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Elemental Diet Powder Recipes for After Your Gut Reset

Written by Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on March 5, 2025

Written by Dr. Michael Ruscio, DC on March 5, 2025 — Reviewed by Hilary Watts

• What is Elemental Powder?|
• How to Use Elemental Diets|
• Hybrid Elemental Diets|
• Elemental Recipes|
• Elimination Diets to Try|
• Using Safely|

Elemental diets were originally developed for severe medical conditions, so many of my clients are surprised when they learn that these diets have much broader applications. In fact, not only can they be used alongside normal diets, but the powder can be used as an ingredient for some added gut support to your favorite recipes.

Let’s look at how an elemental diet can work to help tackle conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and SIBO or for frustrating symptoms like constipation and bloat. Then, we’ll cover how elemental diet powders can continue to be a helpful gut-supportive tool after the restrictive part of the elemental diet is over. 

What Is Elemental Diet Powder?

Elemental diet powders are nutrient-rich, pre-digested powders mixed with water (or sometimes plant milk or coconut water) to create an easily absorbed meal replacement. These liquid elemental diets are gentle on digestion and maximize nutrient absorption.

Importantly, these are different from other meal replacement shakes you’ve likely seen on the market, like Ka’Chava, which is more of a protein shake and is not pre-digested.  

Beyond being easy on the gut, elemental diets are also hypoallergenic and anti-inflammatory, giving the digestive system a much-needed break to heal.

Elemental diet shakes with a palatable taste and texture are technically semi-elemental. This means that rather than being completely broken down, they are usually:

• Made with whey or hydrolyzed whey protein (chains of amino acid chains that are still easily broken down without taxing digestion) 1.
• Inclusive of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) for easy fat absorption.
• Formulated with rapidly absorbed carbohydrates like maltodextrin or a mix of simple sugars.

Like fully elemental diets, semi-elemental diets are easily absorbed in the upper digestive tract, which helps the lower digestive system rest and recover from illness or injury 2 3. 

A 2016 literature review found that many patients considered semi-elemental formulas containing hydrolyzed whey protein more tolerable, digestible, and practical than full elemental formulas 1.

Ways We Use Elemental Diets in the Clinic

I encourage all my clients to be flexible with using elemental diet powders and to use them in whichever way suits their personal circumstances. However, in the clinic, we’ve identified four main ways of using them:

1. To replace all solid food for 1–4 days to reset gut health.
2. As a sole source of nutrition for 1–3 weeks as a remedy for bacterial/fungal overgrowths (for this, you have to have medical supervision).
3. On an as-needed basis as a gut-friendly meal replacement (replacing one or two of your daily meals).
4. Incorporated into healthier versions of favorite recipes. 

I’m going to skim over uses 1 and 2 as I’ve covered them in depth in other articles.

Suffice it to say we’ve found that when our clients use an elemental diet powder for a gut reset or to help with overgrowths like small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and Candida, they get great results.

1. A couple days’ reset, during which all meals are replaced with elemental shakes, can be very helpful for elusive gut-adjacent symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, and achy joints.
2. A longer-term reset works for SIBO because the nutrients from elemental diets are absorbed rapidly and don’t reach the lower part of the small intestine, where most bacterial overgrowths occur 4 Bacterial overgrowth die-off is not immediate, though, which is why a longer-term elemental diet works best in these cases. 

If you’re less familiar with the first steps of elemental dieting and want to start there, you can download my Gut Reset Guide. It’s a simplified breakdown of that process. 

Using Elemental Diet Powder for up to 50% of Meals

Here’s where elemental diets diverge from their better-known therapeutic use. Instead of uses 1 and 2 (above), you can use them more casually to supply a portion of daily calories while giving the gut daily rest.

Elemental shakes are a quick and easy meal replacement. For example, they can be your breakfast on the go (great for busy mornings) or helpful when you’re traveling and can’t easily accommodate your food sensitivities.

