Nicole's Story 

Science tells us that good nutrition can make a big difference to the way we feel. Even small changes can make a big difference.

The changes that I made almost a decade ago when I established The Gut Health Dietitian made a big difference to how I helped people with their health issues.

Through many years of working long days, nights, and weekends, within the pharmaceutical industry, I saw how the health of my colleagues was under pressure and often deteriorating. I also experienced first-hand the challenges of maintaining my own health while working within a stressful corporate environment. My gut symptoms were at an all-time low, my stress levels were at an all-time high and I needed to find a way out. Using medicines was one thing, but I was driven to go much deeper than that, and so began my journey into the science of nutrition and gut health.

At first, I cycled my way through doctors, specialists, and naturopaths. I dabbled in short nutrition courses, I tried every diet, medication, supplement, and food restriction in the book. It was so bad that I even made the big decision to go back to university to study for 6-years to try to identify the underlying causes and solve my symptoms!

By the end of it all, I had navigated my way through all of the misinformation and narrowed in on the science. I found that my answer came down to 3 key things:

1. getting back to basics with healthy eating and lifestyle choices.
2. being kind to my body and adjusting my mindset.
3. applying the nutrition evidence that I had learnt.

This is how I did it:

• I started slowly and gently, documenting and understanding my symptoms and their patterns.
• I looked at my fibre, fat and fluid levels and worked to get this right.
• I gradually increased the variety of plants in my diet to nourish the beneficial bacteria in my microbiome.
• I aimed to eat smaller meals; slowly, and actually chew my food.
• I tried ‘truly’ relaxing by making the decision to do less, slow down and get more structure in my life, in addition to yoga and deep breathing.
• I worked to change my mind set to one of acceptance and abundance; accepting that it was OK for it not to be a perfectly flat stomach all of the time and to nourish it with an abundance of plant-rich food.
• I cut back on processed and pre-made food with the help of meal and snack planning.
• I committed to a minimum of 7-hours sleep each night and 30-minutes of movement each day.
• I tried to eat meals with others whenever I could.
• I honed my expertise on probiotics, prebiotics, and other gut supplements to boost my gut, based on the latest evidence.

I knew I wasn’t the only one going through this journey with chronic gut issues and that I had to share my knowledge of the power of food with other people living with IBS symptoms, to help them change their lives for the better. It led me to create a simple 7-step approach in Gut Health Bootcamp, to identify and fix the underlying causes of IBS symptoms, enabling a life free from bloating, pain, diarrhoea, or constipation.

Since embarking on my gut-fix journey and completing my Master of Nutrition & Dietetics Degree, I have had the privilege of helping thousands of people with IBS symptoms with this 7-step approach. Our team of 13-dietitians have completed more than 30,000 consultations over the last 10-years, implementing these principles through our private practice clinics, and workplace nutrition and wellness programs - so we know it works!

Thank you for taking the time to learn about our work. If we can help you too, or you would like to find out more, we would love to hear from you.

NICOLE DYNAN, MASTER OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS (USYD), BA (PSYCHOLOGY), DIP SC. DIP ED.