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The SIBO Diet Hub

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is a staged condition — suspicion, testing, treatment, recovery, prevention — and what you should eat changes at every stage. These guides cover the full journey, written for people actually living through it.

Everything here is evidence-based and practical: no miracle protocols, no fear lists — just what the research supports, what practitioners disagree about, and how to figure out what works for your gut.

Phase 1

Suspect it, test it

SIBO symptoms overlap almost completely with IBS — studies estimate a large share of IBS patients test positive for bacterial overgrowth. Start here if you are still working out whether SIBO is your problem.

SIBO Guide: The Complete Overview What SIBO is, the three types, and how diagnosis and treatment fit together. The SIBO–IBS Connection Why the two conditions are so hard to tell apart, and when to test. SIBO Breath Test Guide How lactulose and glucose breath tests work, prep rules, and reading results.

Phase 2

Know your type

Hydrogen, methane (IMO), and hydrogen sulfide overgrowths behave differently — different symptoms, different treatments, and different dietary pressure points.

Hydrogen SIBO Diet Managing the diarrhea-predominant, rapid-fermentation pattern. Methane SIBO (IMO) Diet Our most-read guide: eating for the constipation-predominant methane pattern.

Phase 3

Get through treatment

Antibiotics, herbal antimicrobials, elemental diets — and the die-off weeks where everything temporarily feels worse. What to eat while treatment does its work.

SIBO Treatment Options Rifaximin, herbal protocols, and elemental diets compared honestly. SIBO Diet Plan A practical week-by-week eating framework during and after treatment. SIBO and the FODMAP Diet Where the two protocols overlap, and where SIBO needs its own rules. SIBO Die-Off Symptoms Why symptoms can spike during treatment and how to ride it out. SIBO and Probiotics Can probiotics help — or make it worse? What the evidence actually says.

Phase 4

Stay well

SIBO relapse rates are high — the overgrowth tends to return when the underlying cause (motility, anatomy, medication) is still there. Prevention is its own discipline.

SIBO Relapse Prevention Prokinetics, meal spacing, and the habits that keep SIBO from coming back.

Track your SIBO diet as you go

Every guide above ends with the same advice: log what you eat and how you react, because SIBO recovery is individual. FODMAPSnap has a dedicated SIBO mode — snap a photo of any meal and it flags fermentation risk alongside FODMAPs, tracks your treatment phase, and learns your personal triggers from your symptom logs. Free to download with 3 scans a day.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the best diet for SIBO?

No single diet has been proven to cure SIBO. The low-FODMAP diet has the most supporting evidence for managing fermentation-driven symptoms, and many clinicians combine it with SIBO-specific adjustments based on your gas type. Diet manages symptoms; medical treatment addresses the overgrowth. Start with the SIBO diet plan.

Is a SIBO diet the same as low FODMAP?

They overlap heavily but are not identical — SIBO-focused eating also weighs the fermentation potential of starches and fibers that standard FODMAP ratings treat as safe. See SIBO and the FODMAP diet.

Should I eat strictly during antibiotic treatment?

Practitioners genuinely disagree — some prefer bacteria active and susceptible, others keep the diet modified for symptom control. Evidence is limited either way; decide with your clinician and keep a food and symptom log so you can see what actually changes.

How is methane SIBO (IMO) different?

Methane-dominant overgrowth tends toward constipation rather than diarrhea and responds to different strategies. The methane SIBO diet guide covers it in depth.

This hub is educational and is not medical advice. SIBO diagnosis and treatment should be managed with a healthcare provider or registered dietitian.