A very pleasant surprise was that items I thought were naughty but that I enjoyed immensely, like strong coffee, dark chocolate, nuts, high fat yoghurt, wine and cheese, are actually likely to be healthy for me and my microbes.
There are a lot of books on nutrition, but this one is written by the Director of the TwinsUK Registry, which has detailed data on 11,000 twins. With more than 5,000 pairs, one as variable, one control group, a lot of good research can be made.
The book talks about the microbes in our guts and how they influence our health. It covers a lot, from fats and sugar, to vitamins and antibiotics. It gave me the impression of a good education in what to eat. The chapter on antibiotics was quite strong.
As many good books show, there is no silver bullet. Of course, we all know that eating non-refined, mostly plants, not a lot, is good, particularly with some exercise; but beyond this, Dr Spector basically says that we are all different and we should discover our own way.
He puts some thought and presents some research in other areas as well, such as fasting, various type of diets and some really weird experiences.
Overall, the book is also packed with examples of various patients, mainly twins, showing how microbes influence our body and how different we all are, one from the other.
The book is less about demystifying, but about creating a good education on nutritional health…which I can all, but recommend.
Mike Bostan - personal blog on book reviews and energy studies 