Alex Mercer

Alex Mercer has lived with IBS since childhood and isn't a nutritionist or a doctor. After years of being told he was anxious or would grow out of it, he spent more than 12 years reading the research properly, and now shares what he has learned with the family, friends and support-group members who come to him with the same questions. He translates peer-reviewed research into practical, honest advice, and is always upfront about what the evidence does and does not show.

Anti-Inflammatory Eating for IBD: The Dietary Foundations I Build Every Client’s Plan Around

Alex Mercer · March 14, 2026

Anti-Inflammatory Eating for IBD: The Dietary Foundations I Build Every Client's Plan Around — image 1

If you have been diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, you already know that inflammation is at the heart of everything — the pain, the flares, the fatigue, the uncertainty. What many of my clients don’t realise when they first sit…

Best Probiotics for Crohn’s Disease and IBD: What I Actually Recommend

Alex Mercer · March 13, 2026

Best Probiotics for Crohn's Disease and IBD: What I Actually Recommend After Years in Practice — image 1

If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease or another form of inflammatory bowel disease, you have almost certainly stumbled across advice to “just take a probiotic.” I wish it were that simple. Finding the best…

What I Feed Clients During a Crohn’s Flare: The Low-Residue Diet Protocol That Actually Helps

Alex Mercer · March 11, 2026

What I Feed Clients During a Crohn's Flare: The Low-Residue Diet Protocol That Actually Helps — image 1

In my years of practice as a nutritionist, few situations are as distressing — for both client and practitioner — as a Crohn’s disease flare. The right crohn’s disease flare diet can dramatically reduce symptoms and shorten recovery time. The…

Elimination Diet for Food Sensitivities: My 6-Week Experience and What I Learned

Alex Mercer · March 10, 2026

Elimination Diet for Food Sensitivities: My 6-Week Experience and What I Learned — image 1

My gastroenterologist recommended an elimination diet for food sensitivities after months of unexplained bloating, unpredictable bathroom trips, and a general sense that my gut was working against me. I thought it would be two weeks of misery — plain chicken,…

Digestive Enzymes for Food Intolerances: What Research Actually Says About Whether They Work

Alex Mercer · March 9, 2026

Digestive Enzymes for Food Intolerances: What Research Actually Says About Whether They Work — image 1

For six months, I popped a broad-spectrum digestive enzyme capsule before nearly every meal. I was convinced it was helping. My stomach felt calmer, my bloating had eased, and I had enthusiastically told three different friends to try them. Then…

Gluten Sensitivity vs Celiac Disease: Key Differences and How to Manage Both

Alex Mercer · March 8, 2026

Gluten Sensitivity vs Celiac Disease: Key Differences and How to Manage Both — image 1

For almost three years, my gastroenterologist used the phrase “you might have some gluten sensitivity” every time I described my bloating, brain fog, and unpredictable digestion after eating bread or pasta. No firm diagnosis, no clear next steps — just…

Best At-Home Food Sensitivity Tests in 2025: What They Can (and Cannot) Tell You

Alex Mercer · March 7, 2026

Best At-Home Food Sensitivity Tests in 2025: What They Can (and Cannot) Tell You — image 1

Two years ago I mailed a vial of my blood to a lab, waited ten days, and opened a report that flagged 40 different foods as “reactive.” Eggs. Almonds. Broccoli. Salmon. The list read like a greatest hits of everything…

Lactose Intolerance vs Milk Allergy: How to Tell the Difference and What Actually Helps

Alex Mercer · March 6, 2026

Lactose Intolerance vs Milk Allergy: How to Tell the Difference and What Actually Helps — image 1

Mistaking lactose intolerance for a milk allergy can cost you years of unnecessary restriction and anxiety. I spent thirty-six months avoiding dairy entirely—telling servers about my “allergy,” passing up cheese boards, skipping lattes—before a single diagnostic test revealed the truth: my body simply couldn’t digest lactose efficiently, but my immune system had no problem with … Read more

NAC, Glutathione, and Alpha-Lipoic Acid: The Antioxidant Stack That Protects Your Liver

Alex Mercer · March 4, 2026

NAC, Glutathione, and Alpha-Lipoic Acid: The Antioxidant Stack That Protects Your Liver

Last spring, I reviewed someone’s food log from the previous two weeks and noticed something striking: every single entry after day ten showed a sharp dip in energy notes, darker urine observations, and mentions of that particular kind of mental fog that doesn’t quite feel like fatigue. The pattern pointed elsewhere than what we’d been … Read more

Bile Flow and Digestion: Why Sluggish Bile Makes You Bloated and Tired

Alex Mercer · March 3, 2026

Bile Flow and Digestion: Why Sluggish Bile Makes You Bloated and Tired

Someone messaged me recently: “I ate salmon last night and felt exhausted for hours afterward. Even avocado makes me bloated now. What’s happening?” That question stuck with me because I’ve heard versions of it from dozens of people over the years. The culprit they were puzzling over — and what I want to walk you … Read more