Are you on the lookout for a diet that is easily absorbed by the body and helps you improve your immunity and overall health? In that case, the elemental diet might be what you are looking for.

Would you like to know more about it? Then this post is a must-read for you! Go ahead.

Elemental Diet – A Brief:

Elemental diet is a different type of diet that is advised by diet experts and doctors under specific circumstances. It is basically a type of liquid diet that is aimed at offering your body all the required nutrients. The nutrients are given in a digested form so that the recipient’s digestive system does not get stressed. People suffering from serious gastrointestinal conditions like Crohn’s disease are given this diet, in general (1).

Basics Of Elemental Diet:

Elemental diet does not contain any whole food, as it is. The liquids contain nutrients like vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids and fats, etc. A small amount of salt, sugar or oil may be added in some instances. Whole protein, however, is not given since it may lead to allergic reactions. The diet is often administered using intravenous feeding or a gastric feeding tube. An elemental diet should be developed to be nutritionally adequate. It should also be amino acid-based and hypoallergenic. Several formulas are available these days, and the contents vary based on factors like age of the person and health condition.

The Purpose Of Elemental Diet:

The purpose of this diet is discarding whole proteins and replacing them with amino acids, as per the University of Michigan Health System. In some medical conditions, the human body develops allergic reactions if whole proteins are ingested. An elemental diet can resolve that problem. Apart from people afflicted with inflammatory bowel diseases, this diet can also be ideal for those with unknown food allergies (2).

People with ailments affecting gastrointestinal tract often undergo nutritional problems as they face reduced appetite, insufficient calorie intake and diarrhoea. They also need to take in more nutrients than others. The elemental diet can fulfil their requirements well.

This diet is introduced over a phase of 3 days to people with ingredients being increased gradually. As this diet comprises of individual food components in their most basic form, your body does not get stressed to digest these. As a result, the ingested food does not react with your digestive system, and any symptom of inflammatory bowel disease is not triggered. The followers do not suffer from digestive issues.

Modifications And Variations:

With time, a few modifications have emerged for the elemental diet. While whole foods are restricted in this diet, some patients may be allowed to have coffee and tea. However, usage of milk is still not allowed. As it is, elemental diet is different from most other diet types, and it should be administered under the supervision of a qualified medical professional (3). Liver functioning of the recipient also needs to be observed during the phase.

Benefits Of Elemental Diet:

The major benefits of this diet are:

• The most important benefit of the elemental diet is it allows your gastrointestinal tract the time and scope to heal when you are suffering from a disease or infection affecting it. The liquid diet does not put stress on the guts, allowing restoration of healthy gut bacteria.

• Secondly, this diet includes all essential nutrients required by your body. Unlike some diets, this diet is not deficient in any nutrient. While whole proteins are not allowed, amino acids are included. Unlike some diets, it does not raise the risk of having a nutritional deficit.

• A University of Utah study revealed adults afflicted with eosinophilic esophagitis can benefit significantly from following the elemental diet for more than 2 weeks (4). It can also be used to benefit kids suffering from the condition.

• The duration of this diet is short.

• When adhering to this medical diet, you need not make major changes to your lifestyle.

• The followers of this diet need not work out regularly as such.

• It also gives your colon some rest, and if there is any wound in the colon, it tends to heal faster.

Disadvantages Of The Elemental Diet:

Almost no diet is perfect, and the same can be said about elemental diet. It does have some limitations that you should be aware of:

• Some followers of this diet may have to cope with severe weight loss and muscular loss.

• A lot of people find its taste too bland. This often results in a section of people quitting the diet midway.

• Some followers can feel nauseous. Its high sugar content may lead to complications of hypoglycaemia in people with diabetes.

• You cannot adhere to the diet properly on your own. Usage of feeding tubes and IVs may lead to complications.

Tips For Making The Elemental Diet More Tolerant For Kids:

Children are generally given this diet when they undergo severe food allergy. There is no denying the reality that adhering to an elemental diet is the toughest part of it, even for grown up people. So, you can imagine it will be tougher for the children.

There are a few workarounds that you can resort to for making the diet more tolerable for children.

You need to ensure the child gets no solid or regular food during the tenure of the diet for the best results. This can be tough when other kids at home eat regular foods.

However, you may offer the child water in various forms. For example, you can give him or her ice chips, cold water at times. You may find a few elemental diet formulas in various flavours nowadays (5).

When Can You Resume Eating Normal Food?

This can be somewhat tricky, both for adults and children adhering to this diet. In general, the duration can be for a few days. However, that can change based on medical conditions and its severity in the followers. In any case, it is important to adhere to the guidance of your medical supervisor or doctor monitoring the case. The doctor will examine the condition of your digestive system. If he finds it suitable, patients may resume taking solid foods gradually. Even then, taking foods that are easier to digest is advisable.

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by Maanasi Radhakrishnan via STYLECRAZE