Gut Health Nutritionist | Sydney-Based,
Online Australia-Wide
If your gut symptoms have you second guessing every meal, you've probably already tried changing what you eat.
You may have cut out gluten or dairy, tried low FODMAP, taken numerous supplements or had tests that came back "normal", and you still find yourself bloated, uncomfortable or unsure what your gut will do next.
At this point, another list of foods to avoid usually isn't the answer.
I'm Karen Ball, a degree-qualified Clinical Nutritionist with more than 15 years' experience. I help people with persistent digestive symptoms make sense of the bigger picture: what's been tried, what might be contributing, and what your gut actually needs. Then we turn that into a practical, food-first plan that doesn't make eating even harder.
Degree-qualified Clinical Nutritionist • 15+ years’ clinical experience • Food-first, evidence-informed care • Online consultations Australia-wide
When gut symptoms start running the show
Persistent digestive symptoms have a way of making food feel far more complicated than it should.
You might find yourself removing more and more foods, eating the same handful of "safe" meals, or worrying about how your gut will react when you eat out or travel.
And when you've already tried changing your diet, perhaps more than once, it can be incredibly frustrating to still not know what's actually going on.
You may be dealing with:
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Persistent or frequent bloating
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Abdominal discomfort, pain or gas
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Constipation, diarrhoea or alternating bowel habits
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IBS-type symptoms
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Food reactions or an increasingly restricted diet
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Digestive symptoms that shift after illness, infection, antibiotics or travel
The goal isn't perfect digestion every minute of every day.
It's to help you understand your symptoms, improve digestive function where we can, and make eating feel less restrictive and stressful.
Why isn't my gut getting better?
Bloating is a symptoms, not a diagnosis. And two people with very similar symptoms can have very different things contributing towards them.
That's why I don't start by handing everyone the same gut-health protocol.
Depending on the person and presentation, we might need to consider things like:
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Bowel transit and motility
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Constipation or incomplete emptying
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Tolerance to fermentable carbohydrates
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Dietary variety and overall fibre intake
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Previous infections or antibiotic exposure
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The gut microbiome
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Stress and gut-brain signalling
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Nutrient status
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Hormonal changes
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Existing gastrointestinal diagnoses or other medical factors
Sometimes the first job is simply to stabilise things: improve bowel regularity, make sure you're eating enough, and begin widening a diet that has become unnecessarily restricted.
Then we can build from there.
A practical approach to gut health
I'm interested in the why, but I'm equally interested in what is useful for you in real life.
We'll start with a detailed clinical history and look at your symptoms, diet, medical history and lifestyle together.
From there, we can work out what deserves attention first, rather than trying to change everything at once.
Your plan might include changes to food, meal structure, fibre, bowel habits or targeted supplements, but only where they're relevant to you.
I'll explain why I'm recommending something, what we are looking for, and what we'll change if it isn't helping.
No punishing protocols.
No chasing a perfect microbiome.
And no removing half your diet without a plan for putting foods back in.
How I can support you
IBS, bloating and altered bowel habits
If bloating, pain, abdominal discomfort, constipation, diarrhoea, or unpredictable bowel habits are affecting your day-to-day life, we can look at what may be contributing and build a nutrition strategy around your individual symptoms and history
Read more about IBS, bloating and food intolerances →
Food intolerances and restricted diets
If your list of "safe" foods keeps getting smaller, the goal is to not simply identify more foods to avoid. We'll look at patterns in your symptoms, what you're currently tolerating and how we can begin building more variety and confidence around food.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease nutrition support
If you’re living with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, nutrition needs can change depending on disease activity, symptoms, medications, surgery and your individual tolerance to food. I can work alongside your medical care to help support nutritional adequacy, symptom management and as much dietary variety as is appropriate for you.
Read more about nutrition support for IBD →
Microbiome and digestive changes after illness, antibiotics or travel
Some people notice a clear shift in their digestion after illness, infection, antibiotics or travel. Where relevant, we can consider how these changes, along with dietary diversity and the gut microbiome, may fit into the clinical picture, without treating a microbiome result as a diagnosis in itself.
