Heather Van Vorous

Best-selling author • Founder & CEO of Heather’s Tummy Care • IBS coach

Who's Heather? Your expert voice on IBS and patient-led health advocacy

I'm an IBS advocate and the author of the best-selling books Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS.

I'm also the founder and CEO of Heather’s Tummy Care.

My IBS education and support site is HelpForIBS.com, the world’s largest IBS community, which reaches over 5 million people a year.

I’ve personally had IBS since age 9, and am now considered the foremost "patient-expert" on Irritable Bowel Syndrome in America.

My work has been noted in press across America and internationally, from The Boston Globe and Newsweek to USA Today, National Public Radio, and PBS.

The Heather’s Tummy Care line of organic medical foods I developed for Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms is recommended by physicians and dietitians across the world.

Heather's Biography

Heather Van Vorous has lived with Irritable Bowel Syndrome since the fourth grade, though she wasn’t formally diagnosed until her mid-teens. Her personal IBS story is here.

After years of navigating severe symptoms largely unsupported by conventional care, she created the foundational dietary guidelines and authored two best-selling IBS books: Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS.

Her work began in the 1990s as an email series and eventually evolved into HelpForIBS.com.

In 2003, she launched Heather’s Tummy Care, offering organic medical foods and dietary products designed to prevent and relieve IBS symptoms. The company operates a certified-organic, robot-driven processing facility outside Seattle.

Books & Achievements

• Eating for IBS: a dietary guide and cookbook offering 175 IBS-friendly recipes. Finalist for the IACP Julia Child “Crystal Whisk” Award in the Health & Special Diet category.
• The First Year: IBS: a structured program guiding patients through the first year post-diagnosis.
• Her dietary guidelines launched a Canadian clinical research study at the University of Calgary’s gastroenterology department.
• Included in the fourth edition of Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare.
• Featured by Today’s Dietitian, licensed by Novartis, and recommended internationally by practitioners.
• Host of the TV cooking series Heather Cooks!
• Inclusion in Amazon Authors
• Heather's IBS diet cheat sheet has been downloaded over one million times.
• Brought the first organic, prebiotic, and 100% soluble fiber supplement for IBS to the US market.
• Created the Acacia fiber market in America in 2003.
• Launched the enteric peppermint oil capsule IBS market in America.
• Debuted the medicinal strength IBS tea market in America.

Events & Publicity

Heather’s work has been featured across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

She’s been recognized as America’s foremost IBS patient-expert for over two decades. Her books, media appearances, and Substack newsletter receive ongoing attention.

Media Highlights:

• 2025: Two appearances on WGN Radio Chicago’s The Business of Food with Steve Alexander.
• 2024: Moved Heather's IBS Newsletter to Substack, with its full 20+ year archive, quickly becoming the largest gut-focused health and wellness newsletter on that platform
• January 2023: Guest on the podcast Living with IBS and IBD (Fragrant Notes Episode 32).
• December 2022: Live IBS Q&A livestream events broadcasts in mid-December.
• 2017: Interviewed on "Healthy Living with Chef AJ, All About IBS
• 2014: Interviewed for Health Grades, "Irritable Bowel Syndrome: The Importance of Diagnosis", Atlanta, GA
• 2003: Interviewed on "NewsNight MD" All about IBS, on PBS & Maryland Public Television, Baltimore/DC area

These public engagements reinforce her leadership in the IBS space.

Private IBS Coaching

Heather offers one-on-one IBS coaching (limited availability), including two 30-minute phone sessions plus unlimited email support for one month.

Scholar Attribution

Heather Van Vorous maintains a Google Scholar profile where her research and citations are indexed by the scientific community.

Education

MA, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
BA, University of Puget Sound

Mission Statement

Heather’s mission is to offer education, support, and products that allow people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome to successfully manage their symptoms through simple, safe and effective lifestyle changes.

Media & Interview Inquiries

For interview requests, feature stories, podcast bookings, or speaking engagements, please email: help@helpforibs.com