Why would I do a liquid diet?

Our advice for anyone entering a flare-up, an attack, or just having a period of time where their digestive problems starts to get worse (or not getting better) is a 48 to 72 hour liquid diet. I always describe an attack or flare-up as being like a roller coaster slowly climbing that first big hill. Once it goes over the top… it is too late to avoid the doctor or emergency room. It is best to start this liquid diet the minute you feel problems coming on. Here is why this important, and how to do it.

If your digestive (any of them from reflux to Crohn’s) condition is worsening, it could be that you have either a bowel infection or bowel inflammation.
Note: This is generic information, which should not be followed; instead of seeking or following sound medical advice based on your medical specifics.

When a bowel infection or inflammation becomes acute, your “roller coaster” is nearing the top of the hill. By virtually stopping the digestion process with a liquid diet (safely and while staying hydrated) you have excellent odds of reversing the problem and allowing your gut to reset.

In case you are new to flare-ups and attacks, they are caused by one of these:

• Intestinal inflammation
• Intestinal infection
• Digestive flora imbalance or insufficient flora

Inflammation and infection are most often caused by a section of missing or damaged intestinal mucosal lining (usually from ongoing over-acidification during stress and/or during digestion.)

Intestinal infection is most often caused by the same problem but when the inflamed sections start colonizing “bad” bacteria, which can erode a section of the intestinal or colonic wall.

The third cause of a flare-up is missing or imbalanced digestive flora. This is usually caused by two things: a low PH (acidic) bowel caused by eating too many catalyst foods, or by taking antibiotics too many times in one’s life, or one or more rounds in the last five years.

A liquid diet is a form of a fast. It is a complete rest for the entire digestive tract, including the stomach. During this time, the PH should raise to an alkaline level. Bacteria will not be fed by sitting or slowly moving food supplies (meals) and mucosal linings will have a chance to replenish with far less acid and fibrous material moving across them.

This is the emergency solution to a pending attack or flare-up. For two or three days you simply consume only Jello TM, gelatin, broths, water, tea, coffee, and one of the nearly clear types of fruit juices such as cranberry and apple juices.

The only caution I would raise here is that if you don’t also make some dietary changes such as those in the Catalyst Food Avoidance plan (get it here in your free digital book) or beginning supplementation, you are likely to have a recurrence before long since you will still be doing the same things that gave you a flare-up in the first place. The liquid diet may very well keep you out of the doctors office, or E.R. but if you keep doing everything else the same way that got you in trouble… well you get the picture.

Supplements that may help:

• Rachel’s Digestive Tea for pain, cramping, over acidification, and inflammation
• Turmeric for stress and inflammation
• Probiotics for rebalancing and colonizing intestinal flora back to a normal level
• Slippery elm taken with each meal to put a protective, acid resistant mucilloid into the gut with each meal and to encourage natural mucosal lining replenishment

While we realize that there are many articles and theories on “what to do for a flare-up, the information above and in the PFF books are tested in thousands of cases as we developed these protocols and supplement recommendations. Use Rachel’s supplements or find them near you.