Gut Health

Which Foods Should Be Avoided With SIBO?

By focusing on gut health, most foods don’t have to be avoided forever.
Which Foods Should Be Avoided With SIBO?
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Dr. Michael Ruscio
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If you have tested positive for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) by taking a breath test, it’s important to understand which foods might aggravate your symptoms and what you can safely eat.

Key Points:

  • Eating the right diet can help you manage unpleasant SIBO symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation.
  • Research has shown that three diets are helpful for SIBO: the low FODMAP diet, the Elemental diet, and the Specific Carbohydrate diet.
  • All of these elimination-style diets are temporary and meant to help you find a longer-term, less restrictive diet that you can easily maintain.
  • The goal of any SIBO diet is to figure out which foods trigger your symptoms, as every gut is different, and develop a dietary approach that works for you specifically.

SIBO and Your Diet

The right diet can help you manage unpleasant SIBO symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation. [1, 2, 3, 4]. Diet is also an important part of a SIBO treatment plan.

Since SIBO is a bacterial overgrowth of the small intestine, dietary changes are meant to reduce bacterial populations in the digestive system. This is done by reducing the foods that feed gut bacteria.

Dr. Michael Ruscio
Dr. Michael Ruscio
MD
Michael Ruscio is a doctor, clinical researcher and author working fervently to reform and improve the field of functional and integrative medicine. He is doing so in collaboration with his clinical and research team, both via clinical experimentation and published research. His primary focus areas are digestive health, and the impact of digestive health on other facets of health including energy, sleep, mood, thyroid function and optimization. His work has been published in peer-reviewed medical journals and he speaks at integrative medical conferences across the globe. Dr. Ruscio also runs an influential website and podcast at DrRuscio.com, and is actively seeing patients in his clinic.