It is difficult for the body to get used to a completely new food source (liquid, pre-digested). Therefore, expect an adjustment period when starting an elemental diet.
At the same time, you need to pay attention to signs of intolerance. Although no one wants to hear this, unfortunately these two things can look/feel the same.
“My husband is on the fourth day of the Elemental Diet and uses the unsweetened vanilla Absorb Plus and 1 teaspoon of Udos oil. It takes him about 30 seconds between drinking the shake and going to the bathroom. I read that you can feel worse in the first three to four days, so I was wondering if this is normal. I tried to search the Internet for information about how people felt in the first few days and what is normal and what is not, except for me.” “I haven’t found anything yet.”
If you are able to tune into your body wisdom and dialogue with your body (see Chapter 6 of Listen to Your Gut), you will be able to recognize whether your symptoms indicate an intolerance or simply the adjustment period.
But in the absence of that skill/intuition, here are some guidelines:
1. Elemental diets facilitate detoxification of the microbiome in your gut. This is similar to a Herxheimer reaction (the death of microbes). In my podcast with Dr. Roy and Debbie Steinbock discuss how to start people on antimicrobials (such as wild oregano, olive leaf) one to two weeks before starting an elemental diet. In this way, clients can progress through the die-off effect gradually and do not have to confuse the die-off/detoxification effect with the elemental formula or attribute their symptoms to an intolerance to the shakes. Brilliant! If you are following or thinking about following an elemental diet for SIBO, food allergies, IBD, etc., check out our discussion for some great guidelines and tips to make it easier for you!
2. Don’t start with a full serving an elemental or semi-elemental shake. If you are very sensitive, start with just 1/4 serving – perhaps once or twice daily. Gradually give yourself time and space to slowly reach the full dose or an all-elemental diet (no other foods except shakes and broths) – go as slowly as you need.
3. Also Drink your elemental shake slowly. This not only increases absorption, but also gives your body more time to adapt. Allow at least 20 minutes to consume your shake. If you find this difficult, set a timer and sip every 1-2 minutes.
4. Reduce the amount of oil/good fat you add per shake. Some people need to start with zero fat per shake – that’s why I didn’t formulate Absorb Plus to contain any fat at all. We have heard from numerous readers who had to follow an elemental diet for a few weeks before their gut healed enough to allow them to consume even 1/4 teaspoon of good fat. Also try another oil. Some people respond best to cold-pressed linseed oil. Others on MCT oil. Other entrails thrive best on Udo’s oil.
5. If you have followed the above two points and still get a negative reaction after 3 days, then Change your protein source. If you are using the original Absorb Plus (lactose-free, casein-free whey isolate), switch to the Absorb Plus Vegan (organic, sprouted, brown rice protein isolate). I’m also currently in the process of formulating Absorb Plus Amino (free amino acid protein source), so you have a third option to try. For this reason, it’s best to try out the sample size first before ordering a full-size tub. Remember: If you only take 1/4 shake at a time, you can get 4 shakes from one sample.
6. Do not confuse your “negative reaction” with the normal intestinal reaction to an elemental food source! These symptoms are described in detail here, but also include bloating and loose stools (feels like diarrhea). These normal reactions can be alleviated by following the instructions in this post (wild oregano oil, probiotics and, if not strictly elemental, also a stool bulking agent).
Finally, remember this You may not need to follow an exclusively elemental diet. This clinical trial showed similar remission rates with only half an elemental diet and half well-tolerated, low-residue foods. Also try these soothing food-based shakes.
Keep experimenting until you find what works best for your unique body. And please take an intuition development workshop or online course as this will improve your ability to listen to your gut and receive answers directly from your body’s wisdom.
Jini Patel Thompson is an internationally recognized expert in natural healing for digestive diseases. She healed herself from widespread Crohn’s disease and has been medication and surgery free for over 25 years. Jini has appeared on numerous podcasts, TV and radio shows in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, giving people hope and vision on how to heal their colitis, Crohn’s disease, diverticulitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) using all-natural methods. Her books on natural healing of digestive diseases have been sold in over 80 countries worldwide. Jini is married and has three children, nine sheep, 11 horses, a cat and three dogs.
