Slowly Fermenting Prebiotic, No FODMAPs, Gluten Free
Heather's Tummy Fiber for IBS is a medical food for the dietary management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms.
It is 100% Acacia Senegal powder, the highest grade available, and a whole foods fiber.
Acacia Senegal is a natural, plant-based, water-soluble fiber that has been harvested for millennia in Africa.
Its recorded dietary use dates back to the Egyptian pharaohs.
It is a pure, 100% soluble dietary fiber powder that is a slowly fermenting prebiotic.
It's produced from the gum of the Acacia Senegal tree.
Clinical studies have shown that soluble fiber, as part of the diet:
Heather's Tummy Fiber is 100% soluble fiber with no insoluble fiber at all.
Our Acacia Senegal fiber is also a slowly fermenting prebiotic that increases good gut flora.
It has excellent gastrointestinal tolerance.
It slows down colonic fermentation, which in turn helps decrease gas and bloating.
Heather's Tummy Fiber is completely safe and healthy for daily, lifelong use.
It is safe for children and contains no GI irritants or stimulants.
Soluble fiber supplements will not compromise normal bowel function.
Once Tummy Fiber gets your IBS symptoms under control, it helps maintain digestive stability.
Acacia soluble fiber is designed to keep your GI tract running smoothly, comfortably, and pain-free. Day to day, now and long-term.
Heather's Tummy Fiber is NOT a drug, it is NOT a laxative, and it is NOT an anti-diarrheal medication.
It is a natural, slowly fermenting prebiotic soluble fiber supplement with absolutely nothing else added.
It normalizes bowel function naturally, just like soluble fiber foods do.
It is classified as a medical food for the dietary management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome symptoms.
Heather's Tummy Fiber is the only soluble fiber supplement specifically formulated for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. It's a medical food for the dietary management of IBS symptoms. Acacia senegal is a natural (not synthetic) whole food 100% soluble fiber with a clinically proven prebiotic effect. Studies have shown that soluble fiber, as part of the diet, helps regulate bowel motility (alleviating both diarrhea and constipation), and relieves abdominal pain from IBS.
Heather's Tummy Fiber also:
* Increases good gut flora - it's a prebiotic, and significantly bifidogenic
* Has excellent gastrointestinal tolerance, will not cause bloating and gas
* Slows down colonic fermentation (actively decreasing gas and bloating)
* Is completely safe and healthy for daily, lifelong use
* Is safe for use in children
Soluble fiber is key to preventing the abdominal spasms and bowel dysfunction of IBS. Soluble fiber works by regulating bowel motility from either extreme, and modulating water content in the bowel to form a stabilizing gel that relieves cramping and prevents both IBS diarrhea and constipation.
Heather's Tummy Fiber is a slowly fermenting prebiotic soluble fiber that has no FODMAPS (poorly digested short chain carbohydrates). Acacia senegal's prebiotic effect stimulates the growth of healthy gut flora for ideal bowel stability, which can reduce bloating, gas, and bowel irregularities from IBS.
Heather's Tummy Fiber is unique, because it is formulated specifically for the dietary management of IBS.
Start with 1/2 level teaspoon, twice daily. Just stir into moist foods with breakfast and dinner. Or, add to an empty cup, then stir with a fork as you gradually add room temperature liquid. Let rest for a minute, then stir again to completely dissolve.
Does not dissolve well in boiling hot or ice cold liquids, but once fiber is liquified you can boil or chill beverage. Or, stir into any moist food.
Gradually increase your dose. Add an extra 1/2 teaspoon every 3-5 days and keep increasing until symptoms stabilize.
Diarrhea can resolve fairly quickly as you gradually increase your dose. Constipation, if chronic and severe, may take several weeks and require a gradual increase to the higher dose range of 4-5 tablespoons per day.
Daily Dosages Adults 12 Years & Older:
On average, symptoms stabilize at a final dose range of 4 to 18 grams (2 teaspoons to 3 tablespoons) per day total, divided into two separate doses. You may need more or less. Max daily dose is 30 grams (5 tablespoons).
Cooking: Add 1 tbsp per cup of liquid, whisk.
