I have been having IBS issues too. If it was only the stomach problems then I could live with it but the persistent tiredness and braig fog is utterly depressing. Here’s hoping a change in diet will bring some relief.

Hey how has noone from the website sorted this yet?!

Hi NormskiB, assuming the apricots are dried they will be quite high in carbs. Have you used the my fitness pal app? Check it out and you can add the ingredients of these bars and it should give you a more accurate idea of its nutritional value.

Anyone want to see an instant Human volcano? Bell Peppers and Cubanelle Peppers will get an immediate vomit reaction from me, like fire to gasoline. Everyone I have ever known has tried to tell me that I must have had some kind a bad experience related to Green Pepper. They couldn’t be more right. It’s the Green Pepper itself. From the time I started eating food as a toddler, I respond to them the same way as i do now. Immediate instantaneous Gagging and Vomiting. I was slapped out of a chair by a stepfather for it. Why? Because he loved them and was insulted by my immediate gagging response to a breakfast dish he worked so hard to create. Time ad nauseam to my suffering everyone that I have ever met wants me to eat their newest dish with; you guessed it, Green Peppers. I have actually had a person come to my house to cook their favorite secret dish “Steak & Peppers”, for me and my wife. My wife who by the way, knows damn well, that I don’t ever want to see another green pepper for the rest of my natural life. She had no idea that what the dish was. I even warned him that we were okay as long as he wasn’t cooking with green peppers. He laughed and said, “Don’t Worry About!” As soon as the G.P.’s hit the frying pan, I jumped to my feet, Looked at my wife in total disbelief. Before I embarrassed my wife, I had to immediately leave our apartment before the G.P. Volcano goes full Blown. I couldn’t even be in my own apartment while it was being cooked. So I had to leave before the Vomit Volcano Started. Once the Nausea faded, I headed for Micky-D’s for dinner. Now that doesn’t mean I didn’t try to get over this, because I tried. LORD….! That was a huge mistake. Whatever I did manage to get down, caused me to have gas, cramps and diarrhea. I did that for me just to see if I could get past this. I am Done! Not even for the love of money. Human “Green Pepper” Volcano Out. Mic drop!

Also I note Yeo Valley now do a Kefir yogurt which is advertised as having 14 strains of bacteria. It may be an even better bet if you don’t fancy culturing your own Kefir?

If no one objects to you advertising Sainsbury’s and Waitrose i would think you can get away with mentioning the yogurt brand 🙂
We buy Yeo Valley Natural and use it to culture our own….. other brands are available…..

I buy a live organic yoghurt, which is available in most supermarkets, at least Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. Don’t know if I break advertising rules by mentioned it by name. Just look at the cartons of plain whole yoghurt for the word live.

Hello Everyone – have just read Michael’s book from end to end and excited about getting going. However, could someone tell me which supermarkets, if any, sell Live yogurts? My nearest health food store is miles away. Many thanks.

As a Type 1 diabetic, I count carbohydrates in my meals and adjust my insulin accordingly. How many carbs are their in the recipe for Apricot and Pistachio Bars ? They are delicious, but I’m guessing carb content. Can anyone help ?

No idea, but I can strongly suggest you not to follow the suggestions on the internet since it’s a baby you are talking about. Better to take only professional help.

Hi everyone, newbie here! I’ve been fighting with irritable bowel syndrome for years and I’m here to learn from your experiences.

Thanks for sharing that I really appreciate it.

Do you think the antibiotics helped at all? or you feel there was no noticeable benefit?

Yes, I’ve been considering the microbiome test. However, I hadn’t heard of Bioscreen before reading this thread and I’m wondering if they’re no longer in business since I can’t find their website. There’s a functional website for Bioscreen in the USA which I think is unconnected and nothing in Victoria. Do you think they were connected with uBiome (a big name in microbiome no longer operating as of this year)?

Other microbiome options:
– DayTwo is another option but that requires a trip to the US (which DayTwo actually didn’t recommend when I asked them) and also seems more focussed on diabetics and GI (although I think IBS is also considered in their research). They seem to be backed by at least some peer reviewed science.
– Viome can be done in Australia but doesn’t seem to be backed by independent peer reviewed science (yet). It doesn’t mean what they’re doing is invalid but it doesn’t fill me with confidence. However I’ll probably do it just to roll the dice and see if I get any useful insights (it requires a trip to Australia though).

