Gut Check: Unleash the Power of Your Microbiome to Reverse Disease and Transform Your Mental, Physical, and Emotional Health (The Plant Paradox, 7) by Steven R. Gundry

Gut Check: Unleash the Power of Your Microbiome to Reverse Disease and Transform Your Mental, Physical, and Emotional Health (The Plant Paradox, 7) Reviews

• 
  Perri

  A dangerous book. I'm a journalist and am on some mailing list so received an advanced copy of this book unsolicited. I had never heard of the author before so decided to give it a try. The first few chapters were interesting enough and had me convinced I should be paying more attention to my microbiome. While Gundry used WAY too many exclamation marks, I didn't really become suspect until he started throwing out ridiculous claims like whole grains are bad for you, smoking is OK, and you should drink champagne and red wine daily. Things really devolved once the book finally got to the actual "Gut Check program" which was basically just a random section on intermittent fasting and a list of acceptable/not acceptable foods with no context or info. Then alarm bells went off more when he started plugging his own food products throughout the book, like, hey, don't eat spaghetti but eat Gundry spaghetti. Also, I found it really odd that he spent a few pages bashing Dan Buettner's Blue Zones, yet also regularly referred to Blue Zones when trying to lend credence to his cherry-picked hypotheses about health , like 99% of men in Ikaria smoke or 4 out of 5 Blue Zones eat this random nutrient I reccomend. He seems like a total quack. Please don't read this book.
• 
  Lauren

  3.5 stars. I don’t understand the intense criticism toward Dr. Gundry and the misrepresentation of what he writes. “He’s a quack who supports smoking” has become such a common sound bite, when he quite directly states smoking is bad and you should abstain. What he discusses in relation to smoking is the interesting longevity experienced by some cultures who smoke, and the theory that other foods they are consuming offer a protective effect against the damage from cigarettes.
  
  You have to have some critical thinking skills as you read this book and knowledge of the complexity and difficult nature of nutrition research. It also helps to understand that while scientists universally agree the gut microbiome is important, they haven’t figured out the best way to protect and repair it. Maybe it’s fair to fault Dr. Gundry for presenting himself as a definitive expert, but if you can get over that, there are many interesting takeaways and only a few utterly wacky claims.
• 
  Donna

  This book is being slaughtered in the reviews. I can't refute the negative feedback because of course I have my own and I agree with a lot of what has been said especially the part where his books are informercials for his products.
  
  Now with all the irritants aside, I can appreciate the author for sounding the alarm when it comes to microbiome health and the crucial role it plays in the overall health of humans at any age. I think he sincerely wants to help people and he tries to create space for future dialogue. However, with that said it always feels like his books miss the mark because at times it feels like he is helping himself more than his audience.
  
  And that leads me to this one thing common in his last few books. What is the most irritating are all his metaphors, similies, and analogies (all are present) when trying to illustrate his message. It is mind boggling the number of times he tries to call a thing something entirely different and then assign it a personality and a role....ugh. I am so not a fan of that. So 3 stars.
• 
  Caleb Fogler

  Some of the things I’ve heard before from other sources such as eat more fermented food and less processed sugar, etc. However this author sounds more like a Wild West drug salesman, as he stating how his diet is basically a cure all from depression to cancer and diseases in between.
  
  As mentioned in other reviews, the author states how the blue zone study is not factual but then uses the communities of the blue zone study to argue his point. And while I’m not a medical expert, some of his theories go against wide spread nutritional advice such as not eating whole grains or when the author seems to advocate for smoking to introduce nicotine to the gut.
  
  Interested to hear more nutritionist and doctors opinions on the author’s theories but not willing to try them out on myself.
• 
  Aly

  Having absolutely no background in bio or anatomy this book was tough to comprehend, despite the author’s best efforts at making it non-science reader friendly. My biggest struggle with the book however is that I unfortunately am coming away from it more confused about how to achieve better health. Apparently all of these things I thought were “healthy” (spinach, fruit, oats, eggs, whole grains) are not? May not be? May be okay if I only eat them at certain times, or cut them out of my diet and add them back in? Wish I could come away from this book with clearer takeaways beyond the fact that intermittent fasting = good… more takeaways on what to eat that are more achievable/realistic to the average person who isn’t a health nut.
• 
  Arielle

  Didn’t love it as much as his other books, but I appreciate the evidence-based updates and his detailed scientific explanations (for the average listener) to his conclusions, as always. I think nothing is lost by skipping the first few chapters.
• 
  Cristian Cristea

  Might be seen as controversial but far from being dangerous. There is so much we don’t know and truth is so well hidden from us by the food industry giants that any book based on research on ecosystems in our gut is welcome.
  
  Now, we can’t take everything for granted. I apply some logical filters
  1. Is the recommended food readily available in the supermarket? If no, then it got my interest.
  2. Is the recommended food something a hunter gatherer ( some 30k years ago) might recognise as food? If yes, it got my attention.
  
