What is an elemental diet?
Elemental diets are famous for recovering a healthy gut and detoxifying the body. The Elemental Diet has been around for some time now, and it remains just as popular today as it did when it was first introduced. It is a complete liquid replacement nutritional diet that is based on the idea that your body is made up of different elements. You see, your body needs to get different types of nutrients from the food you eat in order to function properly. If any one of these nutrients is missing from your diet, this can have a negative effect on your health and weight. And if you try to consume each of all nutrients together, it is likely that your gut may be intolerant towards some of them, or you may gain excess and unnecessary calories from consuming all those, or you may not be able to have access to all such necessary elements.
The liquified diet contains several essential nutrients, amino acids, fats, natural sugar, electrolytes, vitamins, and minerals. All of these vital essentials are contained in the form of powder or liquid and are taken several times throughout the day for several weeks. This diet promises easy digestion and no harm or pain in the process of ingestion.

What are the purposes of an elemental diet?
The main function of the elemental diet is to contain and balance the overgrowth of harmful bacteria in the gut, balance gut health, ensure proper digestion, and heal and detox the gastrointestinal tract without prompting digestion problems, malnutrition, or gut health problems.
This diet works by eliminating certain food groups, which limits your intake of calories and forces your body to burn fat more quickly. The result is an average weight loss of 10 pounds after just two weeks, and maybe even more when combined with regular exercise and healthy eating habits.
Although the name may sound complicated, the diet itself is quite simple. The users have to follow a simple meal plan that consists of an elemental dietary supplement shake that often comes in the form of powder, liquid diets, or supplements. The elemental formula is then turned into shakes and consumed as meal replacements. These shakes are energizing, and contain various important nutrients that adequately replace your daily meals. They also stop you from consuming gluten, artificial sweeteners, carbs, unhealthy high-calorie foods, etc.
What goes into the making of it?
There are various elemental diet-supporting shakes or meal replacement formulas that employ several different elements or nutrients to make up their content. However, a common factor between all such is that they all are equally promising when it comes to gaining adequate protein, amino acids, healthy dietary fibers, vitamins, and minerals.
The typical elemental formulas are low in fat content and high in carbohydrate and protein content. They also contain several water-soluble vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, and electrolytes.
The Dr. Ruscio Elemental Diet is based on Dr. Ruscio’s research, and it contains the 4 essential elements you need to create optimal health –
- Essential vitamins (such as Vitamin A, D, E, B6, B12, Biotin, etc.),
- Important minerals (such as Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Zinc, Selenium, Potassium, etc.),
- Essential and nonessential amino acids (such as L-Tyrosine, L-Aspartic Acid, L-Glutamic Acid, L-Glutamine, Glycine, etc.),
- And gluten-free, grass-fed whey protein.
Is the elemental diet scientifically valid?

The Elemental Diet is top-rated by health experts and has been used as a successful meal replacement tool for over ten years. While you can use the elemental diet to lose weight, it also helps you discover more energy, improve your overall well-being, feel revitalized and live a happier and healthier life. With the buzz surrounding the elemental diet, many have been wondering whether or not it is safe and effective. What did science say about this diet, and what is its impact on gut health and digestive health?
The Elemental Diet is not a fad diet that has been around for nothing. The claim behind this diet is that it helps you lose weight by reducing cravings and increasing metabolism, but there’s more to this diet than meets the eye – especially with its safety and effectiveness claims. Research has shown that the elemental diet can help reduce intestinal inflammation, lower stress levels and improve mental clarity, alongside several of its other benefits regarding the gastrointestinal tract and gut microbiota.
Further clinical research has also supported the claims of elemental diets and has heavily preferred Dr. Ruscio’s Elemental Heal Supplements over all others. In fact, studies have shown a result that showed that over 80% of the test patients recovered from SIBO, and over 70% enjoyed healthy recovery from their IBS symptoms after following this diet.
Additionally, it also supports healthy weight loss as it replaces daily calorie and carb intakes throughout the day and is easy to digest and draw energy from. So, you get a full day of natural energy, important nutrients and minerals, and healthy fat burn.
What exactly is an Elemental Heal?
