A Gut Reset Protocol for Rapid Symptom Relief

Hitting the Reset Button With a Gut-Healing Shake

• What Is a Gut Reset?|
• What Is an Elemental Diet?|
• How It Heals|
• Gut Reset Guide|
• Powerful Healing Tool|

Struggling with troublesome gut and mental health symptoms, like brain fog, fatigue, and digestive issues, can be frustrating—especially if you’re already following a wholesome diet and doing “all the right things.”

Before throwing in the towel, you may want to consider a gut reset with a liquid elemental diet. In the clinic, our clients often see symptom reductions in a matter of days with this therapy. I’m not saying it’s a cure-all, but it can be a powerful tool in your gut-healing toolkit.

In this article, I’ll share what a gut reset with a liquid elemental diet is, why it can be so effective, and how to implement it for fast relief.

What Is a Gut Reset?

As I discuss in my book, Healthy Gut, Healthy You, microbial imbalances in the gut and damage to the small intestine are common causes of inflammation, brain fog, fatigue, poor sleep, gut distress, and so much more. 

Doing a gut reset can rebalance the digestive ecosystem (the gut microbiome that’s made up of trillions of microorganisms) and nourish the small intestine. This combination of effects can translate into quick symptom relief.

A gut reset may provide health benefits by [1, 2, 3, 4]:

• Reducing your exposure to foods that irritate your gut 
• Providing needed rest for your digestive tract
• Starving microbial overgrowths 
• Reducing gut inflammation
• Calming your immune system

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “This sounds great, but how do I reset my gut? Does it take extreme fasting, fancy detox drinks and supplements, or coffee enemas?” 

None of that is advisable or necessary—the type of gut reset we recommend in the clinic involves following a temporary elemental or semi-elemental liquid diet.

What Is an Elemental Diet?

An elemental diet is a powdered formula that’s low in fiber and prebiotics, and full of nutrients that are easy to absorb. Adding the formula to water creates a well-balanced meal replacement shake. These features allow the digestive system a chance to rest and repair in a fairly short period of time.

There are two types of elemental diet formulas: full elemental and semi-elemental. Here’s a table comparing their important features [5]:

The major differences are the level of protein digestibility, cost, and taste. Our clients who aren’t allergic to dairy or sensitive to whey typically opt for the semi-elemental version. Semi-elemental formulas are as effective as—and generally taste better and cost less than—the full elemental formulas.

How Does an Elemental Diet Heal the Gut?

A full or semi-elemental diet can be a powerful healing tool for improving digestive health [6, 7]. Here’s a simple analogy to explain how it works.

If a runner has a sprained ankle but continues to run, that ankle is probably not going to heal completely. The same concept applies to the gut. If you have a gut injury and continue to eat three times a day, it can be difficult for your gut to recover. 

But, like the runner who rests until their ankle heals and can handle running again, giving your gut a break from digestion allows it to heal and handle food like a pro again.  

An elemental diet may work well as a gut reset because of its favorable impact on the small intestine, the headquarters of the immune system and where most nutrients get absorbed. 

Absorbing nutrients places a huge burden on the small intestine, especially if part of it is leaky or permeable and unable to work properly. But an elemental diet is rapidly absorbed in the uppermost part of the small intestine, which allows the rest of this important organ—and the large intestine—to focus on healing and repair.    

Numerous clinical trials have found that any type of elemental diet can be highly beneficial for reducing intestinal inflammation and autoimmunity. We’re always on the lookout for more research on the elemental diet, but current science supports its use for many conditions, like: 

• Eosinophilic esophagitis [8]
• Crohn’s disease [6]
• Eosinophilic gastroenteritis [9]
• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) [4]
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) [4]
• Celiac disease that doesn’t improve with a gluten-free diet [10, 11]

Additionally, I’ve been using liquid elemental diets in the clinic for years. I’ve seen firsthand how this type of gut reset has helped my clients find relief from gastrointestinal issues, like gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), bloating, constipation, IBS, leaky gut, diarrhea, and SIBO.  

How To Do an Elemental Diet Gut Reset 

An elemental diet usually works best as part of a 4-step plan when working to resolve most chronic gut issues. In the clinic, we typically start with:

1. An anti-inflammatory diet
2. Lifestyle therapy (such as exercise, sleep support, and stress management)
3. Probiotics (good bacteria)
4. A gut reset with a liquid elemental diet (when the first three steps haven’t moved the needle)

In the past, elemental diets weren’t as accessible and tasted really, really bad. So, to make this helpful therapy easier to find and tolerate, I developed Elemental Heal.