Baking: Add 1 tbsp per cup of flour, whisk.
| Nutrition Facts | ||
| Serving Size: 2.5 g (about one level teaspoon) | ||
| Servings Per Container: 180 | ||
| Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value* | |
| Calories | 10 | |
| Total Fat | 0 g | 0% |
| Sodium | 0 g | 0% |
| Total Carbohydrates | 2 g | 1% |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g | 9% |
| Soluble Fiber | 2 g | |
| Protein | 0 g | 0% |
| Not a significant source of calories from fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sugars, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium or iron. | ||
| * Percent daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. | ||
Cautions: For use under a physician's supervision. Keep out of the reach of children. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or nursing. Under 12 years old consult your physician. Use within 12 months of opening. Store airtight in a cool, dry place. Organic product. Color variations are normal.
The "soluble" in soluble fiber means that it dissolves in water (though it is not digested). This allows it to absorb excess liquid in the colon, preventing diarrhea by forming a thick gel and adding a great deal of bulk as it passes intact through the gut.
This gel (as opposed to a watery liquid) also keeps the gastrointestinal muscles stretched gently around a full colon, giving those muscles something to easily "grip" during peristaltic contractions. This prevents the rapid transit time and explosive bowel movements that are common with diarrhea.
By the same token, the full, gel-filled colon (as opposed to one clenched tightly around dry, hard, impacted stools) provides the same "grip" during the muscle waves of constipation.
This allows for an easier and faster transit time, and the passage of the thick wet gel also effectively relieves constipation by softening and pushing through impacted fecal matter.
If you can mentally picture your colon as a tube that is squeezing through matter via regular waves of contractions, it's easy to see how a colon filled with soluble fiber gel is beneficial for both sides of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome coin—diarrhea and constipation.
As a glorious bonus, normalizing the contractions of the colon triggered by your gastrocolic reflex—whether they are too fast or too slow—helps prevent the violent and irregular spasms that cause lower abdominal cramping pain, a hallmark of IBS.
Best of all, Heather's Tummy Fiber Supplement can be taken daily and indefinitely with no harmful side effects or risk of addiction.
In fact, soluble fiber has health benefits far beyond managing IBS. It has been shown to:
Clinical studies have also shown that Heather's Tummy Fiber Supplement, made from Acacia Senegal, has unique benefits over other soluble fiber sources.
In the large intestine, Acacia Senegal fiber stimulates the development of bifidobacteria and lactic acid bacteria, which leads to the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). These SCFAs play numerous beneficial roles in the physiology of the human body.
Additionally, daily consumption of Acacia Senegal fiber at doses below 15 grams/day has been shown to avoid the gas, bloating, and cramping often associated with other soluble fiber supplements.
As much or as little as you like! There is no minimum amount of water required to mix Heather's Tummy Fiber. You can use just enough water to liquefy it, or you can use a whole glass. Both options are equally effective.
As long as there is sufficient water in your gut, the soluble fiber will work properly. Heather's Tummy Fiber has no viscosity, so there is no choking risk at all. This means you are not required to drink a large glass of liquid with it—unless you prefer to.
You only need to use however much (or little) water it takes to dissolve the powder. Alternatively, you can simply sprinkle the fiber on moist foods instead of mixing it into a drink.
Because the fiber does not thicken in liquids, it cannot coat your throat, and therefore does not pose a choking hazard. You can add the fiber to an empty cup and then add just enough water to liquefy it—just like dissolving cornstarch to prevent clumps.
Once liquefied, you can drink it right away or fill the rest of the cup with more liquid if you prefer. You can also cook with it or add it to soft, moist foods like applesauce or oatmeal.
Heather's Tummy Fiber is very different from high-viscosity fibers like psyllium and methylcellulose. Those fibers require a large glass of water to prevent choking and must be consumed quickly before they thicken.
With Heather’s Tummy Fiber, there is no such concern. It stays smooth in liquids, offers flexible dosing, and poses no choking risk—making it safe, easy, and effective for daily IBS management.
Here's how to easily schedule your Tummy Fiber with meals, supplements and medications:
Treat your fiber like food. The easiest and most effective way to take Heather's Tummy Fiber is by adding it directly to your meals — ideally at breakfast and dinner. This gives your digestive system 24/7 IBS symptom coverage.
