I recently received this email from a reader (we will call her Alicia) who had just finished 6 weeks on the IBD Remission Diet – and her results are amazing! It reads:
I did your IBD remission diet for six weeks. I followed every single instruction from your book. Before that, I had inflammation and ulceration and a stricture! I was in so much pain because food couldn’t go through!
I recently had a colonoscopy, and my doctor was amazed! No ulcers, inflammation gone – and he was able to open up the stricture 13.5mm because inflammation was down!! Before he thought it was Crohn’s, and now he doesn’t think it’s Crohn’s! I’m excited to eat real food again, but your book healed me!!! I’m amazed!!!
What would you suggest I take for maintenance while eating real food? I don’t want this to come back! Thank you again Jini! You’re amazing!
If you’re not familiar with it, The IBD Remission Diet is a liquid-only, bowel rest diet that combines elemental shakes with bone broths, veggie broths and a specifically targeted supplementation plan to induce disease remission and heal the gastrointestinal tract. People often use this program to:
1. Stop bleeding and heal inflammation
2. Give intestinal fissures, fistulas and ulcers time and space to heal
3. Heal the mucosal lining of the intestine with targeted amino acids and herbs
4. Heal leaky gut syndrome
5. Clear intestinal obstructions
6. Replace bad or imbalanced intestinal flora with good bacteria
7. Provide a layer of good bacteria to coat and protect the mucosal lining from toxins, parasites, fungus and damage
8. Ensure long-term, ongoing health in the entire gastrointestinal system
9. Heal and balance the entire immune system with proven supplements
10. Gain solid weight (muscle, not fat) if underweight or malnourished
11. Thoroughly test for food intolerances and allergies with a food reintroduction program
12. Achieve emotional healing
13. Prevent relapse with a Maintenance Diet
Alicia, this is just fantastic!! And to answer your question, here are the supplements I suggest for maintenance while eating normal food:
Natren probiotics – take daily for at least a year. And unless you can culture your own yoghurt, kefir, fermented veggies etc for a continual dietary supply of probiotics, then stay on Natren for life. That’s what my whole family does.
Vitamin D3, K2 – and unless you’re growing your own veggies (with healthy soil microbiota and worms) and eating pasture-raised eggs/meat, then you need a full-spectrum multi-vitamin. I’m working on formulating my ideal multi-vitamin now (for Imix Nutrition) so stay tuned!
QuikPlus Bone Matrix – for your bones and teeth. I also take extra QuikPlus magnesium and trace minerals and sometimes extra silica (if I’m doing lots of physical labor). Take a peek at the feedback we received from a reader who uses silica for the same purpose:
“I LOVE this Silica. I have a thumb that gets sprained regularly as I over work it in the garden. I wear a thumb support when this happens. I read Jini’s similar experience and tried it and it works nearly instantly its amazing. I have already reordered. I take a squirt of it daily regardless and I believe it is improving steadily along with my thumb support. Its amazing how fast it works. – C.H.”
Good Fats – cod liver oil, fish oil and flax oil (high in Omega-3 anti-inflammatory fat) are a must. The cell membrane is 40% fat, so we need a lot of good cold-pressed, and/or pasture-raised fat to stay healthy. Pasture-raised, organic butter, ghee, cheese are all good if tolerated. Make sure ALL oils you eat or cook with are cold-pressed and ideally organic.
Antioxidants – it’s always a good idea to ingest antioxidants like Vitamin C, CoQ10, grapeseed, pycnogenol, etc. I also take bioflavanoids like quercetin – especially during allergy season. Again, I’m currently formulating a multi-vitamin that will contain all these plus immune strengtheners all in one blend. I’ll let you know when it’s ready!
And if you want a list of well-tolerated foods while you continue to strengthen your gut, then check out these low-residue foods.
In good health!
Hi jini thanks for the post.
I am currently on a health journey. I have ulcerative colitis with stricture in my sigmoid colon. I am refusing surgery because I think it would make my symptoms worse and I dont want to have a colostomy bag. I have been vegan for some time just having only fruit and vegetables cooked plain like steamed. I feel.better but I still have a narrowing and some bloating. I think km sensitive to the fibre i don’t have any pain but I’m just trying to resolve the narrowing and bloating. I used to be constipated but I am not now. Do you know what diet would help. ? I am thinking to maybe have bone broth in the future and some animal protein to help with the healing. Are you familair with diets like scd or gaps ? Do you know if they have worked for people with strictures? Do you know what soft foods that could help . I eat of lot raw fruit with out the skin . But I’m not sure if having all this fibre even with out the skin is good ? I know root vegetables are good. I’m.just thinking if its to much work for the strixture with fibre. Would eating specific meat or bone broth help heal the stricture
Thanks
Fabio
Hi Fabio – I think your body is already telling you everything you need to know! Read back over your question and you’ll see you already have your answers, you’re just not trusting your own body wisdom – yet 🙂
You’ve written (I’m rephrasing your questions in statement form):
– Sensitive to fiber; reduce
– Need bone broth and animal protein
– Leave skin on and cook fruit instead
– Root vegetables are good (cook well)
– Eat SOFT foods (cook everything well)
We have lot of resources on here for healing strictures:
https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/natural-healing-remedy-for-intestinal-strictures/
https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/hot-castor-oil-pack-saves-sisters-life/
https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/flushing-intestinal-obstruction-with-a-liquid-diet/
See this for Broth recipes:
https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/?s=broth
And this for other dietary options – your body already knows what it needs/wants, so just FEEL for the “ping!” or “click” as you go through these options:
https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/jinis-low-residue-diet/
https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/use-common-foods-to-heal-inflammatory-bowel-disease/
Hi Jini , Thank you very much for the quick reply! Yes thank for all this useful information i will definitely apply it.Yes i agree trusting your own body wisdom , i think for me it came dealing with anxiety and low self esteem confidence/ confidence with my condition.
