INTERVIEW // Heather Mills on Eating Without Fear and a New Way of Thinking About Gut-Friendly Food

Digestive health can be deeply personal – and, for many women, profoundly disruptive. From chronic gut issues to the hormonal shifts of peri-menopause, food that once felt nourishing can suddenly become a source of anxiety.

In this interview, Heather Mills, the founder of No Bloat shares how her own experience with Lyme disease, extreme digestive distress and decades of plant-based eating led her to question everything she thought she knew about “healthy” food.

What followed was years of research into gut health, low FODMAP eating, and the microbiome – and a determination to create solutions for people living with food fear every day.

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No Bloat came from your own experience with Lyme disease and digestive issues. How has your personal journey changed your relationship with food?

I would say monumentally – when your ability to enjoy simple foods without fear of an extreme and/or painful reaction is taken away, it really makes you reassess! I only hope that my experience can help millions of others.

Following a Lyme disease diagnosis in 2013, I experienced prolonged digestive distress, which led to restrictive diets, medical frustration, and eventually a deep dive into the relationship between specific food ingredients and the microbiome.

I had endless endoscopies and colonoscopies, manometries, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) tests, and H. Pylori tests that showed I had serious GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). I became so afraid to eat because of the extreme pain and severe bowel reactions that I eventually gave up eating most solid foods out of fear of an accident on a ski slope! I was living off 4,000-calorie shakes to survive my extreme sports training.

Many surgeons advised surgery – Nissen fundoplication surgery to create a new lower esophageal valve, a partial colon removal (and a stoma bag), etc. If I were not so questioning by nature, having been misdiagnosed so many times in my life (for example, being told I would never have children, which I later did), I would have gone along with these surgeries, and today, I would not have my colon intact. I just couldn’t shake the feeling that the health professionals were not addressing the underlying causes.

After living as a vegan for thirty years, it was a nightmare – how could I ever have a digestive disorder? I took a very deep dive, eventually discovering that the solution for me was to minimize the extreme stress in my life and lower my consumption of certain FODMAPs, which I found I could no longer digest.

For those who don’t know, FODMAP is an acronym for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. High-FODMAP foods include some dairy products, grains, and certain vegetables, such as garlic and onions, which I had always thought were healthy and which I had enjoyed for decades as the basis of my vegan diet.

You can learn more about FODMAPs on our web page “What Are FODMAPs?”; the key takeaway is that many people can eat healthy high-FODMAP foods without issue, but some people have poor absorption, which can lead to gut issues.

For me, minimizing FODMAPs was easier said than done, as little was known at that time about them. What I discovered was that many products marketed as gut friendly were, for me, anything but. I also discovered that my personal journey was part of a broader shared experience. Until I embarked on this path, I had no idea how many people suffered in silence.

A large portion of the adult population worldwide will at some point suffer from some form of digestive ailment or affliction. Brennan Spiegel.MD.MSHS did the largest study at Cedars Sinai regarding acid reflux and Gerd, stating a third of the US population might experience acid reflux every week and PPI’s are not always the answer.

In 2013, I was inspired to research and implement a solution so that others would no longer have to suffer as I had. Luckily, I am, among other things, a food manufacturer, and my company, VBites, established in 1993 ( previously Redwood) pioneered many of the dairy-, meat-, and fish-free options on the market today, so I had a solid basis from which to develop a solution. The result, after years of intense testing and analysis, is “No Bloat,” which we launched in 2025 after years and year of studying the Gut and its reaction to food.

I strongly believe that ours is the first and only convenient product on the market to fully support gut friendly eating for those struggling with digestive symptoms related to FODMAPs. Fortunately, I’m not alone in feeling this way. The highly acclaimed Monash University – global leaders in gut health – and the Harley Street Functional Gut Clinic agree: after many tests on their patients, they have lent their stamp of approval to the No Bloat range (the first time they have opted to endorse such a product).

Gut health, gut-friendly food and low FODMAP eating are everywhere right now. Do you see this as a lasting shift, or another wellness trend?

Well, it’s interesting – they ARE everywhere, but are they really? I would wager that 90-99% of the products out there that claim to be gut-friendly are in fact NOT gut-friendly at all – maybe to a certain percentage of people…but not to all people. Most food innovators are still not aware of the scientific microdosing required to adhere to a Low FODMAP diet and therefore all but eliminate the chance of a reaction.

I am certain (and we’ve heard it first hand) that there are millions of people still getting reactions from ostensibly ‘gut-friendly’ food and not knowing why. If we can scale up the production of truly gut-friendly products such as No Bloat then I believe it absolutely will become the future of food production – human health will dictate it.

Peri-menopause can change how women’s bodies respond to food almost overnight. What practical advice would you give women who suddenly feel like their normal diet doesn’t work?

This may sound like a repetitive plug, but honestly, No Bloat will help you make this transition too – it’s gut friendly for all – whatever new intolerances you may experience or sensitivities your body may develop as hormones shift and you evolve.

I should know, I’ve still battling the dreaded peri menopause myself and No Bloat works for me – even with all my gut related issues from Lymes disease. I would also advise any woman going through this to seek medical support in rebalancing their hormones – that can be a life-saver when things get thrown out of whack!

For people living with food sensitivities, what does “eating without fear” really mean in everyday life?

For me, when I was ski-training I was always disappearing over the side of the mountain for impromptu toilet breaks so for one thing it means not having to fear being caught short in public! – which is a very common issue for folk with gut-irritation.

But discomfort can come in a variety of forms – cramps, bloating, constipation, acid reflux and indigestion – these are all symptoms of what can often be simple gut intolerances. We’re getting a great reaction from the armed forces, airlines, campers, hikers – all demographics of people that need to go about their daily lives and routines with fear of gut reactions.

What do you see for the future of plant-based food — and what do manufacturers need to work on?

A focus on products like No Bloat which are truly gut-friendly for all is essential I feel – as trying to digest too much of any one ingredient, whatever it is, and in whatever proportion that is (different ingredients can be tolerated at varying levels by different individuals), can be challenging for anyone.

But we also need to stop being siloed and unify in our messaging.

The reasons the meat and dairy industries have been so successful in gaslighting the consumer is that they spend a lot of money, delivering unified (false) messaging, usually using celebrities to do their bidding. The ultra processed food argument is a classic example. Everything goes through a process. How do you think a sausage ends up on your plate?

Even ‘100% meat or dairy’ products are ridden with inappropriate levels of growth hormone or antibiotics used in the rearing of the livestock – let me tell you, that’s far more dangerous for your body to consume than any number of ingredients a plant based product might contain.

What is your wish for No Bloat — and the impact you hope it has?

I just hope that it can deliver the relief and comfort that it’s delivered for me and hundreds of my friends and family. If millions of people can have healthier, happier, pain-free existences because of it, that’s all I could ever have asked from the moment I began my career in this sector.

I also hope to make the range available in countries where the optionality around food is so limited that people are struggling for nutrients and comfort from their meals on a daily basis. The charitable side of food manufacturing has always been close to my heart and we’ll endeavour to make it available and attainable for everyone that we possibly can.

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Visit nobloat.com to find out more.