The Microbiome Diet: The Scientifically Proven Way to Restore Your Gut Health and Achieve Permanent Weight Loss (Microbiome Medicine Library)

This book is not about a crash diet, nor is intended for a major weight loss. What it is made for, is to show you how to eat better and take care of your body and watching what you put in it. Our diets have consisted of instant or fast food due to the way we live our lives in the 21st century. It is amazing how much processed garbage the average person eats. My family was one of the many who live like this today. We actually purchased this book because my wife had this weird skin itching problem and modern medicine could not cure. We went to a holistic doctor and he said your body is not getting the nutrients it needs from your diet; he said follow this book and it will help. So we were desperate and did what he said. Three weeks into it and the itching is almost completely gone, it is no where as debilitating as it was.After this three weeks all of us have eaten one meal like we use to, which wasn't fast food, just eating out and it is amazing how greasy, heavy and how bad you feel after eating your old diet. None of us will go back to the way we use to eat. For me feeling better and having more energy was what I was hoping for.The recipes are good unlike other diets like the SB one. I think these recipes are better because it is not a weight loss diet, where the diet is trying to show you results with in a few days. These recipes are for training you to eat better and it will change your life, it is not an instant fad diet. This is a life changing diet. Try it and see, but you have to give it an honest 3 week chance and then if you don't like it, don't do it.All of us have more energy, feel better and of course we are all losing weight.

I'm too lazy to write reviews most of the time. However, I can't help but sing the praises of this book and this author. Incredible. I've tried everything to drop the 30 pounds I gained after a series of life events - surgery, wide spectrum antibiotics, career related lifestyle changes, etc. I've done lots of research. My main concern is the near universal problem of metabolic slow down and reset after weight loss, making long term maintenance difficult if not impossible to maintain. So, I've really wanted to avoid doing any calorie restriction since that is just about guaranteed to make you actually gain weight in the long term. (The yo-yo diet paradox - just look at all the long term effects on the Biggest Loser contestants. Depressing.)Dr. Kellman makes a compelling case for the role of our microscopic friends in just about every aspect of our health and wellbeing. Losing weight is not actually the point. It is rebalancing your symbiotic friends to work with you not against you. He backs up all of his claims with solid research, though admittedly, much of it is still in its infancy. I have a strong feeling that time and further research will back up most his claims. What we do know is that the effects of our sterilized, pasturized, antibiotic treated lifestyle of the past 60 years have had devastating effects on our overall health - diabetes, obesity, autoimmune disorders, asthma, allergies - they all have their etiology in the same issue - a depleted microbiome. It's revelatory.So, from my own personal experience: I read the book cover to cover in about 3 days. I also have read quite a bit of other research on the same topic. His plan is not particularly easy to follow, though the basic concepts are. I did not, I'll admit, use his recipes - I work more than full time in a very stressful job. There was no way. I did, however, come up with my own way - following his dietary and supplement recommendations overall. I started about 7 weeks ago - cut out all the stuff he recommends to temporarily eliminate to reduce gut inflammation - dairy, soy, grains, sugar, legumes etc, and added in tons of veggies. I took all the supplements he recommended. I ate as much as I felt like eating, snacked when I felt like snacking. I did not track any calorie counts. For the first 2 weeks, I struggled a bit with cravings but since then, I'm not really hankering for anything that isn't healthy. My microbes are talking - and the new ones want the good stuff! Donuts hold no sway with me anymore. AMAZING. I don't dream about food or plan my next meal while I'm still eating this one. I'm fuller faster. I don't even finish my meals most of the time. Not because I'm "good" or have self control, but because I just don't feel like it. It's incredible. Once you no longer have all the nefarious critters in your gut saying - eat more, eat crap, sugar pleaseeee, the concept of self-control and that icky feeling you get after you wolf down 3 slices of pizza and still feel like you could eat more is gone. Just gone. How cool is that? I even tried to "cheat" and didn't really enjoy it. I'd been wanting try this new sandwich shop - hadn't eaten any bread or gluten in 6 weeks, so this could be my 10% non-compliance portion. The sandwich was OK, but not great. I had no desire to eat more bread. Weird. Subs used to be my weakness. Now... meh.So if you've struggled with weight issues, diabetes, autoimmune stuff give this approach a try. There is effort in the getting going, but it becomes easy relatively quickly.Oh and by the way - I've lost 15 lbs in 7 weeks, haven't used my inhaler in the past month and have more energy than I've had in a long time. Yay!Granted, I'm early in the process of trying to make long term weight and health changes - time of course will tell.....I'll write an update in a few months.Aloha

I really like the book and am fascinated with the concept. I've started the process and have had early, positive results. I highly recommend looking into this.However.All diet cookbook authors please, please take note: the Piggly Wiggly rarely has alvacados. We have Quaker Oats. We have Mandarin oranages in the little plastic cups. We may have fresh asparagus in season. My point is this: stop with fru-fru recipes and put some simple "pour bag in bowl add water and microwave" recipes. I imagine most of us are working stiffs that had to Google what a complete was and we really don't have time to throw that together. Give us dinner recipes that we can make one night and have leftovers for two !unches. That's the kind of thing that would really help.