Can a dietitian help with gut health?

50% of Australians experience digestive issues and 1 in 7 experience distressing gut symptoms so it’s no wonder many of us are looking to improve gut health as a way to better health.

There are many factors that may affect gut health like what we eat, stress, sleep, how much exercise we are getting, medication, alcohol - the list goes on.

For some of us, improving gut health might be about solving those distressing symptoms like constipation, diarrhoea, bloating, gas, cramps or reflux. For others, it could be a case of wanting to manage a suspected intolerance or improving gut health for general health and wellbeing. The good news is that dietitians are trained to use evidence-based nutrition science to help you navigate all of the above!

How can a dietitian help?

A dietitian will assess your unique situation so they can provide tailored advice for you that suits your lifestyle and food preferences. The solution will vary depending on your needs. Some ways dietitians may help with gut health include:

• Consulting with your healthcare professionals such as your doctor or gastroenterologist if required.
• Understanding your unique needs by asking questions around your diet and lifestyle.
• Checking your gut health basics like fibre, fluid, plant-diversity, fats, sleep, stress and movement.
• Providing personalised nutrition information tailored to your needs.
• Providing expert guidance on particular foods or nutrients.
• Providing you with meal ideas and shopping advice so you can make the best nutrition choices each day
• Helping you navigate particular intolerances or food preferences
• Working with you to set personalised, practical and measurable goals for long term results
• Providing counseling to help you implement diet and lifestyle changes
• If required, walking you through a particular process such as the low FODMAP diet

What should I expect from a consultation?

• Once you’ve booked your consultation, you may need to complete a pre-visit form and share this with your dietitian. This will enable you to share more detailed information with your dietitian, to prepare for your visit.
• At the first consultation, your dietitian may ask questions around your medical history, eating habits, digestion, symptoms and other lifestyle factors such as medications, sleep and stress.
• If required, your dietitian may provide you with a food-symptom diary to complete over a short period of time to help capture patterns to get to the root cause of what is causing your symptoms.
• Once your dietitian has enough information, you may spend some time setting goals and agreeing on the changes you’d like to make. They will then provide advice and guidance on the next steps, including helpful resources to help you along the way.
• Your dietitian may need to schedule follow up consultations to help you assess the impact of these changes and agree on next steps.

Reviewed by healthylife health experts April 2023.