The Microbiome Solution

A Radical New Way to Heal Your Body from the Inside Out

By: Dr. Robynne Chutkan

Narrated by: Rebecca Mitchell

Length: 5 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

In The Microbiome Solution, Dr. Robynne Chutkan, a preeminent gastroenterologist, explains how the standard Western diet and our super-sanitized lifestyles are starving our microbiomes, depleting the "good bugs" that are crucial for keeping us healthy, and encouraging overgrowth of exactly the wrong types of bacteria, which can leave us vulnerable to a host of autoimmune and chronic health conditions. Here, she shares her powerful program of simple yet effective lifestyle and diet changes to help you recover and reverse the damage, along with practical advice throughout, including:

• An overview of the "modern microbial disrupters" that are stripping our bodies of their natural protective systems
• Delicious, nourishing recipes that actually encourage the growth of good bacteria
• A list of important questions to ask your doctor if you have been prescribed an antibiotic
• A guide to choosing the right probiotics and supplements
• Critical information on how to prevent and recover from health conditions like eczema, chronic fatigue syndrome, Crohn's disease, colitis, IBS, and more

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2015 Robynne Chutkan (P)2016 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[A] thoughtful approach to health and wellness that's well worth the time of readers able and willing to research and evaluate Chutkan's many claims for themselves." ( Publishers Weekly)

Strong enough for a man But most info is for women

A lot of information in here and most of it is understandable for people with out medical degrees.
But the majority of information in this book is designed for women.

Gut flora for everyone

A previous book of Dr. Chutkan's, Gutbliss, was recommended to me by a friend who had found some answers and guidance therein. This book went into more detail in some areas the last book touched on. The narration is smooth and easy to follow with clear enunciation and a nice pace. Although the book repeated itself at times, it didn't bother me because this is both a complex topic and the repetition allows the reader to use the book as a reference rather than having to read the book cover to cover if interest is only in one small topic within the gut flora universe. I will recommend this doctor's books to anyone looking for answers in digestion and the many faces of digestive issues such as rashes, allergies, and other immune system problems.

Mixed Feelings

Much of the book's content is good and useful. I've certainly heard before that the microbiome can be important for health, and that vaginal birth is better than C-section. And in a few cases the author cites studies or otherwise sounds like a rational, critically thinking person. And unlike a lot of advice-dispensing authors, she is actually a degreed and practicing professional. So that's all good.

But dang, she gets extreme and faddish with some of her recommendations. I got concerned in a number of instances, such as when she says that all GMO food is bad for you (there is nothing intrinsically bad about GMOs. They aren't "frankenfoods", and humans have been modifying plants for thousands of years via agricultural techniques).

I suspect that there's a significant amount of material that may not be justified by science. Unfortunately, there's so much content here that it could be hard to sift through and separate the good from the bad, so it's hard for me to recommend this wholeheartedly. I feel that there must be better introductions to managing gut flora. If you do listen to this, I strongly suggest that you do some research of your own (reputable sources only, please!) to double check any given recommendation before you actually try it out.

Good Basic Overview of Microbiome

It's all the basics. If you use only conventional medicine and know very little about the microbiome, this is for you. If you already know that a stunted microbiome is linked to lots of autoimmune disease and to skip antibiotics, eat lots of organic fruits and vegetables, skip antibacterial body care products, and roll in the dirt, then there's not much for you in this book.

Book does include lots of recipes.

Narrator is robotic and might actually be AI.

Live Dirty and Eat Clean to Live Long and Prosper.

I liked how she expressed the interest in the dirt of our natural environment that is inside and outside of our bodies which is feeding our microbiome. Also eating a predominant plant based diet with the minimum of clean meats which also feeds it. The combination of them with positive lifestyle changes will keep us healthy as we grow older and enjoy our golden years.

Very informative,

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I will apply some of the information provided in this book and share the information with my family.

Thorough and digestible

Great information, well written, and broken down into very easy to remember and note chapters.

Absolutely recommend this book

Lots and lots of great info here. I have re listened to this audiobook twice now and incorporated lots of Dr. Chutkan’s advice into my daily diet/routine.


That being said, without any spoilers, there is a lot of information about babies, mothers, and women - which is GREAT to have in the book but I found my self skipping quite a bit since, well frankly I’m not a girl! That is one tiny tiny tiny issue I have with the book - other than that it’s 5 stars in my book.


*waits for everyone to get my book pun*



Tough crowd...
cheers from LA!

RADICAL is the key word in the title!!

It is very informative about health and it's shortcomings in the medical field. Insightful and worth the invested time.

makes perfect sense

If you listen you will find that this is common sense of the body. No other detail really needs to be given