Best elemental shake for SIBO, Crohn’s disease and colitis
If you’re thinking about adopting an all-elemental diet for bowel rest (where you don’t eat regular foods, just elemental shakes), you may be wondering WHICH type of elemental formula is best to use?
As I’ve written before, many doctors and scientists can’t even agree on what to call these shakes…elemental, semi-elemental, polymeric, monomeric, oligomeric, hydrolyzed, enteral…??
So I’m going to use the shake products I developed (which I used to heal myself and be 100% drug and surgery free for over 20 years) as examples so we can establish some definitions here and have a useful discussion!
Okay, here we go…
Absorb Plus Original and Vegan are classified as a polymer formula (some call this semi-elemental) because the protein component is a dipeptide binding protein such as whey isolate or rice protein isolate.
Absorb Plus Amino is classified as a free form amino acid formula (some simply call this elementary) because the protein component consists of only free form amino acids.
With an exclusively elementary (pre-digested) intestinal rest diet, there are advantages and disadvantages for each variant or protein source. The rest of the shake ingredients are the same.
Let’s go through each pros and cons to help you make the best choice for your body…
Absorb Plus Amino Orange Mango
Absorb Plus Amino
- Lose weight? If you are already at a healthy weight or need to lose some weight, then this is the formula for you! Because the body cannot use free amino acids alone to build weight (muscle). If you are in an active stage of the disease, you may have difficulty maintaining your weight with this formula. However, if you need to lose some weight, this is the right solution.
- Low carb? The amount of organic maltodextrin from tapioca (cassava root) in this formula is lower than the original formula (less than half the amount), so it is also better for people who want to lose some weight (less carbohydrates).
- SIBO? If you are using an all-elemental diet for SIBO, IBS, Candida, or allergy testing/elimination (and you do not need to gain weight), then this formula may work better for a shorter duration diet (1-2 weeks) due to the lower carbohydrate content.
When evaluating free amino acid elemental products, be sure to pay attention to how much maltodextrin is contained in each serving, as the carbohydrate component varies greatly, as does the amount of protein.
For example, Vivonex contains 61.7 grams of maltodextrin from corn and 11.5 grams of amino acids (protein), while Physician’s Formula contains 25 grams of maltodextrin from tapioca and 5 grams of amino acids. Absorb Plus Amino (Coco Choc flavor). 21 Grams of organic tapioca maltodextrin and 13 Grams of amino acids:
Absorb Plus Original Choco Raspberry
Absorb Plus Original
- If you are malnourished or underweight then this is the Elemental Shake formula to use! Without dipeptide binding proteins (or higher proteins), the body cannot build muscle (meat, not fat). Amino acids rely on these dipeptide proteins to build muscle. This formula contains the highest amount of protein per serving. Note: Absorb Plus Original (and Vegan) also contains a customized blend of free amino acids specifically selected to treat gut health issues.
- The amount of maltodextrin from organic tapioca (cassava root) in this formula is also ideal for healthy weight gain.
- When it comes time to switch from the elemental diet to regular foods, clinical studies show that more people with Crohn’s disease remain in remission when switching from polymer foods to regular foods than when they previously took a free amino acid formula.
- This formula tastes better than Absorb Plus Amino, so it is easier to consume for the longer period required for disease remission (3-6 weeks). Di-peptide proteins simply taste better than free amino acids! It’s simple food chemistry.
Again, when comparing polymeric or semi-elemental formulas, be sure to check the amount of protein per serving (if you want to combat malnutrition, you want the maximum amount of protein), also check the sugar, carbohydrates, and amount of added fat.
If you have a hypersensitivity condition, your body may have a very low fat tolerance. Therefore, it may be better to use a formula that allows you to control the amount of healthy fat you add based on your tolerance. I like to add cold-pressed linseed oil, Udos oil or MCT oil.
Switching to an elemental diet
Regardless of which formula you choose for your all-elemental diet (Original/Vegan or Amino), you must carefully transition back to normal foods after the intestinal rest diet. Here you can choose between:
- Easily tolerated food-based shakes
- Well-tolerated raw juices
- Low-residue foods
You can also use my food reintroduction chart (found in my books Listen To Your Gut or The IBD Remission Diet) to not only switch to regular foods but also test for food allergies at the same time.
As you transition from an elemental diet and gradually transition to regular foods, you may want to continue using a shake for breakfast every day. Or switch to more shakes when stressed or traveling. Of course, you can also use a pure protein shake with nut milk and a banana – and add your supplements (like coenzyme Q10, grapeseed oil, pycnogenol, bioflavonoids, etc.).
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.
