GONE are the days of the Crunchy Nut or Keto diet, what we know about health has drastically changed in the last few years.
Diet fads are of course still around and it seems the ‘Gut Health Diet’ is the one dominating 2026 to get a killer body in time for summer.
And as someone who overindulged over Christmas and wanted to get back into her size 8 jeans, I decided to put it to the test.
Like many women, I really struggle with bloating at a certain time of the month, and my tummy bloat can also easily be triggered by food – one bite of bread and my stomach doubles in size.
But instead of trying to cut out my beloved carbs or go Teetotal for Dry Jan, I decided to incorporate the newest wellness trend into my diet for an entire month to see if it really made a difference.
The gut diet is all about supporting your digestive system, and to kickstart it, there are four essentials you need to add to your diet, high fibre vegetables and fruit, fermented food, live drinks and bacteria supplements.
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With these in tow, I incorporated them into my diet over four weeks to see if it could really stop the bloat and get me summer-ready.
Best Shot
No matter what sort of diet or wellness trend you subscribe to – it seems all of them start with a health shot in the morning, and the gut diet is no exception.
I tried the M&S Nutrient Dense shot filled with coconut water, ginger, sea moss, Jerusalem artichoke, baobab and green cardamom.
Not only does it give you a boost of hydration, each shot contains 4g of fibre, perfect to start your day on the gut health diet and cost £2 each.
What I really enjoyed about this shot was that the ginger wasn’t too overbearing, while I love a spicy shot, they can leave me with heartburn while this one was a lot calmer on the acid front and tasted good.
I also tried the UNROOTED Super Green gut shots which currently costs £5 for a weekly amount in Holland & Barratt.
It’s packed with baobab, an African fruit known for its anti-inflamatory properties and high-fibre content.
It’s also filled with lemon, which promotes the production of the digestive enzymes in your liver to remove toxins, as well as Spinach and cucumber for extra fibre.
As someone who doesn’t like ginger shots much, this one was a delight as it had more of a ‘green juice’ flavour.
I’m not entirely sure either shot really did much for shifting my belly bloat, it is a pleasant and healthy way to start the day and something I plan to keep in my routine.
Five A Day
As someone who loves anything pickled, I was pleased to find that fermented foods are high on the priority list for the gut diet.
Fermented food contains live bacteria, which helps support your gut’s microbiome, which in turn, helps you digest food properly and absorb the nutrients it needs.
I went ahead and stocked up on the Vadasz range which includes Kimchi, pickled red onions, sauerkraut, pickled cucumbers and jalapeño relish and incorporated a portion in every meal I ate.
Not only did they taste incredible (the smacked cucumber salad was a particular favourite) but I did generally feel full after a meal without feeling sluggish.
According to nutritionist Dr Sarah Schenker, it’s not all in my head.
She explains: “Kimchi and other fermented veg increase fibre functionality, it becomes pre-digested which is better for the gut bacteria to produce more short-chain fatty acids.
“These act on appetite hormones like GLP-1 and increase satiety – this is the feeling of feeling fuller for longer.”
It also helps to reduce inflammation in the body, meaning the more you incorporate it into your diet, the less likely you’ll be bloated.
For me, I enjoy the taste of fermented and pickled foods so it’s a no-brainer to add more to my diet, plus the added fibre did make me less bloated.
Every day habits harming your gut
Several factors can negatively influence gut health, either by altering its function or wiping out the beneficial bacteria (allowing bad bacteria to thrive). Here are some common ones:
A poor diet
High sugar and high-fat diets can lead to an imbalance in gut bacteria. This typically means processed foods, like cakes, biscuits, fried foods and more. Artificial sweeteners may also disrupt gut flora, and alcohol – particularly cocktails and mixers with high sugar – aren’t beneficial either.
Lack of fibre
Dietary fiber is essential for healthy gut bacteria and therefore, a diet low in fiber can negatively impact gut health. Fibre is in foods such as wholmeal bread, oats, jacket potato, fruits and vegetables.
Antibiotics
We all need to take antibiotics now and again, sometimes they are necessary. But antibiotics can kill beneficial gut bacteria along with harmful ones, leading to imbalances in the gut. Other medications like NSAIDs and proton pump inhibitors can also affect gut health. Make sure to implement gut health habits – or take a probiotic – during antibiotic use.
Stress
Stress affects us all but some are better than dealing with it than others. Stress can alter the gut microbiome and increase gut permeability, leading to a “leaky gut”. Symptoms include diarrhoea, pain and gas.
Supplemented
I also went ahead and used some microbiome supplements from Bio-Kult to ensure I was getting enough live bacteria into my gut.
The pack comes with 30 capsules for £11.99 and it’s best to start with one a day, taken with food, and working up to four if you feel like it.
I started with one a day and gradually went to two at around the two week mark.
There was a total shift in my digestion, I found that after eating a meal, even if it was large, I didn’t feel as bloated or painful after.
Final Results
After four weeks of being on my gut-health journey, I very clearly noticed that I felt less puffy and even had a few people comment on how my face looked slimmer.
Looking at the before and after images though, I was floored. My stomach looks significantly less bloated even though I haven’t dropped any weight.
While I can’t say I’ll be adding fermented food to every single meal going forward, or taking a health shot every single day, they are new habits I would like to add now and then.
For me, the biggest result was from being consistent with the Bio-Kult bacteria supplements.
I know I can chuck them in my bag and not stress about keeping it stocked up in the fridge.