Once you combine fiber with your meals, the only remaining concern is supplements and medications that must be taken on an empty stomach. Simply schedule those around your meals and fiber intake.
Heather’s Tummy Fiber will not interfere with nutrients in food and will not interfere with medications or supplements that can be taken with food.
For medications or supplements that require an empty stomach, the rule of thumb is to take them one hour before meals or two hours after you eat food or your fiber.
Yes, you can! Heather’s Tummy Fiber is completely inert and stable, which means you can’t damage it, and it will not go bad. It is unaffected by heat, cold, or time.
You can safely add the fiber to any food or drink— whether you're cooking, baking, or mixing it into a bottle of water. Add it to your meals, beverages, or recipes as far in advance as you like.
The fiber will not mold, mildew, spoil, or lose its effectiveness. Whether it’s refrigerated, frozen, boiled, baked, or microwaved, the Tummy Fiber will stay fresh, effective, and it will work regardless..
The fiber is impervious. The food or drink you add it to will eventually go bad, but the fiber itself won’t. So prepare it ahead of time without worry.
This flexibility makes Heather’s Tummy Fiber ideal for meal prepping, cooking, or on-the-go use, supporting your IBS management routine with zero hassle.
No. Tummy Fiber is 100% Acacia Senegal, which is a 100% soluble fiber.
Soluble fiber cannot cause or worsen diarrhea or constipation, or flip one to the other.
But it also won't help you until there is enough of it in your gut 24/7 to regulate motility.
In the meantime, everything that is impacting your gut will keep impacting it.
It's a process to work up your dose, and you are still on a very low end.
Details:
There are two kinds of fiber, insoluble and soluble.
Insoluble is a stimulant and can set off IBS symptoms, and if you have strictures, it can cause intestinal blockages.
The Tummy Fiber is pure soluble fiber so it won’t do that – it can't.
It’s not a stimulant, it’s a bowel motility regulator.
It can’t cause blockages, diarrhea, or constipation, but it also will not help you until you gradually work up to enough of it in your gut, 24/7, to regulate motility.
In the meantime, everything else will keep impacting your gut and you will likely keep fluctuating day to day.
The Tummy Fiber is 100% soluble fiber, it can’t make anything worse, but it also will not help you with just the first dose or two, or first few days or two.
For constipation, it likely won’t help the first week or two either.
This is because you are starting at a low dose that won’t do anything at all — it is just to get your gut used to more fiber gradually.
All fibers are indigestible, so you always want to increase fiber slowly and steadily.
Do not skip doses.
Do not jump your dose up and then down and then up and then down.
Do not skip days – none of this will work.
This is a process. It can’t be erratic. It takes some time and patience, and you have to follow the process consistently, day in and day out, or soluble fiber will not do what you want it to do.
You need to start with just ½ teaspoon twice daily and then gradually increase.
Add an extra ½ teaspoon to just one of your doses, every 3–4 days.
So add an extra ½ teaspoon to your morning dose, wait 3–4 days, and then add an extra ½ teaspoon to your evening dose.
Wait 3–4 days, and then increase your morning dose again, etc.
You’ll keep following that pattern and gradually work up to the dose your gut needs for normal motility.
A rough average final dose for diarrhea is 1–3 tablespoons per day total.
For alternating diarrhea/constipation, probably 2–3 tablespoons per day total.
For constipation, a likely 3–5 tablespoons per day total.
That shows you the huge dose range, and also how far you will likely have to increase from the starting dose of just ½ teaspoon twice a day.
The fiber cannot make anything worse, but again, until you gradually work up to enough of it in your gut, it won’t help you either.
It has to reach the point where it can control your bowel motility.
You just will not have enough of it in your gut to affect you at all until you have worked your way far enough into the process.
I will tell you candidly — it will probably take you a few months to work up to the dose you would need to resolve chronic constipation.
In the meantime, you’ll still have symptoms, and you may need to use laxatives if you’re already doing that.
You should see improvements kick in as you gradually get your dose up around 3 tablespoons per day total.
