Clinical trials may show that an elemental diet doesn’t work too well for inducing remission in Colitis. But yet, I’ve had thousands of readers use my version of an elemental diet to heal their colitis and achieve complete remission. Why the difference?
A standard elemental diet used in a clinical trial only tests ONE element – the pre-digested, liquid food source. So while this may be a game-changer for Crohn’s, or eliminate the bacterial overgrowth in SIBO (note: small intestine, not the colon, where colitis is located), an elemental diet alone is not enough to shift ulcerative colitis.
On the other hand, The IBD Remission Diet (which is my version of an elemental diet) is a comprehensive healing program that utilizes an elemental diet for the backbone of the program, but there are also other components included that are absolutely vital for healing the gut and inducing disease remission. These include the elemental diet combined with targeted supplements, homemade broths and natural anti-pathogens:
An Elemental Diet – the elemental diet shakes provide the majority of the nutrients and calories. The shakes must be 100% natural and elemental, or semi-elemental in nature. A sufficient number of calories per day must be consumed, to address malnutrition, fuel wound healing, and promote growth in children.
Targeted Supplementation – a number of specifically chosen supplements must be added to the shakes on a daily basis. These supplements help to heal the mucosal lining of the intestine, reduce inflammation, repair tissue damage, support enzyme production and hormonal pathways, facilitate optimal cellular function, and balance the immune system.
Supplementation is important, as the minerals in Absorb Plus are purposely low because:
1. Regular magnesium loosens the bowel. There is very little magnesium in Absorb Plus since people are already on a liquid diet and their bowels are inflamed. Therefore, we do not want to give them diarrhea by giving them a lot of normal magnesium! Remember that the body can only absorb 5-15% of normal magnesium (absorption of magnesium oxide is lowest at 5% and citrate/bisglycinate is highest at 15%) and the rest is throw off into the bowel, where it is irritating and stimulates bowel movement. This is great if you’re constipated, but awful if your bowels are already loose and irritated.
2. Regular calcium builds up in the arteries. There is very little calcium in Absorb Plus – because ‘normal’ powdered calcium can build up in the arteries and is believed to be a primary cause of heart disease. So even at 5 servings of Absorb Plus per day you are only receiving 250 mg of calcium – way below the 1000 mg per day dosage recommended for osteoporosis-prevention.
The great benefit of QuikPlus Bone Matrix and QuikPlus Magnesium is that people can finally take a therapeutic or high dose of magnesium without suffering loose bowels or diarrhea.
3. Iron is aggravating to the gut and can trigger intestinal bleeding. Many of our customers use Absorb Plus to recover from intestinal bleeding, and iron can trigger or exacerbate intestinal bleeding. This is why it has been left out of the formula – and people can then supplement as needed. Also, depending on the person’s size, they will consume anywhere from 3 to 10 shakes per day. Since iron is a very powerful substance, it would be very hard to set an amount that suited everybody and wouldn’t lead to iron toxicity for some.
That’s why I recommend QuikPlus Iron for people with gut sensitivities, or who are prone to intestinal bleeding – since it does not require digestion and therefore does not irritate the gut.
Still Sensitive to Nano-Sized?
Are you super sensitive to Magnesium and find that even nano-sized magnesium can loosen your stool? In that case, the best thing to do is to start with half a dose and put it into a bottle of water (16 ounces or more) that you sip throughout the day. Once your body has adjusted to that, increase the dosage to the full amount, in 16 ounces+ of water or herbal tea and sip throughout the day.
If you dilute the dosage and spread it out over the course of the day, it gives your body lots of time to gently utilize the mineral and not trigger any reactions.
Note: These instructions can apply to ANY QuikPlus mineral other than Iron. Because Iron has the potential to stain the teeth, it would need to be diluted in 16-32 ounces of water and ideally drink it through a straw (you can get glass or stainless steel straws on Amazon) so the liquid goes to the back of your mouth and doesn’t get swished around your teeth.
Homemade Broths – Bone broth (clear soup) made from the skin, bones and white connective tissue of animals, contains a wonderful healing substance called gelatin. French research until the 1950’s shows that gelatin was used in the treatment of diseases such as ulcers, jaundice, diabetes, infection and cancer. Bone broths contain minerals like calcium, phosphorous, sulphur, silicon, magnesium and trace minerals – all in forms the body can instantly absorb and utilize. As the cartilage and tendons are broken down, substances like chondroitin sulphate and glucosamine are also made available to the body in highly absorbable forms. Mushroom broths provide beta-glucans to heal and balance the immune system and vegetable broths provide alkalinity and detox – thus benefiting the liver, adrenals and thyroid.
Anti-Pathogen Protocol – a potent, full-spectrum, natural anti-pathogen is used to eliminate any gut infection from yeast, fungus, viruses and pathogenic bacteria. Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol is combined with high dose probiotics (both orally and rectally) to eliminate infection and establish a healthy bio-terrain in the gut.
When you combine all these powerful healing tools together, I believe remission rates to be much higher than the clinical trials utilizing only pharmaceutical elemental shakes, but of course, we have no proof of this. There is no financial reward for testing natural healing protocols. No matter, thousands of readers to date have experienced the following benefits from implementing the IBD Remission Diet:
• Provides natural, gradual, gentle detoxification
• Resolves malnutrition or delayed growth in children
• Reduces inflammation and heals the mucosal lining of the intestine
• Establishes a healthy gut flora
• Provides bowel rest and heals Leaky Gut Syndrome
• Supports enzyme production and hormonal pathways
• Balances the immune system
• Allows you to take a break from regular meal planning, shopping, cooking, and clean-up!
