STAGE ONE in action.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
The juices from your homemade or quality live, purchased sauerkraut.
Meat stock from a healthy fish or animal
Soups made from meat stock , the flesh from that stock and approved vegetables.
Fresh ginger for tea
Raw honey
Coconut oil if you wish to introduce it
Natural, nontoxic care products (to avoid putting toxins directly into your body)
Clean drinking water, preferably filtered
WHAT YOU WILL DO:
Begin your day with a room temp glass of still mineral or filtered water.
Drink the warm meat stock all day and between meals. Do not use a microwave to heat the stock.
Eat the nourishing GAPS soup as often as you like. I recommend having a variety of three so you can keep your pallet happy while your are eating.
Start introducing probiotic foods from day one with a teaspoon per day working your way up to having some with every cup of stock and bowl of soup. The fermented foods can be dairy or vegetable based. Make sure the probiotic foods do not get overheated or they will lose their life force.
If well tolerated, you could use homemade whey starting with a teaspoon per day and gradually increasing to a half cup per day.
Ginger, mint or chamomile tea with a bit of raw honey
My personal advice for stage one is to go into it prepared. If possible, remove none GAPS foods from your refrigerator and pantry. Have food ready before you are hungry. Take the approved ingredients and make them taste delicious. GAPS is a therapeutic diet but that does not have to mean it is bland.
Next, give yourself some self soothing time. If this is a big change for your body, it is likely going to show you by the way you feel. The first few days I felt like a had lead in my shoes. I also cut the coffee habit by the second day, resulting in a two-day headache. Every one is different. If you drink coffee regularly, taper down before the diet begins. Do what is best for your body. If you still are tapering off during stage one, omit any cream or sugar so you are just getting the coffee in until you can let it go. I do not recommend stopping at once if it has become a serious habit.
See if you can team up with someone for support and inspiration. Sharing meals is always nice.
Finally, if you have to go out to a restaurant, eat at home first! Unless you live in a very hip city, (like Portland, OR), chances are there will be nothing you can eat on these first stages and even beyond. Have food near by, eat coconut oil from a jar in your bag. What ever you do, don’t let your self be hungry and watch other people eat food that, in the moment, you wish you could.
One more thing, if you are a foodie like me, something important I learned is that OCCASIONALLY, I can eat something that I am not in the mood for. I lived through it every time and if that has to happen a few times to get through stage one, its okay, you will live through it. Yes, I even fantasized and watched my friend eat hot, cheesy pizza with the steam wafting up my nostrils and then I had soup. Whew!
