Hello everybody! Linsy here, and I’m back to answer another great question from one of our LTYG readers. This week’s question, from a reader who has studied intestinal bleeding, is:
“Hello Jini. I come from India. I have had ulcerative colitis for 3 years. Can you please suggest what to eat during the relapses and healing? Since yesterday I have been bleeding more and more often, even though I have been fasting since yesterday. Can you please tell me what to do to stop the bleeding?
Many people with IBD have bleeding, including myself, so I wanted to dig deeper into this topic for anyone else who might be bleeding.
Jini’s answer was:
Hello – I would like to refer you to my home remedies page for ulcerative colitis. There you will find the 8 most important steps almost everyone with inflammatory bowel disease must take to heal their bowels. There is also a free Colitis Quick Start Guide to download with lots more information. You would also benefit from reading my home remedies page for intestinal bleeding.
My book, Listen to Your Gut, also has a section on foods that help with intestinal bleeding.
Chapter 3 of Jini’s book, Listen to Your Gut, offers a variety of diet plans based on specific symptoms – one of which is Her Bleeding Stopping Diet, which can be found on page 230. She also offers Diarrhea Reduction Diet and Gas Reduction Diet and Flatulence Diet Plan.
Personally, I read her book within days of being bedridden sick! I was so hungry for answers, and your book was such a gift to me. I’m going to share an excerpt from her book to whet your appetite:
“This diet (Stop Colon Bleeding) is for you if you have intermittent bleeding from the bowel or a type and amount of bleeding that you have had multiple times that you know is not cause for immediate or undue concern.
However, if you have any bleeding that could be classified as bleeding, or if you are losing weight and hemoglobin rapidly, you must follow the steps outlined in the Elemental Diet for Colon Rest. “
So, depending on the severity of your symptoms, there are two dietary recommendations.
The diet to stop the intestinal bleeding
This diet includes whole foods that can sometimes make bleeding worse. So, as Jini recommends, use this diet for only intermittent intestinal bleeding or low volume bleeding.
I have personally used this diet at times when I have had light but persistent bleeding or intermittent bleeding here and there, and it has been extremely helpful to me.
Elementary (intestinal rest) diet
If you are bleeding, have had prolonged blood loss, or are experiencing extreme weight loss and / or a drop in hemoglobin, the elemental resting diet would be more appropriate. As I mentioned earlier, whole foods can sometimes make bleeding worse, and we don’t want that!
The elemental diet of intestinal rest enables exactly what it promises – intestinal rest – so that you can give your body some time to heal without constantly tearing or injuring yourself while digesting or using the toilet.
As for myself, I had some bleeding, but it was more of a prolonged blood loss. I bled for a year or more! At this point in time, I could no longer tolerate many whole foods. My system was barely working and I needed that energy to HEAL … not work on digesting food 24/7.
Back to the basics
At this point, you have to go back to basicsas I say when it comes to food.
Jini has mentioned a few times in her books and videos to remind yourself of when you were a baby – all you had was liquid or soft meals! If something is wounded, take it back to foods that were soft enough when you were a baby to make sure anything that gets through your system doesn’t disrupt the healing process.
If you are looking for food ideas, I highly recommend you watch my video, What To Do With A Crohn’s, Colitis Flare – HACK # 6, which explains what foods and diets helped me flare. Soothing foods to eat while the intestines heal is another good video to watch.
The health benefits of broth
Another great remedy is bone broth. Sometimes when I was having a lot of problems and felt like I needed a break from shakes, I would just drink bone broth! Of course, on all of these tips, consult a doctor, but if you’re struggling to tolerate anything else (and you can tolerate bone broth) you may want to try this for a few days. I personally do that occasionally.
The health benefits of homemade bone broth are endless, and it also helps stimulate the appetite between Absorb Plus shakes, which is why Jini recommends drinking it in her book, The IBD Remission Diet. Consuming only sweet flavors all the time will fill you up pretty quickly and just can’t stand the thought of another shake!
Here you can download the e-book Jini’s Broth Recipe for free. These recipes are just more tools to add to your tool kit that are very gentle on an ulcerated and wounded colon.
Additional resources
It really helped me, so I definitely recommend checking out Jini’s 8 Key Steps to Curing IBD for all of the steps you need to carry out a plan.
In addition, I would strongly recommend that you buy Jini’s book, Listen to Your Bowel, and read the pages I previously recommended in the “Stops Bleeding Intestines” section of her book. The book tells you more about how long to keep the diet and what to look out for.
If you are currently dealing with intestinal bleeding, I sincerely hope that all of this information has been useful to you. Leave a comment if you have any questions, and see you next time – enjoy healing and always listen to your gut instincts!
Linsy is Jini’s assistant. From a highly sensitive / reactive case of ulcerative colitis to complete freedom from medication and surgery with exclusively natural methods, Linsy understands the interplay of mind / body / soul on the healing path firsthand.