  We evolved for millions of years with our “gut buddies” and what we currently call food only has at best a few thousand years but more likely a few decades and is produced by one of the less than 50 companies that directly or indirectly “feed” the world. These companies couldn’t care less about gut buddies, especially if they cannot bring quick profits.
  
  Research in this field is only a few years old. What was good 10 years ago, is refuted by new studies. Worse, some studies are paid by giant food corporations. What we all should do is educate ourselves in this area so that we are less dependent on the companies that are feeding us junk for their bottom line only.
• 
  Sara

  While there is much more research to be done, I appreciated the explanations and suggestions he provided with current research. Being my first book about all things gut, I found it to be a useful starting point.
• 
  victoria

  learned lots about my gut buddies!
• 
  Shahzad Ahmed

  Summary:
  
  Gut Check illuminates the profound influence of our gut bacteria on health and longevity, debunking conventional dietary myths. It emphasizes the significance of nurturing our microbiome with specific foods like fermented dairy products, polyphenol-rich fruits, and vegetables, and highlights the detriments of lectins. Ultimately, it presents a compelling case for reevaluating our dietary choices to support vibrant health and a longer life.
• 
  Agustina Vergara Cid

  I found Gundry’s bold claims to be suspicious. E.g.: he recommends against ginger (!) but says drinking 4+ oz of wine with dinner is fine. Science has repeatedly shown than alcohol in any amount is detrimental to overall health. While it *may* help the microbiome in some way (which I find doubtful), you can’t lose sight of the fact that the human body is a whole, not a sum of parts. You can’t just look at things that are good for the microbiome and say that’s what’s overall best to do for someone. Otherwise, we’d never take antibiotics and we’d die with our first bout of strep throat.
  
  On this last point, this book bashes modern science like it’s absolutely toxic. It talks endlessly about how our ancestors lived, like it was a dream situation they had going because their microbiome were immaculate. Gundry fails to acknowledge that men back then lived to the ripe old age of 35 years old, and women to the ripe old age of child birth. Modern science (including antibiotics) is what has allowed us to live so long. From Gundry’s book, you’d never know that modern science and medicine did any good to humanity, it has only poisoned it. It attacks pesticides and GMOs as if they hadn’t allowed millions and millions of people to be fed, when they would’ve starved otherwise.
  
  This is an utterly dishonest book, and the fear-mongering is intense. I feel bad for those who read it without a critical eye, they’ll see evil and destruction all around them and they’ll be afraid to eat thinking they’re being poisoned. There’s some good advice, like intermittent fasting to allow your gut time to digest properly and help with motility (not sure Gundry puts it on this exact terms).
  
  I regret reading this book. I’d advise people interested in gut health to seek actual specialists on gut issues that are evidence-based in actual human trials, and that have a nuanced view of modern life and science. Yes, a lot of our modern life, including antibiotics when overprescribed, are damaging our gut. But we also have the best standard of living *overall* in history, we have the best life expectancy ever, and modern science fixes a lot of the problem it causes (e.g.: we have incredibly effective probiotics). Not to mention that we wouldn’t have half of humanity without antibiotics and other wonders or modern medicine. It’s true, medications including antibiotics are overprescribed and it often makes us sicker, but a nuanced approach is needed to judge the topic objectively.
  
  Gundry lacks all nuance and objectivity.
• 
  Alicia Bayer

  I am kind of all over the place with this book. Gundry spends almost the entire book telling you why every kind of chemical, additive and wrong food is disastrous for your health (not really arguing with him) with piles and piles of footnotes and interesting information. I just wanted him to get to what I should eat, which he finally did at the end and it was like five pages and utterly depressing and confusing. If I were struggling with a devastating autoimmune illness I likely would dive into this. He is a medical doctor who uses this with impressive results on many patients. But I have spent decades having to live or cook gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, all natural, keto, dairy free, etc for my own health or to take care of loved ones (to great results I should say, having reversed serious illness and transformed our health multiple times so I am not saying I regret it) and I don’t have the energy to cut 90% of conventional foods out of my kitchen in another direction for a crap shoot.
  
  I feel like this could have been so much better if he had focused more on how to eat enough of the foods that make our guts diverse and happy, plus information like these bacteria help mental health and here are foods that make them thrive, rather than just one long list at the end of things we should eat like buffalo milk and hundreds of things we can’t like zucchini or just about anything in the grocery store. Also, I think you need to live in his income bracket to afford this.
  
  I read a digital copy of this book for review.
• 
  Charles Reed

  73%
  
  The actual gut microbial science is pretty spot on, if you look at the research that we gathered it leads you to correct hypothesis however he doesn't cite sources which is weird and he should but there's also a lot of stuff in here that I wouldn't recommend because it's not healthy, like intermittent fasting is really bad for your muscles and FYI your body is composed of muscles from your muscular skeletal system to your smooth unstriated muscles, so not getting in enough protein throughout your day which if you consume only 2 hours a day with a protein that's not enough to actually sustain your body's muscular systems.
  
