The Healthy Gut Handbook

Over two years ago I read The Diet Myth, Professor Tim Spector’s brilliant book on food, nutrition and microbes, learning how trillions of tiny organisms in our guts can influence our weight, mood and immune system. I was so impressed and intrigued by what I read that I was very keen to write a recipe book to partner Tim’s research. The research into good gut health is so new, and the field so lively and varied, that I’ve read hundreds of reports, articles, features and studies in order to understand just how clever our digestive systems are.

With such a lot of misinformation around, getting to the bottom of the subject has been a time-consuming, occasionally frustrating, but ultimately eye-opening experience. Who would have thought that the microbes living within us could have such a massive impact on our health? There is still so much to learn, but scientists are making progress slowly but surely. Open-source academic studies like the American and British Gut Projects and nutritionist and clinician-led MapMyGut commercial testing are helping enormously by studying the microbes of real people to find out exactly which bacteria colonise our guts and how they could affect our health.

I’m not the only writer who’s been excited by the possibilities of eating for good gut health. There are plenty of books out there, but I wanted to write one which is aimed mainly at people wanting to lose a few pounds while improving their overall health. You might not have loads of time on your hands, or unlimited funds for fancy ingredients. But, like me, you may want to boost your health as painlessly as possible.

If you’ve read a bit about the importance of good gut health, and need a helping hand to discover more, you’ll find it here. The Healthy Gut Handbook is packed with recipes, tips and information and a simple meal plan that’s easy to follow and will  help anyone get on track with as little fuss as possible. There’s no avoidance of food groups, no miracle cleanses, no week-long detoxes, just straightforward advice and a real-life approach to good, gut-healthy eating. You’ll find a few of the recipes from the book here, and I’ll be posting more over the next few weeks.