Stage 2 keeps the Stage 1 stock, soup, ginger tea and probiotic foods, then adds four things: raw egg yolks, stews and casseroles, fermented fish, and homemade ghee.[1] Complete the Stage 1 foundation first, then introduce each Stage 2 addition gradually.
Use the six-stage Intro overview to keep this step in sequence.
Help With the Everyday Work of Intro. If you would like more help planning meals and organizing your kitchen routines, my First 30 Days on Intro GAPS: Stages 1–6 course brings the teaching and practical tools together. You can find the course in the WFLI shop catalog.
Raw Egg Yolks
If you have a known or suspected dangerous egg allergy, keep eggs out. A home sensitivity test is not permission to try a food that could cause anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction.[3] The book’s gradual egg introduction describes testing raw egg yolk specifically, not a whole egg.[1] Add raw yolks to every bowl of soup and every cup of meat stock, starting from 1 a day and building up until you’re having a yolk with every bowl of soup you eat. Once yolks are well tolerated, add soft-boiled eggs, whites cooked through, yolks still runny. Before adding the white, if you have concerns about egg allergy, run the sensitivity test again, this time with raw egg white specifically.[1]
There’s no need to cap how many yolks you eat in a day. They absorb quickly with almost no digestion required, and GAPS treats them as some of the most valuable nutrition on this stage.[1] Source eggs you trust: fresh, free range, and organic.
Stews and Casseroles
Add stews and casseroles made with meat and vegetables, seasoned with just salt and fresh herbs. No spices yet. Cook them slowly, a minimum of 2.5 hours, so the meat and vegetables are thoroughly soft. Keep the fat content high. The more animal fat in the meal, the faster the recovery tends to go, according to GAPS.[1] Add probiotic food into every serving, same as you’ve been doing with the stock and soup.
Fermented Fish and Homemade Ghee
Introduce fermented fish, starting from one piece a day and gradually increasing. Introduce homemade ghee alongside it. If dairy has already been introduced by this point, start from a few tablespoons a day and build up. If dairy hasn’t been introduced yet, start from just 1 teaspoon a day.[1] Keep increasing your daily amounts of sour cream, yogurt, and kefir if you’ve already introduced them, and keep building the amount of sauerkraut or fermented vegetable juice you’re using.[1]
Why Fat Matters So Much on This Stage
The repeated instruction to increase fat, egg yolks with their fat intact, high-fat stews, ghee added generously, isn’t incidental to Stage 2. GAPS ties fat consumption directly to how quickly the healing process moves. The 2020 book repeatedly links generous natural fats with the nourishment used during this stage and instructs readers to keep the fat content of stews high.[1] If you find yourself trimming fat out of habit from years of low-fat cooking, Stage 2 is where that habit needs to go.
How Long People Stay on Stage 2
Stage 2 provides enough nourishment that GAPS places no pressure on moving quickly. Some people spend two weeks or more here; others stay a year or longer while continuing to improve. For a few named conditions, including severe cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, severe autism and Rett syndrome, this may become the long-term stage.[2] When the body is ready, Stage 3 adds avocado, GAPS pancakes and fermented vegetables.
Our family spent one to three weeks on each Intro stage, and the first six weeks, which covered Stages 1 through 3, were the hardest part for us. We did not treat moving quickly as the goal. We moved when foods were tolerated or when we decided the wider nutrition of the next stage mattered.
Common Questions About GAPS Stage 2
Can I Skip the Raw Egg Yolks If the Idea Doesn’t Appeal to Me?
GAPS presents raw egg yolks as a core part of Stage 2, valued specifically because they absorb with almost no digestion required.[1] If you have a known or suspected dangerous egg allergy, keep eggs out; a home sensitivity test does not clear that allergy.[3] For other sensitivity concerns, the book describes testing raw yolk and raw white separately.[1]
Do I Need to Season the Stews with Anything Beyond Salt?
Fresh herbs are fine. GAPS specifically says to avoid spices at this stage and keep seasoning to salt and fresh herbs.[1]
How Much Ghee Should I Be Adding If I Haven’t Introduced Dairy Yet?
Start from 1 teaspoon a day and increase gradually. If dairy is already part of your diet by this point, you can start from a few tablespoons a day instead.[1]
Is It Normal to Stay on Stage 2 for a Long Time?
Yes. GAPS notes that some people stay here for a year or longer while continuing to improve, and for certain conditions it’s sometimes the recommended long-term stage.[2]
For the ghee step, use my stovetop ghee method.
References
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “GAPS Introduction Diet,” Second stage, printed pp. 172-173.
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “GAPS Introduction Diet,” symptom-led progression and longer stays on Stage 2, printed pp. 168-169.
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Eggs,” separate yolk/white observations and true egg-allergy avoidance; Food Allergy, dangerous anaphylactic-type allergy exception.
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