Have you tried reducing carbohydrates with FODMAPs specifically? Not sure if it’s relevant to leaky gut but I’ve had good results with IBS (diarrhoea type). If I avoid /reduce these foods I’m generally free of symptoms. It’s useful but not a cure of course and I’m not sure which of the foods I really need to avoid. How does one diagnose leaky gut btw?

I just looked up Dr Jason Hawerlak. I like his bio – looks promising. I see he’s in Tasmania, you’re going to fly over there? Do you know which company he uses for the testing?

Hi Simon,
Six months in and it has definitely helped. We are still doing a low carb, no sugar way of eating and that makes a big difference. If we ( my husband also did the program) go off the rails a bit and start eating to many carbs or sugar then things start to go down hill. So I’m not sure if we are totally cured of these bad bugs but as long as we stick to the diet we’re good. And we’re not too anal about what we eat. There’s lots of delicious things. We don’t do Keto but just low carb.
Yes we did do the antibiotics and they didn’t seem to cause any problems. Although I think if I had my time over I probably wouldn’t. If you look into Dr Jason Hawerlak from Tasmania I think he has a better approach. I am going to get my follow up test done through him I think.
Are you thinking of getting the test done?

Cheers
Lyndal

Hi Lyndal,
Six 7 months on, do you have any updates? Really interested to know. Did take the antibiotics? Did they work?
Thanks,
Siimon.

I can not participate now in discussion – it is very occupied. But I will be released – I will necessarily write that I think on this question.

I am currently going through a stomach bug now, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it definitely may have been the milk kefir I’ve been drinking three days before my stomach bug. I have had the worse indigestion, stomach bug, feeling nauseous, diarrhea, constipation. To the point I CANT MOVE!
I’m on day 5 of this, and my stomach isn’t back to normal. I’ve backed off and now only taking about 100mls instead of drinking a cup (about 430mls), or probably just going to back off completely.

Shouldn’t have done smoothies so soon with it. I’ll keep you updated !

I am in a similar predicament. I have had a Total Colectomy, a Proctectomy and I now have a Kock Pouch (aka BCIR or Continent Stoma). I have purchased very good quality pre and probiotics and I am going to take 1 serve of each orally every morning and a second dose just after I empty my Pouch before bed but instead of taking them orally I will be mixing them into 50ml of water and injecting the mixture directly into my Pouch. My surgeon believes this will give me the best chance of improving my microbiome in light of the unavoidable depletion of my immune system, due to my physical condition. Has anyone else tried this?

Found this website https://www.chucklinggoat.co.uk/product/microbiome-test/. Its a UK based company that sells Kefir goats milk and other gut health products. They also now offer microbiome testing with a personalised eating plan for £125. Its says on their site that they are registered with the MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency), and they have an excellent rating on Trustpilot. I am considering using them for testing, just wondering if anyone has any experience with them.

Does anyone have information on the importance of probiotics in infant gastroschisis regarding a 6 month old baby who has been through a few operations and a lot of antibiotics and pain killers and gut is struggling to perform correctly

Has anyone out there had similar surgery to me? I had an emergency colostomy last year ( Hartmann procedure) and have recovered very well. I can eat almost anything, despite the dire predictions from some quarters. However, having read “The Clever Guts” book, I am now wondering if my micro biome is reduced as I have lost a length of gut. Also, I now manage using irrigation, in effect washing out the contents of my bowel every 24hours. It has great advantages in management but I wonder if I am also washing out the good bugs! I have asked several medics but no-one seems to have an answer!

Hi Alex

How is your skin doing now? Are you still using seaweed? I have recently begun exploring my gut health to reduce chronic inflammation of my skin and eczema alongside Chinese herbs and acupuncture.

I’ve cut gluten, dairy, massively reduced sugar and alcohol and take a probiotic. All of which appear to be working for me.

Best Wishes

Jane

Hi

I have gone through early menopause and recently diagnosed with osteoporosis. I am ON HRT as I am too young to start taking the osteoporosis drugs and need to use more vitamins instead. However the HRT has caused alot of bloating. Alsoin order to absorb the vitamins I need to take a good priobiotic – any suggestions?

