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Most people start the low FODMAP diet the same way: they delete half their diet on day one. By day three, they’re eating plain chicken and rice, running out of ideas, and quietly wondering if there’s anything left they can actually eat. That’s not a failure of willpower. That’s a failure of having a plan. If you’ve Googled “low FODMAP diet” and felt instantly overwhelmed by giant food tables and fifty different serving sizes to memorize, you’re not alone. Most people quit before they ever really start properly — not because the diet doesn’t work, but because week one goes wrong in predictable ways. Below, I walk through exactly what I’d do in the first seven days: what to pull out, what to keep, what to eat, and the traps that catch most beginners before they ever get to reintroduction.... [Discover More...] The post Low FODMAP Diet Basics: What I’d Do in the First 7 Days appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
If you’re still planning your life around bathrooms even while eating “safe” foods, your IBS-D probably needs more than another food list. Because food can matter. A lot. Lactose-containing dairy can matter. Coffee can matter. Fatty meals can matter. Other FODMAPs can matter. But if the list keeps getting longer and your confidence keeps getting smaller, food may only be one piece of the pattern. This is the question people keep asking in different ways: “I’ve found my trigger foods, so why do I still have urgency?” Or, “Why are there no fully safe foods?” Or, “Why do I eat the same meal twice, and only one time it sends me running?” In this article, I’ll show you five signs your diarrhea-predominant IBS needs a bigger framework than “avoid this, eat that.” And the last one is especially important because... [Discover More...] The post IBS-D: 5 Signs You Need More Than a Food List appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
Doctors used to treat diverticulitis almost automatically with antibiotics. You had the pain, you got the scan, and very often the next step was a prescription. But the advice has changed. Antibiotics aren’t for everyone and aren’t meant to be used in every situation. And please don’t hear this as “never take antibiotics.” That would be dangerous. But for selected cases of mild, uncomplicated diverticulitis, the newer guideline position is much more nuanced — antibiotics are no longer treated as automatic, because in those selected cases, they don’t appear to speed recovery or prevent recurrence the way we once assumed. And that matters, because a lot of people are still working from the old model: “I had a flare. I took antibiotics. Therefore, I’ve handled the diverticulitis.” That’s the real mistake. Not taking antibiotics when they’re needed — the mistake... [Discover More...] The post The Diverticulitis Antibiotics Mistake appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
If your stomach looks fairly normal in the morning but by dinnertime you look six months pregnant, you are not imagining it. This is one of the most common things people tell us: “I look pregnant by the end of the day,” or “I feel like I swallowed a watermelon,” or even “My bloating gets bigger as the day goes on.” And the usual advice is almost always food advice: “cut this food”, “avoid that food,” or “try another list.” But if your belly is visibly changing throughout the day, food may only be one part of the story. In this article, I explain the five reasons this can happen, what the timing may tell you, and why a stricter food list is not always the answer. Here’s a video we made; there is also a written version underneath. Difference... [Discover More...] The post Why You Look Pregnant By The End Of The Day appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
Most people with diverticulitis ask the same question after a flare: “What did I eat?” Was it the nuts? Was it the popcorn? Was it that salad? Was it the steak from three nights ago? You see the same questions everywhere people talk about diverticulitis: coffee before breakfast, red meat, seeds, constipation, stress, fiber, alcohol, and genetics. People are trying to find the one thing they did wrong. But flares usually aren’t caused by one magic food. In fact, one large study published in JAMA followed more than 47,000 men and found that nuts, corn, and popcorn did not increase diverticulitis risk — and popcorn was actually linked with a lower risk in that study (1). So if you’ve been blaming one meal, or one tiny seed, you may be looking in the wrong place. And if you’re thinking, “But... [Discover More...] The post 5 Things That Make Diverticulitis Flares More Likely appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
Have you gone gluten-free because your gut was a mess — the bloating, the pain, the cramping — and found that it helped at first, but then the symptoms came back? Or maybe you switched to gluten-free products and somehow started feeling worse? If that sounds familiar, you’re not doing it wrong. And you’re not imagining it. The gluten-free food market is worth almost eight billion dollars and growing, with tens of millions of people worldwide currently avoiding gluten. But here’s what most of them have never been told: for the vast majority of people eating gluten-free for gut symptoms, the relief they experienced had almost nothing to do with gluten. In this article, I’m going to explain exactly why that happens, what’s actually going on inside your gut, and what to do instead so you can eat with far... [Discover More...] The post Going Gluten-Free Didn’t Fix Your Gut? Here’s Why appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
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One in three people who have a diverticulitis flare will have another one. Not because they did anything wrong after the first one. Not because they ignored their doctor’s advice. Most of them did everything they were told. The problem is that what they were told was incomplete. And in some cases, the standard approach may actually be making the cycle worse. In this article, I’m going to walk through four things that the conventional medical system consistently gets wrong about diverticulitis. Here is a video we made; there is also a written version underneath. The Antibiotic Loop Nobody Talks About This is something that’s been quietly accumulating in the research for years, and most patients — and honestly a lot of GPs — haven’t heard it yet. Antibiotics are not necessary for most cases of uncomplicated diverticulitis. A 2022... [Discover More...] The post Why Diverticulitis Keeps Coming Back (What Doctors Miss) appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
