Take your health into your own hands by focusing on your overall body composition, microbiome, and the restoration of ancestral foods with this cutting-edge new book from the bestselling author of Wheat Belly and Super Gut.
Forget everything you've been told about dieting (from your doctor, the food industry, wellness influencers, etc.). Too many of us mistakenly believe that calorie restriction, pharmaceutical weight loss drugs, and bariatric procedures are effective solutions for weight loss. However, these “solutions” are plagued by serious problems, including virtually guaranteed weight regain. Muscle mass is what maintains our weight, and it also provides youthful vigor, mobility and overall health. When we diet, any muscle lost is often re-gained as fat, leaving us in worse shape than before. The essential microbes that have also been lost in our diet weakens us in the same way.
In SUPER Body, William Davis, MD reveals how we can restore our bodies through nutrition, microbes, and supplements. The solutions to health, including weight management, do not lie in pharmaceuticals or procedures, but in returning to the natural foods necessary for human life.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
William Davis, MD, is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Wheat Belly series of books exposing the changes that agribusiness has inflicted on this plant and the effects on people who consume it. He is also author of Undoctored that shows people how to take back individual control over health with superior results.
His most recent book is Super Gut: The 4-Week Plan to Reprogram Your Microbiome, Restore Health, and Lose Weight that shows how to restore microbes lost by modern people and enjoy results including deeper sleep, reduced appetite, increased empathy, restoration of youthful muscle and strength, and smoother skin with reduced wrinkles.
Dr. Davis has appeared on national television shows including Live! With Kelly and CBS This Morning. He lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
This is my first wellness book of 2026 and...it's not great.
It's not good, either.
First, I'm not familiar with the doctor; I didn't read his previous book.
But I'm always on the lookout to improve my diet, my health, and my workout routine.
Second, there are some points I agree with but not all and I'll explain why.
The doctor is hung up on how our ancestors ate a millennia ago.
Give it up! We're never going back to our hunter/gatherer ways.
The book aims to educate readers on vital microorganisms our modern diet and lifestyle no longer our body no longer produces and their roles in better eating, living, and longevity, but it misses the mark in several important areas.
One major flaw is the overemphasis on a narrow range of vitamins and minerals without acknowledging the diverse nutritional needs across different cultures.
The doctor is also hung up on the stereotype that many people don't eat organ meats, which is true.
But this is a narrow viewpoint of the entire population, much less the world.
His generalized statement disregards many cultures that have been eating organ meats for centuries, revealing a disappointing lack of cultural awareness.
This cultural ignorance extends beyond organ meat, as the book does not account for how various ethnicities consume foods differently.
There are traditional practices around the world, not just the indigenous tribes the author mentions briefly, that attests to nutritional wisdom that has existed long before current dietary trends.
Ignoring how other cultures eat and prepare certain dishes can alienate readers who may benefit from a more inclusive approach to health and nutrition.
As a result, the writing is very, very repetitive, the doctor constantly repeating how our ancestors had washboard abs, sinewy arms and legs because they were too busy running after prey to hunt and running away from predators so we didn't become prey.
Doctor, stop living in the past!
The author offers few recommendations or supportive words on how to add these vitamins and minerals into our modern diet or how to slowly introduce them into our lifestyle.
There are no recipes or meal ideas, and no workout plans (running around like a hunter carrying a spear, anyone?) and the suggestions provided often feel impractical, especially for individuals with specific cultural or dietary preferences.
At the same time, the doctor ignores many other vital issues that contribute to body composition; exercise is essential, blood sugar, and inflammation all play an important role in how our body works and functions.
And because we're all different all these aspects impact us differently in a myriad of ways.
The author's focus on these specific microorganisms makes it sound like he believes these are the cure-all nutrients that will make us all have super lean bodies our ancestors had because they had it all; Neanderthal versions of Tom Bradys running around in loincloths, grunting and hooting at each other, and try to avoid getting eaten by predators.
It feels like he wrote this book primarily to berate us all for being too modern, for eating ultraprocessed foods that killed all the probiotics in our gut and intestines, and falling for pharma ads that promise health and beauty if we get this or that injection.
The author fails to keep in mind that some foods he recommends like salmon with the skin on is filled with filth and microplastics, as so much of our foods are full of now.
SUPER Body may give you a super body (jury's still out), but it lacks the nuanced understanding of dietary habits and the dirty foods our modern society now eat and live with that would allow it to be truly useful.
Just because the author has a medical degree does not excuse his lack of knowledge and inadequate understanding of varied cultural diets.
SUPER Body's generic, one-size-fits-all approach missed the mark with this reader.
We’ve read William Davis’s work for years, and Wheat Belly was an important book for us. It changed the conversation around metabolic health and helped a lot of people rethink their relationship with food. Super Body has some of that same energy, but it’s a more uneven experience — interesting in places, questionable in others, and ultimately something we’d only recommend after someone has already fixed their foundational issues.
One of the strongest parts of the book is Davis’s warning about the new wave of weight‑loss drugs. His chapter on GLP‑1 agonists is a genuine highlight. He raises concerns about muscle loss, metabolic rebound, and the long‑term consequences of relying on pharmaceuticals instead of addressing underlying problems. We appreciated that he took the time to spell out those risks clearly.
We also liked his critique of the Calories In / Calories Out model. He uses a memorable cockroach metaphor to describe how persistent that theory is, and his broader point — that metabolism is more complex than a simple math equation — is well taken.
