Nuts and Seeds are fibrous and should not be introduced for GAPS patients until digestive symptoms have shown some signs of improvement. The introduction diet provides a slow introduction to nuts by starting with nut butter followed by baking with nut flour and finally nuts for snacks themselves with encouragement to prepare them and chew them well. The sensitivity test is advised to be carried out first for those who suspect a true nut allergy, however there are many people who express their intolerance for nuts during the introduction diet who may need to determine themselves whether to wait until further healing takes place before introducing them.

Selecting organic nuts and seeds and preparing them by soaking (sprouting) and sometimes blanching them (skins removed) often makes all the difference for a GAPS patient to better tolerate them. Even nut farmers are aware of the dangerous chemicals sprayed on their nut crops and they make the effort not to place their own family home too close to the crops to keep their families safe.I have personally met a family who moved off their macadamia farm because they were all getting sick and one of their children also had autism.In July 2008, a discovery of over two million bass embryos hatched with deformities on Gwen Gilson’s fish hatchery in Noosa. Nearly all of the embryos had two heads and two hearts. When they hatched, they lived for forty-eight hours then died. Gwen’s hatchery is next door to a macadamia nut farm, where the pesticide Endosulfan was used.Gwen and her animals health continued to decline and she told journalist Liz Hayes in a 60 minutes interview that she’d buried three of her horses, and that her dog, ducks and chickens all had problems with their blood and nervous system resulting directly with the way they struggled to move or walk.Fortunately Edosulfan was banned in Australia in 2010, just as it had been banned in over 60 other countries proven to be linked to birth and developmental deformities in humans as well as animals. Unfortunately, this was replaced with another chemical.Many GAPS patients have a toxic overload and cannot tolerate even the smallest amount of chemicals or pesticides in their system and this is why organic serves to be a better option.

In addition to crop chemicals, nuts and seedscontain their own toxic substances known as enzyme inhibitors and phytates (phytic acid).These toxins can play havoc in the digestive system, blocking nutrients such as calcium, magnesium, copper iron and especially zinc.Enzyme inhibitors in particular, are contained on the skins or surrounds of nuts and seeds and they are especially apparent in nuts with brown skins like almonds.Their purpose serves as a protective layer to naturally prevent animals and insects from consuming them so that they have the opportunity to germinate and sprout into a plant. Soaking nuts in warm salty water overnight will activate enzymes that neutralise enzyme inhibitors and also breakdown a large portion of Phytic acid that allow the nutrients to be better absorbed in the digestive system.

If you have the time to prepare your own nuts and seeds and make your own nut/seed flours or nut/seed milks, it is best to adapt the following sequence:

1.Soak.

2.Blanch (if using almonds).

3.Dry in the oven or dehydrator.

4.Follow the steps to grind them to make your nut flour or steps to make your nut milk.

5.Try fermenting the flour or nut milk if nuts continue to be a problem.

Article by Linda Paterson