The starting point is your detailed food and symptom diary (p.187). The longer and more accurately this is completed, the more likely it is that patterns can be identified. Analyse your diary for the *balance and variety* of food groups and food types, not just for potentially problematic foods. If you need support with the analysis ask your family doctor for a referral to a registered dietician.

Your digestive health is affected by many factors: diet/ nutrition, physical activity, stress, sleep patterns, weight, genetics, hormones, medication and more. Make changes to your diet or lifestyle slowly one at a time (p.190 + 193). Positive, neutral or negative effects can depend on the quantity of a food or food type, and how often it is eaten.

It is possible to minimise kitchen time whilst still eating healthily, especially if you have a freezer, slow cooker/ crock pot, stick blender, microwave oven.

Frozen vegetables and fruits, canned beans lentils and tomatoes, canned oily fish, cooked smoked fish, frozen seafood all need minimal preparation. It is possible to throw the ingredients for a stew/ casserole/ soup into the slow cooker in literally five minutes. Go about your day and come home to a hot meal.

HTH!

HI,
I’ve read the books and tried to put some things into practise but I have difficulty with knowing if I’m doing the right thing or not. My stomach pretty much complains about most things I feed it, so even though I’m trying to follow Michael’s diet plans they’re not working for me enough for me to judge how it’s going.
In my perfect world I’d have someone who would prepare food for me so I wouldn’t even need to go in the kitchen, but that’s not going to happen.
Is there a list anywhere of the foods that cause minimum complaints from the gut, while still providing enough good stuff to maintain a diverse biome? I’d be happy to try and eat just a very small group of foods, but I don’t think that’s the point is it?
I don’t know where to go for help with this. Any suggestions?

Hi, I would like to know if the fermented foods that contain sugar are healthy, given that we are told to avoid sugar ?

Also, if kefir is heated up will that kill the bacteria and would there be any difference in heating it on a stove or a microwave ?

Many thanks

I am planning on growing some Yacon and Oca this year. Yacon is full of inulin like Jerusalem Artichokes so I am fairly confident about them being good for me. Does anyone know if Oca are good for a healthy gut?

Certain microbes can have positive (probiotic), neutral or negative (pathogenic) effects in different circumstances.

Circumstances include the microbes location in (or on) the body, the balance of different microbes present, and the health status of the host individual.

Examples of microbes contributing to common health conditions *only in some hosts or some situations* are gastritis (Helicobacter pylori), seborrhoeic dermatitis/ greasy dandruff (Malassezia globosa), gingivitis/ gum disease (Porphyromonas gingivalis), vaginal thrush (Candida albicans).

Please consult your medical team about the risks and benefits of a specific probiotic product in your current situation.

HTH!

Hi,
In Michaels book “the clever guts diet” it says you advise not to take Probiotics if you have recently had surgery? I’d like to know why not as I thought it would be a good thing to have to help your body recover. I have recently had a Tonsillectomy, Adenoidectomy and Diathermy Turbinates as an Adult and experienced complications at day 10 which was haemorrhaging from the throat area. I had to have further Diathermy done to stop the bleeding. I have been on a 10 course of Antibiotics and wanted to take Probiotics. Should or shouldn’t I do this??

Thank you

The meal planners are examples only, the detailed food and symptom diary (p.187) and any existing dietary restrictions – medical/ religious/ moral – should guide each individual journey. Note that Dr Mosley does not “recommend removing too many foods at one time, so it might be helpful to do ‘Remove & Repair’ in several stages.” (p.190)

If a vegetarian eliminates dairy products and eggs simultaneously the diet becomes vegan, which increases the need for supplements (essential fatty acids/ minerals/ vitamins). If they also eliminate soya products, pulses and gluten grains the diet becomes so restrictive as to need medical supervision.

Maybe start out analysing your detailed food and symptom diary, reviewing the *balance and variety* of foods and supplements you currently consume.

Consider your average daily intake of sugar and processed starchy carbs, how many different varieties of vegetables and fruits each week, whether the full rainbow is well represented, balance of omega-6 to omega-3 rich oils and fats, variety of probiotic rich fermented dairy products, quality and quantity of eggs, variety of mineral and fibre rich wholefoods …

Your detailed food and symptom diary can be incredibly revealing, and you may find you don’t need a full R&R but rather to better balance and vary your diet and supplement regime.

HTH!