Then you’d keep gradually increasing until you feel stable day in and day out.
You can’t just jump to this dose though – fiber does not work that way. I wish it did!
But you have to gradually get your gut used to more fiber, and then reach the point you need for motility regulation.
Once you hit that, you stay at whatever that dose is, morning and evening, as soluble fiber literally only works when it is physically present in your gut.
“Did you coin that term?"
I looked at the doctor blankly, trying to understand exactly what he was asking me.
Me: "You mean soluble fiber?"
Doctor: "Yes."
Me: "Um...no..."
Doctor: "Ok, have a nice day."
What was I supposed to say? There are two types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Doesn’t everyone know this?
Well, actually, they don't. To be fair, the day I learned this was one of the biggest a-ha! Moments of my life. Suddenly so many things about eating for IBS made sense. But I was to find out that even people in the GI world had never heard of the difference either.
Anyway, back to this doctor.
As he walked away I was glad I had stayed quiet. Embarrassing him wouldn’t have been productive and would have only made an enemy during this trip.
What trip? This happened at the Digestive Disease Week conference my husband Will and I exhibited at in San Francisco in May 2002. This is the the largest international conference in the world for digestive disorders. This doctor was a gastroenterologist attending the conference.
I was there to exhibit the first editions of my bestselling books, Eating for IBS and First Year IBS. Will and I had the wild idea to spend every dime we had to travel to and attend this show to promote the books to GI doctors.
Day One
Will and I rented the smallest possible table at the conference, laid out my two books in our empty booth, and sat back to see what would happen.
We were swarmed by doctors looking for help for their IBS patients!
My goodness, I never had to answer so many questions in my entire life. They were all genuinely interested in what I had to say. I kept hearing the same things over and over:
"I'm so glad I finally have somewhere to send my patients."
"I'm constantly heartbroken as I really don't know what to tell them."
"Nothing my patients try seems to work. In fact they seem to be getting worse."
Will asked one doctor, "What's your single biggest problem helping your IBS patients?"
This doctor, who actually seemed to be a very nice person, looked to her left and then to her right to make sure no one could hear her, and then said:
"Getting rid of them."
On the whole the doctors were wonderful. They really wanted a way to help their patients.
And then up walks...
The Purple Pill Lady
A woman dressed all in purple stepped up from the circle of doctors around our table. She had been standing there for quite a while. When the crowd thinned she leaned forward and asked:
“Who are you?”
By this point Will and I were getting a lot of odd looks and questions. Will answers her, "Hi, I’m Will and this is my lovely wife Heather."
The woman, a little impatiently asks again:
"No, really, who are you?"
Will elaborates a little and says our names again and explains that I wrote these books on IBS.
We could see this woman trying to size us up. She finally says, "Well, nice to meet you, I’m so and so. Do you see that booth across the aisle?"
We both looked at the Nexium booth. You know, "the purple pill." Their booth was gigantic. Now I knew why she was dressed in purple.
The woman continued.
“Do you know how much our display cost?”
Neither of us could even venture a guess. She goes on:
“Almost $250,000!”
Will and I gasped. She said:
“That's just the booth. That's not the cost of renting the floor space, shipping, setup, and flying out all our staff.”
"I’ve been watching you” she says, "you must have had 20 doctors around your little table all day long. We’ve had a fraction of the visitors you've had. Just look," she says, pointing at her purple booth.
We look over and see 3 or 4 doctors milling around their enormous display. Huh.
We chatted with her for a little bit and then another swarm of doctors surrounded us. She says, “Well, have a good show,” then wished us luck as she walked back to her booth.
That was the first day.
Day Two
Will and I see that Metamucil and Citrucel are exhibiting at the show as well. We decide to talk to them.
I’ve been telling thousands of IBS folks to avoid the garbage ingredients and IBS triggers these fiber companies are adding.
I say to Will, "All they have to do is take out all the junk they're putting in, and make something simple I can recommend for IBS."
(In hindsight I'm laughing at how naive I was.)
We spent considerable time talking to both two companies. They followed up with emails and phone calls and picked my brain over the next year or so. I gave them my wish list for a fiber, hoping they might listen to me.
