The Microbiome Diet: The Scientifically Proven Way to Restore Your Gut Health and Achieve Permanent Weight Loss (Microbiome Medicine Library) Paperback – June 30, 2015

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!

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 refuse to call this a "diet" book, although I've lost about 13 pounds by following its guidelines. I feel and look so much healthier since implementing the Microbiome regimen of eating. A note of caution...if you aren't willing to commit to changing your eating habits drastically for at least 7 weeks, this probably isn't for you. No dairy, no sugar or carbs, even some vegetables and fruits are off limits.The one drawback for me is all the supplements you have to take to heal your gut and change your intestinal environment. It was sometimes confusing as to exactly which supplements I needed; a comprehensive "shopping list" of the entire regimen would have been useful. It has some delicious recipes, several of which I make regularly. For the price difference, I'd opt to buy the actual book, instead of the Kindle version if I had it to do over again. It's much easier for me to access a physical book with post-it bookmarks than an electronic one, especially when I'm constantly accessing its information.