Most people already know, broadly, what they should and shouldn't eat, and drastic overhauls rarely hold up long term. But there's a bigger issue underneath that: figuring out what actually works for your body is about more than counting calories in and out. Dr. Corey's approach starts with a simple idea — the foods that are quietly working against you are usually more specific, and more fixable, than "eat less, move more."
It's rarely just one food
Most people who have a sense that a food doesn't agree with them can point to one obvious example, like dairy. In practice, Dr. Corey looks at whole food categories (dairy in general, not just milk; all gluten-containing grains, not just wheat bread), because stopping at one food can miss related foods in the same group. That's a clinical approach rather than a proven rule. Popular blood tests for food "sensitivities" (IgG tests) aren't a reliable shortcut, and allergy experts advise against using them,[1] which is why a structured elimination and reintroduction is the practical way to find out.
Elimination diets vs. low-FODMAP
Both approaches aim to find your triggers by removing suspect foods and reintroducing them one at a time to see what happens. Dr. Corey generally prefers a full elimination diet over a low-FODMAP approach for most patients, not because it removes less, but because it's more straightforward to actually follow. Low-FODMAP asks you to track fermentable carbohydrate content across dozens of individual foods, which gets complicated fast. A full elimination diet works at the category level instead: remove a food group entirely, then reintroduce it and watch what happens. One caveat: for irritable bowel syndrome specifically, low-FODMAP has the strongest research behind it of any diet studied,[2] so if your symptoms point to IBS, it may be the better choice, ideally with a dietitian's help.
The goal either way isn't just feeling less bloated. It's figuring out which foods may be contributing to your symptoms more broadly. Your overall eating pattern matters here: in research, plant-forward patterns such as the Mediterranean diet are linked with lower markers of inflammation, while Western and fast-food patterns are linked with higher ones.[3] The link between specific food sensitivities and symptoms like joint pain is less well studied, which is why we test it one category at a time.
Intermittent fasting, beyond weight loss
Dr. Corey is a genuine advocate for intermittent fasting, and not only for patients focused on weight loss. His view is that digestion itself takes real energy, and that giving your digestive system regular breaks may free up capacity your body can put toward recovery. To be clear about the evidence: in trials, intermittent fasting mainly improves weight, blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure, and it can also reduce lean muscle mass,[4] so protein and strength work matter. The recovery benefit is Dr. Corey's clinical view rather than something trials have tested, and fasting is never treated as a treatment on its own.
Fasting isn't the right fit for everyone, and it isn't something to start without a plan that fits your health history — that's true for anyone who is pregnant or nursing, has diabetes or a history of disordered eating, or is managing another condition where meal timing matters. Dr. Corey tailors any recommendation to you individually rather than prescribing a one-size-fits-all approach.
What this looks like at Golden Bear
Instead of a food log, patients photograph everything they eat and drink for two weeks. Photos show true portions, timing, and where the calories actually come from, not just what someone remembers eating — so the changes we make are attainable, not a crash diet. From there, Dr. Corey helps you identify which food categories are worth testing through elimination, and whether fasting has a place in your plan.
Nutritional guidance is folded into your regular visits — there's no separate consultation fee.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to overhaul my whole diet?
No. The point isn't a dramatic overnight change — it's identifying the specific categories that are actually causing you trouble, so you're not restricting foods that were never the problem in the first place.
What's the real difference between an elimination diet and low-FODMAP?
Both work by removing and reintroducing foods to isolate triggers. Low-FODMAP requires tracking fermentable carbohydrate levels across many individual foods, which is precise but hard to sustain. A full elimination diet removes whole food categories at once, which is a bigger initial change but a much simpler set of rules to actually follow day to day.
Is intermittent fasting safe for me?
For many people, yes, but not for everyone. Tell Dr. Corey about your health history — including pregnancy, diabetes, or any history of disordered eating — so any recommendation fits your situation specifically.
Do you order food sensitivity or allergy testing?
Nutritional counseling at Golden Bear works through structured elimination and reintroduction, not lab testing, because food-sensitivity blood tests aren't reliable.[1] If your history suggests a true allergy, Dr. Corey will refer you to an allergist.
Sources
Retrieved through PubMed. Numbers in brackets above refer to this list.
- Stapel SO, Asero R, Ballmer-Weber BK, et al. Testing for IgG4 against foods is not recommended as a diagnostic tool: EAACI Task Force Report. Allergy. 2008;63(7):793-796. doi:10.1111/j.1398-9995.2008.01705.x
- Black CJ, Staudacher HM, Ford AC. Efficacy of a low FODMAP diet in irritable bowel syndrome: systematic review and network meta-analysis. Gut. 2022;71(6):1117-1126. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2021-325214
- Aleksandrova K, Koelman L, Rodrigues CE. Dietary patterns and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation: a systematic review of observational and intervention studies. Redox Biol. 2021;42:101869. doi:10.1016/j.redox.2021.101869
- Patikorn C, Roubal K, Veettil SK, et al. Intermittent fasting and obesity-related health outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(12):e2139558. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.39558