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!
Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert on natural healing for digestive diseases. She healed herself from widespread Crohn’s Disease and has remained drug and surgery-free for over 25 years. Jini has appeared on numerous podcast, TV, and radio shows throughout the U.S., U.K., Canada, and Australia, giving people hope and vision for how they can heal their Colitis, Crohn’s, Diverticulitis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), using entirely natural methods. Her books on natural healing for digestive diseases have sold worldwide in over 80 countries.
