Cooking Techniques for the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet, Part II: Culturing Dairy

Cultured dairy is a large part of the Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet, which is exactly why so many people with dairy allergies or sensitivities tend to avoid it. Unfortunately, these same people also miss out on the opportunity to heal.

Enter chef, author, and teacher Monica Corrado. Using non-clinical language all readers can understand, Corrado continues to unravel the myths and misconceptions people bring to GAPS. Where the first book in her series examined the important differences between meat stock and bone broth, this time the author turns to the unique role of dairy. Cooking Techniques for the Gut and Psychology Syndrome Diet, Part II: Culturing Dairy is an easy-to-understand, step-by-step guide on how to successfully implement nutritious cultured dairy products back into your diet.

As Corrado explains in her introduction, allergies and sensitivities are symptoms of a “leaky gut.” This is a damaged small intestine that can no longer break down food or absorb the nutrients the food should provide. If left unresolved for a long time, the consequences can be dire to your health. GAPS, or Gut and Psychology Syndrome, is based on the fundamental idea that diseases take hold when your gut ceases to function the way it should, and it seeks to address a range of disorders and chronic conditions that can be traced back to a leaky gut.

How do you know if you or if someone you love has a leaky gut? “Symptoms tell the tale,” says the author. These symptoms can and often do include food sensitivities, including dairy, as well as constipation, IBS, mood swings, and even depression. A leaky gut can also contribute to the “alphabet soup” of brain function disorders that plague so many of our children: ADD, ADHD, autism spectrum, OCD, SPD, and autoimmune disorders.

When it comes to dairy specifically, most people experience sensitivities rather than true allergies—and those in the latter category may be even more wary of GAPS. Yet there’s no need to fear. When dairy is cultured for a minimum of 24 hours, nearly all of the lactose is predigested for you, greatly reducing the chances that you’ll suffer your usual array of symptoms. And if you follow Corrado’s “Dairy Introduction Protocol” in Chapter 5, there’s no guesswork in figuring out what dairy product is safe to eat or when it’s safe to eat it.

Over the course of eight chapters, Corrado covers a range of important topics and answers essential questions:

• What is dairy and why culture it?
• Which milk is best? Why?
• Why homemade cultured dairy products?
• To introduce or not introduce dairy?

After that, Corrado moves on to the techniques—all far easier than you imagine—for making a full range of homemade cultured dairy products:

• Whey
• Ghee
• Cultured butter
• Crème Fraîche (cultured cream)
• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Sour cream

As a society, we’re only now taking our first steps toward understanding the profound implications of digestive health: improve it, and your physical and mental well-being will follow. We already know we can heal ourselves by doing something as simple as making different food choices, and now this series from Monica Corrado just shows us how easy it can be.

Includes a foreword by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, creator of the GAPS diet and author of the original book on the topic, Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Depression, and Schizophrenia.

About the Author

Celebrated teaching chef, holistic Certified Nutrition Consultant, and Certified GAPS Practitioner, Monica Corrado, MA, has spent decades illuminating the connection between food and well-being and inspiring others to start cooking nourishing traditional food. With her cooking classes, lectures, and books, she has devoted her career to helping both children and adults—especially those who suffer from ASD, ADHD, Asperger’s, allergies, and autoimmune disorders—reclaim their natural health. Monica is also a gifted teacher of teachers. Her Cooking for Well-Being Teacher Training program, established in 2012, has produced graduates from all over the U.S., Hong Kong, Canada, and Mexico. Visit Simply Being Well to schedule a consultation or book Monica as a speaker for your next event.