What is a digestive disorder?
Digestive orders are increasingly common and refer to any kind of disorder which affects the digestive system.
This includes heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and constipation.
Managing digestive disorders naturally
Depending on the digestive disorder, there may be a specific diet for your condition.
The low FODMAP diet can result in big improvements for those with IBS whereas a low residue diet can help manage IBD flare-ups.
If you have any serious symptoms such as significant unexplained weight loss, diarrhea which persists for more than two days, severe pain or black/bloody stools then you should seek medical advice as soon as possible.
All articles about Digestive Disorders
Why Diverticulitis Keeps Coming Back (Dietitian Explains)
The flare cleared. You took the medication. You changed what you eat. You stopped the foods you were told to avoid. The pain settled, so you assumed the problem had gone.
Then it came back.
If that’s happened to you, it’s easy to think you screwed up or missed one dangerous food. But the more likely explanation is much simpler: the flare was treated, while the conditions that made your colon vulnerable were never fully addressed.
A September 2026 review of the research notes that recurrence can affect up to one in three people after an initial uncomplicated episode (1). In the most recent studies, recurrence rates ranged from 5.6% to 21.1%, depending on who was studied, how recurrence was defined, and how long people were followed. So if it has already recurred for you, that isn’t surprising. And if you’ve only had one flare so far, now is a good time to start lowering the chance of another.
In this article, I explain the five reasons diverticulitis can keep returning even when you’re following the advice you were given, and what the latest 2026 guidelines say about lowering that risk.
Below is a video we made; there is also a written version underneath.
[Discover More…]Why Low FODMAP Isn’t Working For You (And How to Actually Fix It)
The low FODMAP diet is one of the most misunderstood protocols in gut health. People follow it for too long, too strictly, without support, and without reintroduction. They end up more food-restricted and more anxious than when they started.
That’s not what the low FODMAP diet is designed for.
If you started low FODMAP, felt better, and then got stuck, you’re not failing. You’re likely running into one of these six mistakes.
Below is a video we made; there is also a written version underneath.
[Discover More…]5 Things the New Diverticulitis Guidelines Just Confirmed – Dietitian Explains
Every year, roughly 1.7 million people in the US see a doctor because of diverticulitis. And a huge number of them walk away with different advice from different doctors — or no advice at all, leaving them to search online and land in a pile of conflicting information.
Avoid nuts and seeds. Actually, that’s outdated. Take antibiotics every time you flare. That’s not evidence-based either. Take an anti-inflammatory to reduce your recurrence risk. The trials say it doesn’t work.
The good news is that this confusion is finally being addressed. The American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) — the leading professional body for gut doctors in the US — just published its most comprehensive diverticulitis guidelines ever. They reviewed decades of evidence, decades of clinical habit, and patient experience, and put it all in writing.
And a lot of what they confirmed will surprise you.
Below is a video we made; there is also a written version underneath.
[Discover More…]Scientists Found This in Diverticular Disease Patients
If you’ve been through a diverticulitis flare (maybe more than once), you know the routine. Severe pain, antibiotics or a hospital stay, a liquid diet, then a slow climb back to normal.
And then it’s supposed to be over.
Except for a lot of people, it isn’t quite over. The dull ache that comes and goes. The bloating that never fully settles. Bowel habits that stay unpredictable long after the flare has technically resolved.
A study published this year in Scientific Reports looked at the gut bacteria of people stuck in exactly that in-between zone — and the results may finally explain why.
Below is a video we made; there is also a written version underneath.
[Discover More…]5 Signs Your IBS Isn’t About Food
If even your “safe foods” are starting to feel like a trigger, food probably isn’t the real problem.
For a lot of people with IBS, the gut is reacting to something that has nothing to do with what’s actually on the plate. Diet can matter a lot for some people. But for others, months or years of cutting, tracking, and restricting never gets them anywhere close to relief, simply because food was never the main driver in the first place.
This is the pattern behind questions like: “Why is the same lunch fine on Tuesday and a disaster on Thursday?” Or, “I’ve cut almost everything, so why am I still not better?” Or, “Why do my symptoms start before I’ve even eaten?”
In this article, I’ll walk through five signs that point toward a different driver behind your IBS, and what that means for how you actually manage it going forward.
Below is a video we made; there is also a written version underneath.
[Discover More…]Prevent Diverticulitis Recurrence: 5 Things To Fix Before Your Next Flare
As a gut health dietitian service, we see a lot of diverticulitis cases — and honestly, the pattern we see most often is this: someone has a flare, they recover, they change nothing, and a few months later they’re back in the ER. Not because they did anything wrong, but because nobody told them what to actually fix.
I was on a call with a client last month who’d just come out of hospital with her second diverticulitis flare in two years. She said, “Joe, they gave me antibiotics, a leaflet about soft foods, and sent me home. Same as last time. Nobody told me why it keeps happening.” That’s a conversation I have constantly, and it’s exactly why I put this together.
Here are the 5 things you should be doing after a flare, and why most people never get told about them.
Below is a video we made; there is also a written version underneath.
[Discover More…]Top 5 IBS Red Flags Patients Ignore
I want to preface this by saying a majority of people with IBS aren’t ignoring warning signs because they’re careless. They’re ignoring them because they’ve been told everything is fine. Normal colonoscopy. Normal bloods. Here’s a food list. Off you go.
And then years pass, and they’re still planning their days around the nearest bathroom.
Below, I walk through five red flags that IBS patients, and honestly a lot of GPs, commonly miss. Many of these are signs that your current plan isn’t good enough, and what you can do about it.
Here’s a video we made; there is also a written version underneath.
[Discover More…]Acid Reflux, GERD and Heartburn: What Actually Helps?
A dietitian explains the food, meal-timing and daily-habit factors worth checking when acid reflux, GERD or heartburn keeps returning.
The GERD Diet: What To Eat, What To Limit, and Why Trigger Lists Conflict
A practical explanation of GERD food triggers, gentler starting choices, meal timing and why one universal reflux diet does not exist.
Silent Reflux (LPR): Why Throat Symptoms Can Happen Without Heartburn
A careful explanation of silent reflux and LPR, why throat symptoms are not specific to reflux, and which food and meal habits are worth reviewing.
Low FODMAP Diet Basics: What I’d Do in the First 7 Days
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.
Here’s a video we made; there is also a written version underneath.
[Discover More…]IBS-D: 5 Signs You Need More Than a Food List
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 some symptoms deserve medical review, not another diet sheet.
Here’s a video we made; there is also a written version underneath.
[Discover More…]
