Understand your gut
Learn more about what may be influencing your digestion and everyday wellbeing.
Step detail and daily tasks
Created by Dr Berit Nordstrand, MD
Feel better from the inside out.
gutWise helps you understand your gut and build healthier habits across food, sleep, stress, movement and recovery, through a simple 12-step journey designed by physician and author Dr Berit Nordstrand.
1 week free. Cancel anytime.
Doctor-designed · Science-informed · Built for real life
- 18
- books written by Dr Nordstrand
- 12
- step program
- 1991
- medical doctor since
Your gut is connected to much more than digestion.
Digestion is where most people notice their gut first. It is not where the story ends. Research continues to map how gut health interacts with the rest of the body, which is why gutWise works across food, sleep, stress, movement and recovery rather than food alone.
Your gut
Areas of active research
An active research field describing two-way signaling between the digestive system and the nervous system.
Select a connection to read more.
- Gut and brain: An active research field describing two-way signaling between the digestive system and the nervous system.
- Gut and immune system: A large share of immune tissue sits close to the gut, and researchers continue to study how the two interact.
- Gut and metabolism: Studies explore how gut bacteria take part in how food is broken down and used by the body.
- Gut and sleep and stress: Sleep, stress responses and digestion appear to influence one another, and the mechanisms are still being mapped.
- Gut and energy: Research looks at how digestion and nutrient availability relate to how energetic people feel through the day.
12 steps. Small changes. A healthier everyday life.
gutWise is not a content library or a tracker. It is a guided 12-step journey that helps you turn what you already half-know into things you actually do. One clear focus at a time, supported by short videos, practical exercises, recipes and food tools.
Cut sugar
Cut out modern wheat
Eat something fermented
Eat enough fiber
Choose cultured dairy products
Use bone broth
Eat less meat
Eat food from the sea
Use good fats
Use more spices
Establish good eating habits
Stay the course going forward
You don't need another perfect diet. You need habits you can live with.
What gutWise helps you do
Eat for your microbiome
Build greater plant diversity and learn how to nourish your gut bacteria.
Recipes and food tools
Sleep and recover better
Understand how sleep, stress and recovery interact with your gut and overall health.
Courses, breath work, relaxation
Make change that lasts
Take manageable steps rather than starting another all-or-nothing health plan.
12-step journey
Built on published research. Designed for a normal week.
The 12 steps were not assembled from opinion. Each one takes an area with a real published literature behind it and turns it into something you can do this week. The sequence is the clinical part: which changes people manage first, and what makes them hold.
Variety feeds diversity
In the largest citizen-science microbiome study to date, people eating more than 30 different plant types a week had more diverse gut microbiomes than those eating fewer than 10, whatever diet they followed. Variety, not virtue.
McDonald et al., mSystems, 2018Diet shows up faster than you'd think
A 17-week randomised trial found a diet high in fermented foods raised microbiota diversity and lowered a set of inflammatory markers in blood. The same trial found raising fibre alone over a short period did not shift diversity, which is a useful reminder that this is more complicated than "eat more fibre".
Wastyk et al., Cell, 2021The techniques are named, not invented
Action planning, self-monitoring, feedback, goal setting: the methods behind the 12 steps are catalogued techniques in the behaviour-change literature, not house terminology. Across 94 studies, people who planned when, where and how they would act did substantially better than people who only intended to.
Michie et al., Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 2013 · Gollwitzer & Sheeran, Adv Exp Soc Psychol, 2006Twelve weeks is a considered length
Real-world research on habit formation finds automaticity building over roughly two to three months, with wide variation between people, and finds that missing a single day does not derail it. The programme is built to that timescale rather than a marketing one.
Lally et al., European Journal of Social Psychology, 2010gutWise has not been evaluated in a clinical trial. When programme outcome data exists, we will publish it.
Created by Dr Berit Nordstrand
Physician, author and lifestyle-medicine expert, in clinical practice since 1991. Dr Nordstrand has spent her career helping people understand the connections between food, physical health, mental health, sleep, stress and how they function day to day. gutWise is that work, turned into a program you can follow.
One of Norway's best-known voices on food and health.
Background
- Medical doctor since 1991
- Dual specialist and trained cognitive therapist
- Author of 18 books
- Experienced clinician and educator
What members say
A fantastic tool for anyone who wants to make good lifestyle choices. I recommend the gutWise app, both because I use it myself and because of my work.
