Okay, here they are. These are my PERSONAL views on food. Because my way of eating does not fit into one box, these things may not be kosher with Paleo or Primal or GAPS or Clean-eating, but they are right for me!

I EAT lashings of butter and ghee.
I believe in eating animal fats, which fits right in with my penchant for butter. In my previous life that used to be a love of bread with butter (there is nothing better) but, alas, those times are gone. The only other cooking oils/fats that I use are Olive, Sesame and Coconut.

I DON’T EAT GM non-fermented soy products.
This subject is hotly debated, but in my mind there is much evidence and food history to suggest that we should only be eating FERMENTED soy products, and in small amounts. I occasionally eat an organic Soy Tempeh from my local Eumundi Tempeh man,  soy sauce/Tamari and Miso- which are all GAPS illegal.

I EAT lactose-free dairy.
This is an area of revision for me. Since the GAPS diet allows non-lactose dairy (eg hard, aged cheeses, butter and real yoghurt), I fear I have embraced this allowance perhaps a little too much and ignored my life-long intolerance of dairy products. While I am not having direct symptoms from dairy since being on GAPS, I have been wondering whether I could be healthier without it. Well, without the cheese part. Unfortunately my love of bread and butter is closely followed by cheese, so it will be a while until I am ready to eliminate something else. Watch this space.
I eat home-made natural and greek yoghurt.

I DON’T EAT pork products.
This is where I am most obviously unable to fit under the Paleo umbrella. Their unofficial emblem is bacon!!! While I admit to now-and-then enjoying some crispy bacon (always organic), my reading on and understanding of pork products has led to me removing pork from my diet. This is not a religious decision.

I DON’T EAT grains.
This is standard under both GAPS and PALEO/PRIMAL. Grey areas that I have found so far are Quinoa (I was told that it is a seed, not a grain, however it is not GAPS legal) and Buckwheat. One of my naughty cheats is rice. It is hard to eat a curry without rice (I usually substitute with cauliflower rice but sometimes I cheat and have a mouthful) and my naturopath insists that due to my genetic make-up (Indian background) I should be eating rice. It is the one thing that I wonder if one day, further along the track, I will re-introduce.

I AVOID processed sugar.
My alternatives are honey and coconut sugar. I follow Sarah Wilson’s IQS  and most of her ways of eating, but am undecided as yet about Stevia and do not use Rice bran Syrup as it is obviously grain-based. I have maple syrup now and then, but it is not GAPS legal as it contains complex sugars which are difficult for an impaired gut to digest.

I EAT fruit.

This is an exciting new novelty for me at the moment. For years I have avoided eating fruit due to my health and digestive problems, but since starting GAPS I have healed enough that I am able to tolerate most fruits. Now that it is coming into summer I have embraced my love for fruit once more in the form of peaches, nectarines and mangoes. So, while I understand that fruit has a high sugar content and follow most of Sarah Wilson’s IQS protocol, for now my choice is to enjoy and be at peace with a beautiful group of foods that for too long I have missed.