elemental diet
Nutritional therapy using pre-digested nutrients that require minimal digestive processing.
Full Definition
An elemental diet consists of nutrients in their most basic, pre-digested forms, including amino acids, simple sugars, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. This therapeutic approach is used in pediatric gastroenterology to provide nutrition while giving the digestive system minimal work to perform. It's particularly useful for patients with severe inflammatory bowel disease, short gut syndrome, or other malabsorption disorders. The diet can be administered orally or through enteral feeding tubes. While highly effective for reducing intestinal inflammation and promoting healing, elemental diets are often unpalatable and expensive, making compliance challenging in pediatric patients.
Usage
Usage note: Always use 'elemental diet' rather than 'elemental nutrition' in clinical contexts.
In Context
- "The patient was started on an elemental diet to achieve remission of Crohn's disease." — Treatment plan
- "Compliance with the elemental diet was poor due to taste aversion." — Nutrition consultation note