Gut health clinic · Online across the UK
Gut Health
Persistent bloating, reflux, IBS or other gut symptoms? Identify the root causes with an experienced, UK-registered nutritional therapist and get a functional medicine plan built around you.
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Which gut symptoms can we help with?
Choose a symptom to see what may be behind it and how we can help.
Acid reflux & heartburn
Acid reflux is when stomach acid rises back up into your food pipe. You may feel a burning behind your breastbone, a sour taste, or food coming back up, often worse after a large meal or when you lie down.
Often linked to
Your options
A consultation looks at your symptoms, diet, history and any medication or test results to understand what's going on and tailor therapy to your needs. If you take reflux medication or have overlapping symptoms, testing may be recommended either as a first step, or later on, with advice on timing around any medication.
Difficulty swallowing, unexplained weight loss or vomiting that won't stop: see your GP first.
Consultation
Comprehensive Consultation£180Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Bloating after eating
You might wake with a flat stomach, then swell after meals or as the day goes on, until waistbands feel tight by the evening.
Often linked to
Your options
A consultation looks at when your bloating starts, what you eat, your history and any test results, to work out what's driving it and shape your therapy. If the timing or pattern suggests overgrowth or a wider imbalance, a test may help, either at the start or once your plan is under way.
Consultation
Comprehensive Consultation£180Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Brain fog after meals
Your head feels heavy and slow after eating. You may lose words mid-sentence, or find it hard to concentrate by mid-afternoon.
Your options
A consultation looks at your meals, sleep, stress, gut symptoms and any test results together, because fog rarely has one cause, and tailors your therapy from there. If gut symptoms come with the fog, your practitioner may suggest a test, at the start or further along.
Consultation
Comprehensive Consultation£180Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Constipation
You go every few days, strain, pass hard stools, or never feel fully emptied.
Often linked to
Your options
A consultation looks at your diet, fibre, fluids, movement, stress and any test results, to understand what's slowing things down and tailor your therapy. If bloating comes with it, or simple changes haven't helped, testing may be recommended either as a first step, or later on.
Consultation
Comprehensive Consultation£180Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Diarrhoea or loose stools
Your stools are loose or urgent, and you plan your day around toilets. For some people it started after a stomach bug or a trip abroad and never settled.
Often linked to
Your options
A consultation looks at when it started, including any illness, travel or antibiotics, along with your diet and any test results, to understand what's going on and tailor your therapy. If it has lasted for weeks or followed an illness or a trip abroad, a test may help, either at the start or once your plan is under way.
Blood in your stool, or diarrhoea with unexplained weight loss: see your GP first.
Consultation
Comprehensive Consultation£180Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Food intolerance
Foods you've eaten for years now leave you bloated, itchy, foggy or uncomfortable, and the list of foods you avoid keeps growing.
Your options
A consultation looks at which foods, which reactions, their timing and any test results, to understand what's behind them and tailor your therapy without an ever-shrinking diet. If the pattern points to overgrowth or to particular foods, your practitioner may suggest a test, at the start or further along.
Consultation
Comprehensive Consultation£180Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Reacting to high-histamine foods? Read our guide to histamine intolerance →
Skin that flares with your gut
Your skin flares with breakouts, eczema or redness that come and go with your digestion. Creams calm the surface but don't stop the flares.
Your options
A consultation looks at your skin alongside your digestion, diet, stress and any test results, to understand what may be driving the flares and tailor your therapy. If your skin flares with your digestion, testing may be recommended either as a first step, or later on.
Keep using what your GP or dermatologist has prescribed while the cause is looked into.
Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Stomach pain & cramps
You get cramping, aching or sharp pain. Sometimes it eases after going to the toilet; sometimes it sits high under your ribs after eating.
Your options
A consultation looks at where the pain sits, when it comes, what eases it and any test results, to understand what's going on and tailor your therapy. Depending on where it sits and what comes with it, a test may help, either at the start or once your plan is under way.
Pain that is severe, constant or getting worse: see your GP first.
Consultation
Comprehensive Consultation£180Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Alternating constipation & diarrhoea
You're constipated one week and loose the next, with bloating in between. You may have been told it's IBS, without much to do about it.
Often linked to
Your options
A consultation looks at your stools alongside stress, sleep, meals and any test results, to understand what's pulling your gut both ways and tailor your therapy. If the pattern keeps coming back, your practitioner may suggest a test, at the start or further along.
