Free Resource Hub

Gut Health

A living collection of free resources, research, supplements, and reading, all focused on nourishing your gut and its microbiome. The foundation of so much of your health starts here.

Gut-Supporting Supplements

Always check with your healthcare provider before starting anything new. These are the ones I most often point clients toward, and that have helped keep my own gut in good shape.

Probiotics

Live beneficial bacteria that help restore and maintain a balanced microbiome. Look for diverse strains like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium with a 10 to 50 billion CFU count.

Digestive Enzymes

Help break food down more efficiently. A blend with amylase, protease, and lipase is useful if bloating or indigestion is a regular issue.

Prebiotics

The fibers that feed your good bacteria. Inulin or FOS pair well with probiotics for a synergistic effect.

Fiber

Psyllium husk or slippery elm support regularity and feed gut flora. Most people fall short of the 25 to 30 grams a day, so this bridges the gap.

Collagen Peptides

Rich in glycine and proline, which may help strengthen the gut lining. The research is still emerging but promising.

L-Glutamine

An amino acid that supports the integrity of the gut lining, often used for leaky gut or recovery from stress and poor diet.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Anti-inflammatory support for the gut. These oxidize fast once extracted, so favor whole sources like sardines and salmon over fish oil capsules.

Triphala

A traditional Ayurvedic blend of amla, haritaki, and bibhitaki. Gently supports regularity, a balanced microbiome, and overall gut harmony.

Research & Experts to Follow

The best way to understand your gut, and your health, is to go to the source. These researchers and educators are doing the primary work, so you can read the evidence and decide for yourself.

Dr. Sabine Hazan Microbiome Researcher

A gastroenterologist and founder of ProgenaBiome, a genetic sequencing research lab, and the Microbiome Research Foundation. Her work maps the microbiome's genetic signature and explores connections between gut bacteria and conditions including long COVID and autism. If you want to look past the headlines and read the actual studies, her published research is a rich place to start.

Weston A. Price Foundation Foundation & Podcast

A nonprofit reviving nutrient-dense traditional foods and ancestral wisdom, rooted in the research of Dr. Weston A. Price. Their Wise Traditions podcast covers real food, farming, fermentation, and natural healing, and Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions cookbook is a foundational text for traditional cooking.

Ray Peat Bioenergetic Pioneer

The late biologist behind bioenergetic, pro-metabolic theory. His essays on thyroid, sugar, hormones, and the dangers of PUFA reshaped how many people think about energy and health, and remain a cornerstone of this whole approach.

Georgi Dinkov (Haidut) Independent Researcher

An independent researcher extending Ray Peat's bioenergetic work with deep, study-backed writing on metabolism, hormones, and mitochondrial health. His blog is dense with primary sources for anyone who wants to go deep.

Danny Roddy Educator

A writer and educator focused on bioenergetic health, metabolism, hormones, and hair loss in the Ray Peat tradition. He makes dense metabolic concepts approachable for everyday readers.

Huberman Lab Neuroscientist

Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman translates peer-reviewed research into practical protocols for sleep, focus, gut-brain health, and daily wellbeing, all free through his podcast.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick Biomedical Scientist

A biomedical scientist who breaks down the research on nutrition, micronutrients, aging, and longevity at FoundMyFitness, with a rigorous, citation-heavy approach to every topic.

Recommended Reading

The books that shaped how I understand the gut, digestion, and the microbiome.

  • Book cover titled "The Mind-Gut Connection" by Emeran Mayer, MD. Features an illustration of a brain outline filled with colorful, small depictions of bacteria and microbes. Subtitle reads "How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health."

    The Mind-Gut Connection: How the Hidden Conversation Within Our Bodies Impacts Our Mood, Our Choices, and Our Overall Health

    By Emeran Mayer

    We have all experienced the connection between our mind and our gut—the decision we made because it “felt right”; the butterflies in our stomach before a big meeting; the anxious stomach rumbling when we’re stressed out. While the dialogue between the gut and the brain has been recognized by ancient healing traditions, including Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, Western medicine has failed to appreciate the complexity of how the brain, gut, and more recently, the microbiome—the microorganisms that live inside us—communicate with one another.

  • Cover of a book titled "The Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Action Plans" featuring bowls of shredded purple cabbage, carrots, chopped onions, and a plate of cooked chicken with red peppers, garlic, and herbs, along with a small bowl of green sauce or salsa.

    The Anti-Inflammatory Diet & Action Plans: 4-Week Meal Plans to Heal the Immune System and Restore Overall Health

    By Dorothy Calimeris

    Simple meal plans and recipes to reduce inflammation

    Food is a powerful tool to reduce chronic inflammation in the body―but adjusting to an anti-inflammatory diet can be overwhelming. This indispensable cookbook provides simple, straightforward information about anti-inflammatory eating and meal plans. You'll find healthy recipes and insights into the benefits and potential challenges of each plan.

  • Book cover of 'The Good Gut' with the title in bold, and colorful blocks highlighting 'Your Weight,' 'Your Mood,' and 'Your Long-Term Health.'

    The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood, and Your Long-term Health

    By Justin Sonnenburg

    The groundbreaking science behind the surprising source of good health

    Stanford University’s Justin and Erica Sonnenburg are pioneers in the most exciting and potentially transformative field of human health and wellness, the study of the relationship between our bodies and the trillions of organisms representing thousands of species to which our bodies play host, the microbes we call the microbiota. The Sonnenburgs argue that the microbiota determines in no small part whether we’re sick or healthy, fit or obese, sunny or moody—and that the microbiota has always been with us, coevolving with humans and entwining its functions with ours.

  • Book cover titled 'How NOT to Die' with green leafy letters forming the words, and a subtitle about discovering foods that prevent and reverse disease by Michael Greger, M.D., FACLM, with Gene Stone.

    How Not to Die: Discover the Foods Scientifically Proven to Prevent and Reverse Disease

    By Michael Greger M.D. FACLM

    In How Not to Die, Dr. Michael Greger, the internationally-renowned nutrition expert, physician, and founder of NutritionFacts.org, examines the fifteen top causes of premature death in America--heart disease, various cancers, diabetes, Parkinson's, high blood pressure, and more--and explains how nutritional and lifestyle interventions can sometimes trump prescription pills and other pharmaceutical and surgical approaches to help prevent and reverse these diseases, freeing us to live healthier lives.

  • The book cover titled "The Art of Fermentation" by Sandor Ellix Katz with a foreword by Michael Pollan. The cover is orange with illustrations of four mason jars and includes award medals.

    The Art of Fermentation

    By Sandor Ellix Katz

    Winner of the James Beard Foundation Book Award for Reference and Scholarship, and a New York Times bestseller, with more than a quarter million copies sold, The Art of Fermentation is the most comprehensive guide to do-it-yourself home fermentation ever published. Sandor Katz presents the concepts and processes behind fermentation in ways that are simple enough to guide a reader through their first experience making sauerkraut or yogurt, and in-depth enough to provide greater understanding and insight for experienced practitioners.

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Gut Health Articles

Deeper dives into leaky gut, the mind-gut connection, raw milk, skin, and more.