The elemental diet is most commonly used to eradicate SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) and for more serious autoimmune conditions like ulcerative colitis and Chrons.
But the elemental diet is an amazing tool that anyone can use to add safe calories to their diet if they need to gain weight or absorb more nutrients. It can be used for flare relief, a convenient on the go snack and to starve bacteria in the large intestine when herbs are not tolerated.
While elemental diet formulas have been around for a while the most exciting development was the clean and tasty formula that came on the market a few years ago, the Physicians Elemental Formula by Integrative Therapuetics.
You can purchase it here in two sizes: 1295 grams/ 42 ounces or 432 grams/15 ounces. And while it is ok to sample the diet or use it partially or for flare relief, you always want to do a full elemental diet under the care of a practitioner.
If you have any questions about the elemental diet you can email at angelaprivin@yahoo.com.
The benefits of fating without a fast
The elemental diet has all the benefits of a cleanse or fast without hunger. It is good for flare relief because it gives your digestive system a rest, freeing so much more energy for healing while still providing nutrition.
It is the best of both world, providing nourishment and rest for speeding up healing and repair.
Research on the elemental diet
The elemental diet is usually not the first choice for SIBO eradication because it can be psychologically challenging to do a liquid diet only. But it is extremely effective, both in my experience and in the research.
It has been shown to be 80 percent effective at clearing SIBO in 14 days. And shown to be 85 percent effective if used solely for 21 days. Any use after that does not bring additional benefits.
The elemental diet is a medical food. It is a powdered and highly absorbable form of protein, fat and carbs are already digested so they get immediately absorbed at the top of the small intestine.
This means that you absorb vital nutrients while the bacteria starves. This is how the elemental diet beats SIBO, by starving bacteria.
When digestion is bad due to h. pylori or low stomach acid, undigested food particles empty into the small intestine and become food for the bacteria. This is what can cause a SIBO overgrowth, when paired with poor motility. It can also feed a current SIBO overgrowth, causing symptoms like bloating, gas, gut discomfort and inflammation.
How to take it
The elemental diet must be sipped slowly to avoid a blood sugar spike. The suggested daily requirement is 12 scoops. Each scoop has 150 calories for a total of 1800 calories. You can always add more scoops if you are hungry.
The elemental diet satisfies daily calorie and nutrient requirements and is fortified with vitamins and minerals. Most of the time, cravings on the elemental diet are psychological because the body gets all the nutrients and calories it needs.
Who shouldn’t do the elemental diet
I don’t recommend the elemental diet for everyone. People with eating disorder, diabetes and severe yeast overgrowth should be very cautious with the elemental diet. People with mild yeast overgrowth can still do the diet if they pair it with anti fungals. There is also a dextrose free formula that I recommend to people with yeast issues.
People who are underweight may worry about losing weight on the elemental diet, but this could be prevented by upping the number of scoops. Some people can gain weight.
People who can’t gain weight due to bad digestion and assimilation can gain or stabilize weight on the elemental diet as the nutrients are better absorbed.
Side effects
Sometimes people experience nausea on the elemental diet. To help with that it is advices to discontinue all non essential supplements. And it is always advised to do the elemental diet under the care of an experienced guide to prevent any issues.
I have never had any issues with any of my clients.
Homemade formula
The biggest complaint about elemental formulas is how expensive they are. There is a homemade formula but it tastes bad so it’s hard to be compliant on it. The best thing about the Integrative Therapuetics formula is how good it tastes.
Options for doing the elemental diet
If a full two-week elemental diet for addressing SIBO is too intimidating, there are other ways to use it. A partial or half elemental diet is done by replacing one or two meals with an elemental shake. This won’t be enough to kill SIBO in two weeks but it can speed up and support the process. And offer SIBO safe snacks when there is nothing compliant to eat.
Hardest part of the elemental diet
The hardest part is reintroducing food after the 2 to 3 week period. It is important not to reintroducing food too quickly. You want to wake up the system slowly. This is where professional guidance is most useful.
I suggest broth and veggies pureed in broth for the first two days. By day two you can start eating solid food instead of just soups.
It can be a good idea to start with low FODMAP fruits and veggies for the reintroduction.
You can also use this as an elimination diet, introducing one new food at a time to gauge your body’s reaction to it.
How to prepare the elemental diet
The reason the elemental diet is so convenient, you just mix a scoop with water. No blender or shaker bottle needed. It is a good idea to sip the shake slowly so it doesn’t spike blood sugar.
The elemental formula is a good for people who experience fiber intolerance due to bacterial overgrowth. The elemental formula is fiber free, that’s why it starves bacteria.
Big benefit of the elemental diet
The most amazing thing about the elemental diet treatment for SIBO is that is keeps recurrence rates down better than any other SIBO approach (antibiotic or herbals)
Another word of advice. There are many choices of formulas out there. Don’t do the ones with whey protein. Even rice protein may be a bit heavy and not very good for eradicating SIBO.
The big downside of the elemental diet
It can be expensive at $130 per bag or close to $600 for 2 weeks. The 15 ounce bag is $59.
If you consider that it’s a replacement for 2 weeks of food it’s not as bad. And a single bag can last a long time if you are not using it as your only source of food.
Energy on the elemental diet
During the elemental diet people report increased energy rather than decreased energy.
The biggest complaint is that it’s boring.
But for some of my clients, this has been the only thing that seems to work for SIBO when antibiotics or herbs do not.
Getting your health back after 2 weeks may be worth the boredom.
If you want to know more about the elemental diet formula for SIBO I dive deeper into the topic in the SIBO rescue guide.
Angela Privin is proof that IBS is NOT an incurable disease, but a cry for help from a gut out of balance. When the body AND mind are complaining, it’s an opportunity to examine what’s not working and change it. After solving her own IBS mystery almost two decades ago, Angela became as a health coach to help others. Angela uses root cause medicine protocols personalized to the individual to solve each IBS mystery. Her tools are lab testing, dietary changes, supplementation, subconscious mind work and nervous system rebalancing . Learn more here.