It is a simple and easy-to-digest formula designed to take this diet to the next level. This powder-like supplement is usually enjoyed as a thick fulfilling shake containing all such elements and helps you get maximum physical strength. It also helps lose weight, get all nutrients necessary to unleash your full health potential and heal from several conditions like:
- SIBO – small intestinal bacterial overgrowth,
- IBS – irritable bowel syndrome,
- Autoimmune diseases,
- Gut microbiome dysbiosis,
- Leaky gut,
- Inflamed gastrointestinal tract,
- Digestive problems, etc.
What are the benefits of Elemental Heal?

You may have heard about the Elemental Diet and wondered what it was. This diet was originally designed to help people who are diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. It has since then been used by a wide range of people as a weight loss tool, and different variations on the diet can be used to help with digestive issues and more. The main benefits of the Elemental diet are that it is easy to follow, and it provides you with all the minerals and vitamins that you need in order to be healthy.
Dr. Ruscio Elemental Heal is the most highly effective formula that has some pretty amazing pros. Here are some of the benefits you enjoy from following the Dr. Ruscio Elemental Heal:
- It alleviates chronic pain in any part of the body due to enhanced nutritional and healing factors that fuel this supplement.
- Say goodbye to headaches, migraines, inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle pain, etc., as the same factor helps get rid of all such issues.
- Enjoy pain-free digestion, normal bowel movements, negative SIBO within weeks of regular usage, minimum or no discomfort when it comes to gut health, and healthy and thriving gut bacteria.
- Replace your daily calories with the Elemental Heal formula and get limitless energy for the rest of your day.
- Enjoy your boosted metabolism and low recovery periods in between workouts.
- You may lose weight and belly fat within weeks of use.
- Last but not least, this particular Elemental Heal formula is delicious! So, it makes sticking to this strict restrictive diet much more bearable.
Side Effects
Now coming to the drawbacks, these are a few minor side effects of an elemental diet, like diarrhea, nausea, cramps, bloating, gas and tiredness. There are natural side effects associated with the elemental diet, however, these are not always obvious in the early stages and side effects are almost negligible when using supplements like Elemental Heal. As your body becomes more accustomed to the new way of eating and you have fewer cravings for sugar and carbs, some of these effects become less noticeable. As with any restrictive diet, the side effects include weakness, fatigue, muscle loss, and a drop in energy levels – just as if you were sick or injured.
However, unlike other elemental diets, the Elemental Heal supplement provides a much better response as it only replaces your daily calorie input with its nutrients. It is in fact much more nutritionally fulfilling and energizing.
How to get started on the Dr. Ruscio Elemental Diet?
The Dr. Ruscio Elemental Diet is a comprehensive therapeutic nutritional intervention designed to address common digestive and inflammatory-based health conditions. It involves the consumption of elemental formulas containing predigested amino acids, carbohydrates, and fat in appropriate ratios while eliminating all other forms of food intake. This diet has been shown to reduce symptoms associated with gastrointestinal distress, such as bloating, gas, constipation, or diarrhea, and has also been observed to modulate systemic inflammation by targeting the gut microbiota.
With the help of this Elemental Heal formula, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to follow along with the changes needed to achieve optimal health. Here’s how you get started with the process and manage your steps:
- Gut-reset phase: Use Elemental Heal shakes as the main source of calorie intake for some days.
(Use for another 2 weeks if your gut health does not respond to probiotics and diets.) - Gut-healing meal replacement: Use the supplement shake to replace 1 or 2 meals per day for a few months.
- Monitor changes in your gut health and feel the marvelous effects! Around these periods, you will start noticing changes in your weight, as your body fat melts and your gut microbiome goes through a detoxed positive change.
This diet has taken over the medical field as an effective and nutritionally fulfilling diet that does not compromise the body’s need for nutrients, vitamins, and minerals while optimizing and healing gastrointestinal health. It is also a prescribed diet that may be given to patients who are suffering from any such problems as small intestine bacterial overgrowth, and have not responded actively or are unable to tolerate antibiotics or other medical drugs.
How is an elemental diet effective for you?
