“The Road to health is paved with good intestines.” Sherry R Rogers, M.D.

Heal Your Gut

Lee Holmes

Murdoch Books

Allen & Unwin Pty Ltd

ISBN: 9781743365601

Description:

Gut problems are at the forefront of everyone’s health concerns: bloating, constipation, indigestion and food intolerances. Importantly, the causes of these sorts of digestive problems can be helped without resorting to pharmaceuticals. But research is also linking unhealthy gut to serious medical concerns such as IBD, IBS, Crohn’s disease, coeliac disease, Thyroid problems and diabetes amongst many others.

In her new book Heal Your Gut, Lee Holmes says. “think of your gut as a garden that can only thrive when the soil is healthy. Healthy soil requires healthy foods and nutrients that will allow the ‘good guys’ to flourish

A healing protocol and step-by-step program with over 90 recipes to cleanse, restore and nourish…Heal Your Gut is a beautifully designed and photographed step-by-step protocol for restoring your inner gut health, via a treatment program and detox regime, supported by over 90 anti- inflammatory recipes to heal and nourish. Whether you’re suffering from a health issue aggravated by diet and a poorly functioning digestive system, or whether you have an auto-immune or digestive disorder, food allergies or intolerances, IBD, IBS, Crohn’s disease, coeliac disease, leaky gut, inflammatory issues, thyroid problems, neurological disorders, obesity, diabetes, arthritis or fibromyalgia, this book will provide you with information, meal plans and recipes to really heal your gut and get back on track with your health. By following the protocol you’ll feel more vibrant and alive, with energy to burn. This book isn’t just another fad diet: it contains recipes that have been specifically created to heal and also deliver vital nutrients, vitamins and minerals to get your body systems functioning optimally. Heal Your Gut shows you how you can nourish yourself like a nutritionist, with a host of exciting options to devour. Healing recipes include: coffees, teas, toddies and tisanes; smoothies, juices and milks; bone broths and stock; healing and sealing soups; easy-to-digest bowls; fermented foods for when your gut is strong; and even some delicious desserts…

My View:

“The Road to health is paved with good intestines.” Sherry R Rogers, M.D.

A well designed, easy to read reference book and healing protocol for anyone who has concerns about their gut health. I am amazed by the number of modern ailments that are directly related to gut health and the balance of gut flora in your digestive system, “The world within your gut involves a multifaceted, interconnected, interdependent relationship between living organisms called microflora. Microflora is the complex, diverse group of microorganism species that live in your digestive tract…know as gut flora…’good bacteria’ or ‘bad bacteria’…’Good’ or ‘friendly bacteria’ perform a multitude of tasks…including working to regulate the gut by neutralising some of the toxic by-products of your digestion; preventing the growth of harmful, pathogenic bacteria; controlling your metabolism; reducing harmful substances such as carcinogens and toxins; gleaning and absorbing energy, nutrients and fatty acids from the food you wat; recycling hormones; training the immune system and communicating with your brain.” (p. 6) Gut health is critical to overall health, we are what we eat, read a label on any of the processed food you consume and release the extra stress we put on out bodies and the gut in particular to digest and eliminate the chemical cocktails we ingest in the name of ‘food’.

We (our immediate family) have long been aware of the relationship between a healthy body and eating healthy “real foods”. For many years we have been making a determined effort to reduce our consumption of processed food (you may have noticed I cook ‘from scratch’, am a fan of slow cooked tasty meals, we grow most of our own vegetables – and maybe this year will have some fruit on our trees to pick and I preserve by bottling or freezing our excess produce.) Lately there has been much interest and research on the benefits of establishing and maintaining healthy gut flora – the building blocks of good health. “Lee Holmes knows firsthand how important a healthy gut is to feeling your best, and in Heal You Gut she shows the reader in a logical, stepwise fashion how healing your gut is the gateway to healing your health issues.” Dr Vincent Pedre (foreword Heal Your Gut.)

Lee Holmes provides the reader with a template for improving the ratio of good gut bacteria in the gut and provides an easy to follow protocol to heal and maintain a healthy gut barrier. Juices, smoothies, milks and bone broths are healing and soothing, removing and replacing certain foods in your diet will help correct the balance of ‘good to bad’ bacteria in the gut, and when the gut is stronger there are foods such as fermented veg to help keep your digestive system on track. In Heal Your Gut Lee Holmes provides the reader an easy to follow, beautifully illustrated practical guide to a healthier you from inside out. What extra steps am I taking to help heal my gut? Using bone broths as stock where and when I can in my cooking (and this stock adds such great flavour to your meals too – you will really notice the difference), I have replaced margarines, hydrogenised fats and corn based cooking oils with olive oil and coconut oil and butter, I use only pink Himalayan salt if I use salt in my cooking/on my table, I drink rooibos tea, I have almost eliminated processed food from my pantry…and we buy and consume freer range chicken and grass feed beef and lamb and recently have added ferment veg in the form of sauerkraut to our meals; small changes can make a difference.

This is a great practical guide to help you get your gut health back on track!

Home made fermented vegetables.