Consultation
Comprehensive Consultation£180Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Tiredness with gut symptoms
You're tired when you wake, slump every afternoon, and your energy never quite matches the sleep you get.
Your options
A consultation looks at your energy alongside your digestion, diet, sleep and any test results, including your GP bloods, to understand what's draining it and tailor your therapy. If gut symptoms come with the tiredness, testing may be recommended either as a first step, or later on.
If you haven't had routine blood tests with your GP, have those first to rule out the common medical causes.
Consultation
Comprehensive Consultation£180Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Wind & belching
You burp often, have wind through the day, or your gut gets gassy and noisy after meals.
Often linked to
Your options
A consultation looks at how and what you eat, your history and any test results, to understand where the gas is coming from and tailor your therapy. If it carries on after simple changes, or bloating comes with it, a test may help, either at the start or once your plan is under way.
Consultation
Comprehensive Consultation£180Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
What is usually behind gut symptoms?
Most gut symptoms trace back to a few common causes, often two or three at once. Functional medicine looks for the ones driving your symptoms, rather than only easing them, and works through them in a set order. A gut health nutritionist helps identify yours and shapes a plan personalised to your needs.
Bacteria in the wrong place (SIBO)
Overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO), usually felt as bloating soon after eating.SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth) is when bacteria that belong in the large intestine grow in the small intestine and ferment food too early.Read more
Sound familiar?
- Bloating within an hour of eating
- Wind and belching
- Constipation, diarrhoea or both
What can lead to it
- Low stomach acid
- Slow movement through the small intestine
- Food poisoning or H. pylori
- Long courses of antibiotics or antacids
Our approach
We look at what caused the overgrowth, and design a dietary protocol to address it, adjusting your plan at each follow-up.
How we investigate
You can start with the SIBO Breath Test, which measures the hydrogen and methane these bacteria produce, or with a consultation that looks at when and how your bloating appears. As bloating isn't only caused by SIBO, the GI-MAP + Zonulin can give a wider view, including methane-producing bacteria, digestion and the gut lining.
Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Food sensitivities
Reactions to everyday foods that are slower and harder to trace than an allergy.Food sensitivities are reactions to everyday foods that are slower and harder to trace than an allergy, often because the gut itself has become more reactive.Read more
Sound familiar?
- Digestive upset
- Skin breakouts or rashes
- Tiredness, headaches or low mood
- Reactions that are hard to pin on one meal
Our approach
We use your results and your food diary to guide a structured elimination and reintroduction, and support overall digestive and immune function.
How we investigate
However your reactions show up, we can help you get to the bottom of them. A consultation looks at which foods, which reactions and their timing, and the Food Sensitivity Test measures IgG reactions to more than 200 foods, on its own or alongside your consultation.
Allergy, intolerance or sensitivity? Read more on our food allergies and intolerances page →
Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Imbalance in the gut bacteria (dysbiosis)
Often after antibiotics, illness, stress or a long stretch of poor eating.Dysbiosis means your gut microbiome is out of balance: too few of the beneficial bacteria that support digestion and immunity, and too many of the organisms that produce gas, irritate the gut lining or drive inflammation.Read more
Sound familiar?
- Bloating and wind
- Irregular bowels
- Reactions to foods
- Tiredness or skin flare-ups
What can lead to it
- A low-fibre or highly processed diet
- Repeated antibiotics
- Ongoing stress
- Regular alcohol
Our approach
We start by addressing what's feeding the imbalance and rebalance your gut step by step, with targeted diet and lifestyle support tailored for you, not a generic protocol. We also recommend supplements and testing, if appropriate. Our fertility page covers how the gut affects fertility.
How we investigate
Dysbiosis is one of the clearest things to measure. We can map your microbiome with a Comprehensive Stool Test (GI-MAP), from one sample taken at home, and read it alongside your symptoms, diet and history. Whether you start with a consultation or a test, we build your plan from what we find.
Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Infection standard tests may have missed (H. pylori, parasites)
H. pylori, parasites or a yeast overgrowth, which routine tests often miss.Gut infections such as H. pylori, parasites or a yeast overgrowth can be carried for years without obvious symptoms, and aren't always picked up by routine tests.Read more
Sound familiar?
