You’re feeling miserable, but obviously have to eat. So some great SIBO diet recipes to get on your meal plan is top priority.

Is this right?

Then you are in the right place.

SIBO stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. It typically falls underneath the IBS (irritable bowel syndrome umbrella), and if you have it (or suspect you do) then you know the pain and frustration that comes with it.

A healthy gut contains the right bacteria in the right quantities in the right places.

Small intestine bacterial overgrowth means that there is an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine (when most of our bacteria should be in the large intestine).

If you’re looking for a full symptoms of SIBO list, you’ll find it HERE.

SIBO Diet

First, what even is a SIBO diet? The last time I checked, the definition or meaning of the specific diet is different depending on who you talk to.

And here is a variety of SIBO diets:

1. Low-FODMAP diet. FODMAP stands for Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols, which are short chain fermentable carbohydrates and sugar alcohols that are poorly absorbed by the body. The low FODMAP diet focuses on lowering and/or eliminating higher FODMAP foods containing these.
2. Elemental diet. The elemental diet is a liquid diet which contains every nutrient needed for survival, but in the simplest form,; pre-digested, and making digestion easy for the GI tract. This one is a very tough diet.
3. Bi-Phasic Diet. This protocol of diet combined with specific gut healing and antimicrobial phases was created by Dr. Nirala Jacobi. It is a modified version of Dr. Siebecker’s SIBO-specific diet.
4. SIBO-specific diet. Created by Dr. Allison Siebecker, this diet combines the low FODMAPs and SCD (specific carbohydrate diet) diets.
5. Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). Created by Dr. Sidney Haas, but popularized by Elaine Gottschall. SCD is, “based on the theory that by eliminating most carbs (primarily grains, starches, dairy, and sugars) and allowing only specific carbs that require minimal digestion, it can reduce inflammation and make eating enjoyable for people with gastrointestinal (GI) disorders.”
6. Low Fermentation Diet. According to Dr. Mark Pimentel, “This is a somewhat restrictive eating plan that allows patients to consume easily digested starches and sugars. It limits fermentable carbohydrates that can feed bacteria. Patients need to reduce fiber, fructose, the natural sugar found in fruit, as well as lactose, the sugar in milk. Meat and fish and other sources of protein are allowed and so are easy-to-digest carbohydrates including rice, potatoes, and sweet potatoes.” (Note: I’m not certain, but this might be the same as the Microbial Reset I tried in 2018. You can learn more about it + see a food list for the diet HERE.)

So, which is the right SIBO diet to follow?

The answer could be any and all or none, and the way to know is by understanding this,

All the diets, plans, and protocols will be meaningless until you understand how they apply to you, as an individual.

And yes, yes I actually do know what I’m talking about because SIBO took me down and out from 2014 – 2018 when I healed for the final time.

During that time, I followed (or at least did fairly strict versions) each of the diets above at one point or another minus the Elemental Diet.

They all hold a special place in my heart, but mostly because they taught me that none of them, as written, works for everyone. However, bits and pieces of each did work.

Getting there required a lot of food and lifestyle journaling which I then turned into my final book, A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut.

SIBO Diet Recipes – A Gutsy Girl Way

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And this is why I did not create a book with recipes conducive for XYZ diet.

In the long run it does not work. I learned this the hard way on my gut healing and (in particular) SIBO journey.

Templated diet plans do not work.

Here is what I state on page 38 of A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut,

I’ve learned that everyone wants to fit into a diet mold; to have the ease of being “gluten free,” “dairy-free,” keto, paleo, or vegetarian. But you are not a pastry. There is no mold for you to perfectly fit. The believe that you can heal your guts simply by excluding an entire food group is false.

Furthermore, what my book preaches and (more importantly) teaches is the art of simplifying and customizing to and for you.

It took me a long time to figure this out, but therein lies the secret.

Even still, let me help you drill down through this blog post on ways for making delicious SIBO recipes.

List of SIBO Diet Recipes on A Gutsy Girl

When I say “SIBO Diet Recipes,” I’m mostly talking the low-FODMAP diet.