Elemental Heal comes in full elemental and semi-elemental formulas, as well as a low- carbohydrate version. All of these formulas work similarly, so people can choose the version that aligns most with their health needs.

We also have a dosing calculator to make it easier to determine how much to buy. 

Making the shakes is pretty straightforward:

• Add one scoop to 8–32 ounces of water in a blender or shaker bottle.
• Blend or shake until fully dissolved.
• Serve over ice.

It’s best to sip on the formula slowly rather than drinking large amounts in a short period of time. Sipping helps keep a steady supply of nutrients and calories in the system to prevent hunger, fatigue, and low blood sugar.

How Long to Do an Elemental Diet Gut Reset

One feature that makes a liquid elemental diet gut reset so appealing is its versatility. There are generally three ways to incorporate this therapy based on individual needs:

1. A Short-Term Gut Reset

A short-term gut reset means using the elemental or semi-elemental diet exclusively (as the only source of calories) for 2–4 days to calm gut flares.

After the short-term gut reset, it’s important to transition back to whole foods using a systematic approach. 

2. Exclusive Liquid Nutrition for One to Three Weeks

Those with microbial overgrowths or other stubborn gut issues who feel well on the short-term gut reset may want to use liquid nutrition exclusively for 1–3 weeks. This means using a full or semi-elemental formula in place of all meals under medical supervision only.

At the end of the reset, they transition back to a whole foods diet using the reintroduction protocol below. 

3. Longer-Term Occasional or Hybrid Use

One of the things I love about an elemental diet is that it can be used as a gut reset occasionally, so there’s no need to feel like it’s all or nothing. 

Occasional or hybrid use involves getting some calories from an elemental or semi-elemental formula and the rest from whole foods. This approach may be less daunting and easier to implement since it leaves room for some solid food. 

Here are a few examples of how my clients have implemented this hybrid approach:

• A meal replacement shake for breakfast and a whole-foods lunch and dinner
• A meal replacement shake for breakfast and lunch, and a whole-foods dinner
• One full day of exclusive liquid nutrition each week
• Replacing some meals for 1–4 days when their gut feels “off”

Transitioning Back to Whole Foods

After an elemental diet gut reset, the goal is to transition back to a whole foods diet (i.e., legumes, whole grains, fermented foods, nuts, meat, eggs, fruits, vegetables, and limited added sugars) for the best overall health outcomes.

There’s no standard timeframe for transitioning back to all solid food. When coaching my clients through food reintroduction, I remind them that it’s important to listen to their body. When they feel they’ve gotten the maximum benefit from their gut reset (sometime within 1–3 weeks), it’s a good time to return to eating whole foods.

When starting to eat solid foods again after a longer elemental diet, it’s important to go slowly. In the beginning, it helps to start with small, whole-food meals and opt for softer foods, like steamed veggies and soups, and foods that are the least allergenic [12]. 

The progression looks something like this:

• Days 1–7: Least allergenic foods
• Days 7–14: Continue with the least allergenic foods and add in minimally allergenic foods
• Days 14–21: Continue with the least and minimally allergenic foods and add in moderately allergenic foods
• Days 21–31: Continue with least, minimally, and moderately allergenic foods and add in the most allergenic foods one at a time.

Another great option is to take a hybrid approach. For example, continuing to replace 1–2 meals per day with elemental diet shakes is a gentle way to transition back to all whole foods. Here’s a sample 3-day menu that also takes the allergenicity of foods into account:

Is a Gut Reset Safe?

Elemental and semi-elemental formulas are designed to provide all the essential nutrients. They are generally safe [6, 13, 14], but they should be handled carefully. 

Short-term elemental diets are generally safe to try on your own. But if you plan to use an elemental diet for longer than 4 days, it’s important to work with a clinician who can monitor you for any potential negative side effects, like severe weight loss. 

The Gut Reset: A Powerful Healing Tool

Resetting the gut with a liquid elemental diet can be powerful for improving gut health, especially for people who don’t respond fully to foundational gut supports, like an anti-inflammatory diet, healthy lifestyle changes, and probiotics.

I teach many of my clients how to use an elemental diet as a 2–4 day gut reset and transition back to whole foods using the hybrid approach. If they still have lingering symptoms, I monitor them on the liquid elemental diet for 1–3 weeks and help them transition back to a healthy diet.

My book, Healthy Gut, Healthy You provides a detailed step-by-step gut healing guide. If you’d like a tailored approach, contact us at the Ruscio Institute for Functional Health for an appointment.

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