Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The method of eating in this book works. Very quickly too. I am NOT a patient of the doctor, but I have been following the method of eating in this book several months before this book came out. I arrived at this diet by studying research on the gut microbiome and figuring out how to implement that research into my own eating. The amazing thing to me is that the doctor's recommended diet and conclusions are similar to my own. And what he has observed in his patients is exactly what I have observed of myself. I have spontaneously lost a lot of weight and six inches off my waistline. My lipids are great, but were statin worthy before I started. I have lost hypoglycemia, allergies of all types, and simply feel great. I felt I was a very healthy person before I started, but the list of improved things is very long. I say "spontaneously" because, as the doctor states, this is not a diet requiring calorie counting. It does not require restricting any particular macronutrient. You eat what you normally eat (minus bad foods listed by the doctor, but this was not a big deal for me) but add gut friendly foods. The emphasis is on inulin, found in garlic, onions, asparagus, and such. I'll add dandelion greens because I enjoy them and they are a better source than a few of the others mentioned. Also probiotic foods. I will also point out that some Korean markets have leek kimchi and scallion kimchi, so one can get a dose of inulin along with the probiotics. Plus authentic Korean kimchi to me is better than the health-store "kimchi". I found that I was losing weight, about 2 lbs per week. Without doing anything other than making sure I got plenty of gut friendly foods. Then my tastes started changing. I'd get out of the blue cravings. One was for raw honey (sorry doc, I know it is on your bad list, but my gut wanted it). I've never eaten it raw since an allergic reaction some time ago. One tablespoon, and that's what I needed. Other similar cravings. Soon I learned to listen to my gut and let it tell me what I needed. It's almost a dialogue between my brain and my gut. I eat what I want, but to be frank what I want is good, healthy food. Now my weight is stable at a healthy level. I eat what I want. But what I want is different from before. I want onions. I want garlic. I want all the good stuff that feeds the gut. The doctor says at various stages you can deviate 90% or 70% from the diet. The funny thing to me is these deviation numbers also seem automatic - I'd say they are about right, but the gut stops you from going to far. It's not something I have to think about. I try to get as much of my fiber as possible from real food. But there are some advantages to supplementation as well. I was previously hypoglycemic, but my symptoms did not fully disappear until I started taking glucomannan. Also, for those of us with cholesterol issues, there are several fibers of benefit. These additional fibers are not in the book. I end with a quotes from the book that perfectly reflects my experience: "Restoring their intestinal health and balancing the microbiome frees them from cravings and compulsions while putting them in touch with what their body needs and wants. It's almost as if they have awakened their 'inner nutritionist', instinctively seeking foods they need to remain healthy, energized, and fit." Exactly! We discovered it independently, but the doctor has a great book!