- Upper stomach pain or reflux
- Nausea or indigestion
- Loose stools
- Symptoms that began after travel or a stomach bug
What can lead to it
- Food or water
- Close contact
Our approach
Healing your gut is essential, so we build a plan to repair and rebalance it once the infection has cleared. Where an infection needs medical treatment, we work alongside your GP.
How we investigate
However your symptoms started, we can help you track down an infection: through a consultation looking at your history, travel and symptoms, a targeted H. pylori Stool Test, or the broader Comprehensive Stool Test (GI-MAP), which also screens for parasites and yeasts. If you take acid-lowering medication, we'll advise on timing before testing.
Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Leaky gut lining
Increased intestinal permeability, where the lining lets through what it should keep out.Leaky gut, or increased intestinal permeability, is when the gut lining becomes less selective and lets through food particles it would normally keep out, which can drive inflammation beyond the gut.Read more
Sound familiar?
- Tiredness or brain fog
- Skin problems
- Joint aches
- Bloating and food reactions
What can lead to it
- Diet
- An imbalanced microbiome
- Chronic stress
- Infections
- Alcohol and some medications
Our approach
We remove what's irritating your gut lining and put together a gut protocol aimed at restoring the integrity of your gut barrier and overall digestive function.
How a leaky gut links to autoimmune conditions: read more on our immune system support page
How we investigate
Your symptoms, medical history, diet and lifestyle habits provide a practitioner with many clues about your gut health. In cases of suspected leaky gut, we often recommend the GI-MAP + Zonulin to directly assess the gut barrier, alongside the microbiome, digestive function and inflammation markers.
Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Low digestive capacity
Too little stomach acid, enzymes or bile to break food down properly.Low digestive capacity means too little stomach acid, enzymes or bile, so food reaches the rest of your gut only partly digested.Read more
Sound familiar?
- Burping and bloating
- Feeling full early
- Food that sits heavily
- Discomfort after protein-rich meals
What can lead to it
- Rushed or stressed eating
- Long-term acid-lowering medication
Our approach
We look to help your body break food down properly again, with changes to how and what you eat, and targeted digestive support where your symptoms and test results show you need it.
How we investigate
How you feel after meals tells us a lot, and the Comprehensive Stool Test (GI-MAP) adds hard evidence, measuring markers of digestion such as pancreatic elastase. Start with a consultation or a test, and we design a plan based on the findings.
Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
Stress and the gut-brain connection
Stress changes how the gut moves and which bacteria thrive.Your gut and brain are in constant conversation. Ongoing stress changes how food moves and which microbes thrive, and an unsettled gut can heighten stress in turn.Read more
Sound familiar?
- Symptoms that follow the busy weeks
- A gut that settles on holiday
- Poor sleep
- Feeling wired but tired
What can lead to it
- Work and life load
- Short sleep
- A nervous system that rarely switches off
Our approach
We work on your gut and nervous system together, adding practical support for stress and sleep alongside your gut plan, with supplements, NLP and lifestyle coaching where they help.
How we investigate
Stress shows up differently for everyone, so we usually start by talking it through in a consultation and shape your support from there. Gut testing can show how stress may be affecting your gut, and where hormones may be a factor, the DUTCH Plus maps your cortisol through the day.
Want to discuss your symptoms or test options? Book a free 15-minute Discovery Call
What is it like to work with a nutritional therapist?
You’ll work with one practitioner, one to one and online, from start to finish. Carmen Martinez-Vidal is a UK-registered nutritional therapist with over 15 years in functional medicine, specialising in gut and digestive health. She works out what’s driving your symptoms, advises on and interprets any testing, and designs a personalised protocol to address the root causes, refining it with you at each step.
Should I see a gut health nutritionist or take a gut test first?
There's no one-size-fits-all approach to gut health. We shape your therapy around your symptoms, history and goals, whether you begin with a consultation or a test.
One-to-one consultation
Start here if you’ve already tried other routes or want a comprehensive review of your health. Carmen assesses your history, diet, lifestyle and symptoms in depth to identify possible underlying causes, design a targeted action plan and recommend whether testing is worthwhile.
60-minute Comprehensive Consultation · £180
At-home gut testing
Start here if you’d like answers from a test first. We can help you choose if you’re not sure which test is right for you. Your results are then professionally interpreted and explained in a Lab Findings Review (£99) with Carmen, or applied to a personalised plan in a full Comprehensive Consultation (£180).
