Heal Your Gut with GI Meal Select – Dr. Nikolas Hedberg, D.C.

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I would like to report on the new product GI Meal Select from Moss Nutrition. With the increasing prevalence of gut disorders, we need more strategies to help patients get well quickly and effectively. GI Meal Select has been carefully formulated to address many aspects of gut healing in an affordable and effective product.

GI Meal Select is designed to provide optimal nutrient sustenance so it can act as a stand-alone meal replacement. It is easy to digest, pleasant tasting, and reasonably priced. One of the issues with many meal replacement products is the carbohydrate and fat content which can cause gut issues like gas and bloating so this product has almost completely eliminated both.

It also contains no protein powder such as whey and pea which most people with gut issues can no longer tolerate. Instead, it uses the Reginator amino acid blend to maintain muscle mass and promote tissue repair.

Resting the digestive organs can be paramount in helping to enable proper gut healing and repair, provided there is an ongoing presence of protein building blocks (essential amino acids) to prevent tissue breakdown, and sufficient micronutrient cofactors to enable enzyme function and structural support. GI Meal Select provides these requisites along with two targeted gut health nutrients: a potent 2 grams of immunoglobulin rich IgY Max plus 1.75 grams of pure L-Glutamine, the primary fuel of enterocytes (cells lining the digestive tract).

All the nutrient components in GI Meal Select are provided in their basic, predigested or “elemental” forms, taking a great burden off the digestive organs. In this sense, GI Meal Select offers restorative and reparative benefits similar to those of elemental formulas. However, GI Meal Select is very low in calories and free from added carbohydrates and fats, macronutrients which may trigger symptoms in GI patients. Individuals who do tolerate fats may be advised to add one teaspoon of a liquid omega-3 supplement such as EPA/DHA HP Select (high potency fish oil), Icelandic Cod Liver Oil (also a good source of vitamins A & D3) or flaxseed oil to their GI Meal Select shake.

While not appropriate for extended use as the sole source of daily nutrition, GI Meal Select can be taken one or more times per day, as directed, in place of a regular meal or between meals. By allowing the digestive organs to temporarily rest, removing dietary components that feed gut microbes, supplying the body with elemental nutrition and directly nourishing the gastrointestinal tract with immunoglobulins and amino acids, GI Meal Select may help to promote repair of the intestinal lining, decrease the severity of inflammatory GI conditions, diminish the incidence of small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and help to reset overall gut health, structure and function.

A COMPREHENSIVE MULTIPLE VITAMIN/MINERAL Each serving of GI Meal Select contains a complete array of vitamins and minerals. Fat soluble vitamins A, D3, E and K2 help to heal mucous membranes and support healthy immune function, bone and vascular health. B-complex vitamins in bioactive forms, featuring methylated folate and B12, and vitamin B6 as P-5-P, promote healthy energy production, detoxification and nerve cell transmission. Buffered vitamin C is gentle on the stomach. Full spectrum minerals, essential for countless physiological mechanisms, are provided in natural, carrier-free forms to minimize the potential for irritation in hypersensitive gut patients. Moderate rather than therapeutic V/M dosing allows GI Meal Select to be taken more than once daily if needed.

FREE-FORM ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS (EAA) represent the microscopic building blocks for all the proteins in the body—from skeletal and smooth muscle tissue to enzymes and antibodies. In contrast to food-bound proteins and protein powders such as whey, rice or pea protein, free-form EAAs are already broken down or “predigested” hence they require no effort to process, permitting for rapid intestinal absorption and uptake throughout the body. They also are absent of any potential allergens or cross reactive compounds found in protein powders, making them hypoallergenic. The vegan EAAs in GI Meal Select are provided as Reginator, a proprietary blend of 9 essential amino acids plus arginine supplied in a precise ratio. Reginator has been studied to effectively promote muscle protein synthesis (MPS) even in resting, non-exercising subjects. Clinical research suggests each 3.6 g serving of the proprietary, free-form EAA blend in GI Meal Select offers the MPS equivalent of at least 15-20 grams of whey protein or pea protein.

IgY MAX HYPERIMMUNIZED EGG POWDER offers targeted support for gut health. Made from whole eggs high in Immunoglobulin Y compounds, IgY Max has been shown to exhibit specific activity against numerous pathogenic bacteria common to the human GI tract. By preventing harmful microbes from attaching to mucosal linings while leaving beneficial strains intact, IgY Max helps allow friendly flora to multiply and populate the gut, promoting healthy microbiome balance. This immunoglobulin rich material also has been studied to help reduce inflammatory cytokine activity, lower zonulin levels (an intestinal permeability marker) by 95%, and reduce gas and bloating to help promote enhanced GI comfort and function. IgY Max is contraindicated in people with overt egg allergies.

I did a detailed review of IgY Max in a previous podcast and article if you would like more details.

L-GLUTAMINE & L-ALANINE Supplemental L-glutamine has been researched to help support healthy intestinal barrier function and mucosal integrity, prevent bacterial translocation across the gut wall, and promote gut based immunity by supporting healthy gut epithelium. In patients with IBS-D, L-glutamine has been shown to dramatically and safely reduce bowel frequency and intestinal hyperpermeability. Along with L-glutamine, GI Meal Select contains L-Alanine, a glucogenic amino acid found abundantly in muscle tissue. L-alanine is converted into either glucose or glycogen for energy production in the absence of sufficient carbohydrate substrate. Supplemental L-alanine may help preserve muscle mass when dietary macronutrient intake proves inadequate, for example due to chronic underfeeding/malabsorption or during states of high physiologic stress. Preventing muscle breakdown is critical to maintaining strength, mobility, insulin sensitivity and quality of life in all people, including the chronic GI patient.

GI Meal Select has been verified gluten-free by independent laboratory testing. It mixes easily with water and may be taken one or more times per day, as directed by your healthcare practitioner. This product contains egg so it is not recommended for people with egg allergies.

Who would benefit most from this product?

I’ll be using this with my patients who have SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), and IBD (inflammatory bowel disease ie Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis). But it would also work well for someone who has gut symptoms like bloating, cramping, gas, indigestion, constipation, heartburn, and diarrhea.

I’ll also use this is in a “semi-elemental” fashion. The elemental diet is a liquid-only diet usually followed for 14 or 21 days. A semi-elemental approach means that the patient consumes 1-2 meal replacement shakes a day with 1-2 whole food meals a day. This can be just as effective as an elemental diet and much easier on the individual.

The patients I have used it with so far like the product and are doing well on it, so I’m excited to have another tool to help my patients with gut disorders.