Over the last 2 years I have had polyps removed during colonoscopies. Trying to discover what, if anything I can do to reduce the chances of regrowth. Have been making and drinking kefir for last 6 months but still needed polypectomy last month. Anyone out there with similar experience?

Kefir can be made with low fat milk, as can yogurt. I have had my gall bladder removed and I find kefir very helpful.

when I am trying to lose weight I use the Yeo Valley 0% Fat Greek Yogurt. Creamy and lovely to eat.

I tried some shop brought Kefir but soon realised that making my own was much better. I brought some well reviewed kefir gains from Amazon. And have not looked back. My gut has benefited. My IBS is not cured but is very much better just 4 months on.
However if I was looking for grains now I would get it from someone in the Fermenting Friends Facebook group that I have joined. People are very generous and happy to share grains for just the cost of postage. The group is an excellent source of expertise and information on anything fermented from kefir to sourdough, saurkraut and beyond!

I’ve recently bought The Clever Guts Book and The Recipe Book. I love it and am totally on board with trying the R&R phase next week. I am disappointed that there is no meal planner for vegetarians or alternatives suggested in the recipes. The number of vegetarian recipes is very small. Can anyone help me with a meal planner without meat or fish please. Thanks

Charities for health conditions – eg. British Thyroid Foundation – often provide evidence based information on recommended diet or lifestyle changes. Also see the US government, UK National Health Service, or similar non profit/ ‘official’ websites.

With many health conditions the serving size and frequency foods are consumed is relevant. This fits well with Clever Guts, which is more about eating a really wide variety and balance of wholefoods than restriction.

Hello there,
I’m really going to enjoy using the Clever Guts recipes. Being GF this past 6 months has brought me dietry change anyway, but I’m also hypothyroid and wondering if I still need to be avoiding certain foods, namely: rapeseed oil: edamame beans; tofu.
There are many good foods which contradict the thyroid well-being (if you know what i mean) or have they been proved to be OK now?
Many thanks

I’ve just found Microba who are starting soon = this is the link https://www.microba.com.au/

Best person to consult is your family doctor. Your medical history and any ‘signs’ (temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, listening to your chest, etc.) may be taken into consideration when making a diagnosis.

Whether there is anything untoward with the kefir depends how it has been made and stored. Keep up with your detailed food and symptom diary (p.187), and share this with any health professional you consult.

Hope you feel better soon.

Have been taking kefir for 2 weeks now ( half a glass a day) and for the last two days I have felt awful. A bit nauseous, and light headed and very tired. Can it be the kefir, or is it a bug? Any suggestions welcomed.

What is the context of the remarks about authenticity? Page number(s) if possible.

Dr Mosley describes kefir as “living communities of around 40 to 50 types of bacteria and yeasts” (p.208) You may not find this level of diversity in a commercial ‘fresh’ cultured milk product. Food manufacturers like controllability and reproducibility.

For the broadest range of probiotic microbes, eat a wide variety of traditionally matured cheeses: those from unpasteurised milk, rind washed, mould ripened etc.

Hi, I’ve just started getting interested in this clever guts stuff, and haven’t time yet to make my own Kefir. What brand would you recommend to buy? I’ve tried Bio-tiful, which says it is made with pasteurised cow’s milk fermented with live kefir cultures. How do I know it’s good? Having read a few remarks in the book about what is authentic and not?!

Welcome to Clever Guts!

Wow! wanted to make my own yogurt too.

It doesn’t sound daft at all. The advice I have seen is so vague as to be useless.

The research and patents refer to exposure to both UVA and UVB light causing a substantial increase in vitamin *D2* in the mushrooms. As you say UVA rays penetrate glass but UVB rays do not. In addition the strength of UVB rays varies widely with the time of day and time of year.

Humans need vitamin *D3*, which we get primarily from oily fish (mackerel, sardines/ pilchards, herring, salmon trout), fortified foods (varies massively by country), and D3 supplements for ‘at risk’ groups (vary by country).

Converting D2 to D3 naturally in/ on human skin requires exposure to UVB light. For this the latitude, time of year, time of day and our skin colour are all relevant. Here in the UK we cannot rely on sunlight for vitamin *D3* production between October and April. So D2-enriched mushrooms are not much use.

All in all I would suggest sticking to official recommendations for your own country regarding UV exposure, intake of vitamin D rich foods and supplementing for ‘at risk’ groups.