So likewise, even though people with Diverticulitis or IBS don’t usually require such an intensive healing program, even a week or two on The IBD Remission Diet can be a game-changer. If you suspect an intestinal obstruction, then one week on an elemental diet combined with magnesium citrate (to bowel tolerance – start with 150 mg per shake and gradually increase as needed) may help you avoid a panicked visit to the hospital. Combine this with hot castor oil packs and now we’re talking!
I have Microscopic Colotis which is quite different from Ulcerative Colitis. Would this program work the same for me?
Hi Becky. Yes, our reader feedback shows that it works for all forms of colitis – though keep in mind, that not all protocols work for all people anyway! So when trying anything new, be sure and stay tuned to your body and listen to your gut for signs of intolerance etc.
I have read your book “The IBD Remission Guide” and yesterday I purchased Absorb Plus (which arrived today, bravo on that). Now, I do have SIBO and Leaky gut but right now, I cannot tolerate anything it seems. Yesterday morning, I used something called FX Passage (I am from Austria, Europe; it is somekind of magnisium salt mixed with citrus flavor) to help the (feeling) of constipation and I had quite a view loose stools (appr. 10 or so). My last meal was yesterday in which I ate steamed Salmon, Homemade Beef Bone Broth and steamed Cucumber. Today I have only had tea and bone broth but my gut is working really hard. You can hear the digestion all day long, especially if I drink something. And I am bloated and have stomach pain (6/10). I thought I stay on a bone broth fast as long as my digestions needs to calm down, because the inflammation hasn’t stopped now for over a month I think, even though I stritclty adhered to the Bi-Phasic Diet. Nevertheless, it just got worse and worse and now I don’t even want to consume any food any more. It’s really strange, that even only liquid causes this my gut to work so hard audibly. So, do you think it is a good idea to continue drinking only bone broth and tea for my inflammation to calm down and then start with the elemental diet? My reasoning behind it is, that I want to feel good when starting it in order to correctly identify any symptoms of the elemental diet (eg. bacterial or toxic die offs).
Hi Manuela. Thanks for reaching out! Most people with SIBO will go on an elemental diet for 14 days, but can also achieve results by following Jini’s Wild Oregano Oil Protocol and high dose oral Natren probiotics, along with a low carb, low residue diet. Details are here: https://listentoyourgut.com/jinis-healing-guide-natural-treatments-for-gut-infection-ebook/
And here is a list of Jini’s homemade broth recipes: https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/jinis-bone-veggie-broth-recipes/
Your puzzle seems a bit more complicated, however, as it seems consuming solely liquid is giving you more bloating & pain. In this case a low carb, low residue diet (like I mentioned above) may be a better option for you – but I would recommend either consulting with your doctor, or I would recommend Jini’s own doctor, whom her family has also had sessions with, Dr. Juliet Ghodsian.
Dr. Juliet has read Jini’s books, is very fluent in her protocols, and has also healed herself of Crohn’s disease. She offers private and group sessions: https://listentoyourgut.com/dr-juliet/
And here is a complete list of practitioners Jini recommends: https://shoppe.listentoyourgut.com/private-health-consults/
I hope this helps!
Hello, thanks for your response. I started the Remission Diet last Sunday and since then, I have experienced a significant improvement in my condition. The pain got less and less as well as the bloating and constipation. After 3 days on the Remission Diet I started taking Natren Probiotics (1/4 teaspoon each powder and increasing every 2 days til I reach 1 tsp ). Right now, my energy level is amazing, I feel great and today I had no issues or symptoms at all. I am planning on staying on the elemental diet 3 weeks all in all and then starting to try out the different foods. I read through Jini’s Food Introdoction Protocol carefully, I do feel however, that I need to change the order of the foods. Since I suspect I have Methane dominant SIBO, I thought I would start off with low fodmap vegetables, then protein like fish and poultry and further down the line rice and fruit. Do you think that is sensible?
Hi Manuela – it’s hard to say because everybody is different, but if you are feeling it will work better for you to make some changes, then listen to your gut! Your body’s widsom will know what it needs. =)
Here are some low residue foods: https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/jinis-low-residue-diet/
And some common gut-friendly foods: https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/use-common-foods-to-heal-inflammatory-bowel-disease/
And our gut-friendly recipe section: https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/category/recipes/
I hope that helps!
Thank you again for your response! I now finished a 3 week course of the Absorb Plus Elemental Diet. 2 Days ago, I did my first Probiotic Natren Retension Enema. It worked fine, I just experienced an abdominal pain (right where the waist is on my left side) and it hasn’t gone away yet. Then yesterday, I started introducing cooked and purreed carrot soup with bone broth at lunch. I had a little diarrea after that (but I like that much more, because I mostly have constipation) but the gut only worked for half an hour and then it stopped. I felt great! In the evening, I tried the same dish again but this time I felt a lot of gas producing inside the small intestine and I had a bloated tummy. Today I woke up with abdominal pain and the pain on the left sid (which is quite sharp especially when I sit down) and still a bloated tummy. Now I am wondering what I did to cause that? The only thing I did differently in the evening meal was, that I didn’t take the oregano oil before supper and I consumed it quite late (8 pm). Maybe it was too late, or maybe was it too much? Is this to be expected to be bloated again? I am quite frustrated as the bloating was always my constant companion and I tried to get rid of it and now, after carrot soup it returned again. Are there any suggestions?
Thank you again!
Hi Manuela. Since you mentioned you’ve just reintroduced solid foods, there is bound to be an adjustment period – especially after 3 weeks of only Absorb Plus. What you can do now is track your food intake (using Food Diary chart) and you test, experiment, look for food thresholds (once a week, 3x week?) etc. to see what works for your body and what doesn’t.
Make sure you are using the food introduction chart as well as you slowly transition to solid foods. This blog post may help as well: https://blog.listentoyourgut.com/easy-ways-to-transition-off-an-elemental-diet/