(I wasn’t looking to get paid. I just wanted them to make a better product, one that worked for IBS. And it would have been nice to have a little credit from them, perhaps a thank you for my help. At the very least I was waiting to hear from them when their new product launched, so I could let folks know about it.)
I had asked them for something that was pure soluble fiber, no psyllium or insoluble fiber.
I wanted something odorless, tasteless, that didn’t thicken in water, that wasn’t gloppy or gloopy or dyed bright orange.
I didn’t want artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, citric acid, or anything else in there at all.
And I wanted to be able to add it to anything I was already eating or drinking. I wanted to put it right into foods I was cooking.
I had a dream...
Then they ghosted us and we never heard from them again.
Fast forward another year or so. An employee of ours comes running up to me and says, “Look at this!”
She's holding a magazine ad for a brand new product from one of those fiber companies.
Introducing Free and Clear Fiber!
Now, finally, a fiber that is free of all additives and just pure soluble fiber.
Huh?!
You can cook with it!
What?!?
I couldn’t believe it. They stole my ideas without even a thank you. Yep, they had listened all right. Made a pure soluble fiber, no other ingredients added, showed people you can add fiber right into meals, even cook with it...and then they used a manufacturing by-product that’s industrially extracted from chicory.
They used inulin.
What the hell?!?
Inulin.
A fiber that ferments so rapidly in the gut it can cause extreme bloating and gas and spasms, and even set off urgency and diarrhea. Just what we need, right?
The real blow was that I’d been playing around adding plain soluble fibers to my grandmother’s lemon meringue pie filling - with killer results. I’d told the fiber companies all about this. The picture they used for the Free and Clear ad? A slice of key lime pie. Ooofff.
I still can’t decide if they were sleazy or just stupid to take my ideas and run with them...straight into a wall. Free and Clear disappeared off the market quietly and quickly.
I realized I was on my own if I wanted a fiber supplement that was a perfect fit for IBS. And I admit, now I was getting angry.
I was right back in the same boat. First, I couldn’t find books that gave people with IBS the dietary information and lifestyle guides they needed. So I had to write my own.
Now, I couldn't even get fiber manufacturers to make a simple soluble fiber supplement that was a fit for touchy tummies. So I had to make my own.
If you want it done right, you gotta do it yourself.
I was determined to find the most perfect fiber for IBS folks.
I spent months researching and tracking down suppliers of every type of soluble fiber powder I could get my hands on.
The kitchen was filled with different samples. I went into mad scientist mode and tested everything in water, foods, meals, that lemon meringue pie. I was actually amazed at how few fibers passed muster.
I’d assumed that just plain soluble fiber powders could be used pretty interchangeably. Wow - was I wrong.
Most of them had such a high viscosity they thickened an entire bowl of water to gel. Others were chalky, gritty, or didn’t dissolve at room temperature.
One of them was brown and tasted like mud. Another was white but smelled like fish.
A few of them were passable.
None of them were perfect.
Then I found the company that made Acacia Senegal. Their story was amazing.
I can't quite explain it, but I just knew I had found something special. I felt like I might have discovered the Da Vinci Code.
I was so excited. Their research was ground breaking. This seemed to be everything I'd been looking for.
I called them right away and ordered a sample. Then I waited.
About a week later the sample arrived. Remember, by now, I'd been trying all kinds of soluble fibers. All of them were failures.
If I wanted the Acacia Senegal to succeed...
I had to put it to the ultimate test...
I’m only telling this story because it actually happened. I would not do this again. But I needed to know if my new Tummy Fiber would work under duress.
After establishing my regular twice daily dose, I put it to my ultimate test.
Chinese restaurant sweet and sour shrimp. Ooohhhh….
Deep fried.
High fat.
Insoluble fiber veggies and pineapple.
All huge IBS triggers.
But so delicious! So crispy, crunchy, tangy, bright pink-orange sauce and all.
This is my all time favorite Chinese restaurant dish. I’ve loved it since childhood. And it’s hated my guts just as long.
There is no faster way to cause the worst IBS attack of my life and end up in the ER.
I’ll let Will tell this part of the story:
Hi, I’m Will, Heather’s husband.