also sorry I just wanted to know with the low residue , is it fine to have higher carbohydrate vegetable or grains like the rice or potato if you have candida imbalance aswell?
Hi Fabio – it is best to avoid these foods if you have a candida overgrowth:
Sugar
Fruit juices
Simple (starchy) carbs such as white flour, potatoes and legumes
Grains (wheat, rice, quinoa, barley…)
Yeast containing foods (baked goods, alcohol, products containing hydrolyzed yeast…)
Vinegars and pickled or fermented foods (pickles, olives, soy sauce, hot sauce, many condiments and salad dressings…)
Peanuts, pistachios, cashews, mushrooms (often have mold residues)
Hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils
Acidic and acid-forming foods (including alcohol)
Milk (contains lactose sugar)
You can read more at our home remedy page for candida: https://listentoyourgut.com/candida-yeast-infection/
Hi Thank you for this ,I need to find out how can i apply the diet for candida and stricture , what about starches like sweet potato and parsnip aren’t they more a tolerable carbohydrate ?
thank you
Hi Fabio – be aware that you may feel worse before you feel better, as the candida yeast die off and release toxins. After two weeks you can start reintroducing some starchy vegetables and low carb fruits back into your diet, but pay attention to how they make you feel. For a healthy gut microbiota, it’s good to just keep carbs, fruit and sugars low on an ongoing basis – you’ll feel better and will likely lose fat and gain muscle too!
Hi Jini,
I had a rectal surgery which created scar tissues and stricture. I am in pain everyday. It’s been 6 months since surgery. I had a fissure after the surgery which seems have healed. Can I start the stricture heal protocol at this point? Or should I wait for some time to start the protocol? I am not sure if it is okay to start 6 months post surgery and after having a fissure after the surgery.
Please advise. I have ordered everything from the LTYG website.
Hello! Are you referring to the rectal strictureheal protocol (topical)? In this case, I would defiantly say-really need to lean in and listen to your body. If you feel the fissure has healed and you are ready to begin the protocol, then they/their body knows best.
You can also follow the guidelines in Jini’s rectal spasm treatment to help loosen the entire area: https://listentoyourgut.com/rectal-spasm-and-levator-ani-syndrome/
Hello, I’ve been on this journey for three years now, finally got diagnosed in November 2022 that I have a small bowel obstruction, Partial. Caused by scar tissue from a c-section. At first they kept telling me it could be Crohn’s disease or some sort of IBD because I have narrowing in the small intestines by the ileum. I test negative for all IBD. I was in a lot of pain, and with the high doses of prednisone for three months did not help in anyway. I was very low weight and I was on the Kate farms shakes for six months. Gained weight and started to feel better though I would still get pain here and there. I am on a low fiber diet now, but I still have episodes two to three times a week. I’ve been on this journey to help heal myself. I’ve been taking peptide BPC-157/TB4 for the past four months hoping that would help. but I still have pain that keeps me from being a mother of 3 and from having a job. Jini I’d like to start your protocol to help heal my obstruction. I do not want to be in pain and give up hope. Can you help lead me in anyway?
Hi Sabrina! Glad you found LTYG. First of all, if I was you I’d start on the Absorb Plus shakes for the weight issue and obstruction. I’m not familiar with the other shakes, but Jini’s formulation is exactly for these types of situations: https://shoppe.listentoyourgut.com/collections/absorb-plus
For obstructions it’s extremely helpful to go on an elemental diet (Absorb Plus shakes) and bone/veggie broths if you tolerate it, as well as implement Jini’s protocol at the same time: https://listentoyourgut.com/natural-remedy-intestinal-stricture-or-bowel-obstruction/
You should also take a look at her eBook on this matter: https://shoppe.listentoyourgut.com/products/jinis-healing-guide-natural-treatments-for-intestinal-strictures-ebook-by-jini-patel-thompson
All my best!