I have bronchiectasis, and 3 years ago I was advised by a respiratory consultant to take a general antibiotic (azithromycin) everyday for the long term. This was following a serious bout of pneumonia and sepsis which hospitalised me for weeks. I was told the antibiotic was necessary to slow down the fast rate at which my lungs were becoming infected and therefore damaged. There was no other way to control this condition in an adult of such an age (28yrs). I was told that I would not be taking the antibiotics for antibiotic properties, but rather for anti inflammatory properties. I was not advised at the time that the main side effect of taking the antibiotics would be symptoms of IBS. I found this fact out last month when it’s almost too late.

The tablets work wonders for my respiratory health – I can breathe easily each day and my infections are fewer, they stop the damage spreading through my lungs – however I now suffer with IBS, which has been officially diagnosed.

So my question is do I take the antibiotics everyday to help my lungs or do I stop them and sacrifice my respiratory health? (Believe me I’ve asked a respiratory consultant this and they don’t have an answer, other than you need to see a gastroenterologist. There is currently a 39 week wait in the UK and I am on a work travel visa in Canada.)

At present I am told by three different respiratory consultants that there is no other treatment option. I’ve seen my gp, I’ve seen dieticians, I’ve seen immunologists. I know there’s a lot more to explore and try with my gut which I’m 100% willing to explore, but how can I ignore treating my respiratory disease in the meantime?

Every time I think to take an antibiotic, I think of my gut and I stop. Because after 3 years, my gut bacteria, good or bad, will be non-existent!

My symptoms at present are abdominal pain after I eat, bloating after every time I eat (anything), blood in stools, and diarrhoea occasionally when I eat something that appears to disagree with me (onion, cabbage, spicy food, processed food).

Please help! Does anyone have a respiratory condition requiring antibiotics and is suffering with their gut also?

Thanks Rich, I did buy some good bacteria tablets which is helping,

The easiest yogurt to make is one that doesn’t require a lot of heat – made with a Mesophilic culture. Ive just started making one with a Caspian Sea starter. I just wrap it ( kilner jar) in a towel and keep it in my bedroom as that’s the warmest place in the house other than the airing cupboard. It’s not as thick as some commercial yogurts but tasty and they say the bacteria it in survive further down your gut than many others.

Did you get the list?
I want it to:)

i have been taking kefir almost daily for the last two years (since starting the diet). But i hate it and treat it like taking medicine. Recently i finally got around to making green tea kombucha which i love. does anyone know if there are benefits (useful strains of bacteria) in kefir but not in kombucha? i want to decide if it is advantageous to keep having my kefir ‘medicine’. thank you

Hi mate,
You sound very similar to me. One day I was relatively normal. Then it hit me, diarrhoea, food sensitivity, persistent loose stools. If I take high dose probiotics it helps a lot. But certain foods are a problem like coconut, lactose etc. Yes the bloody so called superfoods seem to upset me. Next step is to get a stool sample tested again.

hi eveyone, I am new here.

I recently bought the clever guts diet and it makes not only does it make sense it helps me to determine that i may have leaky gut.
I have struggled with IBS over the years, which seems to be getting worse. I started to follow the low FODMAP diet which is very helpful and can be sure that things like onions are not ideal for me least not over the past few years. Have been dairy free for years and recently went gluten free. (august.) Id like to say i felt better but my stomach still has issues.

I thought id try some of the recipes in the book, but am have quite bad reactions to some of the food,
i tried the green Flaxeed bread, which was very painful before i even finished eating:
yesterday i tried the healthy gut green smoothie, and still painful now.

If it is leaky gut is there more recipes i can get to help. I am at the moment at the point of wishing i did not have to eat.
Broth is good, and nice on tummy, but it isnt enough to keep me going for long.

so how much dark chocolate should you be eating every day? A square? A bar? I don’t eat sugar so want to eat as little as possible to get the benefits – thanks!

Hi Firefox7275,

Apologies, I have only just seen your reply. Do you mean I should keep a food diary to be sure that I am getting the right amount of each food group?

Thanks for the tip about being physically active. I have started to take up yoga and powerwalking as I can’t face running anymore.