HTH!

The book advises putting mushrooms in the sun before using them to increase their vitamin D content. This may sound daft but will it work if they are on a window sill and still in the plastic wrapper? Not all solar energy penetrates glass.

Can anyone suggest a biome test in Aus they’ve have used?

Yes, a broth is the ‘light’ gelatinous liquid part. Skimming allows you to control the type and amount of fat in each recipe. You might add some of the chicken fat back, or use olive or rapeseed oil, or creamed coconut or nuts/ seeds, depending on the meal.

The quantity and quality of fat in a farmed animal/ bird can vary enormously, depending how they have been reared. A grain or maize rich (corn) diet is richer in potentially inflammatory omega-6s, whereas a seed and insect rich (pastured) diet results in more anti inflammatory fats (omega-3s, CLA). Here in the UK season is highly relevant in how much time the birds spend outdoors each day.

I particularly noticed the difference in fat content when butchering/ portioning for freezing and making stock (carcass only) from a free range corn fed bird and a free range organic bird a week apart.

Nutrition is a big part of the reason I only buy organic eggs and only reuse fat from an organic bird.

It would be best to check with your family doctor, specialist or dietician (p.187).

Clever Guts should be personalised based on the detailed food and symptom diary (p.187), your medical history, current dietary advice from medical professionala working with you.

A tailored verson of Clever Guts should be suitable for most people since it is fundamentally a properly balanced, very varied wholefood diet. Work very slowly when eliminating or reintroducing foods (p.190 + 193).

I am wondering whether I should skim the fat that sets on top of the bone broth? Having followed a low-fat diet for many years it is a bit ingrained!

I have the Australian and N Z version of the clever guts diet recipe book – just wondering if the tablespoon measures are 15ml (UK) or 20ml (aus). Thanks in advance

Hi I am a diverticulitis sufferer, is this plan suitable for me?

Hello.

Thanks all. I have finally got through the detox stage and am feeling so much better. My doctor puts the severe headaches down to withdrawal from sugar, which he says can be like coming off a drug.
The best things I found were hot baths with Epson Salts and heat packs – I also took Magnesium which I read could help.
Week four into my ‘healthy gut’ programme and I am feeling great.
Good luck all on your journeys.
🙂

Hi Carrickburn and others
I suffered terribly from severe headaches for almost two weeks. I helped my body to detox by having baths with Epsom Salts, using hot packs on my head and drinking plenty. I found I was craving oranges and found that there was a connection to magnesium which I also saw on another blog helped headaches. I started to take magnesium and eventually my headaches disappeared. I can say there is a definate connection but my doctor feels that the headaches were a direct result of detoxing from sugar.
I hope you can work through it – I am now into week 4 and starting to feel really good (I also managed to fight a cold while detoxing).
We are at the stage of gradually introducing some dairy and next for us will be wheat. I hope we never return to eat as much sugar again. 🙂

Yes: choose the dairy products with the lowest lactose content AND the highest probiotic microbe content. These attributes naturally come together in certain dairy products, especially traditional aged/ matured cheeses (contain virtually no lactose).

This is because lactose can be eliminated via two routes: by the watery whey being strained off the solid curds, and by microbes converting lactose to lactic acid.

Dairy products with the widest variety and density of probiotic microbes include homemade kefir, cheeses made with unpasteurised milk, cheeses that are rind washed or mould ripened.

If you eat sensible servings of low lactose dairy products but still experience gut problems, you may have been misdiagnosed or may have more than one dietary intolerance.

When socialising it is common to eat more processed carbs, have a sugary or fatty dessert, drink more alcohol or sweetened soft drinks. Muesli is grain heavy, but also often has added sugar or dried fruits which are problematic for some people.

HTH!

Hi there,
I’ve been reading the clever guts book and know that diary products such as yogurt and cheese are good for our guts, however I’m lactose intolerant 🙁

I sometimes use lactase so that I can enjoy the occasional muesli with yoghurt or cheese platter with friends, but I don’t always feel fantatsic the next day (I can get bloated, feel lethargic etc.) But my symptoms do depend on how much and what kind of dairy I eat.. sometimes I can be symptom free.

What I’m wondering is, can I still get the benefits of eating dairy, even though I might get some intolerance-type symptoms?? Or should I just be listening to my body and staying away from them?

Thank you!

