New potatoes are among the first foods the 2020 GAPS book names for coming off the strict diet. Potato is also a nightshade. If you are sensitive to that plant family, the book changes the order: try tomato, eggplant and peppers before potato.[1]
That order applies to nightshade sensitivity. New potatoes still belong to the later, post-GAPS transition. The chapter asks for at least two years on strict GAPS for the majority of people and at least six months of normal digestion before introducing foods outside the diet. Read the complete coming-off guide before planning that first potato.[1]
When the Nightshade Order Applies
For people without nightshade sensitivity, new potatoes and fermented gluten-free grains are the first foods the book names after the strict GAPS period. For someone sensitive to nightshades, it says to try tomato, eggplant and peppers before potato. It does not specify an order among those three foods.[1]
The same 2020 book says to avoid tomatoes, eggplant and peppers initially if sensitive. As Intro is completed, a person may find they no longer react and can introduce them gradually, one at a time.[2] That earlier step is separate from trying new potatoes after the strict GAPS period. Keep your current phase clear before using the post-GAPS order.
How to Try One Food at a Time
The coming-off chapter starts with a small portion of one new food and a 2–3 day watch for digestive problems or symptoms familiar to that person. If there is no reaction, it says to try another portion a few days later, then gradually increase that same food if it is still tolerated. Only then move to another new food. The chapter says the process can take several months.[1]
Choose a simple preparation alongside foods you already know. A mixed sauce can introduce a new vegetable, seasoning and dairy product at the same time. Keeping the meal familiar makes your notes easier to follow. Record the food, its amount and how it was prepared, then leave room for what happened over the next two or three days.
A known dangerous anaphylactic-type allergy is outside an ordinary home food trial. The GAPS Food Allergy article itself makes that exception for a particular food.[3]
Tomato, eggplant and peppers are a different question from potato. The book says to leave them out initially if you are sensitive, then try them gradually and separately as Intro is completed. Its Stage 5 raw-vegetable list includes tomato when nightshades are tolerated. Potato remains outside the strict GAPS food list; tolerance of tomato does not move potato into Full GAPS.[2]
When Potato Comes Next
If nightshade sensitivity is the reason you changed the order, work through tomato, eggplant and peppers as separate introductions before considering potato. If a familiar problem returns with one, pause rather than push through the list. The source does not promise that every person will tolerate every nightshade.[1]
When new potatoes are the next food, begin with a small amount of a plain preparation. The book calls for serving these starches with a good amount of fat, such as butter, ghee, olive oil or animal fat, and repeating the same observation and gradual-increase sequence.[1] Keep the first potato preparation simple. Fries, chips or a packaged potato dish can bring other ingredients into the same meal. Once that food is tolerated, you can decide which preparations belong in your own rotation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Everyone Have to Try Tomato Before Potato?
No. The tomato, eggplant and pepper exception is for people sensitive to nightshades. The 2020 book otherwise names new potatoes among the first foods to introduce after the strict diet and six months of normal digestion.[1]
Is There a Set Order Among Tomato, Eggplant and Peppers?
The book lists all three before potato for a nightshade-sensitive person, but does not prescribe which of the three to try first. Keep each introduction separate and follow the small-portion, repeat-portion and gradual-increase steps before moving on.[1]
Are All Nightshades Excluded from Full GAPS?
No. The book names tomatoes, eggplant and peppers in its vegetable guidance, with gradual introduction when tolerated. It separately tells people sensitive to nightshades to avoid them initially. New potatoes come later, when leaving strict GAPS, rather than becoming a Full GAPS food.[1][2]
The Coming Off GAPS course is listed in my shop. It is the companion for this later transition. Keep the full transition guide beside your food notes so the potato step stays within the wider sequence.
Your Next Step
First identify whether the book’s nightshade exception applies to the person eating. If it does, choose one of the named foods and a simple preparation, and write down the first small portion and what you will watch over the next 2–3 days. Repeat that food only if tolerated, then increase it gradually before testing another.
References
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), Chapter 19, “Coming off the GAPS Diet,” duration, nightshade exception and one-food introduction method.
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), Nightshade sensitivity guidance and Chapter 13, “Fifth Stage,” raw tomato when nightshades are tolerated.
- Campbell-McBride, N. “Food Allergy,” dangerous anaphylactic-type allergy exception in the treatment and Introduction Diet discussion.
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