Hi George S

Thanks for the tip. I haven’t tried digestive enzymes yet so I’ll definitely give it a go.

Hi Haleyann,

I know this has been a little bit of time now but just wanted to recommend Bioptimizers. They have a range of products which help encourage good gut health. I have been taking specifically masszymes and P3-OM and they have fixed my problems.

Hope this helps.

Hi All,
I’m two weeks into the Repair Phase of the CleverGuts Diet and looking for advice on food (vegetarian) I can take in while cycling. My rides can be 2 to 3 hours duration, and although Michael’s advice is to avoid snacks between meals, I need to refuel during these rides.

Any advice or suggestions welcome.

Cheers,
Wacker

Hello everyone, I’ve been reading the Clever Guts diet book as I have a bit of a sluggish digestion. I don’t need to lose weight, I power walk for an hour every day, eat tons of fruit and veg and healthy food. I drink more wine than I should but also drink tons of water. My question is about whether my intake of 2 or 3 dried figs at night is a good or bad thing for digestion. I eat them to help me and I love them but maybe they’re not the best for me. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hello, I am not sure what my next step is and looking for some help and advice. I have just last week been informed by yet another doctor that there is nothing wrong with me, apart from my stomach being overactive in producing stomach acid, and I just don’t understand. I grew up on a farm and until I left home at 17 had never heard of IBS or reflux and yet here I am. Even though I do have some symptoms of IBS it is not severe unless I eat peas. My main reason for buying the Clever Guts book and reading it is because of reflux. MY doctor tells me it is sign of age and there is nothing I can do apart from taking the medication. No one wants to explain to me why this is happening. I have severe reflux even when my stomach is empty and even a glass of water can cause it to flare up, bloating my stomach and making me feel really horrible. It has brought me to the edge and I don’t think I can go on like this. I am taking the highest dose of Nexium I can and still I feel sick. If I eat raw garlic or onion (in any food) I will have a reaction so bad I will eventually throw up. I exercise every day, walk about 3 to 4 km, and don’t eat junk food, but the one thing I have a hard time with is trying not too eat too much, as having my stomach fairly full, does relieve the symptoms for a little while at least. I have tried the 2/5 diet and lost quite a bit of weight, about 8kg, but found that it stopped working after time. Just not sure if the Clever Guts Diet is for me, as most of the things in the recipes will not be what I can eat. Just want to know if anyone else has problems with reflux with or without the IBS as well and what they have tried, that might work. Thanks

Don’t try that if you are not sure.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply. I will look into it…

Key to the success of Clever Guts is breaking our reliance on (or addiction to) sugar, processed grains, sweet meals, baked goods, and on snacking. The meals and recipes are intentionally savoury, or at least not overly sweet. Do re-read the relevant sections in the book, especially pages 150 to 155.

Porridge oats used for flapjacks are heavily processed: they are cut, steamed and dried, losing quite a bit of their fibre in the process. Unfortunately the high-fibre truly wholegrain alternatives (eg. jumbo oats, steel-cut oats) don’t easily stick together in a bar.

I would not suggest forcing yourself to eat high-sugar dried fruit that you do not actually like. Having said that you might try unsweetened dried pear, sour cherries, golden sultanas all of which have a much more complex ‘fruitier’ flavour than regular raisins, brown sultanas or dates. You can also get a host of berries freeze-dried.

If you have a good Middle Eastern/ Indian/ Pakistani grocers in your area you should be able to find skinless roasted aubergine pulp in a can or jar, though I would check for salt. Alternatively make a triple batch of aubergine pulp and freeze it, reducing the steps in the brownie recipe. An alternative to aubergine in brownie recipes is cooked beetroot. A good food processor is a Godsend for easier chopping and mixing.

For simplicity consider 85% or 90% cocoa dark chocolate as it comes. OR melting 85% or 90% chocolate over your choice of: cacao nibs, chia seeds, cracked linseeds, sliced almonds, toasted chopped hazelnuts, finely chopped dried fruit, freeze-dried berries. Or you might melt the chocolate over the ‘Nutty Cinnamon Granola’ (p.198) if you make that.

