Mary Purdy MS RDN - The Microbiome Diet Reset: A Practical Guide to Restore and Protect a Healthy Microbiome

Copyright 2020 by Rockridge Press, Emeryville, California

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Interior and Cover Designer: John Calmeyer
Art Producer: Sue Bischofberger
Editor: Gurvinder Singh Gandu
Production Editor: Rachel Taenzler

Illustration 2019 Leonardo Gauna

Cover Photography Alicia Cho, Biz Jones, Emulsion Studio, Marija Vidal, Marcus Spiske/Unsplash, Floortje/iStock, eriksvoboda/iStock, Azure-Dragon/iStock, Igor Sirbu/Shutterstock, sabyna75/Shutterstock, and spline_x/Shutterstock.

Interior Photography Foxys Forest Manufacture/shutterstock, p. courtesy of Autumn Azure.

ISBN: Print 978-1-64152-532-9 | eBook 978-1-64152-533-6
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For my partner in life, Keith, and for the trillions of microorganisms in my own gut that have kept me healthy and happy over many years. And for the curious and stubborn two-year-old Mary Purdy, who for some unknown reason decided to lick the floor of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, which has likely fortified my gut for a lifetime.

Contents

As a dietitian who has been in clinical practice for more than 12 yearsone who can genuinely say that she enjoys talking about poop, even at the dinner tableI am thrilled to be providing you with a guide that is easy to navigate, interesting to read, and simple to apply. You may have picked up this book out of sheer curiosity and, if so, welcome! Or maybe youve been struggling with health issues, digestive or otherwise, that just dont seem to resolve, and youre seeking answersa big hello to you, as well. I hope this book will be helpful, even if it just gives you a better understanding of what may be going on with your digestive function.

Ive worked with more than 1,500 patients who have struggled with every health concern you can think ofautoimmune diseases, inflammatory issues, insulin resistance, cardiovascular worries, and obesity, as well as depression, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, migraines, and skin problems. While some issues are more serious than others, Ive found that most chronic conditions almost always take me back to the bodys main hub of wellness: the gut. This is the place, of course, where we digest, absorb, and process our nutrients from the food we eat, but it is also the space where we produce nutrients, communicate with our brain, inform our immune system, detoxify, and eliminate waste.

Time and again, Ive found that when Ive helped individuals resolve digestive issues or focus on enhancing gut health, many other health problems work themselves out or, at the very least, improve. Currently, many chronic conditions are addressed with medications that suppress symptoms instead of working to get to the root cause of why things got out of balance and stopped functioning properly in the first place. In numerous cases, we can point to dysfunction in the digestive tract as being at least a contributing factor, if not a main culprit, and switching up ones diet and lifestyle can be the key to turning things around. It has been incredibly gratifying to witness people overcome health issues they thought were just the way things were. This is why Im delighted to be offering you this book to help you uncover what might be going on and lead you back to a road to vitality.

Ive also spent four years working at a company that collected and tested stool samples in order to determine the level of diversity of organisms in the microbiomes of our clients. While working with this organization, I was able to help a number of clients connect the dots between what was happening in their gut and the symptoms they were experiencing, whether related to gastrointestinal (GI) or immune function. In many cases, when they introduced a greater variety of more nutritious foods rich in fiber, removed some of the food aggravators, and modified non-supportive lifestyle habits, we noted a difference in the makeup of their microbial community. In turn, they noticed a difference in how they felt.

You may have heard the phrase, The way to a mans heart is through his stomach. Well, Ill put my own twist on that and say, The way to a persons well-being is through their gut. And this book is a perfect place to start, whether youre looking for a few tweaks or a real overhaul aimed at improving your mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

The chapters ahead will provide you with helpful insights into the role these gut bugs play in our lives. They will also offer simple and realistic ways to effectively modify your community of gut bacteria via diet and lifestyle strategiesand to make sure that its both easy and pleasurable to do so. In my experience, when people enjoy the changes they make, its a lot more fun to stick to the plan. Thats why I have given you a bevy of mouth-watering and fairly simple recipes that you can start incorporating into your diet immediately.

There are also a couple of options for meal plans to suit your needs. You may be the person whos ready to go all out, do a 180, and maybe even throw a dinner party with your soon-to-be new favorite foods. Or you may be that person with the sensitive system who needs to be mindful of what you eat in order to avoid stomach aches and unpleasant GI symptoms. Either way, this book has you covered.