Perimenopause and digestive changes
Hormonal changes during perimenopause can coincide with changes in digestion, bowel habits, body composition and how you feel around food. We can look at your gut symptoms in the context of this broader transition, while also considering protein, fibre, metabolic health and maintaining muscle mass where relevant.
Do I need gut testing?
Not necessarily.
Testing can be useful when it helps answer a specific clinical question and is likely to change what we do next. Depending on your symptoms and history, this might involve reviewing medical investigations you’ve already had, discussing appropriate testing with your GP or specialist, or considering functional or microbiome testing in selected cases.
I use Microba microbiome testing where it is clinically appropriate, but a microbiome result is only one piece of the picture. Testing should support good clinical reasoning, not replace it.
The important part is that testing has a purpose. More data isn’t always more useful, particularly if it leads to more supplements, more restriction and no clearer plan.
What working together looks like
1. We look at the full picture
We start with your symptoms, health history, diet, lifestyle, previous testing and what you’ve already tried.
2. We decide what matters first
Rather than changing everything at once, we prioritise the areas most likely to be useful and create a practical plan you can actually follow.
3. We review and adjust
Your response gives us useful information. We’ll review what’s changing, what isn’t, and adjust the plan as needed.
4. We work towards less dependence on the plan
The aim is greater food variety, confidence and understanding of your own digestion, not a growing collection of rules.
The end goal isn’t for you to need a nutritionist forever.
Gut health support without making food your full-time job
I’m Karen Ball, founder of The Foodie Nutritionist and a degree-qualified Clinical Nutritionist with more than 15 years’ experience.
Over that time, I’ve worked with people experiencing everything from persistent bloating and food intolerances to complex digestive conditions. My approach is practical, food-first and grounded in clinical reasoning. Testing and supplements can be useful tools, but they don’t replace taking a thorough history, understanding the individual and working out what actually deserves attention.
Most importantly, I want you to understand why we’re making changes.
You should leave a consultation with a clearer understanding of your own health, not simply a longer list of rules to follow.
Frequently asked questions
Can a nutritionist help with IBS and bloating?
Yes, absolutely. Nutrition can play an important role in managing IBS, bloating and other digestive symptoms, but the right approach depends on what may be contributing to them. We’ll look at your symptoms, bowel habits, diet, health history and what you’ve already tried before deciding what makes sense for you.
Do I need to follow a low FODMAP diet?
Not necessarily. A low FODMAP diet can be a useful short-term tool for some people with IBS, but it isn’t intended to be a permanent way of eating. If we do use dietary restriction, there should be a clear reason for it and a plan to reintroduce foods and broaden your diet again.
Can you help if I react to lots of different foods?
Yes, this is a common reason people come to see me. When your diet has become increasingly restricted, the priority isn’t necessarily to identify even more foods to remove. We’ll look at the pattern of your symptoms, what you’re currently tolerating and what may be contributing, with the longer-term goal of increasing food variety where possible.
Do you offer microbiome testing?
Yes. I offer Microba microbiome testing in selected cases where it may provide useful information and help guide our next steps. It isn’t something every client needs, and I’ll only recommend testing when I think it has a clear purpose.
Are consultations in person or online?
I’m based in Sydney and offer online consultations across Australia, so you can access support from home wherever you’re located.
Should I see my doctor before booking a nutrition consultation?
If you have new, severe or unexplained digestive symptoms, it’s important to have them medically assessed. Symptoms such as gastrointestinal bleeding, unexplained weight loss, persistent vomiting, difficulty swallowing, fever, anaemia, significant changes in bowel habits or regularly waking at night with symptoms should be discussed with your GP or specialist.
Nutrition support can then work alongside appropriate medical care.
Ready to stop guessing what your gut needs?
If you’re frustrated by persistent gut symptoms, removing more foods and still not knowing what’s actually going on, we can look at the bigger picture and work out a clear, practical way forward.
Sydney-based Clinical Nutritionist | Online consultations Australia-wide