HOW MUCH SALT IN SOURDOUGH?
Heron- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt in sourdough- I got in touch with The Wild Baker mentioned in recipe header!

Infants have upper danger of impediment from pneumonia, including loss, pediatricians often prescribe antibiotics such as amoxicillin, ampicillin, and penicillin, even if they aren’t positive that it’s a bacterial infection.

Due to the bacterial fermentation process, food that is obviously fermented is also a rich source of probiotics (health-supportive bacteria that aid in digestion). These bacteria naturally improve the gut microflora. Fermented foods also boost the bioavailability of a selection of vitamins and minerals, including some B vitamins, zinc and magnesium. in addition, fermented foods enhance amino acid status in protein-rich foods. In this way, fermentation can help to bring an incomplete protein closer to “completion.”

Carrickburn: In common with other aged/ matured/ mould ripened cheeses, brie contains little lactose. Brie de Meaux PDO is made with unpasteurised milk, so supplies a wide variety of probiotic microbes.

The best thing to do is to record the headache in your detailed food and symptom diary (p.187). A pattern may emerge as you progressively alter your diet and lifestyle.

Generally negative symptoms from foods we are intolerant or allergic to appear within hours rather than days. Do ensure you are staying well hydrated when sleep deprived or busy at work.

JJ posted the same query on the ‘Intermittent Fasting’ forum if you would like to read the replies.

HTH!

Hi J-J

I am also on day 3. I had a vague headache yesterday, which I put down to not enough sleep before my nursing shifts on Tues and Wed.

I have been following the Blood Sugar Diet – not very strictly, and have started Clever Guts seriously on Tuesday. I have reduced gluten and sugar and limiting dairy as I am lactose intolerant.

I feel very lethargic today and I was wondering if this is an effect of reducing/eliminating foods that I had binged on over the week end – bread and cheese (brie) were the culprits I think!

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?
Cheers

Hi aralerm: its not that simple. DayTwo are in Israel and recently in the US. But the computer algorithm is country specific , for which reason they are NOT keen to test people outside the geography of Israel and America. A further complication is that your microbiome changes quite rapidly and possibly radically when you travel – so the results won’t be 100%. Finally the app is not really optimised for the UK diet. No they don’t receive “walk ins” and their offices are in a small enclave outside Rehovot. All of that said they might be willing to let you have a go if you are persistent! I’m convinced this is the way forward .. but your’re probably a year too soon.
Graham

Many health conditions are diagnosed wholly or partly by exclusion: negative/ ‘normal’ or borderline test results are as important as positive/ ‘abnormal’ ones to a medical professional. In diagnosis obviously blood, urine or stool samples are important but so is weight and BMI or bodyfat, blood pressure, heart rate and so on.

Your medical notes also include what specifically you reported or how that was interpreted, visual observations, when (how long ago & time of year), what tests were not done (in error or deliberately) and many other snippets of information that seem irrelevant or insignificant to a layman.

The devil really can be in the detail, which is also why the detailed food and symptom diary is so important. Which specific foods, their form (raw/ cooked/ whole/ blended/ juiced etc), the weighed or measured amount, time of each meal or snack and symptom can all be relevant.

I am thinking to go up to Tel Aviv to Daytwo to get my guts tested and to know which foods raise my blood sugar (I work for an airline so it is cheaper for me to fly) ….I wonder if they receive people at their headquarters. Apparently they are located in Tel Aviv …maybe I try to give them a ring
I tried to email them and got no answer.
D

Dr Winberg posts on the Clever Guts forum herself if you run a search. You can sign up to their newsletter for updates on the seaweed research.

The best places to find information on published studies are PubMed and Google Scholar.

HTH.

Has Dr Pia Winberg published her study yet, which Michael promised he would provide a link on this site? Rgds

yes, you might have a point being sceptical about such things, but i don’t really feel my medical notes will tell them much anyway. i’m certainly not going to do anything rash..and without doing some research first..

i’ve had all sorts of blood tests, urine test and stool sample tests over the years, up to last week, and all have come back clear. i can’t tell you off hand exactly what they were all for but certainly coeliacs, colitis and helicobacter. i jut asked if it were possible to have a food intolerance test, to see if it would identify and foods that i might be intolerant to, but this was declined.

i have been referred for a colonoscopy, so fingers crossed that might help. not sure how long i’ll have to wait, mind.

cheers

A half hour telephone consultation with a practitioner who doesn’t have access to your medical notes or detailed food and symptom diary sounds like a sales pitch opportunity.

