roughly six months of normal digestion on Full GAPS does the protocol suggest reintroducing new foods, one at a time and in small amounts. Gluten-free grains and well-cooked legumes come first, then fermented sourdough, then other foods.

If bowel movements or symptoms change, that food is pulled out and re-tried later.

GAPS Compared With Other Elimination Diets

Sample 3-Day GAPS-Style Menu (Full GAPS Phase)

This is illustrative only and should be tailored by a dietitian to individual needs, allergies, and tolerances.

Day 1. Breakfast: two scrambled eggs cooked in ghee with sauteed spinach and a spoon of sauerkraut. Lunch: chicken and vegetable stew simmered in bone broth. Dinner: baked salmon with roasted zucchini and a side of fermented cucumber. Snack: half an avocado with sea salt.

Day 2. Breakfast: full-fat plain yogurt (if dairy tolerated) with a few berries and chopped walnuts. Lunch: beef and mushroom soup with bone broth base. Dinner: roasted chicken thighs with cauliflower mash and kimchi. Snack: cucumber slices with guacamole.

Day 3. Breakfast: GAPS-recipe almond flour pancake topped with banana slices and ghee. Lunch: tuna-and-greens wrap in a large collard leaf, with 28 g walnuts. Dinner: cauliflower “rice” with turmeric roasted chicken and roasted fennel. Snack: warm bone broth.

Real Risks To Discuss With A Professional

• Nutrient shortfalls. Long restriction without planning can lead to low fiber intake variety, low B vitamins, low iodine (from cutting fortified grains and iodized salt use), and low vitamin D.
• Weight loss and growth issues in children. Restrictive diets in growing bodies can compromise height, weight, and cognitive development, and are contraindicated without pediatric RD supervision.
• Disordered eating risk. Labeling foods as “toxic” or “healing” can encourage rigid, anxious food thinking. In anyone with a history of an eating disorder, GAPS-style restriction is inappropriate.
• Autism spectrum food selectivity. Many autistic children have narrow safe-food lists. Removing large groups can worsen intake and mealtime stress.
• Raw dairy risks. Unpasteurized milk and yogurt carry infection risk (Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter), especially in children, pregnancy, and immune compromise.
• Delaying real treatment. Diet cannot substitute for behavioral therapy, ADHD treatment, mood-disorder care, or psychiatric medication when clinically indicated.

Who Should Not Try GAPS Without Close Supervision

• Anyone under 18.
• Pregnant or nursing individuals.
• Anyone with a history of an eating disorder.
• People with diabetes or on blood-glucose-lowering medication.
• People with chronic kidney disease, liver disease, or immune compromise.
• People with confirmed or suspected inflammatory bowel disease not first evaluated by a gastroenterologist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the GAPS diet treat autism or ADHD?

There are no randomized controlled trials showing that GAPS treats autism, ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Case reports exist. That is not proof of effectiveness. Do not delay evidence-based therapies to try GAPS.

Is “leaky gut” a real medical diagnosis?

Increased intestinal permeability is a real physiologic phenomenon studied in inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and some other conditions.

However, “leaky gut syndrome” as marketed for autism, mental illness, or fatigue is not a formally recognized medical diagnosis, and testing kits sold direct-to-consumer are not validated for clinical use.

How long does the GAPS diet last?

The Introduction Phase can run three weeks to twelve months. Full GAPS then continues for one to two years before slow reintroduction. Any diet of that length in a child or medically complex adult must be supervised.

Is bone broth actually medicinal?

Bone broth is a reasonable source of fluid, some minerals, gelatin, and modest amino acids. Claims that it seals the gut lining or rebuilds cartilage are not supported by strong human trials.

What about low-FODMAP for IBS instead?

For IBS specifically, low-FODMAP has better evidence than GAPS (see Ford 2018, PMID 30203800). It is designed as a short elimination followed by structured reintroduction, ideally with an RD.

Can GAPS cause harm?

Yes, if done without professional guidance. Risks include nutritional deficiency, unintended weight loss (or, in children, growth faltering), disordered eating, worsened food selectivity in ASD, infection from raw dairy, and delaying evidence-based care.

What should I do if I still want to try it?

Book an appointment with a registered dietitian experienced in restrictive diets and gastrointestinal or pediatric nutrition. Bring your (or your child’s) medical history and current labs.

Ask about a shorter, structured elimination first and about how success and stopping criteria will be defined.

Medical disclaimer. This article is educational only and is not medical, psychiatric, or nutritional advice. GAPS is a highly restrictive long-term elimination diet that can cause nutritional deficiency, unintended weight loss or growth impairment (especially in children), disordered eating, and infection risk from raw dairy. It has no randomized controlled trial evidence for treating autism, ADHD, depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia. Do not start GAPS, especially for a child or a person with any chronic medical or psychiatric condition, without direct guidance from a physician and a registered dietitian. Never stop or delay a prescribed medical or behavioral treatment based on this article. If you are struggling with disordered eating, contact a qualified clinician or an eating disorder helpline in your country.