But we found ourselves increasingly cautious as the book went on. Some of his claims, especially around dramatic strength gains and the necessity of his yogurt protocol, strained credibility for us. We can help people with many of the issues he describes without making yogurt, and while it’s possible that improving someone’s overall health might incidentally shift their gut microbiome, we’ve never tested that directly. His “missing microbes” framing is interesting, but it’s not proven, and the confidence with which he presents it felt premature.
For readers who are curious and already have their basics in order, Super Body may still be worth exploring. There are good ideas here, and Davis remains a passionate advocate for metabolic health. But this isn’t the place we’d start, and it’s not the book we’d hand to someone who needs clarity or guidance. It’s a follow‑up read — something to pick up only after the foundational work is done.
*Thanks to Microsoft Copilot for helping us craft this review*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I’ve read several of William Davis MD books starting with “Wheat Belly” which helped me understand why eating grains was destroying my gut and my health. “Super Gut” also by William Davis helped me understand why I still had food intolerances which has been helped by learning to make and eat regularly his Sibo “Yogurt” which is not really a yogurt as he explains. His most recent book “Super Body” has shown me I need to continue my sensible whole food diet, avoiding wheat, grains and sugar and other highly processed foods, focus on getting enough protein and exercising enough to maintain muscle as I age. He even helped me understand how to use my metabolic impedance scale which I had already purchased on Amazon! I have read many other books on health by many other authors but I have to say William Davis seems to be the most knowledgeable, his advice being the most balanced and practical overall and he seems trustworthy. He also has many free videos and podcasts on YouTube and other platforms(Audible, etc.) He truly seems to be interested in educating the public as a protection of our health and well being. Hopefully he makes a nice living at this because he deserves it and I appreciate the difference it has made in my health.
I’ve read a few of William Davis’s previous books like Wheat Belly and Super Gut, and SUPER Body continues his streak of offering eye opening and science backed health advice that actually feels doable. This book is a total mindset shift if you’ve been stuck in the diet culture loop of counting calories or relying on meds and quick fixes. SUPER Body reframes the conversation entirely around body composition, microbiome health, and ancestral nutrition. Davis makes a strong case that real, sustainable health isn’t about losing pounds at any cost, but about rebuilding muscle, healing your gut, and nourishing your body the way nature intended. His three week program is packed with practical guidance, but also dives into fascinating new science that doesn’t feel overwhelming. If you’re tired of fads and want something that actually supports long term wellness, this book is well worth reading. It’s a refreshing, empowering approach that makes you feel like you’re finally working with your body, not against it.
Super Body builds on Williams Davis's familiar approach to health, focusing on metabolic repair, muscle preservation, and long term wellness rather than quick fix weight loss methods. I appreciated the emphasis on strengthening the body from the inside out, especially the focus on muscle, gut health and avoiding strategies that sacrifice long term health for short term results. The three week reset format makes the information given in the the book feel more actionable. Overall, it's a solid read for anyone interested in improving body composition and metabolic health beyond the usual diet trends.
Thanks to Netgalley and Grand Central Publishing | Balance for this informative eARC.
Among the many books that promise to restore your health and vitality, the science based book Super Body by William Davis delivers. I read this book shortly after my request to read and review it was approved. I was convinced it might help me and I purchased the suggested supplements right away and followed Dr. Davis's suggested regime. I experienced an increase in energy and vitality - if you are looking for a book that meets its promises and improves your energy and health, pick up a copy of Super Body as soon as it hits the shelves!
Most of us have heard about probiotics by now. But they we really understand what’s behind them and what Benefits gut health really brings to the body? This book was a great resource for me to understand more and how to get a better hold on my gut health. I actually find it to be fascinating as the doctor is credible, and backs up everything he claims and speaks about with facts and studies. It’s hard to find out these days. But this book delivers, and I’ve already recommended it to several friends.
Not sure on this one. I think there are a lot of good things in this book, like not eating processed foods, and getting our gut microbiome in order, just not sure about his methods. We need to have our whole food system overhauled. I don't think the idea of going back 50,000 years and trying to recreate their food chain is necessarily the best idea.
Thanks to Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing/Balance for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review.
Reading Dr. Davis's books and implementing what I learned has helped me improve my health, lose weight, and feel so much better overall. Much fewer migraines, better sleep, and more energy.
I found this book unreadable. He makes the most preposterous claims. I agree we shouldn’t eat processed foods. We should foster our Microbiome because it is directly linked to our health and well-being. Otherwise, I don’t know where he’s getting his information and what he’s selling to people.
The book has some solid ideas but spends more time on backstory and less on the actual implementation of the protocol. very repetitive if you read super gut.
New Year, New Me, right? Seeing how I have diabetes in my family’s genes, I decided to try and lower my triglycerides and make changes to my diet to lower my carbs and sugar intake this year. I was lucky enough to score the audiobook from @HachetteAudio and the hardcover from @GrandCentralPub. I generally like having the digital or print version of a health book for easy reference, especially when it contains recipes like this one does.
The audiobook was narrated by professional narrator Dan Bittner, who definitely made listening to this dry info more palatable. It wasn’t bad, but so repetitive. Did the author get paid by the word? This could have been whittled down to 100 pages max, plus the recipes.
Basically, we’re talking about a whole food, high-protein, low-carb diet fortified with probiotic yogurts you can make yourself. I don’t fancy making my own yogurt myself, so that turned me off. But it was good info with some recipes I might try.
If you’re interested in checking it out, it’s available for free with #KindleUnlimited.
Thank you, @GCPBalance and @HachetteAudio for my free book and audiobook.