sorry, this *is* a bit of a rambly thread.
So, DE is not absorbed, with exception of, perhaps, tiny amounts of trace minerals,which we will ignore for now
Therefore, you are mostly trying to take in enough DE to form a cleaning bit to pass through your system. It not dissimilar to taking fiber.
So, for an adult, 2 TBSP is recommended. You can start with one TBSP, but personally, i do not feel this is something you need to work up to. Some prefer to take it with three meals a day, one TBSP at a time. I'm sure that's fine also.
My fav. way so far is two TBSP sometime after dinner (or whatever is my last meal of the day
second, third dinner? snack? )
I do feel it's important to drink about 10 oz of water after taking it (and by this i DO NOT mean mixing it into 10 oz, that's just gross)