  The idea is about smoking are bizarre and no you shouldn't go smoke from what all from he said, however with the whole grain science as well fiber is a shaky science, it's mostly because of the enriched nutrients that the flours contain so trying to get in a specific amount of fiber in your diet is really shaky science at best and if you present the information in the community to people that care about the actual facts and science behind it you can get some really shaky answers.
  
  Largely, the biggest benefit to fiber is soluble fiber is nice for your gut microbes. However, all sources of fiber can slow the absorption of sugar, which can be beneficial if you're a pre-diabetic or diabetic.
• 
  Jane

  Listened to this to see what Gundry has updated since his Plant Paradox books. The narration is really slow and annoyingly animated – if you listen to this book, I recommend you speed it up one notch, then it seems fine.
  
  He’s super heavy on science for almost all of the book, way more than most people will tolerate. If you’ve read a lot on the microbiome, you may pick up some more information here, but it is a lot.
  
  The actual Gut Check plan is only in the last couple of chapters, one mostly on intermittent fasting and what has been learned since the keto craze. It doesn’t look hugely different from the Plant Paradox, just some updates regarding dairy, a few new notes on what to avoid with autoimmune issues, etc.
  
  Gundry’s Plant Paradox has been life changing for me, my husband, and friends. Inflammation gone. Cholesterol normal. Joint pain vastly improved. Weight down. Whether there’s anything to the lectins piece, or if it’s just removing sugar, grains, & nightshades, we are definitely healthier.
  
  If you are new to Gundry, I would not start with this book. Read the Plant Paradox, or if you’re not really into all the science and anecdotes, just get the Plant Paradox Cookbook, which is amazing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  David

  When the introduction of a book makes the following statements, it's already a red flag for me:
  
  "Hippocrates was 100 percent correct more than twenty-four hundred years ago when he said, “All disease begins in the gut.”...He proposed that we all have within us (translated from Greek) a “green life-force energy” that provides perfect health. ...I propose advancing Hippocrates’ theory a step further to say that all diseases can be cured in the gut, too."
  
  Really? ALL?!??
  
  This is one of those mixed bag books where you can't really be sure what is evidence-based and what is evidence-biased. There is a lot of good stuff but also a fair amount of questionable conclusions.
  
  I guess if you are really at wit's end with your health, there's no harm in trying out some of his "cures". As long as you are not harming yourself, why not?
• 
  Gabby

  Dr. Gundry is wonderful at breaking down medical / academic jargon. It reads not as a published paper but as a helpful narrative as to how your stomach really works, what is causing it to not work, and steps to bring your biome back into balance. I especially enjoyed the chapters that connected how an unhealthy stomach leads to health issues with mental health and hormones.
  
  The only downside of the book is the tactics recommended to heal your gut biome, which include fasting and avoiding disruptive food items. It would take careful planning, especially in a typical American 8-hour workday schedule.
  
  As someone who is tired of dealing with gastritis pain and ongoing acid reflux I am willing to try the recommended methods.
  
• 
  Ada

  Of the books of this type, I preferred "The Mind Gut Connection" for accessibility, scientific examination, wonder and rigor. I understand that our microbiome has a massive influence on our health but Gundry veers toward the territory of "all things can be cured through his direction" in a way that is too reminiscent of health gurus and influencers. He's absolutely preferable to said influencers because he does have much higher quality information and my aversion is absolutely a matter of personal preference. There are aspects of food, nourishment and consumption that he does not acknowledge. Likely because they are outside of his expertise but I feel he could have acknowledged more complexity instead of claiming to have all the answers.
• 
  mono

  Shameless self-promotion aside, there's some important lessons to be learned here. I should also note I'm in no way the target audience for this book - which is people more on the ropes with nutrition. Even so I'd place my bets on ZOE rather than this.
  
  Doc Gundry goes hard sci-fi into the gut walls, mitochondrial uncoupling, various chemical signals the gut uses to talk with the body, how round up fucked up American bread products, metabolic inflexibility. Dr. Gundry is probably also the pioneer of micro-dosing alcohol, which if I had the self discipline to follow would lead to nirvana. There's more but that's what stood out on a quick pass.
• 
  Karen

  I read and appreciate this kind of book--medical info and better eating for better life and better health. But this one left me cold, from the Table of Contents to the unclear text. I turned to the last chapter to see the "food plan," but it was just lists of things. And because both "good" and "bad: t things are listed for pages, it was hard to distinguish which category these items belonged to. I just gave up. Not interested.
• 
  Casey Ruka

  I had made a goal to learn more about the gut this year and this book was a good place to start. Dr. Gundry broke information down in a way that was easy for the reader to understand and apply. I was glad to see that current research was referenced but was hoping to get even more of it. Didn’t care for the intermittent fasting emphasis towards the end and felt like the book and it’s information changed direction
• 
  Johnna Stein

  I listened to part of this book, then read the last chapters. I found the microbiome info quite interesting. It got a little repetitive yet I continued to get to the best part. But for me, I cannot spend that much time figuring out which food is in season when and what to eat, not eat, how little, how much. It felt overwhelming to figure it all out and would truly become the focus of my life. I do appreciate that he says red wine and champagne are good in moderation!