Review: Gut Goals by Beth Rosen

Gut Goals
by Beth Rosen

My Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Nonfiction/ Health/ Gut

Blurb:
The trials and tribulations of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) can be confusing, embarrassing, and impact your mental and physical well-being. As the indispensable and definitive guide to understanding and managing IBS, Gut Goals will empower you with knowledge, restore your dignity, and help you finally control your gut health journey.

With a revolutionary approach, Gut Goals not only dismantles the barriers of misinformation surrounding IBS but also addresses the science-backed solutions that will help you quickly and easily find relief. It delves into the intricacies of IBS and offers a comprehensive understanding of its subtypes, triggers, and often overlooked symptoms. You’ll learn about your treatment options and the pros and cons of each and how to advocate for yourself in medical settings. Written by a weight-inclusive Registered Dietician, regain control over your gut health and say goodbye to shame, uncertainty and unanswered questions with Gut Goals.

My Review

I received a free copy from the pubisher through Netgalley.

I have been struggling for more than half a year with gut troubles and when I spotted this book on Netgalley I thought this seemed like a great way to learn more about gut issues in general. And I am so glad I got a copy of this book as it vastly improved my understanding of how the whole digestive system works as well as what can go wrong with it, the symptoms involved as well as how to advocate for myself with doctors and what treatment options are available. I liked the way this book was set up with the chapter logically following one another and I also liked how the whole book had such an encouraging and hopeful tone.

I don’t have an official diagnosis for my gut troubles and I don’t know whether I have IBS, although a lot of my symptoms definitely overlap. I think this book is a great help for those with IBS or other gut issues. This book has helped a lot by helping me see what steps I might take or what test I might ask for next. I also really liked the whole section about the low FODMAP diet which my doctor recommended and I didn’t know enough about it. I also knew I wouldn’t be able to do the whole low-FODMAP diet and was really happy this book recommended two alternatives namely the FODMAP gentle the and the Cherry Picking. I really liked getting a better understanding of what this all involved and why a low-FODMAP diet can help. I used the information in that chapter to come up with things I want to change in my own diet and see if that lessens my symptoms and am currently in the process of trying those out.

This book was such a great read. It starts with describing how the whole digestive system works, then what can be wrong with it, explaining different symptoms and such. There is a whole section about tests you can do and which other issues are similar to IBS and how to know which of them you have. I also liked the part about how to track your symptoms and communicate with doctors, it gave me a much better insight in how to move forward as well as what was valuable information to write down and what to communicate to health care professionals. Then the chapters about how to alleviate IBS symptoms was great too and I really liked the insight this gave me in how different factors can influence your symptoms, how to manage it and also understanding how even with your best efforts you will still have off days.

This book not only gave me more knowledge about this all, which has been priceless as I can act much better if I understanding something better, but also made me feel less alone. That combination of more knowledge and the feeling of not being the only one struggling with this was really powerful.

To summarize: This was a great read about gut issues in general and IBS specifically. I am really glad I picked this book as it was very informative and I learned a lot because of it. I enjoyed the way this book was build up and I learned a lot more about how the gut worked as well as what IBS is, various gut related symptoms as well as treatment options. I also liked the helpful, encouraging and empathic tone of the book. This book made me feel more confident about advocating for myself and the knowledge of how to do and how to write down and track my symptoms. It gave me alternative options to try instead of the low-FODMAP diet. And it made me feel less alone knowing other people struggle with these symptoms as well. All in all a great read and I really got a lot out of reading this book.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.