The Blog — Real Talk
About Teen IBS

Not advice from a pamphlet. Stuff I actually figured out over three years of living with IBS, tracking patterns, and trying to gain weight while navigating school.

Murphy
Written by Murphy — 15yo, Oregon, IBS since age 12
Start Here

New here? Here's where to begin.

If you have IBS and want to gain weight, start with the foods article. If you're dealing with school logistics, go to the school lunch guide. If you're newly diagnosed and overwhelmed, the teen guide is the place. And if you're having a flare at school right now — skip straight to that one.

Want to gain weight with IBS Dealing with school lunches Newly diagnosed & overwhelmed Need school snack ideas IBS + anxiety loop Having a flare right now

Weight Gain + IBS

Most Read
Nutrition

IBS-Friendly Foods That Actually Help Teens Gain Weight

Peanut butter, plain pasta, oatmeal, bananas. Why protein powder is the most common mistake. How to spread calories across the day when your gut can't handle large meals. The stuff that actually worked after two years of trial and error.

Read article → 7 min read
Start Here

School + IBS

Practical
School Life

What to Eat at School When You Have IBS

Pack your own lunch at least 3–4 days a week. Here's why, and what to pack. Cafeteria navigation, timing your meals around a weird schedule, eating before practice without regret. Three years of figuring this out in an actual school.

Read article → 6 min read

Managing IBS

Tracking Symptoms
Managing IBS

A Teen's Guide to Managing IBS Without Feeling Weird

The anxiety loop. Why adult advice doesn't fit teen schedules. What tracking your own patterns does that generic trigger lists can't. When to see a doctor. How to not let IBS shrink your social life. Honest, not clinical.

Read article → 8 min read

Food Ideas

Low-FODMAP
Food Ideas

Best Low-FODMAP Snacks for School That Actually Taste Good

SkinnyPop, rice cakes + peanut butter, Babybel, mandarins, GoMacro bars — 15+ specific snacks organized into no-prep, lunchbox, vending machine, homemade, and higher-calorie categories. Each one comes with a portion note and a watch-out.

Read article → 8 min read

Anxiety + Mindset

Gut-Brain
Anxiety + Mindset

IBS and Anxiety: A Teen's Guide to Breaking the Gut-Brain Loop

Anxiety makes IBS worse. IBS makes anxiety worse. It's a real feedback loop and it's not just in your head — the gut and brain are connected through the vagus nerve. Here's how to interrupt the cycle with 7 practical strategies that actually help.

Read article → 8 min read

School + IBS

Practical
School Life

What to Do When You Have an IBS Flare-Up at School

Extremely practical. What to keep in your backpack, how to handle bathroom anxiety, what to eat or avoid during a flare, when to go to the nurse, how to talk to teachers, and how to not spiral. Includes a flare-up kit checklist.

Read article → 7 min read

This Week in Gut Health

Weekly Roundup
Roundup · May 2026

This Week in Gut Health — May 2026

What the IBS and FODMAP communities are talking about this week: the fat-first calorie strategy that keeps clicking for people, why calming symptoms before adding calories is the missing step, and a new 2026 study showing your gut bacteria might predict whether low FODMAP even works for you.

Read roundup → 5 min read

Tools on Gut Gainz

Symptom Tracker

Track what you eat and how you feel

Log meals, feelings, weight. Check for patterns over time. The only useful data is your own — not generic trigger lists.

Open tracker → Meal Plans

10 IBS-friendly meal plans for weight gain

Calorie-dense, vegetarian, designed around foods that are often easier on the gut. Daily breakdowns, calorie counts, prep times. Filters for easy/athlete/dairy-free/post-flare.

Browse plans → Founder Story

Read MJ's story — what finally worked for my gut

MJ's story — the tennis matches, the protein powder disasters, what finally worked. Oregon teen, three years of figuring this out.

Read story → Free

7-day IBS-friendly school meal plan

A week of breakfast, school lunch, snack, and dinner — calorie-dense and built around foods that are often easier on the gut. Free with your email.

Get the free plan →

Get a free week of IBS-friendly school meals

7 days of breakfast, school lunch, snack, and dinner — calorie-dense, vegetarian, built around commonly gentler foods, and packable. Drop your email and it's yours.

No spam. Just the plan. Unsubscribe whenever.

Gut Gainz is for education and personal support only. It is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. IBS, weight changes, stomach pain, food restriction, or ongoing symptoms should be discussed with a doctor, parent/guardian, registered dietitian, or qualified healthcare professional.