I appreciated this positive book. It shares the root cause of many common symptoms and chronic health issues in a scientific yet incredibly accessible way. We truly are beings that need body, heart and mind to function properly.
In this book, readers receive practical wisdom like sacred naps, gratitude, enjoying food, and offering compassion to myself. The author also mentions mindful eating - focus on each food and consider how it makes me feel, keep the foods that make me feel energized and cut foods that do not serve my digestion or physical wellbeing. And I discovered how sugar and stress can contribute to anxiety - definitely need to do a sugar audit and look for ways to cut this unnecessary food!
One of my favorite sections includes this wisdom:
"Flexibility: learn which foods your body loves and make you feel great, if something didn’t work for you, let it go.
Awareness: use food as a meditation and eating more mindfully,
Self-respect: Ask yourself, “Does this food make me feel great or not?”
Grace: quit shaming yourself and give yourself and this process some grace and move on."
I would read this book again. "Knowing that you are a Lamborghini and not a jalopy changes everything."

Traditional medical practice seems to ignore the integral relationship between mind and gut. In light of the past twenty plus years of neural science findings married with our ever increasing knowledge of the gut microbiome, we need a new integrated approach as presented by Dr. Cole. He is adept with providing accessible scientific theory and data to support his Gut Feelings concept as demonstrated in his presentation of Polyvagal theory. Dr. Cole educates. Yet, his real success is in providing a nuanced approach via his 21 day plan. It is where challenge meets the skills developed through understanding the science. His “build your own experience “ approach promotes flexibility and long term adaption of his principles in terms of his approach to his recipes. This is a life changing volume.

I found this book to be very insightful! I really loved the wheel of gut feeling! I am very interested in trying the 21 day plan! I think this book will help a lot of people!

Thank you to NetGalley and Rodale Books for the digital advanced readers copy!! I received a complimentary copy of this book.

This book presents some interesting concepts, but it leaves me wishing for more substantiation, beyond just trusting that a lot of its sounds like it makes sense. Worth a try, but not the most approachable in terms of accessibility to ingredients or cost.

Great info! Love the 21 day plan and will utilize this in my weight loss journey! The assistance with findthe link between how you feel and what you eat is just paramount!

Dr. Cole provides a clear understanding of the science between gut health and mental health. He provides readers with a 21-day guide to restore your gut with a balanced approach to food and eating by focusing on
The book explains in an easy to understand manner how good affects one physically and emotionally and how ones thoughts and feelings about food impacts our bodies. It’s an interesting read for those looking for ways to improve their overall health by creating a healthy connection between the gut and mind.

Informative, albeit at a surface level and without much new information. It was interesting to see how the mental aspect of gut problems was brought into the equation.

Thank you Rodale Books ​and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.
A STARTER GUIDE TO HEALING; This book serves as an excellent starting point for individuals embarking on a journey of self-healing. While it wasn't a book I devoured in one sitting, it offered interesting and informative content, complemented by a practical 21-day plan. It serves as a valuable addition for anyone seeking to improve their well-being by attuning to the voice of their body through health and nutrition best practices. I particularly appreciated the exploration of how the body processes and stores trauma, which profoundly impacts our emotions and experiences. Overall, this book provides a comprehensive foundation for beginners and offers insights into the intricate connections between our bodies, emotions, and overall health.

This was not a book I sat and read all in one fell swoop. Interesting, informative, with a good 21 day plan to follow, this is good addition for anyone seeking to feel better. It is about listening to the voice of your body through health and nutrition best practices. I especially love the connection between how the body reacts and stores trauma, which in turn affects everything we feel and experience.

This book provides a comprehensive guide to understanding the intricate connection between nutrition and emotional well-being. Dr. Will Cole's 21-day plan offers a framework for healing gut inflammation, caused by stress, shame, and trauma. The book explains how Shameflammation can lead to chronic health conditions and provides effective tools to heal the connection between physical and mental health. The Gut Feeling plan includes over fifty healing recipes, dietary prescriptions, and mindfulness techniques to strengthen intuition and discover priorities. Gut Feelings emphasizes self-love and provides a path to eliminate stubborn health conditions on your own terms.

An accessible yet comprehensive guide to the complex connection between brain and gut. I appreciated Dr. Cole's clear style and thorough research.

If we truely care about our own wellness, health, vitality and longevity, then this book should be in our library, GB

Thank you for the chance to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Dr. Cole examines the mind-body connection and offers an actionable 21 day reset. Included in the 21 day program are recipes and actions that one can take everyday.

One thing I really liked about the book is that small steps are offered. So one doesn’t have to feel the need to make major changes all at once. For example, it’s mentioned to look at fruits/vegetables you eat regularly, and then pick some “new to you” ones to try (can even use the recipe sections for ideas). Also, the suggestion of cutting out a food that you think you might be having issues with (stomach issue, headache, etc) and seeing if eliminating it does change how you feel. If it does, then you have this information and can decide if it’s worth avoiding that food in order to not have whatever unpleasant symptoms it leaves you with. If you’re at all interested in health, this is definitely a book to check out!