An elemental diet is very effective in helping you lose weight, and this is because it helps you cleanse your body of all the harmful toxins inside it. It also helps by providing lots of essential nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids that are essences of good health. The elemental diets are nutritionally fulfilling and often come in the form of easy-to-swallow capsules or powders that you can digest easily.
For whom is it recommended?
Anyone suffering from gastrointestinal disorders, gut bacterial overgrowth, leaky gut syndrome, digestive disorders, obesity, inflammatory conditions, active Crohn’s disease, celiac disease, IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease), etc., may use the elemental diet method.
However, a fair warning against the regular use of supplements goes to pregnant women, breastfeeding and lactating mothers, young children, people with high blood sugar, and people with long-term disease or undergoing serious medical treatments. Take your medical professional’s advice before going on any supplement or taking up the diet.
What discomforts does it claim to fix?
The elemental diet claims to fix a variety of conditions by helping rebalance your digestive system and the gut microbiome. In fact, it claims to help improve IBS, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, SIBO or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, celiac disease, and autoimmune diseases. Let’s look into each of these in more detail so we know exactly what the elemental diet does for you.
IBS
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common condition where there is an abnormality of the intestinal tract. Unlike constipation, IBS has more symptoms and causes for the condition. It is thought to be a result of an imbalance between fibrous and liquidy foods in your diet. This means that you could have problems digesting or absorbing food, or when attempting to absorb something from within the body, it cannot break down completely and then reabsorb what it has broken down. Changing the type of food you eat and converting your meals to liquid diets like the elemental diet will help you find your balance again.
This diet helps solve many common medical ailments such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease, and Colitis. It also works to fix problems such as fatigue, acne, chronic pain, and even mood. Here are the ways this diet will help you with these issues.
- Elemental diets claim to bring relief to IBS symptoms by fixing the underlying causes of symptoms, instead of treating the symptoms as if they were an isolated disease.
- According to elemental diet practitioners, IBS symptoms are caused by deficiencies in certain vitamins and minerals, environmental toxicity, food sensitivities, and other mental factors. By consuming a specific blend of foods that contain those nutrients, you can improve your digestion and reduce your symptoms.
If you experience IBS in the form of gas, bloating, or diarrhea, the elemental diet is a great solution. For most people, this powerful gut healing tool can help to relieve symptoms such as gas or constipation and eliminate cravings for certain foods that are linked to IBS.
SIBO
This diet plan is highly recommended for people who have a gut issue similar to SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth). SIBO is a digestive condition in which abnormal growth of bacteria occurs in the small intestine. This imbalance in the gut microbiota is called dysbiosis. If you suffer from dysbiosis, then the elemental diet plan is an excellent way to remove the problem as this dietary treatment involves consuming a pre-prepared formula supplement that contains all essential macronutrients and micronutrients in an elemental form, allowing the intestinal luminal contents to bypass the upper gastrointestinal tract thereby reducing the number of bacteria present.
- The Elemental Diet is supposed to eliminate the toxic build-up in your digestive tract by flushing it through your colon with specific nutrients designed to do so.
- The theory behind elemental diets is that toxins that are generally stored in the large intestines are released in small amounts during a “detox” phase of the diet. They then pass through the intestines more easily through the colonics, into your urine and stool during the initial “gut-reset” phase of the diet.
Fixing SIBO is a key part of elemental diets, as well as helping to improve overall digestion. It’s important to note that elemental diets use different and a wide variety of nutritional components than other diets do, which can account for their fast and high effectiveness.
Celiac disease
Celiac disease is a chronic, autoimmune inflammatory disorder of the small intestine, with gluten as one of the major elements that trigger the development of all these symptoms. In other words, this condition is caused when the body can’t properly digest gluten, causing it to become problematic and lead to some nasty symptoms like diarrhea and cramping. But how does the elemental diet help fix Celiac Disease? Here is how.
- The process of the Elemental Diet program helps alleviate symptoms of Celiac Disease and improve your health by promoting your body’s natural healing process.
- Elemental diet focuses on restoring healthy digestion and building a strong immune system while reducing inflammation in your gut lining.
- Elemental diets are also a type of gluten-free diet that is really beneficial for those who have got Celiac and gluten sensitivity.