Lastly in the ‘Clever Guts Diet Recipe Book’ there is ‘Chocolate & Walnut Bites’ (p.202) and in ‘The Fast 800 Recipe Book’ there is ‘Fudgy Chocolate Bars’ (p.233) but, again, these are clearly marked as occasional treats.

Sorry if I haven’t really helped!

Hi there, I am changing what I eat bit by bit and have been doing some recipies in the book.
I am looking for healthy and very easy to make sweet chocolate type or cake, muffin, flapjack type food. There is one in the book I like but I can’t stand sultanas or raisins and it looks complicated. I can just about stomach dates I think. I want to be able to make a batch of something that will keep for a week and I can take with me on the go.
I love the seaweed muffins but they are not sweet.
I do have difficulty with cooking due to a condition so it needs to be easy to do with not too many complicated ingredients or steps.

Big ask I know! Worth a try… thank you.

I am in Australia and despite that we have the highest rate of vitamin D deficiencies. We thank the cancer council for doing an amazing job warding us against skin cancer! I am on a doctor prescribed supplement and as part of my thyroid care regime I get my levels checked regularly.
I’ve recently re-discovered linseed/flaxseed oil as a great alternative to fish oil for omega 3. It’s also been found to be just as effective as fish oil.
I am in the process of having a stool sample (ruling out parasites and bacteria) taken and when I get the results from that I will speak to my GP about checking some other levels of things.
I have also started a food diary again to keep an eye on things. This was how I worked out I was lactose intolerant in the first place.
I am going to start the reboot and repair diet in the book after I’ve spoken to the GP about my current test results.
Seeing a dietician is on the cards after my next appointment with my GP. Anything specific that you suggest I can be tested for??
Thank you so much for the info and you’ve given me a bit more to think about in terms of deficiencies

Analysing the detailed daily food and symptom diary is much more than identifying triggers, important as that is. Nor just amount of fibre, important as that is. Every food group, within the food groups. For example Dr Michael Mosley advises
“At least seven portions a day of veg and fruit, made up mainly of veg … Variety is important for gut health, so try to eat 20 to 30 different varieties a week.” (p.191)

From my last post “… properly balanced and very varied, anti-inflammatory wholefood diet. Ideally we would get a variety of different fibres and other prebiotics from just such a diet ….. They may be ineffective or partially effective if the underlying diet is off. …. dietetics and nutrition to analyse the balance, variety and composition of their patients’ diets.”

Physical activity and formal exercise overlap but are NOT synonymous. Being physically active when you are in discomfort or pain is absolutely a challenge. Swimming, aqua aerobics, slow walking, stretching, tai chi, hot yoga, gentle gardening, gentle dance, routines intended for the elderly even though you are not!

Any amount, any pace/ intensity, different temperatures, just moving as gently as you need to, little and regularly all day. The human body evolved to move: research shows it is essential for health completely independent of fitness.

HTH!

Essays are good! Loads of questions ….

Have you ever done a detailed daily food and symptom diary? Have you (re)started one yet (p.187)? Have you ever been referred to a registered dietician? Have you had bloodwork recently (inc. as many micronutrients as they will test for + inflammatory markers)? Which country are you in? How much strong sun exposure do you get? What can you eat and are you eating?

Dairy, veg, chicken …. breast particularly is shockingly low on all micronutrients (minerals/ vitamins/ essential fatty acids/ phytoantioxidants). See the Self Nutrition Data website.
All Dr Michel Mosley’s books/ plans are properly balanced and very varied. As many nutrient dense wholefoods as possible.

Seeds, certain nuts (low omega-6), beans, lentils, organ meats, whole organic eggs, low sugar fruits and non starchy vegetables in the full rainbow of bright and dark colours. Introduce new foods/ increase variety and serving size very slowly as recommended in the book (p. 192).

Your history screams micronutrient deficiencies/ imbalances, systemic inflammation to me. The insomnia and long hours are stressful, feeding into the inflammation. But without any fish, seafood and seaweed …. Yes I know how serious/ lethal anaphylaxis is.

Medical/ pharmaceutical grade supplements or topicals from a registered dietician , medical doctor, allergist, pharmacist **considering bloodwork and food diary.** For safety’s sake, do not self prescribe please. Even vegetarian long chain omega-3s are marine algae extracts. And algae = seaweed.

