Gut: The Inside Story of Our Body’s Most Underrated Organ
Giulia Enders, Scribe Publications
I started reading this book out of innate curiosity and admiration for the human body. From the very first pages a Southpark episode came to my mind, where they analyze the gut microbiome and how a healthy gut microbiome implies a healthy body. One of the kids in the series, Kyle, is beginning to realize that we are not just what we see and that we are made up of millions of particles, and when he starts thinking about it starts to scare him. Even though I laughed at this episode, we have to admit that their remark was very accurate.
So, what are all these microorganisms that live in trillions inside our body? What happens in the human gut? The analysis and description of the author Giulia Enders is hilarious and the translation by Antonis Kalokyris is very diligent. It takes us to the hidden world of the digestive tract using humor and simple words and makes us more aware of the connection of a desire we may have for some food with the microorganisms that live in the gut and feed on it. So these microorganisms send us the false message for the intake of this food because it is a mechanism of their survival. The same confusing message that the brain sends when it is looking for a substance that it is used to. The author helps us understand when some of these microorganisms become harmful, and when the opposite. In case someone has forgotten how important germs and bacteria are for the proper functioning of the body, this is the right book.
Hippocrates had already identified that health begins in the gut. What does a healthy gut mean? That the intestinal flora is so well balanced that it prevents inflammation or when inflammation is observed there is a rapid recovery. Regulated defecation, daily, with formed and not smelly stools. The book discusses in great detail what we must observe before saying goodbye to our feces for the continuation of their journey. Intestine without swelling, bloating, gas. What leads the intestine there? The right, personalized diet. When we find that a food is excellent, we look for its properties and see a list of benefits, then try it and suffer from indigestion, heartburn and any other discomfort, the body has a way of telling us that it does not suit us. This is what we need to notice, not the lists.
It is a book that everyone can read, without having the slightest knowledge of anatomy. It has a lot of condensed information that can sometimes tire and delay reading a bit even though it is a relatively small book.