Gut health protocol
The 30 Day Rebuild Diet
A short, structured elimination phase to give an irritated gut a rest. For 30 days you pull out the foods most likely to feed inflammation, irritation, or food reactions, so the gut lining has room to settle and rebuild.
How to use this list
For the next 30 days, remove every food listed in the sections below. The point is to take the most common gut irritants out of the picture all at once, so your digestion gets a true rest rather than a half-measure. When the 30 days are up, foods are reintroduced one at a time so you can see which ones your gut tolerates and which ones it does not.
Use the colour tags as a quick scan: Remove means out for the full 30 days, while a few sweeteners carry a Moderate or occasional note where small amounts are allowed.
Grains and pseudo-grains
All grains and grain-like seeds come out, including the gluten-free ones. Remove
Grains
Barley, brown rice, buckwheat, bulgar wheat, corn, cornmeal, millet, oats, rye, sorghum, spelt, triticale, wheat, wild rice.
Pseudo-grains and grain seeds
Amaranth, flaxseed, kamut, muesli, quinoa.
Soy and legumes
Soy in every form, plus legumes and pulses, are removed for the rebuild. Remove
Soy (all forms)
Edamame, hydrolysed vegetable protein (HVP), shoyu, soy beans, soy bean flour, soy cheese, soy milk, soy nut butter, soy nuts, soy protein, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, tempeh, textured vegetable protein, tofu.
Legumes (no canned beans)
Beans of all kinds: adzuki, anasazi, black, black-eyed peas, chickpeas, fava, lima, kidney, mung. Plus lentils of all kinds and peanuts.
Seed and industrial oils
These refined and seed-derived oils are removed. Remove
Canola oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, grape seed oil, margarine, peanut oil, rapeseed oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, soy oil, sunflower seed oil, vegetable oil, vegetable shortening, wheat germ oil.
Dairy and eggs
Raw and fermented dairy, plus all eggs, come out for the 30 days. Remove
Raw or fermented dairy
Butter cheeses, fermented yogurts, ghee, raw dairy, sour cream, yogurts.
Eggs (pasture raised if possible)
Chicken, duck, emu, goose, ostrich, quail.
Starchy plants and nightshades
Higher-starch vegetables and fruit, plus the nightshade family, are removed. Remove
Starchy vegetables and fruit
Cassava, celeriac, jicama, kohlrabi, parsnips, plantains, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, tapioca, taro, turnips, yams, yucca, water chestnuts, white rice.
Nightshades
Bell peppers, cayenne pepper, chilli oil (gluten and gum free), chilli powder, chipotle powder, curry powder, eggplant, hot peppers, hot sauce (gluten and gum free), paprika, pepinos, pimentos, potatoes (not sweet potatoes, all others), red pepper flakes, tamarillos, Thai curry paste (gluten and gum free), tomatillos, tomatoes.
Nuts and seeds
Nuts in all forms, including their flours, milks, and butters, are removed. Remove
Almonds, almond butter, almond flour, almond milk, brazil nuts, cashews, cashew butter, cashew flour, cashew milk, chestnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia, macadamia butter, macadamia milk, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts.
Sweeteners
Most sugars and all artificial sweeteners are out. A small group is allowed in moderation or on occasion only.
| Group | Guidance | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate use | Small amounts | Honey, maple syrup, molasses. |
| Use only on occasion | Occasional | Organic sugars (all kinds: cane, coconut, beet, etc.), stevia, xylitol. |
| Never use | Remove | Agave, GMO sugars, corn syrup, acesulfame potassium, aspartame (Equal), high fructose corn syrup, neotame, saccharin (Sweet’N Low), sucralose (Splenda), and other man-made sugars. |
Alcohol, caffeine, cocoa and tobacco
Drinks and extras that irritate or inflame the gut are removed alongside the foods. Remove
Alcohol
Gin, red wine, rum, scotch, tequila, vodka, whiskey, white wine.
Caffeine
Coffee, tea.
Cocoa and chocolate
Cocoa butter, cocoa nibs, cocoa powder (non-alkalised), dark chocolate (70% or more), raw cocoa powder.
Tobacco
Chew, cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars, dissolvable tobacco, smokeless tobacco, snuff.
Frequently asked questions
What is the 30 day rebuild diet for leaky gut?
It is a 30 day elimination diet designed to give an irritated gut a rest. For a full month it removes the common irritants that can feed gut inflammation, including all grains, soy and legumes, dairy, eggs, nightshades, nuts and seeds, industrial seed oils, most sugars, alcohol, caffeine and cocoa. The aim is to let the gut lining settle so digestion, energy and clarity have a chance to recover before foods are reintroduced one at a time.
What foods do you avoid on a leaky gut diet?
The 30 day plan removes a wide range of potential irritants: all grains such as wheat, oats, rice and corn, soy and all legumes, industrial oils like canola, sunflower and corn oil, all dairy, eggs, nightshades such as tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant, nuts and seeds, higher-starch vegetables like sweet potato and taro, and most sugars apart from small amounts of honey or maple syrup. Alcohol, caffeine and cocoa are also removed.
How long does the leaky gut elimination last?
The elimination phase runs for a full 30 days, during which the listed irritant foods are removed completely to give the gut lining time to settle. After the 30 days, foods are reintroduced one at a time so you can notice how each affects you. Keeping the removal strict for the whole month is what gives digestion the best chance to recover before testing foods individually.
Reviewed by Rohan Smith, BHSc Nutritional Medicine · Elemental Health & Nutrition, Adelaide. Last reviewed 13 June 2026.
Important: This summary is general information, not personalised medical advice, diagnosis, or a treatment protocol. Speak with a qualified practitioner about your individual situation. Book a consultation →