Super Gut: A Four-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight

In Super Gut, Dr. William Davis (of Wheat Belly fame) offers an interesting discussion of gut dysbiosis, including small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and small intestinal fungal overgrowth (SIFO). He writes in a lively manner that is easy to understand, although I thought the text was needlessly repetitive. I appreciated all of the peer-reviewed studies he cites, although I think he overstates his case at times. He presents a four-week plan to heal your gut, as well as protocols to eliminate SIBO, SIFO, and H. pylori. He recommends a low-carb/high-fat (ketogenic) diet, which I don’t think is safe for everyone, so you should probably check with your personal doctor before attempting this program. The book includes over 40 recipes, including yogurts made from specific strains of bacteria chosen for specific health benefits, other ferments, beverages, main dishes, and desserts. I haven’t had the chance to try any of his yogurts yet, but I am very curious to try them. I did try the Clove Green Tea, Matcha Strawberry Key Lime Smoothie, Yakisoba Noodles, and One-Minute Strawberry Ice Cream, which were all delicious. There are no photographs accompanying the recipes (at least not in the ARC I received), and no nutrition information is provided, which is frustrating if you are trying to track your carbs. TIP: I use a nutrition tracking app called Cronometer that gives me good estimates of carbohydrates and other nutritional content of my meals and beverages—it makes life much easier! The back matter includes resources, healing protocols, and references. While I’m not sold on all of Dr. Davis’s recommendations, I do think this book is a valuable contribution to the literature on gut health, and it’s worth checking out if you would like to improve your health. I was provided an ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

tremendous insight into the digestive system.