The Cost of GAPS

Many people ask me why it's so expensive to do GAPS when Charlotte eats so little food. I thought it might be helpful to explain our needs so folks will have a better idea of how choosing to do this diet has affected our family, and why we are SO grateful for the help and support we've been given.

As far as Charlotte's diet goes, right now she can eat organic, free-range turkey, organic, grass-fed beef, venison, and organic sweet potatoes. Organic turkey at the farm costs $2.99 on sale. The side of beef we ordered previously was $1,000, and the quarter we just got was almost half that. (Not buying in bulk means astronomical costs. Um, organic steak at $17.99/lb?!) The organic sweet potatoes are $4.69 a bag, which contains 4-5 sweet potatoes. To give you an idea of how much Charlotte eats- she'll easily eat her broth, a pound or more of meat, and 2-3 sweet potatoes each day.

Our food costs are also higher because Parker and I (and CJ most of the time by default) are eating "Full GAPS" meals. This means nothing processed, no grains, no sugar, and everything as clean as we can afford. There is no 99-cent box of macaroni for dinner in this house. There are no shortcuts, only preparing everything we eat (pretty much) from scratch. We rely heavily on local farms and were thankful to have a garden this past summer. Things like raw honey, coconut oil, almond flour, and other new ingredients, all cost so much. I make a lot of soups with bone broth and vegetables, which help keep costs a bit lower. Yes, it's expensive to eat this way, but our family needs to heal. My gut health is passed onto the kids, and making sure I, this baby, and Parker, also get what we need to be as healthy as possible is also a priority. And CJ! He hasn't escaped my health-nut cooking; I'm doing him a favor! His taste buds might not always agree though!

Plus, after the hours and hours (... and hours!) I've spent researching food, ingredients, the effects of foods on our bodies, brains, and health, I could not in good conscience feed my family the way I used to. I have had to learn a whole new way to cook. Everything I have been taught in health classes growing up and even in college, has been thrown out the window. Things I used to view as evil I now embrace (organic butter, high quality animal fats, salt- though now we use unprocessed sea salts). Did you know some kinds of boxed cereal actually have magnetic properties, and contain things like paint thinner? That white sugar has a similar physiological affect on the brain as cocaine? That fluoride used to be sold as rat poison? I could go on and on all day about what I've learned, but everyone must make their own choices. I only hope that feeding our family this way will set the kids (and us) up for healthier futures. And of course, we feel better!

More costs we've had since we started GAPS include getting rid of things that are potentially toxic in our home. We have replaced dozens of things- cookware (we now use glass, cast iron, stainless steel), getting rid of plastics, using safer soaps and cosmetics (Dr. Bronners for Charlotte, homemade lotions, homemade toothpaste), laundry soap, household cleaners, medicines (we use natural remedies now, homeopathic medicines, essential oils), etc. We purchased an air purifier since we're in a duplex and need to clean air coming from our smoking neighbors ($145), a water purifier to remove chemicals that hinder healing ($250). We do detox baths with epsom salts, apple cider vinegar, and baking soda. Charlotte's diapers are more expensive since we buy ones free of chlorine and other chemicals. (We've tried unsuccessfully to use cloth- she just has too many rashes. We do this some of the time, but not as much as we did with Parker, and hopefully will our next baby.) All costs like this add up. I've had to order a few books to help us along this journey too.

Then there is the cost of our supplements. Fermented cod liver oil, vitamins/minerals, fermented vegetables (since I haven't been able to keep up making my own), therapeutic strength probiotics (about $40/box), etc.

To keep in touch with our Australian doctor, it's $180 per hour, plus $70 per hour for follow up emails/calls. Insurance doesn't cover any of this. If you remember from our early posts, the medical community has little to offer us anyhow in terms of real hope for Charlotte- we'd be looking at possibly a lifetime of elemental formulas, experimental drugs, repeated scopes and biopsies, etc. Yes, insurance would cover some of this, but what kind of life would that be? We're interested in real healing. We want to heal and move on with life, not deal with this for a lifetime. So, hopefully this will be a small cost to pay for better health for Charlotte and all of us.

I hope this helps explain a little background behind why finances are tight for us. Also for those of you who don't know us well, CJ spent the past 2 1/2 years in grad school, only working part time. Then he went four months without a job this summer. Now thankfully he's employed, but let's be honest, he works at a public school. Then sprinkle in college debt and other basic expenses. I'm not complaining, just starting the facts. It's humbling to struggle to provide for your family's basic needs. But God's faithful, and we're grateful. Someday we'll be in a better position (maybe, hopefully?!) and we'll be able to be more on the giving end rather than the receiving end, and that'll feel really good. For now, we'll continue to live carefully within our means, share what we've been blessed with, make good choices, and pursue being a healthy family.

For all of you who have helped us and prayed for us, we thank you. God hears and answers our prayers, and I'm thankful He's using you all to accomplish His work here.