Gut Health Recipe Audits

Why We Audit Recipes for Gut Health

Not all "healthy" recipes are created equal when it comes to your microbiome. A salad loaded with raw cruciferous vegetables might seem nutritious, but for someone with SIBO or IBS, it could trigger hours of bloating and discomfort. Meanwhile, a simple steak with roasted broccoli scores well in our system because it provides bioavailable nutrients without inflammatory seed oils or gut-irritating FODMAPs.

That's why we built our 4-Pillar scoring system—to cut through the marketing hype and give you evidence-based analysis of how recipes actually affect your digestive system. Every audit below has been scored across four dimensions: Prebiotic Density (35% weight), Probiotic/Ferment Factor (15%), Anti-Inflammatory Index (30%), and Glycemic Stability (20%).

What Makes Our Audits Different

Unlike generic nutrition ratings that focus solely on calories or macros, we analyze how ingredients interact with your gut bacteria. High scores (80+) go to recipes rich in prebiotic fiber (onions, garlic, legumes), probiotic foods (kimchi, yogurt), anti-inflammatory fats (olive oil, avocado), and whole-food carbohydrates. Low scores indicate refined ingredients, inflammatory seed oils, excessive sugar, or lack of gut-supporting nutrients.

We don't penalize simplicity. A grilled chicken breast with steamed broccoli and olive oil scores well because it is gut-healthy—no processed ingredients, plenty of fiber from broccoli, and anti-inflammatory fat from olive oil. Conversely, a quinoa bowl might score lower if it's dressed with canola oil and loaded with high-FODMAP ingredients like raw onions and beans.

How to Use These Audits

• Browse by score: If you're healing your gut, stick to 80+ recipes. If maintaining, 60-79 offers variety with minor trade-offs.
• Read ingredient breakdowns: Each audit highlights "Gut Heroes" (beneficial ingredients) and "Gut Villains" (problematic ones).
• Check optimization tips: Most audits include simple swaps to boost gut health scores—like replacing vegetable oil with olive oil or adding sauerkraut.
• Consider your personal triggers: A high score doesn't mean the recipe is right for YOU. If you're sensitive to garlic (a prebiotic hero), skip it regardless of score.

Our community audits come from real users like you—people dealing with bloating, IBS, or simply wanting to optimize their microbiome. The @BetterEatsio audits below are our in-depth analyses, each with extensive research citations and detailed pillar breakdowns. Both types follow the same rigorous scoring methodology, so you can trust the numbers.

Ready to analyze your favorite recipe? Use our free Recipe Gut-Optimizer tool to get a personalized gut health score in under 60 seconds. All audits include actionable optimization tips and ingredient-level analysis.