Rebekka Nøkling
gutWise member
Start free, then subscribe
- 1 week free, full access, no charge during the trial
- Then $14.00 per month
- Cancel anytime in the App Store or Google Play
- Full access to all 12 steps, recipes, courses and classes
Show prices in
Prices are charged in your local currency through the App Store or Google Play; the exact amount is confirmed before you subscribe.
The app is available in English and Norwegian.
Frequently asked questions
About gutWise and the method
gutWise is your personal coach for gut health. The app gives you knowledge, inspiration and practical tools that help you build and keep a gut-friendly lifestyle through food, meal routines and good everyday habits.
The 12 steps are the start of your path to a lasting, gut-friendly lifestyle. Step by step, you learn simple ways to make better food choices and improve your meal routines, and you build on each one as it starts to become a natural part of everyday life.
No. Take the 12 steps at your own pace. Twelve steps doesn't have to mean twelve weeks. Feel free to spend a week or more on each step, so your body has time to adjust and each new change can become a habit before you move on.
You learn to build a well-rounded, gut-friendly lifestyle through food, meal timing, sleep, stress management, activity and recovery. The goal is to give your gut and your body a good foundation for energy, metabolic health, recovery and good health over time.
gutWise is for you if you want to invest in your own health, whether you feel well or want support with a lifestyle change. It can be a good fit if you're losing weight, quitting smoking, on GLP-1 treatment or living with a lifestyle-related condition, or if you simply want to build better habits for the future.
Yes. The principles of good ingredients, meal routines and gut-friendly food choices work for young and old alike. Simple swaps and a range of dietary preferences make it easier to find meals that work for everyone around the same dinner table.
gutWise is built on Dr Berit Nordstrand's method, developed from research and practical experience. You start with your gut, your food and your meal timing, then build on that with activity, sleep, stress management and recovery.
Your gut is influenced by what you eat every day, and your gut bacteria interact with both your immune system and your metabolism. That's why gutWise starts with food: simple food choices and meal routines that give your good gut bacteria better conditions to thrive and lay the foundation for a gut-friendly lifestyle.
No. With gutWise, you don't count calories. Instead, you learn to choose food that keeps you full, feeds your gut bacteria and contributes to steadier energy, lower inflammation and fewer sugar cravings. Together with good habits around meals, sleep and activity, you build a lifestyle that's easier to enjoy and stick with over time.
For many people, better food quality and feeling full for longer, fewer sugar cravings and less snacking, more activity, better sleep and less stress can make weight loss easier. Together, these habits can support appetite regulation, energy metabolism and metabolic health, and make it easier to reach and keep a weight you feel good at over time.
No. You change one thing at a time and get simple swaps, recipes and practical tools. The goal isn't perfect weeks, but gut-friendly habits that still work when everyday life gets busy.
No. gutWise makes research and knowledge about gut health, nutrition and lifestyle simple and practical. Along the way, you learn what you can do, why it can help and how to make it work in everyday life.
Content and features
You get gut-friendly recipes, a shopping list, activities and expert content, plus Gut Reset (a somewhat more intensive approach) and gutScore (a measure of your progress). These tools are there to make it easier to build new habits and stick with them.
Gut Reset is a more intensive, time-limited elimination diet. You remove selected foods that can weaken the gut and introduce foods that can strengthen it. Gut Reset can be especially helpful if you already have an existing lifestyle-related condition.
The goal is to work in a more targeted way on diet and gut health, with particular attention to the microbiota, the gut barrier and the diet and lifestyle factors that may play a role in chronic low-grade inflammation.
Gut Reset is for you if you want a more intensive approach to diet and gut health. If you have health issues or an illness linked to inflammation, the method is used as support for good lifestyle habits, not as a replacement for medical assessment or treatment.
For 30 days, you remove selected foods that experience suggests can weaken the gut barrier and cause inflammation. At the same time, you add varied, gut-friendly food that gives your good gut bacteria better conditions to thrive and can support the gut barrier and a better inflammatory balance. After that, the eliminated foods are gradually reintroduced so you can test what you tolerate.
No. Gut Reset is available from day one and can be used regardless of how far you've come in the 12 steps.
If you have a known illness, new or significant symptoms, take medication, are pregnant or have (or have had) an eating disorder, talk to a doctor or another qualified health professional before making major dietary changes.
gutScore combines body signals such as heart rate variability (HRV), deep sleep and activity from a compatible wearable into one personal score. It makes your body's signals easier to understand and your progress easier to follow over time.
gutScore can help you spot your own patterns. What happens when you sleep better, move a little more or do a few simple breathing exercises that can ease stress? The goal isn't a perfect score, but better insight into how your body responds to your new routines.
