Recently, a woman, who is on her own SIBO journey, asked me how I got through the elemental diet treatment. She said the treatment terrifies her.
The elemental diet terrified me, too.
As I thought about her question, I desperately wanted some sort of incredible wisdom to impart to her. I wanted to have words to dissipate her fears and guarantee her that if she eventually did the elemental diet it was going to be a breeze. But the only words that came out of my mouth were, “I took it one minute at a time.”
Everyone who does the elemental diet gets through it in a way that is doable for them. You really can’t do it any other way.
For me, it was one of the hardest things I have ever done. I remember my doctor explaining to me how some people really like it because they do not have to worry about what to eat or what to make for food and they feel really great on it. My doctor is very wise and brilliant, and truly is one of the most amazing women I have ever known, but this advice was not going to help me. I was more afraid of myself when my blood sugar is low and when I get “hangry,” than concerned about food. So, I had to come up with my own plan.
After much thought, prayer, and conversation with my husband, my plan to get through the elemental diet was as follows,
- Experience the pain, agony, hanger, fear, struggle, disgust, disappointment, annoyance, and every other negative emotion head on. Look it in the eye and breathe. Be okay in the moment, even if the moment felt uncontrollable. Simply choose to be, to rest in the awfulness of the moment, and not react.
- Pray. In the moments with the hunger feels overwhelming, remember that there are people in the world who are more hungry than I am. There are people who have worse digestive distress than me. People who are more sick. People who have less food and who are chronically malnourished. There are people who are genuinely starving. Pray for them. Cry for them. Experience the little bit of hardship that I could with them…even though I will likely never meet them.
- Climb. Buy a month pass to the local climbing gym and when I need a mental break, go climb easy bouldering routes, low along the wall, and begin to learn a new sport.
- Always have an out. Carry honey sticks, and always have a mug of homemade chai tea in my hand.
My four part plan worked exceedingly well. But, honestly, I do not feel like it was me who conquered the diet. I felt like God held my hand through each moment. It felt more like a spiritual journey than a health journey or food journey. So much of my time was spent in prayer. And thinking about all of the people who do not have food in our world. It taught me to pour out my heart in pain, fear, and disgust, and to be okay in the midst of overwhelming emotion.
The elemental diet taught me one of the greatest lessons I have ever learned. To be in the moment and to be okay. I have been through a lot of hard situations and events but never taken a lesson so head on and so seriously. It was well worth it. I felt like I conquered one of my greatest fears and weaknesses.
The elemental diet did not work against the SIBO for me. For many people it works really well. I felt my infection come back within days of completing the elemental diet. This doesn’t mean the diet won’t work for you, it means I have something else going on in my body that is causing the infection to return immediately after treatment.
The amino acid powder used in the homemade elemental diet was really hard for me to digest. Actually, it gave me diarrhea almost immediately, even in very small amounts. After several days of this, I decided to bag it and I would be okay doing the remainder of the treatment without it. I did, eat a lot of good fats blended into my teas with salt and honey. This was my choice, and likely is not recommended by many doctors, but it was worthwhile to me to be able to complete the treatment.
For many, the hardest part of the elemental diet is not being able to chew on anything. The first three and the last few days of the treatment are said to be the hardest. For me, the hardest part of the treatment was the first four days with day four being the most difficult. Adjusting to not eating, combined with general die off symptoms were challenging. By the end of the treatment, I felt like I could continue on without any issues, and felt like the longer I was on the diet, the easier it got. I did not experience the general bell curve of difficulty. A great way to tackle not being able to chew on anything is to freeze some coconut oil and honey, mixed together and add some peppermint extract (not sugar) or edible essential oil to make frozen peppermint patties.
If you decide the elemental diet is the right step for you, make sure to take care of yourself well. Make a plan designed for your own needs to ensure your own success. And of course, always work with your doctor!
9