Replacing just some meals with elemental diet shakes can also be enough to calm your gut through a period of symptom flares.Research shows that a partial elemental diet can help manage inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) like Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. For example,

• A 2020 meta-analysis (highest quality study of studies) found that when Crohn’s disease patients were given an elemental diet through a tube for some meals, but ate a normal diet for other meals they were more likely to maintain remission. After 6–12 months, 67% of them remained in remission, compared to only 48% of those who ate standard food for all meals 5. 
• In a particular randomized controlled trial (gold-standard type of study), about 64% of people with Crohn’s disease had a relapse within a year while eating a normal diet. In comparison, only 34% had a relapse when their diet was half regular food and half elemental diet 3.
• Another similar trial looked at patients with eosinophilic esophagitis, a condition that causes inflammation in the esophagus. It found that following a diet that combined food elimination and an elemental diet for six weeks helped more patients go into remission and improved their quality of life better than just eliminating certain foods 6. 

Many of my clients continue to get up to 50% of their daily calories from elemental diet powder, even after completing an initial reset with the shakes.

Using Elemental Diet Powder as a Recipe Ingredient

Elemental diets can also make a safe (and tasty) recipe ingredient—especially when you are reintroducing foods after an elimination diet.

Here are some of our fan-favorite recipes:

Lemon and Blueberry Sheet Pan Pancakes 

To make one serving, you need:

• 1 ½ cups almond flour
• 1 serving Vanilla Elemental Heal 
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ½ cup almond milk, room temperature
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of ½ lemon 
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted and cooled
• ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Line a half cookie sheet pan (approx. 9 x 13) with parchment paper and lightly grease. 

Combine the almond flour, protein powder, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in a large bowl. 

In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, almond milk, lemon juice, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. 

Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Fold in the blueberries. 

Pour the batter onto the sheet pan and bake for 12-14 minutes or until slightly golden brown and just firm to the touch. 

Once cooled, cut into squares and store in the fridge or freezer. 

Peach and Mango and Coconut Chia Pudding 

To make one serving, you need:

• ¾ cup coconut milk 
• ¼ mango (peeled and chopped)
• 1 serving Elemental Heal Whey Free Peach
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder 
• 3 tablespoons chia seeds

Blend the coconut milk, mango, Elemental Heal, and turmeric together. Pour into a mason jar (or similar container), add the chia seeds, and mix well. Refrigerate overnight or for 6–8 hours if you start during the day. 

Lemon, Ginger and Turmeric Smoothie 

To make one serving, you need:

• 1 serving Elemental Heal Vanilla 
• 1 handful baby spinach
• ½ lemon, peeled
• ¼ medium zucchini 
• ¼ avocado 
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon flaxseeds
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk 

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. 

No Bake Chocolate Brownie Bars

To make 6 bars, you need:

• 1 cup almond butter or tahini
• 2 scoops Elemental Heal Chocolate or Whey Free Chocolate 
• 1 cup almond flour
• ½ cup ground flaxseed
• ¼ cup sugar-free chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of Himalayan salt

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl or food processor and mix well. Press the mixture into an 8 x 8 dish lined with parchment paper and freeze for at least 1 hour to set. Remove from the freezer and slice into 6 even bars. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Mini Berry ‘Cheesecakes’ 

To make 8 cheesecakes, you need:

• ½ cup almond butter or tahini 
• ½ cup chopped mixed nuts and seeds 
• ½ cup almond flour 
• 1 ½ cups plant-based yogurt 
• 1 serving Elemental Heal Vanilla or Whey Free Peach 
• ½ cup mixed berries (fresh or frozen)

Place the almond butter, chopped nuts and seeds, and almond flour in a food processor and mix well. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a muffin tray, about ¼ inch thick. Mix the yogurt and Elemental Heal and place this on top of the base, about 1 ½ inches thick. Top with berries and place in the freezer to set for a minimum of 2 hours. 

