Gut and glory

The last few weeks I’ve been playing Florence Nightingale. My son has been in and out of hospital for various reasons and so the book Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders and narrated by Katy Sobey (I listened to the audiobook) came at an opportune time for me. In fact, the book was so fascinating that I’m trying to convince my mother to buy the hard copy so I can read it again in black and white.

If you’ve ever sat down to think how or why your body continues to let you down – this really could be the answer to so many questions you’ve had about your own health. And Enders does not hesitate at the tough road blocks: stool consistency; the colour of urine; why passing wind of various sorts is essential; the reasons for constipation and reflux (all of which my children have loved to hear about); the role of natural birth and breast feeding in keeping babies healthy; and how antibiotics affect you. Yet arguably more important than all of these, Gut explains the vital role played by bacteria in your body and how to coax the right ones to make you their home.

Gut, pic by Pixabay

Whether you have a diabetic in the family, or you suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, autoimmune disease, bad breath, depression or other seemingly unexplained conditions, this really could be the book to offer you some key answers. And since I am not a person who reads health books particularly much or follows any fad diets, this opinion comes from a regular person with regular health problems and a regular family to take care of (if that is at all possible).

I am more than surprised to say I loved this book. It is written with clear language that any layman can understand. (My ten-year-old is enjoying it right now.) Highly recommended for anyone who has a gut and wants to know more about it!