What to Drink on a GAPS Liquid Fast

The GAPS Liquid Fasting chapter names eight kinds of drink, from clear meat stock to the liquid from a vegetable ferment. The preparation matters as much as the name: soup with pieces in it and a blended vegetable drink are different from the no-solids liquids Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride describes.^[1]

Meat Stock

Campbell-McBride places fresh homemade meat stock at the center of the drink list and describes it as supplying proteins, minerals and other building materials. Her fasting chapter specifies that it is strained clear and served warm or hot. The fat does not need to be removed unless it is difficult to digest at the time.^[1]

The book’s stock preparation starts with raw meaty animal parts containing joints and connective tissues, rather than bare bones. Its fasting chapter names skin, feet and heads among the useful parts. Its general recipes bring the water to a boil and then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. In the Liquid Fasting chapter, the named times are about one hour for fish, one and a half to two hours for chicken or other poultry, and three to four hours for beef, pork or lamb. The separate poultry recipe distinguishes commercial birds from home-reared birds that may take longer. Rachael Mamane’s Mastering Stocks and Broths also guides the gentle-simmer technique.^[1][5][8]

The fasting chapter adds natural salt, black pepper and bay leaves, with other tolerated spices and optional vegetables such as onion, carrot, celery, cabbage and greens. It adds freshly chopped garlic and parsley at the end, then strains the stock clear for warm or hot drinking. Campbell-McBride describes a cup every hour or every few hours. That is the chapter’s stock instruction; the two-to-four-cups clinic-packing example belongs to a different paragraph.^[1]

The Liquid Fasting chapter discourages bone broth as the default, especially for someone new to the protocol. It describes an exception for someone who was already consuming bone broth and is adapted to it. In the separate “Meat Stock and Soups” section, Campbell-McBride advises no bone broth for at least a year, and longer for some people. Keep those statements in their own contexts; the fasting chapter does not make a new starter broth-introduction schedule.^[2][5]

Vegetable Medley

Vegetable medley here means the liquid from the book’s fermented cabbage, beetroot, garlic and herb preparation. It is not a vegetable purée. Campbell-McBride explains its saltiness through sodium-chloride loss during fasting. Where vegetable medley is unavailable, the chapter gives its particular natural-salt alternative, about half a teaspoon per glass of water.^[2][6]

Brine from Home-Fermented Vegetables

Brine from home-fermented vegetables, garlic, cucumbers, peppers, cabbage or any mixture you’ve fermented at home, is another wonderful beverage GAPS recommends, rich in minerals, enzymes, salt, lactic acid and other supportive nutrients. Dilute it with water to taste, and drink it slowly, “chewing” every mouthful rather than gulping it down.^[2]

The chapter describes vegetable medley and brine as laxative and says quick drinking can intensify diarrhea. It recommends slow drinking, “chewing” each mouthful. This passage needs to remain distinct from the book’s blood-and-mucus stool restriction on enemas; it does not remove that restriction.^[2][7]

Vegetable Broth

Vegetable broth is another warm, comforting option GAPS recommends for the fast. It’s made by slowly cooking a mix of vegetables in water for several hours or overnight. GAPS is specific about the cookware here: fill a non-metal pot, ceramic, glazed or glass, almost to the top with chopped vegetables. You can use the parts usually discarded: broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower stalks, squash and pumpkin offcuts and skins, garlic and onion trimmings. Add salt, black pepper, bay leaves and a source of acidity: a handful of fermented vegetables, brine, or half a cup of apple cider vinegar. This is a good use for any fermented batch that didn’t turn out well flavor-wise. Simmer overnight, then strain in the morning, discard the vegetables, add fresh chopped garlic and parsley, and strain again. GAPS suggests adding some whey or vegetable medley to it as well.^[2]

Herbal Teas

GAPS recommends herbal teas made from any mixture of herbs you like, and specifically loose herbal teas rather than tea bags. Pour boiling water over dried or fresh herbs and let it steep in a warm place for 5 minutes. Fresh ginger tea gets a specific mention as soothing and healing for the digestive system and the rest of the body: grate fresh or frozen ginger root, add boiling water, steep for 5 minutes, and strain.^[3]

Fresh Whey

Fresh whey from homemade kefir or yogurt is an excellent fasting drink, rich in probiotics and lactic acid with what GAPS describes as a profound healing effect on the gut lining. To make it, pour homemade kefir or yogurt into a cheesecloth, tie the four corners together, and hang it overnight to drip into a bowl. The yellow liquid collected by morning is whey; it keeps well in the fridge in glass bottles. Whey has a firming effect on the bowel, which balances the laxative pull of vegetable medley and brine. Many people like it salty, so add salt to taste. You can dilute it with water, drink it as is, or add it into every cup of meat stock.^[3]

Green Juices

The chapter names cucumber, celery, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, parsley and other greens, garlic, ginger and lemon for green juice. Campbell-McBride avoids fruit juice as the base because of sweetness, while allowing a little carrot or some orange in the green juice if sweetness is desired. That small named addition should not be lost behind a blanket “no fruit” sentence.^[3]

Natural Mineral and Spring Water

Natural mineral and spring water, still or carbonated, rounds out the list. GAPS notes the bubbles in carbonated water actually improve its energetic properties. Drink it at room temperature or warm; chilled water is stressful for the digestive system and interferes with its ability to heal. Squeeze a piece of lemon into every cup and drop the lemon itself in, since it contributes antioxidants and minerals. Apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon per glass, works as an alternative. Fasting makes the body more acidic, and GAPS notes that plain water doesn’t correct that on its own, while lemon and cider vinegar have the right mineral profile to help maintain a normal acid-alkaline balance.^[3]

GAPS is specific about the container here too: buy mineral water in glass bottles, never plastic, since plastic leaches toxic chemicals into the water. Tap water is off the list entirely, since GAPS notes it carries a heavy load of man-made chemicals in most places around the world.^[3]

Putting the List to Work

Have all of these liquids available to you every day and choose based on what you actually want, since GAPS notes your body will signal a desire for a particular beverage.^[4] This range of choices is also what keeps you from feeling hungry during the fast. One rule applies across the whole list: don’t drink anything cold. Everything should be warm, hot, or at room temperature.^[4]

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Drink Bone Broth on a GAPS Liquid Fast?

Generally no, unless you were already consuming bone broth regularly before the fast and are adapted to it. Otherwise GAPS recommends fresh meat stock, not bone broth, since bone broth is too rich in amino acids for the fast.^[2]

Is Fruit Juice Allowed During the Fast?

Fruit juice is not the base of the chapter’s fasting list. Its green-juice paragraph does allow a little carrot or some orange for sweetness. The distinction is between that named addition and substituting a glass of sweet fruit juice for the green juice.^[3]

Why Does GAPS Say Not to Drink Cold Liquids While Fasting?

GAPS states that drinking chilled water is stressful for the digestive system and interferes with its ability to heal, so every fasting liquid should be warm, hot or at room temperature.^[3]

Your Next Step

Use the list to identify the actual preparation, then read the situations and limits, duration and return-to-food guides together. The Liquid GAPS Recipe Collection is listed in my shop.

References

1. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “GAPS Liquid Fasting.”
2. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “GAPS Liquid Fasting.”
3. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “GAPS Liquid Fasting.”
4. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “GAPS Liquid Fasting.”
5. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Meat Stock and Soups,” stock and bone-broth distinction and first-year timing.
6. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Vegetable Medley,” the liquid from the fermented-vegetable preparation.
7. Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Bowel Management,” the blood-and-mucus enema exception.
8. Mamane, Rachael. Mastering Stocks and Broths, stock preparation and gentle simmering.