I am sorry to read that your GP did not properly signpost or refer you to reputable sources of information (NHS website, charities dealing with IBS and other gut conditions, dietician) on healthy eating, food intolerances/ allergies and eating for IBS at a much earlier stage. That would likely have avoided you going in ‘all guns blazing’ instead of slow, steady and methodically.

Which specific tests for food intolerance were you asking your family doctor for? There are prick tests for allergies, colonoscopies for structural abnormalities and changes, blood and urine tests for certain nutrient deficiences and certain markers for underlying diseases, but AFAIK most food intolerances are diagnosed with a medically supervised elimination and reintroduction diet. Whivh is not dissimilar to how IBS Is treated with diet modification.

In the UK anyone pacticing as a “dietician” has long been required to have a specific honours degree (many in the NHS have masters degrees), one year pre-reg experience, register with the British Dietetic Association (BDA), engage in continuing professional development (CPD). The same level of rigor as for pharmacists and other allied health professionals.

“Nutritionists”/ “nutritional therapists” etc were NOT protected or regulated titles in the same way. Some practitioners had rubbish online certificates, others had good honours degrees in their subject (or joint honours or a masters). Even the level 2 module in nutrition for personal trainers is useless. It covers little more than the official healthy eating guidelines!

I do not know where the move to professionalise the field of ‘nutrition’ and separate the healthcare professionals from the alternative practitioners has got to now, nor which registration body is equivalent to the BDA. Please check the registering body and practitioners qualification level carefully before trusting their knowledge and research skills.

hi firefox

i’ve been asking at my GPs for food intolerance testing for years, and they have declined every time, preferring to prescribe me various drugs that haven’t had any effect at all. when that didn’t work recently they did mention the low FODMAP diet, and when i pushed them they offered a colonoscopy, which is progress, i guess..

i’m not adverse to FODMAP, i just figured that if i had a place to start from (like graham suggested before) it might help?

i am aware that these ‘food tests’ might not be the answer, but i’m just feeling that after a month of working really hard on the r&r diet, (which has just made my symptoms worse), that i need to explore other avenues. as you said, i could have gone in too full-on, or mis-read certain areas, but i’ve tried to correct that now..

after reading a bit about the york test, there is a fair bit of support too, from BANT registered nutritionalists as part of the package… i’m not 100% sold on this, but it seems a bit a little more sensible than the (expensive) kinesiologist i saw, who told me to avoid tomatoes and gluten. i have done this since the start of november, and had no improvement in my symptoms at all

In fermenting sugars and starches are converted to acids and alcohols by the bacteria and yeasts, so all are potentially problematic depending how the foods are treated after the initial fermentation step. This includes fermented dairy, as well as fruits and vegetables. You can purchase pH (acid/ alkaline) test strips inexpensively online or in a pharmacy.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to gut health or to interstitial cystitis. Identifying your personal trigger/ problem/ beneficial foods and drinks is trial and error over time, guided by your detailed food and symptom diary (p.187).

Clever Guts is fundamentally a balanced and varied, *anti inflammatory* diet. Many IC triggers are discouraged (sugars, sweeteners, carbonated drinks, alcohol). You may find modest portions of other acidic foods (citrus, vinegar, yoghurt, kefir, berry mixes) fine when balanced out by the many alkaline, anti inflammatory wholefoods.

Dr Mosley advises eliminating and reintroducing foods slowly in stages (p.190 + 194). You might choose to leave the most acidic ones for last.

With probiotic rich foods you want as many sources as possible for a *really wide variety* of microbes. So consider a variety of traditional aged cheeses: sheep and goats milk, unpasteurised, blue veined, rind washed, mould ripened all supply different complex communities of bacteria and yeasts.

HTH!

Hi
I am following the clever guts diet and it has much improved my digestion, however I am also hoping to improve my IC symptoms ( IC is an inflammatory condition of bladder, with common symptom of pain/stinging in the bladder and urethra)
I have incorporated sauerkraut and fermented veg in my diet but recently was worried that having a vinegary / acidic food like sauerkraut might not be good for my IC. Is just sticking to the fermented veg good enough for probiotic intake? I follow the CG recipes, take a good quality probiotic and drink kefir, so hoping be ok to avoid the sauerkraut?
Thanks
Susan

Thanks for reply
Susan