“Let’s go get sweet and sour shrimp.”
“Huh?” Not believing what I just heard.
“I have to test this fiber,” my wonderful but insane wife says to me.
“Honey, NO. Have you lost your mind?”
“Gotta do it,” she says.
I try to reason with her. “There must be something less extreme we can do to test this stuff?”
“Nope. If I can eat sweet and sour shrimp and not have an attack, we’ve got a winner.”
I had a flashback to the super hero movies I love. You know, where the hero tests the serum on himself and starts convulsing then morphs into this amazing super being. Only this wasn’t a he, it was a she, it was Heather, my amazing wife, a true super heroine.
Super Heather
Ok, I know I’m going to get into it with her and she won’t want me to embarrass her this way, but it’s true. And I love her.
Heather and I have been married quite a while now and have contingencies for when she has an IBS attack.
I start my mental checklist: “Which ER do I take her to, do I have a stash of loose peppermint tea to make a hot cup quickly, is there a box of Altoids in my back pack?”
But I know my wife and when she makes up her mind, that’s it.
Off we go to Shanghai Garden in Seattle’s Chinatown, one of our favorite places.
I wasn’t stressed. I was terrified. The worst thing in my life is to watch my Heather live through an IBS attack.
Shanghai Garden
We get to the restaurant and the waitress is happy to see us. We’ve been going there for a very long time and they know us well. In fact, it was the only thing giving me comfort, as I knew if we were in trouble, they would be kind to us and do everything they could to help.
The sweet and sour shrimp arrives. I don’t even remember what I ordered. I was too worried about Heather getting sick.
We start eating. I’m trying to play it cool. I know stress can cause bad attacks and if I’m having a fit it won’t do Heather any good.
Dinner carries on, and I see my wife having a great time. Little by little I start to relax. At the end of the dinner, I could see she was full and happy.
“How do you feel?” I whispered.
“Good,” she says. “My stomach feels like a heavy lump, but my IBS is fine. I feel good.”
She was good. She never got sick. I might have been more relieved than she was.
Thanks for letting me tell this story, now back to Heather.
Me again.
True story – I didn’t get sick at all. But again, please, don’t be me.
I’d already been living on soluble fiber foods and supplements for years, my gut was used to significant daily doses. Nowadays I live on Tummy Fiber, but it’s not bullet proof. I’m not either, so this isn’t a test I’d normally want my gut to take.
The Tummy Fiber passed the test, so now it was onward…
But let’s back up a little first...
After my frustrating initial round of testing soluble fiber powders, from brown and gritty to thick and fishy, I knew I had to keep looking for the right one.
The magic words that finally led me there? Colloidal gums.
Have you ever heard that before? I sure hadn't. But in food manufacturing, it's an industry term that opens up the world of soluble fiber powders.
As it turns out, what I was actually looking for wasn’t just the ideal soluble fiber, but the best colloidal gum, for people with IBS. I found it almost by chance.
I had stumbled across a research paper outlining the different colloidal gums, their properties, and major suppliers.
The one that really intrigued me was Acacia Senegal.
I cold called a supplier and, not realizing it at the time, ended up talking to the head of North American sales at the oldest and largest Acacia grower and processor in the world. His name was Tom.
He clearly loved his job and company. And he just lit up when I told him I was interested in using the Acacia Senegal all by itself, as a soluble fiber supplement, specifically for people who needed digestive help.
It turned that no one had ever done that before. And for years, he’d been wondering why, because he thought that was a great idea.
He talked to me non stop for an hour about all the special features Acacia Senegal had, and it checked off my entire wish list:
100% soluble fiber
No insoluble fiber
Tasteless, odorless, colorless
Zero viscosity - no choking risk, does not thicken
Gluten, allergen, FODMAP free
Prebiotic that increases good gut bacteria
Slows down colonic fermentation to actively decrease gas and bloating
Increases short chain fatty acids in the bowel for healthy flora
Good gastrointestinal tolerance
Add to anything with moisture in it – foods, drinks, in cooking or at the table
It’s inert and impervious to heat, cold, light, and oxygen
You can boil, bake, freeze, and blend it
Plus Tom had an entire Scientific File – which he sent me – that gathered the clinical research studies on Acacia Senegal and documented its features, actions, and benefits.