This book has given me a lot to think about. I've listened to Dr. Cole speak on podcasts about his previous books The Inflammation Spectrum and Intuitive Fasting, so I was really interested to read what he had to say on gut health. Overall, it was a lot of things I had heard previously, but he was able to break down the science behind it and explain the whys in a way that was relatable and easy to understand. Overall, this is a very easy to understand book on gut health.

I struggle with IBS and my husband struggles with Crohn’s, so I am always excited to read any book about gut health. This book features a fresh perspective on functional, holistic medicine exploring the mind-gut connection. Dr. Will Cole takes the time to educate readers about the science of our mind-gut connection, and then, rather than setting a restrictive list of foods everyone should avoid to be healthy, he talks holistically about loving our bodies and eating foods that truly love us back. After setting a great foundation in the early chapters, Dr. Cole outlines a 21-day gut feeling plan to really explore your diet and your relationship with your body. I read through the plan but haven’t completed it yet, and I have to say it looks incredibly healing. This is one I’d recommend to most people, because everyone can learn something here!

Thanks to NetGalley for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book shares an important message about the mind and body being connected. Mental health issues run rampant in this country but often the cause is ignored. Shame. We all have it, and its effects go so deep as to change our physical structure. We need more people to understand this issue. Wonderful book, wonderful message.

Omg I loved reading this book. Dr. Cole provided me with so much information on how food impacts not only our physical health but also our emotional and mental health. This was such an amazing read!!!

Recent studies have shown the importance of the gut. It is called our second brain. Cole draws our attention to the relationship between gut health and emotional and physical health, how the foods we eat impact mood and health.

We are familiar with gut feelings. They can be positive like excitement and hope. But Cole points out they can also be negative, like stress and shame. Such gut feelings can actually sabotage health.

Cole gives us much information on the kinds of foods beneficial for good gut health and the kinds of emotions and mental practices good for mental health. They go together. Each day in his 21 day plan includes a tip on gut health and one on emotional health.

I like his plan. It is not a “diet” but is rather more of an exploration on how to best provide foods most beneficial for the gut. Since not everyone reacts to food the same, we get to experiment and try options. Suggestions are given, say for getting protein, but we have a number of choices. He includes food lists and recipes but they are optional. We can also explore mental wellness practices. One day might suggest breathing options while another encourages to spend a few moments in nature or quietly sipping a cup of tea.

This is a good book for anyone desiring to have whole body wellness, physical and emotional. There is a great deal of information provided and a systematic plan to implement the choices we make. What we put in our mouths and think in our heads is important to our total wellness. Reading this book is very helpful in both areas.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

Gut Feelings: Healing the Shame-Fueled Relationship Between What You Eat and How You Feel by Dr. Will Cole
Publisher: Rodale Inc., Rodale Books
Health, Mind & Body
Expected Publication Date: March 21, 2023

Gut Feelings by Dr. Will Cole is the book I needed in my life right now! This book addresses the physical and emotional ways food affects us, and how our thoughts and feelings around food also impacts our bodies. I absolutely love Dr. Cole's writing style. He makes the science easy to understand and he comes across as very relatable.

The first 6 chapters are filled with the science behind Dr. Cole's 21-Day Gut-Feeling Plan, as well as offers suggestions for best optioned food and mindfulness practices.

Chapter 7 outlines the daily plan for the 21 days and I absolutely love how he lays things out. There is a suggested activity for each day that relates to the "gut" and one for "feeling" and none of them felt difficult to accomplish. I think each activity should take no more than 15 minutes or so.

The practices and recipes seem so simple and I look forward to implementing them in my life!

I highly recommend this book to everyone! It's easy to read and relatable!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The author of this book practices functional medicine which means they help you get well and stay well. They focus on keeping you from getting sick unlike traditional medicine which focuses on fixing you after you’re sick. There is a lot of good information in this book. There is a 21-day plan to help you get less stressed. The suggestions include looking at what you eat, meditation, multiple breathing exercises, yoga, tai chi/quigong, and relaxation techniques. They also suggest you look at going on an “unkind people fast” – look at the people in your life and decide which ones are toxic to you. There is a lot more to the book, including some interesting recipes. I absolutely loved the “Make-it-your-own Rice Bowl” one. Each recipe includes serving numbers, time, ingredients, directions and some have tips. What they do not have is a list of nutrients, which I find interesting in a health-forward book. Plus, a lot of the dishes are on the spicy side and have no substitution suggestions.

Recommendation: I do recommend this book. I’ve even put the hard cover version on my wish list (I reviewed the e-book version). I sincerely believe the information and suggestions are worth the cost. Though I found the recipes interesting, because of my limitations, I could use very few of them. But I’m still going to buy the book. If you’re looking for a different kind of health book, pick this one up and find some peace for yourself.

Disclaimer: I received a final and/or advanced reader copy of this book with the hope that I will leave my unbiased opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… My Opinions. I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”