O · Fructans and GOS
Oligosaccharides
Often high: Wheat, rye, onion, garlic, leek, legumes, cashews.
Lower-FODMAP swaps: Sourdough spelt, rice, quinoa, garlic-infused oil, spring onion tops.
Nerva personalized digestive care
Low FODMAP and Nerva for IBS
Diet is one side of IBS. The gut-brain connection is the other. Nerva brings dietary guidance and gut-directed hypnotherapy together in one program.
How FODMAPs work
Why some carbohydrates bother a sensitive gut.
FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates in foods like wheat, onion, milk and apples. Many people absorb them poorly, so they pull water into the bowel and ferment into gas.
In many people with IBS, about two in three according to Monash, the gut’s nerves are extra sensitive, a trait called visceral hypersensitivity. A stretch most people never notice registers as pain, bloating or urgency.
Monash on gut hypersensitivity →In the small intestine
Poorly absorbed FODMAPs draw water into the bowel.
In the large intestine
Bacteria ferment them into gas. The bowel stretches.
In a sensitive gut
Sensitive nerves read that stretch as pain or bloating.
How the diet works
Low FODMAP is a process, not a forever food list.
Less FODMAP means less water and gas, so a sensitive gut has less to react to. Monash University, which developed the diet, describes three steps, ideally with a dietitian.
It is a test as much as a treatment: reintroduction shows what you tolerate. It is designed to change the load, not the sensitivity.
Explore Monash’s three-step guide →Reduce
Two to six weeks of lower-FODMAP eating.
Reintroduce
Test each group to find what you tolerate.
Personalize
Keep only the restrictions you need.
Foods commonly described as high FODMAP
The four FODMAP groups.
Examples only. Serving size often decides whether a food is high or low FODMAP.
D · Lactose
Disaccharides
Often high: Milk, soft cheese, yogurt, ice cream, custard.
Lower-FODMAP swaps: Lactose-free dairy, hard cheeses, almond milk.
M · Excess fructose
Monosaccharides
Often high: Apples, pears, mango, watermelon, honey, agave.
Lower-FODMAP swaps: Oranges, kiwifruit, strawberries, maple syrup.
P · Sorbitol and mannitol
Polyols
Often high: Stone fruit, blackberries, mushrooms, cauliflower, sugar-free gum.
Lower-FODMAP swaps: Firm bananas, grapes, carrots, zucchini.
Based on Monash University guidance, which changes as foods are re-tested. Check serving sizes in the Monash app →
Free tool
Make your next snack easier to choose.
Packaged snacks with low-FODMAP portions, plus a shopping list.
Where Nerva fits
Diet lowers the load. Nerva addresses both sides.
Low FODMAP changes what reaches the gut. Gut-directed hypnotherapy aims to change how the brain reads its signals. Nerva includes dietary guidance and gut-directed hypnotherapy, with screening and symptom tracking.
Dietary
Low FODMAP
Food choices, portions and tolerance. Nerva includes dietary guidance; the Monash app is the dedicated food reference.
About the Monash app →Gut-brain
Gut-directed hypnotherapy
Guided audio sessions of around 15 minutes, at home, across a six-week core program.
Explore this component →A 2016 trial of 74 adults compared practitioner-delivered hypnotherapy, low FODMAP and both together: symptoms improved in every group, with no detected difference. It did not test Nerva. Peters et al. (2016) →
Your personalized care program
Bring your digestive care together.
Nerva is a personalized digital digestive care program combining clinical screening, brain-gut behavioral care, dietary guidance, symptom tracking and escalation when needed. It includes a six-week core program and continued maintenance access.
- 01
Brain-gut behavioral care
Gut-directed hypnotherapy, CBT-informed education and practical exercises help you work on the gut-brain side of digestive care.
- 02
Dietary guidance
Bring dietary guidance into the same program as your behavioral care, with education to help you understand the dietary side of your symptoms.
- 03
Symptom tracking
Follow your symptoms through the six-week core program. Continued maintenance access lets you keep using your program and tools beyond the core.
- 04
Clinical screening and escalation
Our clinical team screens and escalates when medical follow-up is needed, while existing clinicians continue to manage diagnosis and complex care.
The Nerva difference
Clinical evidence behind Nerva.
Nerva’s digital gut-directed hypnotherapy program was evaluated in a randomized trial of adults with IBS.
81%1of participants met the primary symptom endpoint, compared with 63% on active control.
Randomized controlled trial · N=244 · active control · AJG 2025 Read the research →
- clinically significant abdominal-pain reduction, compared with 35% on control
- 71%
- adults randomized against a matched psychoeducation control
- 244
244 adults with IBS were randomized; 240 received the programs. The primary endpoint was a decrease of at least 50 points on the IBS Symptom Severity Scale at program completion. The trial evaluated a 42-session digital program with and without gut-directed hypnotherapy; its results apply to that studied intervention. Individual results vary.
Independent evaluation by PHTI
“Within the evidence reviewed, Nerva presented the strongest overall evidence for improving IBS symptoms.”
Peterson Health Technology InstituteVirtual Gastrointestinal Care Solutions, March 20262
Before you start
Your questions, answered.
Does the low-FODMAP diet fix visceral hypersensitivity?
Not directly. It lowers the load a sensitive gut reacts to. Gut-directed hypnotherapy works on how the brain processes gut signals, which is why Nerva includes both. See how Nerva works.
Can I use Nerva while following low FODMAP?
Yes. Nerva includes dietary guidance. Check how your plan fits with your clinician or dietitian.
If low FODMAP has not helped, will Nerva?
A poor response to diet does not predict your response to Nerva. Talk to your healthcare professional rather than restricting more foods on your own.
Is Nerva part of the Monash FODMAP App?
No. Nerva is a digestive care program; Monash is a food reference. They are separate products.
What if I have not been diagnosed with IBS?
Clinical screening sets the next step. Our team escalates when medical follow-up is needed; your clinicians manage diagnosis.
What happens after the six-week core program?
Continued maintenance access, so you can keep practicing beyond the core.
How much does Nerva cost, and how do I start?
The standard US offer is $199 USD for a 12-month subscription, with a 7-day free trial. A referral from a doctor or another healthcare practitioner brings the annual price to $149.25 USD. App-store offers may differ. Start with the free assessment and review your subscription terms before signing up. The Patient Assistance Program can help if cost is a barrier. You can also explore access options.
Bring your digestive care together.
Start with the free assessment and explore your personalized digestive care program. Review your access options before you begin.