More than half of all people over the age of 60 have diverticulosis. Most of them have absolutely no idea. Not because they haven’t been paying attention. Not because they’ve been eating badly. But because nobody told them. And in many cases — including cases we see regularly in our clinic — their own doctor doesn’t explain what’s happening inside their gut, why, or what it means for their future. In this article, I’m going to explain the five things that most people are never told about how diverticulosis actually develops. And one of them (I’ll save it for last) is something that even the medical research is only just starting to figure out. It might be the most important one of all. Please keep in mind that this is educational information only and not direct medical advice for your... [Discover More...] The post Half of People Over 60 Have Diverticulosis. Most Don’t Know. appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
If you’ve had the colonoscopy, the endoscopy, and multiple rounds of treatment, and you’re still bloated, exhausted, and being told it’s “just IBS,” then there’s a question worth asking: What if the real problem was never tested for? SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) is one of the most commonly missed gut conditions. The warning signs are real. They’re just not on most doctors’ radar. In this article, I’ll be walking you through the 7 most commonly missed warning signs of SIBO — including some that have nothing to do with your gut at all. Please also keep in mind that this is educational information only and not direct medical advice for your specific situation. Here is a video we made; there is also a written version underneath. What is SIBO? SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. It occurs when... [Discover More...] The post 7 Warning Signs of SIBO Most Doctors Miss appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
If you’ve been diagnosed with diverticulitis, you’re probably wondering what comes next. Do you need antibiotics? Will you need surgery? Can this be managed at home, or will you end up in the ER? The truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The treatment you need depends entirely on how severe your diverticulitis is, whether you have complications, and your overall health status. In this article, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about diverticulitis treatment — from mild cases that can be managed at home, to severe cases requiring emergency surgery. We’ll cover when antibiotics are actually necessary, what complications to watch for, and what the latest research says about the best approach. Of course, this is educational information only, not direct medical advice for you specifically. Here is a video we made; there is also a written version... [Discover More...] The post Diverticulitis Treatment Options Explained (By A Dietitian) appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
You’ve been following the low FODMAP diet religiously. Checking every label, avoiding garlic and onions, saying no to apples and wheat. But you’re still getting symptoms. Your morning coffee sends you running to the bathroom. That one glass of wine at dinner leaves you bloated. And you’re thinking — “Wait, isn’t this supposed to be safe?” Here’s the frustrating truth: just because something is low FODMAP doesn’t mean it won’t trigger your IBS. Because IBS isn’t just about FODMAPs — it’s about having an overly sensitive gut that overreacts to normal things. Think of your gut like a smoke detector. A healthy gut is like a properly calibrated smoke detector — it only goes off when there’s actual fire. But with IBS, your gut is like an overly sensitive alarm that goes off when you burn toast, light a candle,... [Discover More...] The post 5 Most Common Triggers of IBS (That Aren’t FODMAPs) appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
If you’ve had diverticulitis, you know how painful it is. And you’ve probably been told the solution is simple: eat more fiber. You’ve done everything “right.” You’ve added whole grains, vegetables, and all the recommended foods to your diet. You track your fiber intake carefully. You avoid trigger foods. But there’s something that works alongside fiber that’s arguably even more important for preventing flares, and almost nobody talks about it. Not your doctor, not the medical advice online, barely anyone. And the crazy thing is, it’s so simple that when I tell you what it is, you might think it can’t possibly make that much difference. But I’ve seen it transform outcomes for our diverticulitis clients over and over again. In this article, I’m going to reveal the missing prevention factor that works alongside fiber — and what you can... [Discover More...] The post The #1 Diverticulitis Prevention Strategy Nobody Mentions appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
You finally booked that bucket-list trip you’ve been talking about for years. Or maybe you’re in the planning phase, seriously considering it. But instead of feeling excited…you’re terrified. Not because of the flights or the planning — but because you know your gut. The urgency that comes out of nowhere. The bloating. The pain. The diarrhea has you running to the bathroom multiple times before you can even leave the house in the morning. At home, you’ve learned to manage it. You know where every bathroom is. You can control what you eat. You can stay close to home on bad days. But on a trip? You’re out of your routine. Out of your safe zone. And that’s scary. If that sounds familiar, this article is going to explain the three reasons people get stuck in this cycle — and... [Discover More...] The post You Finally Booked That Dream Trip… But Your Gut Has You Terrified appeared first on Diet vs Disease.
If you’ve tried dietary changes, supplements, and medications for IBS or chronic digestive symptoms but still feel stuck, there may be an important piece of the puzzle that hasn’t been fully addressed. For many people, persistent gut symptoms aren’t just driven by food or digestion alone. They’re closely linked to how the brain and gut communicate, especially in the presence of ongoing stress, anxiety, or symptom-related fear. This is where gut-directed hypnotherapy comes in. In this article, we’ll explain what gut-directed hypnotherapy is, how it works, who it’s best suited for, and how to use it effectively—plus how the guided session included below is designed to support your recovery. What Is Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy? Gut-directed hypnotherapy is a clinical, evidence-based therapy designed to improve digestive symptoms by retraining communication between the brain and the gut. Unlike stage hypnosis, this approach does... [Discover More...] The post Gut-Directed Hypnotherapy for IBS & Digestive Issues appeared first on Diet vs Disease.