Blackberry and Nutella Breakfast Smoothie

To make one serving, you need:

• 1 serving Elemental Heal Chocolate or Whey Free Chocolate 
• 1 handful leafy greens (baby spinach, kale, etc.—fresh or frozen)
• ¼ avocado
• 1 tablespoon sugar-free ‘Nutella’ 
• 1 tablespoon whole flaxseeds
• ½ cup blackberries (fresh or frozen) 
• ½ teaspoon cacao powder (optional) 
• 1 ¼ cups unsweetened almond milk

To make sugar-free ‘Nutella,’ roast 2 cups of raw hazelnuts at 350 degrees for 8–10 minutes (or until golden brown). Cool the nuts and then remove the skins (as much as possible). Place the nuts in a food processor and process on high for 2–3 minutes or until they form a smooth paste. Add 1 tablespoon of cacao powder and a pinch of salt, and process for a further 2–3 minutes until you get a smooth consistency. 

Mix all ingredients in a blender until fully smooth.

Bircher Muesli 

To make one serving, you need:

• ½ cup grated apple
• 1 serving Whey Free Peach or Vanilla Elemental Heal 
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 2 tablespoons coconut flakes
• 1 tablespoon mixed chopped nuts
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 1 cup plant-based yogurt

Mix all ingredients well and top with coconut, apple, or chopped nuts. You can make it in a mason jar and store it in the fridge overnight for a thicker consistency. 

*If you need an allergen-free option, hypoallergenic elemental diet powders are available and work great in recipes. The same goes for low-carb elemental diet powders—a great high-protein, low-carb recipe addition.

What Diet Works Alongside Elemental Diet Powder?

I encourage my clients with gastrointestinal symptoms and food sensitivities to try one of the following elimination diets. These diets pair excellently with elemental diet powders for a complementary approach to enhancing gut health:

• Paleo Diet: Minimizes dairy (lactose) and grains (so it’s low gluten or gluten-free, reducing common gut irritants.
• Low-FODMAP Diet: Limits fermentable carbohydrates that cause bloating and gas.
• Low-Histamine Diet or AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) Diet: Further eliminates potential triggers for specific conditions and symptoms.

All these diets also minimize processed foods and additives like preservatives, artificial colors, and emulsifiers. Working with a doctor or dietitian can help you decide which diet to use, and they can help with food reintroductions after your symptoms improve.

Alongside dietary management with diet and elemental diet powders, most people can benefit from taking a probiotic to support gut repair 7. At the clinic, we find that taking three types of probiotic species together works best.

Choosing and Using Elemental Diet Powders Safely

Research suggests that elemental diet powders are safe when used as a complete food replacement for conditions like Crohn’s disease 3 5 8 and SIBO 4. However, they should be chosen and used carefully, even if only used casually.

The Food and Drug Administration regulates only medical-grade elemental diet products—the types administered in hospitals or prescribed by a doctor. So, it’s good to be mindful when buying over-the-counter options.

In particular, look for formulations that are fortified with the full range of essential micronutrients. Here are some nutrients to check for in the ingredients list:

• Fat-soluble vitamins, including vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, vitamin K 
• Vitamin C
• B complex vitamins, including biotin, folate, pantothenic acid, thiamin, riboflavin (riboflavin-5-phosphate), niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamin or methylcobalamin), and B6 
• Calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, and  manganese (important minerals)

Note of caution: I recommend that people with oral thrush don’t drink elemental diet shakes. My concern is that the easily absorbed carbs might feed fungi or microbes in the mouth, though no research confirms this risk.

Additionally, if you have a history of disordered eating, a full elemental diet may not be the best choice. Furthermore, using elemental diet powders as a meal replacement is not a weight loss strategy we recommend in the clinic.

Elemental Diet Powder: A Versatile Tool for Gut Health

I hope this article has highlighted the flexibility and benefits of elemental diet powders—whether for a short-term gut reset, managing microbial overgrowth, or as a nutritious meal replacement or recipe ingredient.

While more research is needed, both clinical experience and emerging studies suggest that elemental diets can provide significant relief from gut symptoms when used correctly.For the best results, they should be used strategically alongside dietary adjustments, probiotics, and guidance from a healthcare professional if you’re using them longer term or for more complex conditions. If you’d like support from one of our clinicians, don’t hesitate to reach out.

The Ruscio Institute has developed a range of high-quality formulations to help our clients and audience. If you’re interested in learning more about these products, please click here. Note that there are many other options available, and we encourage you to research which products may be right for you. The information on DrRuscio.com is for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.