Honestly, I was so impressed by the facts I was a little worried this was too good to be true. What’s the catch?
There wasn’t one. Acacia Senegal was a genuinely fantastic pure soluble fiber - or, more precisely, colloidal gum. And it was perfect for IBS.
It was a whole food plant fiber that was minimally processed. It wasn’t hydrolyzed or bleached. It wasn’t a manufacturing by-product. It wasn’t synthetic, it was completely natural.
It literally grew on trees – Acacia Senegal trees.
Tom’s family owned company had been growing the orchards in Africa, and processing the raw gum in France, for over a century.
He finished telling me this amazing story and all I could say was, “I’m sold! What’s the smallest order I can place?”
He says, “We ship by the pallet or full container.”
I choked.
And then - to this day I don’t know why - he offered to ship me just two bags for a trial run. It was 100 lbs total, and he gave me net 30 terms so I had a month to pay.
I did quick math in my head and figured, “If I can sell 3 pounds a day that’ll be almost 100 pounds in a month, and I’ll have enough money to pay the bill on time.” I closed my eyes, leapt off a cliff, and placed the order.
It came in two fifty-pound boxes via UPS.
The boxes were dropped off smack in the middle of our residential street because there was no loading dock. There wasn't even a driveway.
Will and I lugged the boxes up three flights of stairs to our one bedroom apartment in the heart of Capitol Hill.
We sold through that first order immediately – in just a few days. Then we tried ordering five bags. Poof, that was gone as well.
So we scraped together every last nickel and dime and ordered our first full pallet - 2,200 lbs. (And I choked again.)
That was gone in a couple of weeks. Everyone was raving about our Tummy Fiber.
Remember, no one had ever heard of Acacia Senegal before, or even pure soluble fiber - because I was the first to bring this fiber to market.
And today?
We order Acacia Senegal by the full truck load. It comes in 1,100 lb super sacs. We normally receive 18 metric tons per shipment. When it arrives at the automated loading dock the 36 pallets are forklifted off into the warehouse of our manufacturing plant.
From one hundred pounds to eighteen metric tons. I still can’t believe it.
Even more incredible, I know there are some folks ordering today who originally tried Tummy Fiber from that very first order twenty years ago. (Hello and thank you!)
This is just the story of how Will and I started Heather’s Tummy Fiber.
There is so much more to tell, including why...
No? Well, of course not.
But sometimes looks really do matter. This was one of those times...
It had bothered me for years that all the products I used to use for my IBS had packaging that was so...what’s the right word...depressing? cold and clinical? fugly?
And sure, everyone knows it isn’t really better to look good than to feel good. It’s what’s inside that counts.
But when I created Tummy Fiber I cared almost as much about the outside of that package as the inside. And here’s why...
I wanted something so beautiful it would make me happy to see it left out on the counter. I wanted warm comforting colors and packaging that looked like it contained something natural, healthy, and pleasant to use.
I put my real story and real picture on that package so people wouldn’t feel all alone.
(A small digression here – about a year ago I got an email from a woman who told me that when she was first diagnosed and really struggling, “there were some nights when it was just me and your little picture on that can.” I get a lot of wonderful emails but this one made me cry.)
So I created a mood board of how IBS makes us feel. Hopeless, scared, anxious, alone. It was filled with dark, dreary, cold, clinical colors and images. It was ugly and depressing.
We designed the Tummy Fiber packaging to give the exact opposite feeling. That mood board was filled with colors that were warm and happy and natural. It had gold metallic sunbursts to catch the light, so people felt safe, comforted, hopeful, and encouraged.
It was crucial to me that Tummy Fiber made someone feel optimistic every time they reached for it.
And this wasn’t just about something pretty to look at. IBS is defined as a brain-gut disorder. Everyone with IBS has experienced that vicious connection.
If seeing my Tummy Fiber made me smile, calmed me down, gave me hope, that positive association would let my brain and gut know this was my safety net.
