The Well-Fed Microbiome Cookbook: Vital Microbiome Diet Recipes to Repair and Renew the Body and Brain

The first 40 pages comprise a good, informed, up to date and interesting intro. As our knowledge and understanding develops in future, it is clear that looking after our microbiome will become increasingly important to personal health and well being. Pages 40-60 introduce a two-phase approach to improving your own microbiome. This appears to be based on the evidence available in early 2016 (which is clearly referenced, but only limited research on dietary interventions on gut health is available at this time) and so aspects of the dietary recommendations might be challenged as we learn more from future studies and research. The microbiome is going to be a very hot area for future medical research and much more clear evidence and information is likely to be available. That said, this seems to be a reasonable approach to increasing the diversity of your microbiome based on the best information available as the book went to print. Phase one being stricter in terms of exclusion and Phase two allowing gradual reintroduction of foods, according to individual tolerance. Many items labelled " avoid " in phase one are permitted in phase two and the basis for this advice is unclear. It is permitted to go straight to Phase two which would seem simpler, quicker and easier if tolerated by the individual. Are the phases over-complicating the issue? Perhaps; as the authors admit, they don't have all the answers. For example the advice on carbohydrate intake is vague, unclear and not well supported by evidence (preliminary research on low FODMAP in IBS and its effect on the microbiome is limited) and similarly IBD-AID diet has limited supporting evidence). But to be fair, that is all the evidence that is available at the present time.We know that certain health problems such as IBS and IBD have associations with differences in the microbiome, But these are not clearly understood and no cause-effect relationship has been established. The effect of diet on these conditions is similarly not yet clearly understood. However, many individuals can see the potential value of optimising their own microbiome based on currently available 2016 evidence. This is what this book attempts to facilitate with its two phase approach. Either way by phase 2 you end up ultimately increasing dietary fibre, avoiding processed foods, wheat and sugar - I think this is the simple take home message of the book. Tips for success include using meal planning, home preparation in quantity and restaurant menu exchanges to optimise your diet for most of the time. Pages 60-260 consist of microbiome-friendly recipes, mostly without photographs - which would have been helpful if included.I enjoyed reading this book but have yet to try the recipes, but I would recommend the book to others who are interested in learning more about this fascinating area.

I tried many of the recipes in this book- they are delicious and easy to modify if you are constrained at all . Very informative introduction that is simple for anyone to understand.

This book was a starting point for me in a long journey that eventually led to a resolution of my digestive issues. Hooray! For that I'm really grateful. That being said, I do feel it necessary to share a few of the pitfalls as well as some of the great things about this book, and why I found it necessary to supplement it with two other resources:Great ThingsIt pulls together the knowledge from a lot of different sources. This book pulls heavily from low FODMAP research, but it also incorporates other knowledge like the benefits of fermented foods, prebiotics, and fiber. Additionally, it discusses the harm you can theoretically cause with consuming large amounts of sugars, processed oils, corn, potatoes, and too much red meat -- something that FODMAP research doesn't really get into (at least not in most guides I've seen).The idea of two phases, or what is practically a detox and then a reincorporation phase, is also a great way to really determine your own personal triggers and problems. The recipes were super helpful too as the list of no-gos was extremely lengthy to start.Missing Information or Lack of NuanceA word of caution -- a few of the foods on the "good" list were not low FODMAP, or were only low FODMAP in small amounts. The book would have benefitted from listing recommended serving sizes.Most notable of these for me was almonds. Almonds are only low FODMAP up to a small handful. When I started using almond flour in a lot of things, I experienced sudden major stomach upset again. This was very confusing and sad until I downloaded the Monash University low FODMAP mobile app, and saw that almonds are not a use-indiscriminately-as-much-as-you-want food.You should also be cautious with tofu, also on this book's good list ("silken" tofu is high FODMAP, whereas "firm" is low FODMAP), and spelt (not necessarily low FODMAP). Avocado, on the good list, can also be irritating as it's high in sorbitol in larger than an 8th of a fruit, and brussels sprouts should only be eaten in moderation (1-2 sprouts). Weirdly, broccoli was on the "bad" list even though it's low FODMAP up to nearly a cup!Aside from the lack of guidance on those FODMAPs, which resulted in me looking up nearly every food on the Monash app, there was also a lack of guidance on testing before the second phase. It basically said, "Try adding a food back, then a little more the next day. Then a little more, then see how you feel." That might work for some people, but I wanted a better method than just bringing in over 50 foods one at a time in random amounts. I looked around online, and there are actually FODMAP reintroduction plans. This is much more scientific. It takes longer, but it will actually tell you what *types* of FODMAPs you may have sensitivities to out of the six, and give you a sense of the quantities you can manage of each (fructans, fructose, galactans, lactose, sorbitol, mannitol). I used this book and found it up to the task:  Re-challenging and Reintroducing FODMAPS: A self-help guide to the entire reintroduction phase of the low FODMAP diet .I know this is not just a FODMAP book, but that is the bulk of it, so I think it needs to be a little bit more detailed on that score.In SumWith a lot of patience, you can learn a lot about your digestive system. Just for myself, I learned that high amounts of fructans (particularly wheat fructans), sorbitol, mannitol and fructose were problematic. I can still eat some of them in limited amounts. I also notice that oil, sugars, corn, and potatos can slowly become a problem. It's all cumulative, so I can still eat all of them in moderation. However, that is not the whole picture. I find that the more fiber, prebiotics and fermented foods, I add to my diet, the more resilient my stomach seems to be, and the more "irritants" I can tolerate. Over time, I've gained an intuitive sense of the thresholds of most of these for myself. However, it was very important to have a detox period where I cut them all to give my system a chance to recover.Thanks to the author of this book for a holistic picture of the gut, and some practical action steps. Maybe in an updated version, some of the FODMAP info can be clarified or corrected.

Unlike some.of the other reviwers, my current diet isn't far off from Campbell's recommendations. I purchased this book because after reading the Sonnenburgs' Good Gut (which this author also recommends if you want more of the science behind her suggestions), I was hungry (wink) for more recipes that focused on veggies, fiber, and fermentation.Overall, I am very excited to try many of the recipes in this book. The breakfast section goes well beyond steel cut oats and occaional eggs (my usual), adding a few porridge grains that I have yet to try. There are a large number of fish and shellfish recipes, as the author builds off of a Mediterranean diet. I cannot wait to try out some home fermentation; the directions seem clear, but are a divided between the kitchen tools and tips section and the recipe directions, making me glad I went back and read the rest of the book before trying to make the kefir.My only big complaint is that there are fewer recipes featuring legumes than I had hoped. I am only doing phase 2, and when it comes to a protein source with lots of fiber and no TMAO, beans are hard to beat. Had the Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Bowl for dinner, and it was perfect.

This has been an interesting book for me to read. I believe in the microbiome and how our bodies have an intermingled relationship. I keep a current year updated Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen in a memo on my phone. I now have a food supplier that delivers organic fruits and vegetables so lots of ideas to try out!

Great cook book with lots of information about the microbiome. If you Google her, Kristina Campbell is very involved in microbiome research and science.

Love this book. After years of gut issues and restricting my diet I learnt about feeding and flourishing my microbiom. Recopies are easy, There are loads of variety and caters for almost every one. Read alongside the Good Gut and you will flourish your microbiom in no time. Had more positive changes through diet changes than I have through supplementation.

Lovely recipes

A very good book, arrived on time in perfect condition.

Disappointing and reiterating debunked nutritional myths; pity as the author continuously reassures the reader that she has done extensive research. I would not use as credible reference.