Limiting food availability is one of the keys to keeping SIBO and bacterial imbalances at bay. Especially until your digestive track has healed completely and is functioning properly.

The aim is to continue the diet from the previous step and slowly introduce more fermentable carbohydrates back to your diet – while at the same time keeping an eye out for signs of indigestion and gut problems.

Guidelines for this step:

• If you haven’t yet finished 4 weeks on herbal antimicrobials, I recommend continuing very low fermentable carbohydrate diet until the antimicrobial treatment is over.
• After the antimicrobial treatment is over, feel free to increase daily FP to 35 to 40 grams.
• Keep beans, legumes, and grains (except rice) off your diet until towards the end of this step.
• Limit onions, garlic, and wheat. Among the high FODMAP foods, these tend to be the biggest offenders.
• Monitor your gut for signs of indigestion and bowel movements for signs of constipation or loose stools.
• If you notice symptoms, try to identify patterns and see if they are caused by specific foods. See if all of the offending foods fall into one or two FODMAP categories (fructose, lactose, fructans, galactans, polyols). If so, avoid other foods that high in those substances.