The 21st century is the era of the tummy ache.
Around one in five adults in the UK are thought to suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, while chronic inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's and Colitis have seen an upturn in diagnoses in the last few decades.
According to a 2022 study by Crohn’s and Colitis UK over half a million (one in every 123 people) in the UK are living with the eponymous conditions, which is nearly double that of the 300,000 previously estimated.
While the 2020s have also seen a drive towards clean eating movements, organic and unprocessed food isn’t entirely accessible for the average citizen – leaving many of us doomed to supermarket soups, ready meals and even those ghastly meal replacement subscriptions.
The key is in the first letter of the acronym IBD. Inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s and Colitis are thought to be triggered by diet, though the exact cause remains scarily unknown. New research revealing the inextricable link between the brain and the gut microbiome, however, is offering promising explanations paired with surprisingly simple solutions.
We’re not exactly experts in the field, so we’ll leave it up to the scientific community to explain just what the microbiome is, and why gut health is the key to leading a happier and healthier life. Keep scrolling for the best books about gut health to take control of your digestion once and for all.
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Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body's Most Underrated Organ by Giulia Enders
The instant New York Times bestseller by Giulia Enders has been revised with even more life-altering information, including an entire chapter on the brain-gut axis. With easy-to-follow explanations and captivating illustrations by Jill Enders, readers will be able to explore everything from the connection between our mental health and the gut microbiome to why exactly acid reflux happens and the groundbreaking discovery of psychobiotics.
Buy now £13.07, Amazon
Food for Life: The New Science of Eating Well by Tim Spector
Founder of cult-favourite personalised nutrition programme ZOE, scientist, epidemiologist and Professor of Genetics, it’s safe to say that Tim Spector can be relied upon as an authoritative source for all things gut health.
In Food for Life, the renowned author draws on cutting-edge research to empower readers who are keen to make simple, effective and science-backed changes to their diet. Spector answers questions like, “What should we avoid to protect and support our gut microbiome?” as well as “Which foods can help to boost our immune system?”.
Buy now £10.99, Amazon
Genius Gut by Dr Emily Leeming
Dr Emily Leeming is on a mission to teach those who have ever felt overwhelmed by all things wellness-related that improving your overall well-being, energy levels, brain performance and happiness doesn’t mean calorie-counting and giving up the foods you love.
In Genius Gut, Leeming lays out the guidelines for forming a healthy relationship with your gut by dispelling myths surrounding diet culture. We particularly love the fact that Leeming dedicates different sections to the female, male and neurodiverse microbiome.
Buy now £14.56, Amazon
The Good Gut by Justin and Erica Sonnenburg, PhDs
Written by husband and wife duo and Stanford University School of Medicine researchers Justin and Erica Sonnenburg PhDs, The Good Gut offers insight into the wonderful world of gut health by two of its foremost pioneers.
Originally published in 2016, the groundbreaking guide to the microbiome pushes readers to view the body as made up of both microbial and human parts by delving into the trillions of organisms representing thousands of species which live within every one of us. The beloved book also includes recipes and a menu plan to help encourage full-scale lifestyle changes.
Buy now £15.19, Amazon
The Mind-Gut Connection by Emeran Mayer
For a neuroscientific approach to understanding gut health, look no further than Emeran Mayer’s The Mind-Gut Connection. The Executive Director of the UCLA Centre for Neurobiology of Stress takes the well-known concept of trusting your gut and breaks down the scientific reasoning behind that feeling while also linking through to Aryuvedic and Chinese medicinal traditions. The author then offers a practical guide to healing the microbiome by delving into the benefits of a plant-based diet, fermented foods and so much more.
Buy now £12.19, Amazon
Fiber Fueled by Will Bulsiewicz, MD, MSCI
Don’t be discouraged by the American spelling of fibre on the cover of this best-selling gut health book by Dr Will Bulsiewicz, otherwise known as Dr B. The author makes abundantly clear from the get-go just how dangerous elimination diets are, and instead works to illustrate how gut health is the key to boosting our metabolism, balancing hormones and taming inflammation. The key? Fibre, of course.
Buy now £18.81, Amazon
Dark Matter: The New Science of the Microbiome by James Kinross
An authoritative and easy-to-digest (pardon the pun) guide to what exactly that ‘microbiome’ that everyone seems to be talking about really is, the microbiology expert Dr James Kinross takes us on an enthralling scientific and historical journey into the discovery and understanding of microbes of all types.
Buy now £9.84, Amazon
A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet and Disease by Shipla Ravella
According to Ravella, inflammation is the body’s natural response to injury and foreign microbes. However, with changing environments and modern processed diets altering the way our organs function on a day-to-day basis, contemporary human beings appear to be suffering from low-level inflammation at all times. This inflammation stays quiet and undetected but may lead to illnesses from heart disease and cancer to autoimmune diseases. How do you put out a silent fire?
Dr Shipla Ravella is a specialist in gut transplants, nutrition and the microbiome. The insightful author guides us through the history of immunology while debunking ‘anti-inflammatory lifestyles’ in order to reveal the surprisingly simple ways in which we can heal our relationship with our gut. Think of her as a microbiome firefighter.
Buy now £11.23, Amazon
Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken
If working towards a healthier lifestyle in Western society feels like a thankless task in contemporary society, it’s because it is. As Chris van Tulleken explains, it’s not you, it’s the food. While he doesn’t have all the answers, Tulleken takes readers on a journey of discovering how to exist when we’re living in a food environment which is out to destroy us.
Buy now £5.49, Amazon
