We often receive emails and messages from readers who simply cannot afford the cost of Absorb Plus. Keep in mind that for most people to eat a completely elemental diet (to ensure intestinal rest) they need to consume between 4 and 7 servings per day – and that adds up VERY quickly!
Add to that the shipping costs and the revenue you can generate in your local economy. We received an email from a family in Mauritius – a tiny island about 2,000 km off the southeast coast of Africa. You can imagine how much lower the average salary is there and how insanely high the cost of shipping the products there would be!
But don’t despair! For those of you who can’t afford (or perhaps don’t need) an elemental diet, I have a number of options:
1. If you can’t afford Absorb Plus, here are some very well-tolerated shake recipes with gentle food ingredients that you can find at your local grocery store or farmers market.
2. If you can eat something normal, then following this list of low-residue foods tailored specifically for IBD, along with probiotics and possibly wild oregano oil to fight gut infections, can help keep your gut healthy.
3. Remember that you may not need to do a FULL Elemental Diet. Studies have shown that even a semi-elemental diet can achieve great success. If you follow a semi-elemental diet, you can combine Absorb Plus with either the food ingredient shakes or the low residue foods that I gave you above. Here is an AWESOME example of a reader using a semi-elemental diet to provide intestinal rest and heal an abdominal abscess and fistula. Remember that not everyone needs to go on a full-fledged diet (or has time or can afford it!).
4. Finally, here are some well-tolerated protein shake recipes that are better tolerated than normal foods. People use these shakes when they are ready to switch from an elemental diet – before they start eating regular food. So these shakes could be everything you need!
Remember, you can always try the above options first to see if your body responds well to these easily tolerated shakes and foods. There’s no point in putting in the effort and self-discipline required to follow a full elemental diet if you don’t have to!
Original post January 2016. Last updated September 2020.
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.
