FUNDAMENTALS · THE GUT PROTOCOL
Functional gut issues, addressed properly.
A clinical, dietitian-led programme for men living with ongoing bloating, IBS-type symptoms and disordered digestion. Not a wellness course and not another elimination fad: a structured, four-week approach built on proper assessment and weekly gut testing, so your plan is adjusted on data, not guesswork.
WHAT IT IS
What is the Gut Protocol?
A 4-week, dietitian-led clinical programme for men with functional gut issues: the ongoing bloating, IBS-type symptoms and disordered digestion that a generic gut-health or wellness course will not resolve. It starts from proper assessment, measures how your gut is actually responding week by week, isolates the likely drivers of your symptoms, and rebuilds a varied way of eating that settles the gut without an endless restrictive diet. Diagnostics are provided through our clinical partners at the Functional Gut Clinic, one of the UK's leading gut-health diagnostic centres.
WHY IT MATTERS
The measurement difference
Most gut programmes guess. This one measures your microbiome every week. Your gut microbiome is not static. It shifts with what you eat, how you sleep and how stressed you are, which is why a single test is only ever a snapshot. The Gut Protocol is built around Horaizon's MicrobeLink, an AI microbiome analysis you run at home from a simple photograph of a sample, returning results in seconds rather than the weeks a traditional lab test takes. Because it is fast, non-invasive and low-cost, we can test every week of the programme, and your dietitian adjusts your plan on what your microbiome is actually doing, not on how you happen to feel on a given day.
Each reading looks at your overall microbial diversity and the groups that matter most for gut health, the butyrate and short-chain-fatty-acid producers, the fibre fermenters, and the pathogen inhibitors, and shows whether each is resilient or at risk, and trending up or down. Instead of one snapshot and a generic plan, you get a series of readings that show which changes are working and what to adjust next. It turns four weeks of guesswork into four weeks of measured, personalised adjustment.
A weekly at-home Horaizon MicrobeLink microbiome test, read by your dietitian
Microbiome analysis from a photograph of a sample, results in seconds, not weeks
Tracks diversity, SCFA and butyrate producers, fibre fermenters and pathogen inhibitors, trending up or down
Your plan adjusted each week on objective data, not on how you feel that day
Serial tracking of a dynamic system, not a one-off snapshot, through the Functional Gut Clinic
WHAT IT IS
The evidence
Grounded in the clinical guidance, delivered by the right professional The Gut Protocol approach follows the national clinical guidance (NICE) for managing IBS-type symptoms*.
NICE recommends dietary and lifestyle management as the first line, and where a stricter approach such as a low-FODMAP diet is appropriate, it should be delivered only by a healthcare professional with expertise in dietary management, that is, a registered dietitian, because done badly it is restrictive, hard to sustain and can do more harm than good.
That is exactly how the Gut Protocol is built. It is led by an HCPC-registered dietitian, it uses the least restriction that resolves your symptoms rather than a blanket elimination diet, and it always rebuilds variety. It is structured dietetic care in line with the evidence, not a supplement stack or a wellness trend.
*NICE guideline CG61, Irritable bowel syndrome in adults: diagnosis and management.
HOW IT WORK
Four steps, four weeks
1
ASSESS
Symptoms, history and intake reviewed properly. Your first Horaizon test sets your starting point.
2
PROTOCOL
A time-limited, structured plan to remove triggers. Your weekly Horaizon readings and symptoms guide us.
3
ADJUST
Weekly dietitian-led guidance and adjustment. Understand your personal pattern.
4
REBUILD
A sustainable, varied way of eating that holds. A graduation review and clear onward pathway.
For a full diagnostic baseline including advanced bloods, many men begin with the
Explore assessment. For continued support after, see Engage.
The Gut Protocol is led by Daryl Weston, an HCPC-registered dietitian in the Miller Health network.
HOW IT DELIVERED
A structured cohort, run through one app
The Gut Protocol runs as a small online cohort delivered through Nurish Pro, our secure client app, so everything (your plan, your sessions and your progress) sits in one place on your phone.
A baseline screen at the start: symptom severity, daily gut comfort, stool pattern, sleep and quality of life, so change is measured.
A weekly dietitian-led group session, each with a clear summary you keep.
A weekly Horaizon test, read by your dietitian, so the plan is adjusted on data
Direct access to your dietitian between sessions through the app
A graduation review at week four, with the option to continue one-to-one through Engage or stay supported in the Nurish community
WHO IT IS FOR
Designed for
Men living with ongoing bloating, discomfort or unpredictable digestion they have learned to tolerate
Those who suspect food is a trigger but cannot pin down which, and do not want to live on an elimination diet
High performers whose gut symptoms are quietly costing them energy, focus and sleep
Men who want a structured, measured, time-limited reset rather than open-ended supplements or another wellness trend
Who it is not for. Gut Protocol is not a substitute for medical management of a diagnosed condition that needs a doctor. Where a symptom needs medical investigation first, we will tell you and point you to the right person. That is exactly what the short suitability check at the top of this page is for.
QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
What is Horaizon?
Horaizon's MicrobeLink is an AI microbiome analysis you run at home from a photograph of a sample, with results in seconds. You take it each week of the programme, and your dietitian uses the result to adjust your plan, so your gut is measured weekly rather than assessed once.
Is this evidence-based?
Yes. It follows NICE guidance for IBS-type symptoms, which recommends dietitian-delivered dietary management and reserves stricter approaches like low-FODMAP for delivery by an expert dietitian. It is led by an HCPC-registered dietitian.
Will I have to cut out lots of foods?
The aim is the opposite: the least restriction that resolves symptoms, then rebuilding variety. Blanket elimination diets are not how this works.
Is this treatment for a diagnosed condition?
It is structured dietetic support, not medical treatment. Where a condition needs medical management, we say so and coordinate appropriately.
Do I need testing?
Sometimes useful, not always necessary. Where functional gut testing adds value, we arrange it and quote separately.
What happens after the 4 weeks?
You finish with a graduation review that consolidates what worked, and you leave with a personalised, sustainable way of eating and a clear reintroduction plan, not an open-ended restriction. From there you can stay supported in the Nurish community, or continue one-to-one through Engage if your situation calls for deeper, ongoing management. The point of the four weeks is to leave you settled and self-sufficient, with a route to more support if you want it.