We're Famous!

Or at least, we’ve had the honour of being mentioned in a book that was recently published. That is close enough to famous, right? The author, Jennifer Browne, was kind enough to send us a copy for us to read, so I thought I would do my best at writing an amateur book review for her.

“Healthy, Happy, Gut” has been an interesting and thought provoking read on the impact of our dietary choices on the human body. The number of people in my life, myself included, who suffer from various digestive problems, is quite large and I imagine that number will only grow as time passes. Browne herself was inspired to share her own journey towards healthier eating as a way of managing her own digestive difficulties.

The book begins by informing us of the problems with food production and consumption. Most you may be familiar with: pesticides, growth hormones, factory farming, etc…

The most surprising, at least for me, was concerning the consumption of dairy. It honestly never occurred to me that drinking the milk of a cow, which is meant to fatten up and grow a calf into a 1200lb to 1500lb behemoth, may not be what nature intended for our much smaller sized bodies.

Food irradiation to kill bacteria was also something I had never heard of before, which greatly concerns me. How many people do you know that can recognize an irradiated product by its tiny symbol on a label in our grocery stores?

Browne continues her book by giving her solution to getting rid of the side effects of eating poorly and improving your life and health with just a change to one’s diet. I loved her “Dirty Dozen” list of those produce items that should always be purchased organic. She has also added quite a few examples of preparation for various food items to allow you the most benefit from them.

All in all, the book brings up a great number of concepts the average consumer wouldn’t have even begun to consider about what and why they eat. I definitely recommend the book to anyone who is currently suffering from or in remission from a digestive condition. Even if you prefer not to follow her “plant based” diet recommendations completely, there are quite a few tips and tricks throughout that can be applied regardless.

As always, everyone is different and requires different nutrients in their diet based on their normal activities and past eating habits. So to make sure you know what your body needs please see a professional nutritionist before making any major dietary lifestyle changes.

Jennifer Browne's Blog

P.S. For anyone interested, we’re on pages 154-155, chapter 10.