iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrllll o tclhdfliThei mdcdaeYour body’s ability to digest and assimilate nutrients from foods needs to
be considered. Some people may require digestive enzymes.
In advanced cases, the bacterial flora may be so affected that even fiber in
the diet may need to be discontinued for a short period of time as it feeds
the pathogenic bacterial flora (FODMAPs, low-residue, GAPS approach,
elemental diet).
Small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) may be the cause of a shift-
ed autoimmune response and thus may be responsible for Hashimoto’s
and food intolerances.
The GAPS Diet, SCD Diet, elemental diet, FODMAPs Diet, Body
Ecology Diet, and the new trendy new Paleo diet are examples of diets
that can be helpful for overcoming small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
by “starving” out the pathogens and reintroducing beneficial bacteria.
Fiber and fruit both can contribute to small intestinal bacterial over-
growth and may also need to be limited.
It is likely the leaky gut has led to the development of IgG/IgA intoler-
ances to multiple foods. A “baby food” diet may need to be introduced
to help prevent further irritation of the intestinal tight junctions in con-
junction with healing foods and supplements. In this case, the person
starts by eating the foods that are the easiest to digest, progressing to
those that are harder to digest. In the meantime, supplementation with
vitamins and minerals is also recommended as the body is likely not ab-
sorbing them (elimination/introduction diet).
Those with protein malabsorption/low stomach acid may benefit from
a temporary break from proteins (animal proteins are the hardest to di-
gest) such as in a juice cleanse, elemental diet, or other type of cleanse.
Digestive enzymes should also be used with all protein foods.
An overview of the most helpful dietary approaches is listed as follows,
starting with the diets requiring the greatest lifestyle changes to those
requiring the fewest.
Elemental Diet
An elemental diet is a liquid diet that is free of non-digestible substances such
as fiber, complex carbohydrates, and protein structures. It contains our es-
sential macronutrients in a state that requires little to no digestion and results
in complete absorption.