I have to start off by saying if you have gut issues or even if you don’t but you are interested in learning more about gut health, this is the book for you! If you have been following my blog for a while you’ll know that I have celiac disease, you will also know that I’ve been struggling with ongoing gut and full-body symptoms even with following a strict gluten-free diet. This is the book that changed my mindset on gut health and had me start working with a registered dietician.

Dr. Megan Rossi is, “a Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist with a Ph.D. in gut health from the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Queensland, Australia. Megan’s Ph.D. was recognized for its contribution to science receiving the Dean’s Award for excellence. Megan leads research at King’s College London investigating nutrition-based therapies in gut health, including pre- & probiotics, dietary fibres, the low FODMAP diet and food additives.^1″

She starts the book off by explaining about her grandma who was diagnosed with bowel cancer, and how when she started working in the hospital as a dietician she had a lot of patients with kidney disease who were complaining of gut issues. She then went on to work with Olympic athletes and company CEOs who got her thinking about the link between the gut and the brain (the gut-brain axis). From here she went into research to make a difference, but she found that even with the research that was being done and that was available, there were false and dangerous fad nutritional messages being passed to the public. She educates the public that restricting diets and taking expensive supplements can destroy people’s gut health. Her mission is to now spread true information about gut health and nutrition through evidence-based research. She also talks a lot about getting enough “plant points” in your diet every day by eating a wide range of plant-based foods.

When I say this book is jam-packed with exceptional information, I mean that I have post-it notes all over this book to the information I have referenced back to time and time again. The book is full of evidence-based information from the gut microbiota to food intolerances and irritable bowel syndrome, plus so much more. She explains the information in a way that anyone would understand and in a way that really sticks with you as well. She wrote the book in a way that as you are reading about the information given, you will also have the opportunity to take her assessment quizzes to find out the state of your individual gut health. By the end of the book, you may have a better understanding of what is going on in your own gut and have a better idea of what to do to correct it. It’s like having a dietician right there in your own home!

What made me pick up this book

For a short personal story, I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2017. I went on a gluten-free diet immediately after being diagnosed. After a few months of continual symptoms even with following a strict gluten-free diet, I started reaching out for help. The walk-in doctors were of no help as they kept telling me to continue eating a gluten-free diet and I would be fine. This is when I started reaching out for help from other healthcare providers like naturopaths, acupuncturists and nutritionists, all of which were helpful in their own way but something did not add up. I was placed on extreme elimination diets like the hypoallergenic diet and I was told through a muscle food intolerance test that I was intolerant to certain foods and needed to avoid them. I was not told that I could eventually reintroduce those foods back into my diet, like what Dr. Rossi explains in her book, but instead, I was told to eat restrictively and avoid those foods for the rest of my life. This was not the lifestyle I wanted for myself and I eventually started to develop anxiety over food. This past year I started wondering if the anxiety I felt over the foods I was told to avoid was contributing to my ongoing gut health issues. It turns out, I was right.

Fast forward to last year when I started reading Dr. Rossi’s book, Love Your Gut, after listening to her speak over many podcasts and on her social media platforms. After reading her book and completing the self-assessments, I decided to give working with a dietician a try. I cannot emphasize this enough, I wish I started working with one sooner, as I have noticed more difference in my gut over 6 months of working with one than in the 4 years with other healthcare providers. This is not to say other healthcare providers do not help, but be sure you are working with the right ones for your individual needs.

I feel like I could write a book-length reason why you should read this book. Definitely pick up a copy for yourself or a friend or family member you feel may need it, I’ve bought this book for many people in my life. She even has delicious recipes to try at the end of the book, they will definitely help you get your ‘plant points.’

I personally cannot wait for her next book, Eat More Live Well, to be available in Canada, but in the meantime check this one out!

Thank you Dr. Rossi for all that you do, you’ve helped to transform my life and I’m sure many others as well!

Click here for her Instagram page. Click here for her amazing blog.

This review was in no way sponsored – more a way to spread the word on a great book and human being!

References:

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/megan-rossi

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