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The Good Gut

Written by: Justin Sonnenburg, Erica Sonnenburg
Narrated by: Marc Cashman
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Publisher's Summary

A groundbreaking guide to the surprising source of good health.

Genetics and lifestyle are thought to be the two most important determinants of good health. But that is not the whole story. We have a second genome, our gut bacteria, that sets the dial on our bodies. Unlike our DNA, we can influence the gut bacteria, or microbiota, to optimize all aspects of our health. In The Good Gut, noted Stanford researchers Justin and Erica Sonnenburg, who are doing cutting-edge research on the microbiota, investigate how the trillions of microbes that reside in our gastrointestinal tract help define us, affecting everything from our immune response to our weight, allergic reactions, aging, and emotions; how they are under threat from the Western diet, our antibiotics, and our sterilized environment; and how we can nurture our individual microbiota.

This is urgent news. The recent change in our gut microbiota is linked to the alarming increase in obesity and autoimmune diseases. Our intestinal microbiota play an important role in the prevalence of predominantly Western afflictions, such as cancer, diabetes, allergies, asthma, autism, and inflammatory bowel diseases. These gut bacteria are facing a mass extinction, and the health consequences are dire.

The average American has 1,200 different types of bacteria residing in his or her gut. That may seem like a lot until you consider that the average Amerindian living in the Amazon has 1,600 species and is much less likely to develop Western maladies. How can we keep our microbiota off the endangered species list? How can we strengthen the community that inhabits our gut and thereby improve our own health? Your prescription for gut health is unique to you, and it changes as you age.

The Good Gut offers a new plan for health that focuses on how to nourish your microbiota, including recipes and a menu plan. Drs. Sonnenburg look at safe alternatives to antibiotics; dietary and lifestyle choices to encourage microbial health; the management of the aging microbiota; and the nourishment of your own individual microbiome. The proper understanding and care of our gut may be the most important health choice we can make.

Includes a Bonus PDF with recipes.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2015 Justin and Erica Sonnenburg (P)2015 Penguin Audio

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A Diet Book That Isn't Bullshit

Nutrition books drive me crazy. I know just enough about science to know when an author's claims are too bold. I know just enough about nutrition to know when an author is going off the rails, delving into seemingly plausible conspiracy theories or just-so stories.

It doesn't help that editors and publishers aren't nutrition experts and thus aren't able to weed out the charlatans. They promote the books that contain the best stories, not the best information. The amount of diet bullshit that gets published is staggering and depressing.

But this book is actually good! The authors are bonafide microbiota researchers from Standford. Their prose is full of "mights" and "maybes." And all of their cautious recommendations line up with the expert consensus. Plus, their book comes highly recommended by other respected diet experts and researchers, such as Stephan Guyenet, Ph.D.

If you've read a nutrition textbook in the past twenty years, the advice here is pretty standard. We're advised to eat more fibrous plant-based foods, more fermented foods, more whole foods in general, and to limit our consumption of red meat and saturated fat. All of this is reasonable advice that lines up with the overall body of evidence, which only continues to get clearer as the decades roll past. Because they're accurate when talking about nutrition overall, when the authors talk about their area of expertise—the gut microbiota—I believe them.

It's trendy nowadays to blame carbs, recommending that people eat more meat, salt, and butter instead, even though there's little evidence to support that approach. This book doesn't fall into that trap, and to its detriment, apparently. It pains me to see some of the other reviewers giving it a low score because it doesn't include enough bullshit :S

Anyway, I highly recommend this one.

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Lots of great information and tips

I’ve been interested since I heard the author on the Huberman podcast. The book goes deeper with lots of health tips and tricks.

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Enlightenment on the Gut Flora

I saw the author on The Huberman podcast and was fascinated by his presentation. This book did not disappoint the expectations that I had regarding becoming more aware of the intestinal flora. Most definitely going to buy the hard copy for future reference. The robust pdf accompanying this audio is excellent as well.

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Excellent Book, narrator a bit monotone

If this was narrated in a more conversational tone, it would be a perfect book.

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  • TKH
  • 2022-09-02

Groundbreaking!!!

Very informative & illuminating!!!
Finally something that makes so much sense.
Just reinforces & add on something that humans have known all along.....

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