There would also be no reason to hide this package, and keep it stashed where no one could see it. If I have one mission in life it’s to insist there is no shame in having IBS, or embarrassment in treating it. I’ve fought those feelings for years.
I wanted folks to be comfortable leaving their Tummy Fiber out on the kitchen counter to remind them to cook with it. Or out on the bathroom counter where they’d remember to take it. (And this was also for practical purposes. Tummy Fiber only works when it’s physically in your gut, so it needs to be there 24/7 for true bowel stability).
Then I needed a label that gave a wealth of detailed information, so people understood the directions for use and that this is a process.
There is a wide final dose range for different symptoms, but everyone needs to start at a low dose twice daily and gradually increase. I tried to elegantly cram all of that (and more!) on the label so that people could use their Tummy Fiber properly and get the results they needed.
Finally, I wanted my Tummy Fiber to look like the luxury brand it is. (Or as Will likes to call it, the Cadillac of Fibers.)
Acacia Senegal is truly the highest grade fiber available. It’s a very costly raw material - typically 3-4 times more than any other soluble fibers I tested.
Acacia Senegal is also inherently available in limited quantities, from just a handful of companies in the world that manage the African orchards. If there’s a bad crop year, they can’t just go into some lab and make more.
My packaging needed to be beautiful to reflect that value and all the happy hopeful qualities. That’s why we now have our gorgeous embossed tin cans. So what if those are usually reserved for fancy presents?
Tummy Fiber is a daily gift you give yourself, your body, your health, your life. It should look and feel like something special because it is.
And not to steal from L’Oreal, but you’re worth it.
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Nancy from PASCO, WA Purchased on 7/14/2025 Reviewed on 8/4/2025 |
| I am still waiting for my order. | |
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Vivian from Woodburn, OR Purchased on 7/5/2025 Reviewed on 7/26/2025 |
| Fast acting and effective | |
| I ordered both the Tummy Fiber and peppermint oil caps. I had been in misery for months and after less than two weeks I began to experience relief. The doctor had me taking Miralax but it was not effective. I am glad I ordered Heather's Tummy Care. | |
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Ginger from CORDOVA, TN Purchased on 7/2/2025 Reviewed on 7/23/2025 |
| It works! | |
| I am on my third order & use it regularly...it works for me. If you have gut/digestive issues give it a try!! | |
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Donna from BOTHELL, WA Purchased on 6/23/2025 Reviewed on 7/14/2025 |
| Works really well for me | |
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Judith from ELY, MN Purchased on 6/22/2025 Reviewed on 7/13/2025 |
| Tummy Fiber | |
| Good product. Has helped me in the past years and I look forward to this fiber helping me in the future! | |
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Martha from AMARILLO, TX Purchased on 6/17/2025 Reviewed on 7/8/2025 |
| quality IBS treatment | |
| I have used Heather's Tummy Care for over 20 yrs now. The fiber helped me to get off chronic prescription meds with some high risk side effects. I would recommend to anyone | |
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Barbara from Falmouth, MA Purchased on 6/10/2025 Reviewed on 7/1/2025 |
| Works wonders. Wouldn't be without it | |
| I've been taking it for many years.It really helps with my IBS. | |
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Carol from MANCHESTER, NJ Purchased on 5/23/2025 Reviewed on 6/16/2025 |
| First time I'm using this product | |
| Too soon to tell if it will work for me. Metamucil was not. | |
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Kate from COLUMBIA, MO Purchased on 5/18/2025 Reviewed on 6/8/2025 |
| This has solved a lifetime of IBS issues. | |
| Thank you for the clean, simple products and detailed information. Easy to take, tasteless and gentle on an overly sensitive stomach. | |
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Patricia from ANNANDALE, VA Purchased on 5/15/2025 Reviewed on 6/5/2025 |
| Works great for me. | |
| Heather's tummy fiber helps keep me regular. I use it everyday in my coffee. I have no side effects like gas or bloating. It is part of I manage my IBS. Highly recommend. | |
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Judith from RAYMORE, MO Purchased on 5/12/2025 Reviewed on 6/2/2025 |
| Fiber seems to be making an improvement for me. | |
| I really like your email newsletters, I've learned so much from them. | |
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