- Elemental diets claim to help fix issues of Celiac Disease by healing leaky gut, inflammation, and autoimmune response. And when nourished in an elemental state, the body can more effectively absorb, digest, and use the nutrients.
If you have IBS, SIBO, celiac disease, or any other autoimmune disease, then the elemental diet can help.
Difference between Semi–Elemental Diet and Elemental Diets:
Both of these elemental diet forms are considered to be the best anti-inflammatory SIBO treatment. There are not any significant differences between them except for a simple difference in the makeup of their elemental formulas. Semi-elemental diets and elemental diets differ in some ways that have been displayed in the chart below:
Half elemental diet | Full elemental diet |
Semi-elemental diet formula provides proteins that are hydrolyzed into oligopeptides that may be absorbed better than regular protein or individual amino acids. | The full elemental formula contains hydrolyzed ‘pre-digested’ free amino acids. |
You only get half a portion of your daily nutrition from elemental formulas and the other half through solid foods. | Elemental diet formula replaces at least 1 or 2 major meals of your day. You try to stay low on solid foods to put the digestive system at ease and repair intestinal damage. |
It may be followed up to 2-3 weeks and is effective to treat SIBO. | It is recommended to be followed up for at least 1 or 2 months. Alongside healing SIBO, it also aims to heal Crohn’s disease, unhealthy gut symptoms, bacterial and fungal overgrowths, joint pains, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. |
Lifestyle and Diet Changes Recommended
Try to include refreshing and Prebiotic foods and Probiotic Foods into your daily diets alongside elemental diets and regular exercise. Here are a few effective Exercises for the Gut. However, not much as the main aim of this diet is to minimize digestive activities to heal the gut. However, in the initial stages, try to add fermented drinks or healthy soups into your diet. For example, cabbage soup that is an extremely rich broth with dietary fiber and it may help immensely to help replenish bacteria lost in the digestion process.
As discussed once before, environmental toxicity and lack of proper food regulation may lead to several other health disorders including the ones mentioned above. Try to reduce alcoholic beverage consumption, smoking, and consumption of sodas and drinks with artificial sweeteners, carbs, etc.
Testimony
Aaron C. (UK)
I have tried various diets and nutritional programs, but the Elemental Diet has proven to be the most effective in improving my gut health and detoxifying my body. In conclusion, I highly recommend this product to anyone interested in trying the Elemental Diet or wanting to gain more benefits.
Mia M (USA)
I have tried many different diets in the past, but the Elemental Diet is by far the most effective for gut health and detoxification. Overall, I highly recommend this product to anyone looking to improve their gut health and detoxify their body.
Conclusion: Is Elemental Heal a Good way to start Elemental Diet?
Here are five reassuring reasons why you should absolutely give this diet a try!
- Scientifically backed and clinically tested.
- Dr. Rusico’s Elemental diet is absolutely delicious!
- Countless recommendations and positive responses from users and dieticians worldwide.
- Elemental diets help your gastrointestinal tract recover and heal from several issues that range from dysbiosis to cancer!
- It is one of the most highly recommended diets prescribed by doctors and nutritionists that can help you recover from Eosinophilic esophagitis (that is, a chronic allergy that develops inflammation and painful swallowing problems in the esophagus).
Overall, it is a reliable diet that won’t deprive your body of important nutrients just to enable fat loss or promote healthy digestion. Instead, it takes account of all types of digestive problems and helps your gut microbiota heal from such problems. Dr. Ruscio Elemental Heal is also gluten and GMO-free. They are also free of artificial preservatives and made with grass-fed whey protein.

Tim Koping (Medical M.Sc Physiology, Founder of Original Eating, and a Professor at a Leading Health Institute in the US): I am a medical M.Sc physiology graduate and the founder of Original Eating, an online resource that provides information and advice about healthy eating. I have a strong interest in health and nutrition, and I am passionate about helping people to eat well and live healthily. I have over 15 years of experience working in the health and nutrition industry, and I am dedicated to providing accurate, reliable information that can help people to make healthy choices for themselves. My work with Original Eating has been featured in publications such as Men’s Health and more, and I am frequently consulted by journalists for expert commentary on dietary issues. However, in my spare time, I also enjoy reading, hiking, and playing the guitar.