1. Low FODMAP Recipes {Create Your Own Buddha Bowl}. All the tools to create one big old, lovely Low-FODMAP Buddha Bowl.
2. One Pot Kitchari Recipe (adaptations for making this specific recipe low FODMAP are at the end of the post)
3. Low-FODMAP Colorful Vegan Stir Fry Vegetables Recipe. Full of colorful vegetables and low in FODMAPs, this is a stir-fry for all.
4. Blueberry Smoothie Recipe {Low FODMAP Berry-licious Hemp}
5. Low FODMAP Seed Cycling Energy Balls

While that’s a good selection of SIBO recipes to get your wheels spinning, I still have far more for you.

The Most Efficient Way: Creations (i.e. Your Way)

A Gutsy Girl’s Bible contains 100+ “Creations.”

The Creations explanation is found on page 212 in the book, but the overall idea is this,

Creations allow you to do what works best for you. I encourage you to use my basic formulas as a jumping-off point to get inspired and come up with your own Creations. One hundred percent personalization is the key to healing and compliance.

So with that, I want to share 4 Creations from the book that either are already or could be SIBO-friendly recipes.

Energizing Juice (p. 216)

• 1 cucumber
• 3 celery stalks
• several handfuls kale and/or spinach
• a few fresh mint leaves
• 1/4 lemon
• 1 orange

Note: To keep this low-FODMAP, cut the celery and add in another cucumber and/or more kale/spinach.

Garlic-Sage Vinaigrette (p. 224)

• 1/2 cup garlic-infused coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Note: All ingredients are low-FODMAP.

Egg Roll Salad Bowl (p. 234)

• 1 pound cooked protein of choice
• 4 cups cooked cabbage
• 1/2 cup scallions
• 1/2 cup carrots
• 1/4 cup cashews or sunflower seeds
• Optional: lettuce mixture of choice

Note: Choose red/purple cabbage. Scallions are low-FODMAP (they are the green part to the long, thin onion; the bulb is not low-FODMAP). Choose sunflower seeds over cashews.

Chicken Soup Bowl (p. 243)

• Chicken bone broth
• Chicken
• Ginger
• Lemon Juice
• Vegetables

Note: My book teaches you how to make the Chicken Bone Broth. Choose whatever low-FODMAP vegetables desired.

How to Create Your Own SIBO Diet Recipes

Next, I want to teach you how to create your own SIBO Diet recipes for good gut health, aka getting rid of your excess gut bacteria.

First things first, here is a good shopping list to go off of for your grocery shopping.

If you want more context around the list, be sure to grab a copy of Reasonable SIBO HERE.

Then, find a recipe you like or an idea you’d want to mimic.

Keep these things in mind:

1. You can always consult with the Monash University App on various recipes, ingredients, and more.
2. Sweet potatoes are in a lot of seasonal SIBO recipes (and paleo diet recipes), but keep in mind that at 2/3 cup they contain a moderate amount of FODMAPs (due to the mannitol) and sweet potatoes are hard for many to digest for multiple reasons described HERE.
3. Peanut butter (with nothing added) is low-FODMAP so if you’re looking for dessert recipes, try those.
4. Histamine intolerance is a whole other beast, but many with SIBO have a histamine intolerance as well. If you aren’t sure or want to learn more about histamine, you can learn more HERE.
5. Coconut flour is a great alternative flour and many people with digestive issues will use it. However, you must know that it is high-FODMAP.
6. Before you make significant dietary changes please be sure there is a medical condition to justify said changes.
7. Finally, as you’re making any of the above, remember to keep meticulous track of what’s happening via symptoms in your food journal. My 90-day gut healing journal {HERE} teaches you the correct journaling method for gut healing.

More than anything else, remember this – no diet in the whole world is going to matter if you also don’t make the lifestyle changes necessary for your personal situation.

Believe me, the “easy way” to go about healing is through diet. But the much harder piece to the puzzle is focusing on everything else.

I’ll hand hold you through it in the book; you’ll see.

If lists like this are interesting to you, then you’ll love my book, A Gutsy Girl’s Bible: a 21-day approach to healing the gut. In it, you’ll find 100+ Creations. Grab your copy on Amazon HERE.

Or, have this book at your fingertips instantly by downloading the PDF now.

If you liked this post, you might also enjoy:

1. Grab a copy of SIBO Made Simple (this was written by my friend Phoebe Lapine, who appeared on Episode 17 of the A Gutsy Girl Podcast)
2. Create Your Own FODMAP Diet Plan
3. A Gutsy Girl’s Bible FAQ

Xox,
SKH