Hashimotos = vitamin D3
Inflammation = long chain omega-3s
Atopic eczema/ contact dermatitis = both
Psoriasis = both
Leaky gut = inflammation, vitamins A and D3

Maybe vitamin B12, magnesium, vitamin K, zinc …?????

HTH!

Michael’s asked me to let you know that he’ll be on tour in Australia this month. You can find dates and tickets here:
https://www.livenation.com.au/artist/michael-mosley-tickets

Hope to see you there!

Hi all,
I’ve just recently bought the clever guts book, I have a list of ailments and am hoping this helps my symptoms…
I’m allergic to fish and shellfish- as in anaphylactic, I used to be a chef and had to give up due to this developed allergy. Whilst I was a chef I had contact dermatitis and I do suffer with small bouts of psoriasis, as a child I suffered eczema.
I also have hashimotos hypothyroidism, I’m recently lactose intolerant and am starting to think I have an issue with casein as well.
Despite cutting out lactose of my diet I still suffer cramps, bloating, diarrhoea/constipation.
I have had every scan I can to rule out any physical problems that can cause all my symptoms, I am now thinking it’s in my gut. I’ve had a leaky gut in the past and earlier this year I suffered with a parasite in my gut, which I healed with homeopathic methods as my body doesn’t respond well to western medications, if there’s side effects I will suffer from them.
I’ve come to the clever guts family for some advice on tolerating kefir with lactose intolerance- does anyone have any issues with this? I’m thinking of just going with a coconut kefir so I don’t have to “trial” it, although sometimes when I have coconut oil based products I get bloated also ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ also the clever guys diet for repair contains a lot of fish so I’m hoping I can just replace this with chicken/vegetables. Also due to my fish allergy I can’t tolerate seaweed.
Sorry for the essay!! 😁😁

Hi Firefox7275 thanks for the response.
I have kept various food diaries since this problem began 18 months ago, and they did help me identify a couple of problem foods such as oats and apples but despite eliminating these the problem still persists. I try to be active on a daily basis but it is pretty difficult on days when the pain is bad. For the record I was a lot more active before these problems started (I ran every day and I went fencing once a week) so I don’t think inactivity is a factor in why this has happened to me.

I was actually slightly underweight when I started the Low Fodmap diet so losing more weight was hardly ideal.

Yes you are certainly right about GPs not knowing much about dietetics and nutrition. I should probably have mentioned that I was referred to a dietitian who recommended the Low Fodmap Diet. Before putting me on that I had to provide a food diary so she could check that the problem wasn’t just a general lack of fibre in my diet (afte rall this would probably have been the easiest way to solve my problem).

While I take your point about supplements just being add ons, I am a bit desperate and willing to try anything. As far as I can see I am doing everything right in terms of diet and exercise so I don’t know what else to do.

Thank you so much again, fantastic follow-up. I have decided to subscribe to the Fast800 Programme. This way I can have the proper follow-up. I will definitely be talking to my GP. I am glad I have all the books, but I am sure the programmer will be best for me for now.
Wholeheartedly thankful, most helpful answers / advice.
Blanca Estela

Have you been completing a detailed daily food and symptom diary (p.187)? Are you physically active on a daily basis? Did you need to lose weight for your health when you began the low FODMAP plan?

The ‘Clever Guts Diet’ is a properly balanced and very varied, anti-inflammatory wholefood diet. Ideally we would get a variety of different fibres and other prebiotics from just such a diet. Supplements are just that: add-ons. They may be ineffective or partially effective if the underlying diet is off.

Doctors are not specialists in lifestyle healthcare, but rather medical specialists (diagnostics, prescription medication, surgical treatments). Most do not know enough about dietetics and nutrition to analyse the balance, variety and composition of their patients’ diets.

HTH!

https://connect.symfony.com/profile/knbpn65

I think in general my fibre intake is pretty good (lack of fibre in my diet would have been the first thing that doctors would have picked up on before putting me on low fodmap). I have to admit though, I haven’t really looked much into prebiotics beyond the section mentioning them in the Clever Guts book. I’ll have a look into Bimuno, and let you know if I have any success.

Thanks for your help!