During an appearance on Kristin Cavallari’s podcast Let’s Be Honest, supermodel Miranda Kerr revealed that a six-year struggle with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) changed the way she eats.
The 43-year-old former Victoria’s Secret model says she now chooses food for ‘vitality and energy’. Her morning routine, however, is less avocado-on-toast and more noni juice, marshmallow tea and coffee tested for mould and lead…
But while some of Kerr’s choices may be personal preferences, does IBS really require such a long list of banned foods? We asked registered dietitian and IBS specialist Kirsten Jackson to assess her routine.
Miranda Kerr walked the runway at the 2008 Victoria’s Secret Fashion ShowDimitrios Kambouris – Getty Images
What Miranda Kerr eats in a day
Kerr tells Cavallari that she’s been starting her day the same way for the past 30 years – by drinking noni juice.
She describes noni juice as a ‘superfood’ and ‘superfruit’ from Tahiti. She has a 30ml shot, which she says is packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Next, she has marshmallow tea, ‘because that’s good for the gut lining,’ she says. ‘I get the marshmallow leaf and then I brew it in hot water.’
She follows this with a few tablespoons of coconut yoghurt, topped with a little honey. She also has a bite of banana before making coffee with fresh coconut milk from Erewhon. Kerr opts for Fabula coffee, which she says is ‘mould-free and lead-free’.
‘I had it tested personally to make sure, because I don’t always believe the labels,’ she says, explaining that she also adds maple syrup to her coffee for sweetness.
Kerr has her actual breakfast a little later, after the school drop-off.
‘Do you eat eggs?’ Cavallari asks. ‘Oh, I don’t do eggs. I do protein – meats like venison, bison and turkey. Meats that aren’t mass-produced,’ Kerr responds.
She also avoids dairy and wheat, and is highly specific about the oils she uses.
‘So, only cooking with coconut oil or avocado oil, no seed oils. Olive oil is OK on salads, but not to cook with.’
For carbohydrates, Kerr says she eats plenty of squash, carrots and parsnips.
‘I do have a little bit of salmon, but not too much because of the mercury that’s in salmon,’ she adds.
Kerr says she no longer eats sushi because of concerns about parasites. ‘I used to live on sushi when I lived in New York until I learned.’
However, Kerr does eat caviar. ‘Caviar is good; there are no parasites,’ she says, before adding she doesn’t eat kale or spinach.
Miranda Kerr has shared the highly restrictive diet she adopted after experiencing IBS symptoms for six yearsLuc Castel – Getty Images
Can IBS justify such a restrictive diet?
Not usually, says Kirsten Jackson, a registered dietitian, IBS specialist and founder of The IBS Dietitian.
‘One of the biggest misconceptions around IBS is that foods such as wheat and dairy automatically need to be removed, when actually it may only be specific components within those foods that trigger symptoms – and even then, not for everybody,’ she explains.
‘For example, wheat itself isn’t the problem; for some people with IBS it’s the fructans, a type of carbohydrate found in certain wheat-based foods, that can trigger symptoms. Similarly with dairy, it may be the lactose that causes symptoms in some individuals.’
That distinction matters. Jackson adds that over-restriction can damage our relationship with food, make eating socially incredibly difficult, and reduce dietary diversity, which can negatively affect the gut microbiome over time.
‘Foods such as eggs and rice aren’t typical IBS triggers either, so eliminating large numbers of foods without understanding the individual triggers is something I would be very cautious about,’ she adds.
Could Kerr’s diet leave nutritional gaps?
It could, particularly if multiple food groups are being excluded.
‘With fibre, it isn’t only about hitting a certain number of grams each day; variety matters too,’ says Jackson.
‘Ideally, we want fibre coming from a diverse range of foods, including whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables. It becomes much harder to achieve that diversity when whole food groups such as wheat and other grains are being unnecessarily excluded.’
That variety is important for gut health. When people are struggling with bloating, painful or unpredictable bowel habits, it is easy to become hyper-focused on removing anything that might possibly cause a problem. The result can be a diet built around a shrinking list of ‘safe’ foods.
‘You might achieve symptom control in the short term through restriction, but if your overall diet becomes increasingly limited, that isn’t necessarily supporting your gut health long-term,’ says Jackson.
Calcium is another concern if dairy is removed without a suitable replacement.
‘This is particularly important for women because of the increased risk of osteoporosis as we age,’ she says. ‘Calcium is actually one of the micronutrients I commonly have to address with clients because people can remove dairy and not realise how much calcium they were getting from it.’
It is possible to meet calcium requirements without dairy, through fortified alternatives or supplements where appropriate. But it needs to be planned, Jackson adds.
What should someone do before starting an elimination diet?
‘The first step should be speaking to your doctor rather than immediately assuming your symptoms are caused by food or IBS,’ says Jackson.
Persistent bloating and changes in bowel habits can have numerous causes, so it’s important to rule out conditions such as coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease and, where relevant, ovarian or bowel cancer.
If those investigations confirm IBS, Jackson says the next step still shouldn’t automatically be a highly restrictive elimination diet.
For some people, a low-FODMAP diet may be recommended. However, Jackson stresses that it should be followed with support from a qualified dietitian. The aim isn’t to cut out large numbers of foods forever, but to ‘identify individual triggers and tolerance levels before gradually reintroducing as much variety as possible’.
As Jackson puts it, the ultimate goal with IBS management isn’t to create the smallest possible list of ‘safe’ foods. It’s to control symptoms while maintaining the most varied, nutritionally adequate diet that person can tolerate. In other words, Kerr’s personal food rules shouldn’t be treated as a blueprint for everyone with IBS.
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