Ready to move GAPS Introduction Diet Stage 2 and don’t know where to start? Learn what foods are included, the goal of Stage 2, and tips to prep for success.
What is the GAPS Introduction Diet?
The GAPS Introduction Diet is the deep healing phase of the GAPS Diet. It is design to heal and seal the gut lining quickly and involves eliminating all foods that may irritate the gut, then slowly reintroducing certain foods to see how your body responds, and adding in beneficial bacteria through ferments foods.
There are 6 stages of the GAPS Introduction Diet, learn more about Stage 1 here.
The Goal of Stage 2
Stage 2 of GAPS Intro Diet is where most of the healing happens. Building on from Stage 1, new foods are slowly introduced adding variety and essential nutrients. Additional cooking methods stewing, casseroles, and juicing are also introduced giving more variety and texture to meals.
Foods for GAPS Introduction Diet Stage 2
Continue with Stage 1 foods: meat stock, soup, probiotic foods and herbal teas and slowly introduce:
- Eggs
- Stews and casseroles
- Ghee
- Fresh herbs
- Fermented fish and Swedish gravlax
- GAPS Shakes
- Fresh lemon juice
Continuing with Stage 1 foods
- Increasing probiotic fermented foods – Keep increasing the amount and variety of probiotic foods to tolerance. Fermented vegetables continue consuming the liquid only and not the vegetables themselves. Fermented dairy can include homemade sour cream, yogurt, and kefir.
- Meat Stock and Soup – Meat stock and soup should still make up the bulk of your meals, Dr Natasha recommends consuming lots, a cusp with every meal, as meat stock provides the body with the essential building blocks for the rapidly growing of cells to heal and seal the gut lining (Gut and Physiology Syndrome, p169).
- Increasing animal fats – Choose cuts of meat with good amounts of fat and add additional fats to your meals.
Introducing eggs
Egg yolks are the hallmark of Stage 2 and whole eggs are a staple food on the GAPS Diet. Eggs are packed full of bioavailable nutrition that is quickly absorbed without the need to be digested when raw, compared with cooked eggs that are more challenging fort the digest system (source). Dr Natasha recommends performing a sensitivity test if there is an allergy concern for either yolks or whites (Gut and Physiology Syndrome, p173).
- Raw Egg Yolks – Start by adding a raw egg yolk to a bowl of soup from pasture raised chickens from a source you trust (know your farmer). Then slowly increase from 1 per day to 1 per bowl of soup or meat stock.
- Egg Whites – Once egg yolks are well tolerated you can start to add egg whites by soft boiling or poaching the whole egg in your soup or meat stock.
Stews and Casseroles
Now you can start including stews and casseroles made from meat and vegetables, these cooking methods provide great variety to meals on Stage 2. There are so many different combinations you can make from various cuts of meat; whole chickens, leg of lamb, pork ribs just to name a few.
Stew vs casserole, what’s the difference?
While they produce a similar end result the heat source when cooking is different. Casseroles are cooked in the oven with heat coming from all directions while stews are cooked on the stovetop and heated from the bottom. And both have less liquid content than a soup.
Try my Garlic Mint Lamb Chops or Slow Cooker Lamb Pot Roast recipes!
Introducing Ghee
Ghee is clarified butter and so easy to make. Butter is heated so the milk solids separate and can be separated, leaving just the pure fat behind. Ghee adds a wonderfully buttery flavor to your meals. If you have had issues with dairy in the past, do the sensitivity test before consuming.
Dr. Natasha says to start by having 1 teaspoon of ghee a day, and gradually increase the amount. The more animal fats you consume the quicker you will heal! (Gut and Psychology Syndrome, p149)
Fresh Herbs
Fresh herbs can now be cooked in your meals without the need to remove then at the end of the cooking time. Salt, pepper and fresh herb add so much flavor to meals but Dr Natasha recommends avoiding spices at this stage, since they can be irritating to a healing gut.
Introducing GAPS Shakes
GAPS Shake (or GAPS Milkshake) is a milkshake like drink made of fresh pressed juice, raw egg and fat blended that can assist with restoring fat digestion and with bowel management by lubricating the bowel through increase bile flow.
Dr Natasha says to slowly increasing the amount of GAPS Shake you are consuming while also increasing animal fats.
GAPS Shakes can be introduced once whole egg is tolerated. I show how to make GAPS Shakes here.
When to move to the next stage?
Move to next stage when you can tolerate all foods on the current stage, tolerate means having no digestive symptoms.
If any digestive symptoms return this means that you are going faster than you are able to heal. Stop the new food that you have tried to introduce, wait 24 hours for digestive symptoms to improve if they don’t improve go back to the previous stage for a few days before trying again.
Dr Natasha says that the second stage will provide all the necessary nutrition for your body to thrive on, so there is no rush to move from (Gut and Psychology Syndrome, p169). And for some people with severe conditions extended periods of time on stage 2 are recommended.
How to prepare for Stage 2?
Cooking methods – Learn and practice stage 2 cooking techniques: boiling, simmering, fermenting, stewing, casseroles, and juicing.
Food Prep – Batch cooking and preparing food ahead of time is a must to set yourself up for success as it means you will have food ready to reheat when you are hungry and remember vegetable ferments can take up to a week to be ready.
What to Eat in a Day during GAPS Intro Stage 2?
Soup, stews, casseroles, and soft-boiled eggs. Here is a sample meal plan:
Wake up – A glass of room temperature or warm water
Breakfast – Soft-boiled eggs poached in meat stock
Lunch – Creamy chicken and leek soup
Dinner – Leg of lamb pot roast
Snacks – Mug of meat stock or Russian Custard
There is no restriction on the amount of food you eat, eat when you are hungry; you may need to eat 5-7 meals a day.
GAPS Introduction Stage 2 Tips
Fermented vegetable juice. Make sure to have enough on hand to add to each cup of meat stock or bowl of soup.
Reheat meat stock and meals in a saucepan on the stovetop. Do not use a microwave as it destroys the nutritional benefits of the food.
Support the body to manage detoxification and die-off symptoms. As your body’s microbial community readjusts this may produce die-off symptoms. Support the body’s normal detoxification processes with Epsom salt baths, enemas, and dry brushing.
GAPS Diet Introduction Stage 2 Recipes
Sauerkraut, Cabbage Tonic, Red Onions, Beet Kvass
So, that is stage two!
Learn more about the GAPS Diet and Introduction Diet.
Resources
Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride
- Gut and Psychology Syndrome (Yellow Book)
- Gut and Physiology Syndrome (Blue Book)
Monica Corrado (GAPS Chef)
GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.
The information in this blog post is my personal experience and for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease; and does not consider your individual situation. If you have medical questions, please consult with a qualified medical practitioner.
Leave a Reply