This blog is intended to be a guide for Dr Michael Mosley’s The Clever Guts Diet. You’ll need a copy of this book to fully appreciate and follow what I’m talking about. I’m not going to supply the recipes or meal plans because I don’t want to get sued. And also, you should buy the book, it’s pretty good reading.
What’s it all about then?
If you don’t know who Micheal Mosley is, you should. He’s so hot right now. I saw him on Insight a few weeks ago and his segment left me fascinated by the science of the gut. In summary:
“Your gut is astonishingly clever. It contains millions of neurons – as many as you would find in the brain of a cat – and is home to the microbiome, an army of microbes that influences your mood, weight and immune system.
In this groundbreaking book, Dr Mosley takes us on a revelatory journey through the gut, showing how junk food and overuse of antibiotics have wiped out many “good” gut bacteria, leading to a modern plague of allergies, food intolerances and obesity.
Setting the record straight on everything from prebiotics to probiotics, fermented foods to fasting, Dr Mosley provides scientifically proven ways to control your appetite and boost your mood.“
The book explains the science of the gut, and how it’s linked to our health and well being. That part convinces you that it’s a very good idea to adopt a gut- friendly lifestyle. It then provides a two phase meal plan with recipes. Phase 1 – Remove and Repair is about eliminating common irritants to allow your guts to heal. Phase 2 – Reintroduction brings in prebiotic and probiotic foods to increase the diversity of your gut bacteria, your Biome. The meal plans look delicious, but I want to test them out to see just how achievable it is to follow them and integrate the shift in lifestyle into ‘real life’.
Why am I doing The Clever Guts Diet?
Several reasons-
- IBS like symptoms. I’m not going to go into any detail, but fair to say that regular and comfortable are not words I would use to describe my digestive system;
- Endometriosis like symptoms. I’ve been having problems for a while and I’m facing surgery to check what’s going on. I’ve noticed that when I eat better my symptoms are typically better. I’d like to explore this more;
- Mental health. I’ve struggled with the cliched old anxiety and depression since I was 9. I’m getting better, but I’m curious to see how much a gut-friendly diet affects my state of mind;
- It’s Dry July! I’m sober for a month. This is no easy feat for me, I hate to admit that I may have an unhealthy dependence on booze. But I’ve had an amazing amount of support from friends and family and raised over $500 for a great cause. This has been incredibly motivating and one week in I feel great. So why not go the whole hog and sort my diet out while I’m at it?!
- Ethics. I’m a greenie at heart. I feel good making conscious decisions to buy organic, limit meat consumption, avoid packaging and not consume excessively. I find it motivating to be true to my ethics, and this plan is well suited to support them.
- Weight loss. I’m a serial yoyo dieter. I’ve tried pretty much everything. By counting calories and cutting out fat I’ve managed to shift my weight to plateau at 3kgs lighter than when I’m not ‘dieting’, which is a good thing but… I seriously hate counting calories. Thankfully Mosley has convinced me that it’s not the way to go. I’m hanging around at 69kgs, which not only gives me a BMI in the ‘over weight’ range, but I feel unhealthy, squishy and sore. I’d like to be fit, and I’d like my health to reflect my ethics. I’m not ruled by the scales but I know that I look and feel my best when I’m around 62kgs, so that is my goal.
Why am I doing a blog?
I really want to explore just how realistic this Diet is. I’m convinced that it’s one I need and want to do, and will kick start the healthy eating lifestyle I’ve been craving for years. Do I need a little extra motivation? Yep. Do I want to share my experience of how it changes my life? Sure, it might help someone out. Do I want to put the plan to the test and see just how well it fits in with a family of four with two working parents? Hell yes. This needs to work for us. I want to work out how I can make it.
What will I do?
I’ll work through each day and review the recipes, make suggestions and provide tips. I’ll provide guides when I see fit to try and streamline the plan and make it work with ‘real life’ so that I’m not spending every waking moment meal prepping. And of course I’ll share any results I see and feel.
Biomedome 