Hey {{first_name}}

You've probably had this happen.

A friend swears by her "gut-friendly" snack bar. High fibre, low sugar, a little green leaf on the wrapper. You try one. By 3pm your waistband feels two sizes smaller.

She's not lying. And there's nothing wrong with you.

That bar is great for her gut. It just isn't great for yours.

Different guts get bothered by completely different things. And the front of the pack has no idea which gut you have.

So this week: the five gut types I hear about most, the exact label names each one should watch for, and a first look at something I've been building for months to do this for you in about three seconds.

Let's get into it. ☕

01 — How to Read Food Labels for FODMAPs (Monash University) The team that created the low FODMAP diet lists the label names most likely to cause bloating: inulin and FOS, onion and garlic powder, honey, high fructose corn syrup, fruit juices, and the "-itol" sweeteners like sorbitol and xylitol. Two things they stress: ingredients are listed by weight, and not every trigger shows up on a label.

→ The front of the pack is marketing. The back is where the truth lives.

02 — Eating, Diet & Nutrition for Lactose Intolerance (National Institutes of Health) If dairy bothers you, "lactose" isn't the only word to look for. The NIH lists milk, whey, curds, milk by-products, dry milk solids and nonfat dry milk powder as signs a product contains lactose. They turn up in protein bars, crackers, breads and anything "creamy".

→ Lactose goes by at least six other names on a label.

03 — ACG Clinical Guideline for the Diagnosis and Management of GERD (American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2022) The main US guideline on reflux suggests avoiding your own trigger foods and not eating within 2 to 3 hours of bedtime. Notice the word "own". There's no single reflux list that fits everyone.

→ For reflux, when you eat can matter as much as what you eat.

Here's what a "gut-friendly" label can't tell you:

It doesn't know your gut. And the same ingredient can be a problem for one gut and a help for another.

Here are the five I hear about most, and what each one should look for on the back of the pack.

If your belly balloons through the afternoon, the usual suspects are FODMAPs. On labels, look for inulin, chicory root fibre, FOS, onion or garlic powder, honey, apple or pear juice, and anything ending in "-itol" (sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol). A lot of "high fibre" bars are built on chicory root. Great on the box. Rough on this gut.

Burning after meals or at night? Your triggers are personal, but the ones people report most are chocolate, peppermint, coffee, spicy food and fatty food. Timing matters too: the guideline says stop eating 2 to 3 hours before bed. Yes, the "healthy" square of dark chocolate at 10pm counts.

Constipated more days than not? Here's the twist. That same chicory root bar that bloats gut #1 might actually help you, because fibre like inulin can get things moving. What you watch for is the opposite: snacks with almost no fibre, and not enough water to go with the fibre you do eat.

Loose stools after snacks? Check for sugar alcohols. In Europe, foods with more than 10% added polyols must carry a warning that eating too much may have a laxative effect. US labels don't follow that 10% rule, so don't wait for a warning. "Sugar-free" gum, mints and candy are the big ones.

Gas, cramps or a rushed trip to the bathroom after dairy? Lactose hides behind at least six other names: milk, whey, curds, milk by-products, dry milk solids and nonfat dry milk powder. Protein bars and creamy crackers often carry whey or milk solids.

There's no such thing as a gut-friendly snack. Only snacks that are friendly to YOUR gut.

And that's the problem. Who has time to stand in the snack aisle cross-checking six names for lactose and nine for bloating, on a label printed in tiny type?

For the past few months I've been quietly building an app called Unjunk AI.

Some of you already know about it. In October, 82 of you told me "send it to me first". And when I asked which feature you'd use most, "flag the ingredients that might bother my gut" won with 54 votes, with "find me a better swap" right behind at 50.

So that's exactly what it does. Here's your first look:

1. Scan any food. Point your phone at the barcode. No barcode? Snap a photo of the label.

2. See what Europe does differently. If an additive is banned in EU food, needs a warning label there, or is restricted, it tells you. With the actual EU and US sources, and the date they were last checked.

3. See what may bother your gut. Answer 6 quick questions once. Your answers aren't saved or sent anywhere. From then on, every scan flags the ingredients that matter for your gut type, plus the other names they hide under on labels.

4. Find a better swap. It shows you similar products with nothing from your gut watch-list, and where to find them at stores like Walmart and Target.

No lectures. No "never eat this again". Just what's in it, what it might mean for your gut, and an option that might sit better.

Picture it: you're in the snack aisle, you scan the bar your friend swears by, and three seconds later you can see whether it has any of the ingredients that tend to bother your kind of gut. Before it's in your cart, not after it's in your stomach.

Launch is very close. Before I open the doors, I want it built around you, not around me. So I'm asking for two things.

1. Vote below so I know who wants in on launch day. "Yes" voters get the link first.

2. Hit reply with your suggestions. Honestly, this is the part I care about most. Tell me:

I read every reply, and the best ideas go on my list before launch. If you help shape it, it's your app as much as mine.

Shareable 1: "There's no such thing as a gut-friendly snack. Only snacks that are friendly to YOUR gut. The same 'high fibre' bar can bloat one woman and help another. 🌿"

Shareable 2: "Lactose goes by at least six other names on a label: milk, whey, curds, milk by-products, dry milk solids and nonfat dry milk powder. Read the back, not the front."

Shareable 3: "In Europe, foods with more than 10% added sugar alcohols must warn they may have a laxative effect. US labels don't follow that rule. Look for words ending in '-itol'."

Hit reply and tell me: what's the first product you'd scan with Unjunk AI?

The protein bar? The coffee creamer? The "keto" ice cream hiding in the freezer? Be honest. 😂

And if you know someone who stands in the aisle squinting at labels, forward this to her. She'll want to be on the list.

Talk soon,

Wilson From Nature The Cure 🌿

P.S. Despite the name, Unjunk AI will never call your food junk or tell you what you're "not allowed" to eat. It shows you what's in it, what Europe does differently, and what might bother your gut. You decide what goes in your cart.

This newsletter is for general education and isn't medical advice. Unjunk AI doesn't diagnose anything. If you have ongoing gut symptoms, see your doctor.