In the GAPS Liquid Fasting chapter, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride watches urine color and volume to discuss fluid intake. The passage belongs with the named liquids and the chapter’s bowel-support instructions. It is an observation in that protocol, not a complete diagnosis based on color alone.[1]
The Test: Watch Your Urine
GAPS states the check plainly: watch your urine. It needs to be clear and pale in color, with a normal to larger than normal volume coming out of you. If your urine is dark and concentrated, GAPS states that means you’re not drinking enough, and your kidneys are struggling to remove toxins as a result.[1]
The passage names two observations: appearance and amount. A single pale sample does not record the amount described in the chapter. You can note what you observed and what you drank without inventing a new color scale, device or numerical threshold.
If Your Urine Is Too Dark
If it’s difficult to drink more liquid than you’re already consuming, GAPS gives a direct next step: do an enema. GAPS explains that an enema allows the body to replenish missing water and remove a large amount of toxicity, reducing pressure on the kidneys.[1]
The 2021 presentation summarizes the response as drinking more and using a warm salt enema, giving one teaspoon per litre. The 2020 book has a fuller basic-solution instruction later in the same Liquid Fasting chapter, with both natural salt and bicarbonate of soda, and explains the procedure again in “Bowel Management.” The slide’s short line is not the book’s complete formula.[1][2][3]
The same book excludes enemas when diarrhea has blood and mucus, including inflammatory bowel conditions. For that group, it describes reconsidering enemas after about a year of following the diet and only when enough healing has occurred in the gut wall. Its fasting chapter also describes days when an enema is not needed, including passing stool and feeling well afterward. All of those qualifications remain part of the context for its hydration response.[1][3]
Why This Check Matters More While Fasting
The book describes vegetable medley and fermented brine as laxative and advises drinking them slowly. It then discusses fluid observations separately. Keeping those passages together helps you read the source’s account without assuming that all diarrhea has the same meaning or that the bowel-management exception has disappeared.[1][3]
Warmth and drink variety are other instructions in the chapter. All beverages are warm, hot or at room temperature. They are separate from the urine observation; neither warmth nor the number of drink choices replaces the color-and-volume description.[1]
Frequently Asked Questions
What Color Should Urine Be During a GAPS Fast?
Clear and pale, with a normal to larger than normal volume. Dark, concentrated urine is GAPS’s stated sign that you’re not drinking enough.[1]
What Should I Do If I Can’t Drink More but My Urine Is Still Dark?
The book describes an enema response if drinking more is difficult. Read that passage with its basic solution and bowel-management restrictions, especially the blood-and-mucus exception. The later presentation gives a shorter salt-only summary; it should not be mistaken for the complete book procedure.[1][2][3]
Do I Need Any Special Equipment to Check Hydration on a GAPS Fast?
No. GAPS’s method is simply watching the color and volume of your urine throughout the day, without any device or measurement required.[1]
Your Next Step
Read this observation with the drink list and situations and limits, using the complete “GAPS Liquid Fasting” and “Bowel Management” chapters. The return-to-food guide explains what follows the fast.
References
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “GAPS Liquid Fasting.”
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. The Full Spectrum of GAPS, GAPS OnCon 2021, PDF page 15.
- Campbell-McBride, Natasha. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Bowel Management,” basic solution and blood-and-mucus stool exception.
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