Gut tests from £180
See the testsNot sure where to begin?
Talk it through with Carmen on a free 15-minute video call to understand your best first step.
Which gut health tests can I take at home?
Gut symptoms often look alike from the outside, even when very different things are behind them. Testing shows what is happening inside, so nothing important is overlooked. Explore the tests below to see what each one can tell you.
Comprehensive Stool Test (GI-MAP) + Zonulin
See what is living in your gut and whether your gut lining has become leaky, from one stool sample.
- 88 markers
- Results in 21 working days
- Free UK delivery
Explore more gut health tests
All at-home tests →Not sure which test is right for you? Book a free Discovery Call
What do our clients say?
Common questions about gut health
What is the functional medicine approach to gut health?
Functional medicine looks for what is driving your gut symptoms, rather than only calming them. We start with your history, diet and symptoms, and suggest testing where it would change the plan. The work then usually follows a set order, often called the 5R approach: remove what is disturbing the gut, such as an overgrowth, an infection or foods that inflame it; replace what digestion is missing; reinoculate the beneficial bacteria; repair the gut lining; and rebalance the sleep, stress and movement that help keep it well. The order and emphasis change with what is driving your symptoms.
What does a gut health nutritionist do?
A gut health nutritionist (sometimes searched for as a gut health specialist) looks for what is driving your digestive symptoms, using your history, diet, lifestyle and, where it helps, testing. They then build a nutrition and lifestyle plan around what they find and adjust it at follow-ups. At Nutrition Diets Clinic this is a UK-registered nutritional therapist, working online and alongside your GP.
Do I need a test before I can book a consultation?
No. There's no one-size-fits-all approach. Some clients start with a Comprehensive Consultation, and testing may be recommended to look deeper if their symptoms or health history are complex. Others come to us ready to test, or are advised to test first. Their results are then explained in a Lab Findings Review, or used to personalise their therapy in a Comprehensive Consultation. If you're unsure, the free Discovery Call helps you choose.
Which gut test is right for bloating?
Bloating that starts within an hour of eating most often points to the SIBO Breath Test (Lactulose). Bloating that comes with changes in your stools, skin, mood or energy is usually better answered by the Comprehensive Stool Test (GI-MAP), which maps the whole gut microbiome.
How much does a gut health test cost in the UK?
At Nutrition Diets Clinic the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) Stool Test is £180, the SIBO Breath Test (Lactulose) is £210, the Food Sensitivity & Intolerance Test is £280, the Comprehensive Stool Test (GI-MAP) is £390 and the GI-MAP + Zonulin is £455. All are at-home kits with free UK delivery and a prepaid return. Having the results explained is a separate, optional consultation.
How many consultations will I need?
It depends on what is driving your symptoms and how you respond. Many people start with a Comprehensive Consultation, others with a test, then have follow-ups (30 minutes, £90, or 60 minutes, £140) to review progress and adjust the plan. Carmen will suggest how many are likely to help at your first session, and you book them as you go.
What happens on the free Discovery Call?
Fifteen minutes by video with Carmen: what you are experiencing, what you have already tried, and whether a consultation, a test or neither is the right next step. There is no obligation to book anything afterwards.
Is everything done online?
Yes. The Discovery Call and every consultation are by video, so you can work with an online nutritionist from anywhere in the UK, and every test is a home collection kit.
Is a nutritional therapist the same as a dietitian?
No. Dietitian is a protected title for practitioners regulated by the HCPC, who often work in the NHS on diagnosed conditions. A registered nutritional therapist, registered with the CNHC, looks at what is driving your symptoms through diet, lifestyle and, where useful, testing. Both work alongside your GP.
Can a nutritional therapist diagnose IBS, SIBO or leaky gut?
No. Nutritional therapists do not diagnose or treat medical conditions, and we work alongside your GP rather than instead of one. What functional testing can do is show what is going on in the gut, so that a nutrition and lifestyle plan is built on evidence rather than trial and error.
When should I see my GP first?
If you have blood in your stool, unexplained weight loss, difficulty swallowing or vomiting that will not stop, see your GP first. These need medical assessment, and we will always ask you to have it.
Still have questions? Ask Carmen on a free 15-minute video call.
Book a free Discovery Call