No. You can use the 12 steps, Gut Reset, the recipes, the activities and the expert content without a wearable. A compatible device also gives you a personal gutScore based on your body's own data.
No. gutScore doesn't measure gut health directly. It reflects body signals linked to factors like sleep, activity and recovery, which are important parts of a gut-friendly lifestyle. That way, you can use the score to follow your own progress and see how your habits develop over time.
gutCoins are points you collect when you use recipes in the app and complete activities and courses. They give you a little extra motivation along the way, and over time you'll be able to use them for perks in the gutWise shop.
Food, recipes and dietary preferences
No. The gutWise principles can be adapted to different ways of eating, from a regular, varied gutWise diet to gut-friendly vegetarian, vegan, keto, gluten-free or dairy-free eating. The common thread is good, minimally processed ingredients that give your gut microbiota good conditions to thrive.
Recipes can be adapted to gluten-free, dairy-free, vegetarian, vegan and keto. Gut Reset is a separate, time-limited method and also has its own dietary preference in the recipes.
That's fine. The dietary preferences make it easier to find recipes that suit different wishes and needs, while the whole family can still benefit from the same gut-friendly basics around the dinner table.
The dietary preferences in the app are not tailored to individual medical needs. Always check the ingredients and follow the advice you've been given by your doctor or another qualified health professional.
You'll find gut-friendly food for the whole day, from breakfast and dinner to baking, snacks and sweet treats. The recipes combine the joy of good food with quality ingredients, plants, fiber, healthy fats, fermented foods and simple swaps.
Yes. You can adjust the number of servings and add the ingredients from one or more recipes straight to the shopping list in gutWise. That way, everything you need is in one place when you go shopping.
Results and health
It varies. Some people notice changes quickly, while others need weeks or months. Your body and your gut need time to adapt to changes in food, meal timing, activity, sleep and other habits.
Some people notice changes in things like digestion, fullness, sugar cravings, energy levels, sleep or recovery when they change their diet and lifestyle. Others find relief from health issues. How your body responds, and how quickly, varies from person to person.
No. The goal is for good choices to gradually become habits that work in your life, including when you eat out, on vacation and during busy weeks at work or school. If you fall out of your routine, simply pick up where you left off.
Yes. gutWise gives you a concrete method and practical tools for introducing gut-friendly diet and lifestyle habits step by step. If you have new, significant or persistent digestive symptoms, it's also important to see a doctor to find out what's behind them.
gutWise can be used to support a holistic lifestyle change alongside any necessary medical treatment. The app is not designed to diagnose, treat or cure disease.
Diet, physical activity, sleep, stress and metabolic health are all linked to the body's inflammatory processes. gutWise helps you work systematically on these lifestyle factors, with the aim of reducing inflammation and easing health issues. gutWise does not replace medical treatment for a specific illness, but it can be a useful addition.
Yes. gutWise can be used alongside treatment or a diet you already follow. If you have an illness or take medication, talk to your own doctor or another health professional before making major changes to your diet or meal timing.
Yes. gutWise is well suited as a tool alongside GLP-1 medication. When your appetite and food intake go down, nutrient-dense ingredients, enough protein and good food choices become even more important. At the same time, gutWise helps you shift to a gut-friendly lifestyle and build habits you can carry forward. Your prescribing doctor remains responsible for following up your medication.
Using the app
gutWise works on phones and tablets running supported versions of iOS and Android.
Not at the moment. gutWise is currently designed for phones and tablets and isn't available as a separate app for PC or Mac.
gutWise needs an internet connection to load and update content and features in the app.
Go to Profile → Personal settings → Language and choose the language you want.
gutWise is available on the App Store and Google Play in the countries those stores serve. If the app opens in your store, you can use it.
Your data is used to personalize your program. See the privacy policy for the full detail.
Subscription and payment
A monthly subscription costs $14.00 per month.
You are charged in your local currency through the App Store or Google Play. The exact amount is confirmed before you subscribe.
Yes. New subscribers get 7 days free. After the trial, the subscription you chose starts automatically unless you cancel before the trial ends.
You cancel your subscription in the App Store or Google Play, depending on where you bought it. You normally keep access until the end of the period you've already paid for.
Go to Settings → your name → Subscriptions → gutWise and follow the instructions to cancel your subscription.
Open Google Play, tap your profile icon, then go to Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions → gutWise. Tap Cancel subscription and follow the instructions.
Make sure you are signed in with the same store account you subscribed with, then use the restore purchases option in the app. If it still does not appear, contact our customer service team.
Contact customer serviceStill have a question? Contact customer service