Cook for Your Gut Health: Quiet Your Gut, Boost Fiber, and Reduce Inflammation

by America's Test Kitchen

Cook with flavor and flair (and ease) with nutritious, high-fiber meals that promote gut health, including 60 completely low-FODMAP recipes.

There's good reason to eat with your gut in mind. A healthy gut optimizes digestion, but that's not where it ends; it's vital to helping us absorb nutrients, and plays a role in supporting our immunity and emotional health. We went to the kitchen to develop a collection of easy, satisfying ways to get in the vibrant vegetables, hearty grains, and optimal fiber that support the gut in meals like Eggs with Sweet Potato and Swiss Chard Hash, Halibut Miso Dashi Soup, and Turkey Meatballs with Lemony Brown Rice and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.

Our recipes use only low-lactose dairy (but you can also make any recipe dairy-free) and can all be wheat-free (or even gluten-free): we focus on ancient grains in dishes like Quinoa Granola with Sesame Seeds and Curried Millet Pilaf, and offer gluten-free substitutions, if you need them, for good-for-you whole grains like barley, farro, and freekeh. In addition to 60 recipes that naturally fit low-FODMAP guidelines (the medically backed diet for common gut disorders like IBS), a grand majority of the remaining recipes provide customization instruction so you can adapt them to be low-FODMAP as well. That means every recipe has an answer to the way your gut tells you to eat. Whether you're trying to calm occasional gastrointestinal symptoms, are among the 1 in 5 Americans who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), or simply seek to nourish yourself with whole foods, this book's for you.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, Health

336 pages, Paperback

Published April 6, 2021

About the author

America's Test Kitchen, based in a brand new state-of-the-art 60,000 sq. ft. facility with over 15,000 sq. ft. of test kitchens and studio space, in Boston's Seaport District, is dedicated to finding the very best recipes for home cooks. Over 50 full-time (admittedly obsessive) test cooks spend their days testing recipes 30, 40, up to 100 times, tweaking every variable until they understand how and why recipes work. They also test cookware and supermarket ingredients so viewers can bypass marketing hype and buy the best quality products. As the home of Cook's Illustrated and Cook's Country magazines, and publisher of more than one dozen cookbooks each year, America's Test Kitchen has earned the respect of the publishing industry, the culinary world, and millions of home cooks. America's Test Kitchen the television show launched in 2001, and the company added a second television program, Cook's Country, in 2008.

Discover, learn, and expand your cooking repertoire with Julia Collin Davison, Bridget Lancaster, Jack Bishop, Dan Souza, Lisa McManus, Tucker Shaw, Bryan Roof, and our fabulous team of test cooks!

Learn more at https://www.americastestkitchen.com/.

Reviews

[Chelsea Rutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Am I the only one who didn’t think of cookbooks on Goodreads or Libby?? The intro on this one was really interesting, and there’s quite a few recipes that I really like, so much so that I want to grab a physical copy! I’ve been trying to figure out better gut health these last few years, and am finally starting to get a handle on it praise the Lord! If you’re a fellow IBS babe, check it out!

[Reader]

I skimmed this for recipes to try. I’m surprised that the recipes include canola oil, and have so much dairy and a fair amount of sugar. There are also MANY meat recipes with very long poultry and beef & pork & seafood sections, so it wasn’t as appealing as a vegetarian environmentalist. The credentials of recipe creator(s) was unclear to me. It’s best to get from the library.

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Information good. Recipes are so so. Some have hard to find ingredients in my neck of the woods, and others are recipes are so simple … like roasted red potatoes…it seems out of place.

[Josianne Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the introductory paragraph that the American Test Kitchen adds to each recipe explaining why the dish works. I find that satisfies and motivates my inner food geek.

Lovely recipes here although I’m surprised they include nightshades. They are inflammatory too.

The only thing missing is meal plans. That would have been very useful.

[Mikki Coleman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found a few recipes I can include in my life.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3

Meh I’m sure it’s a good book for those who need it. Not what I was expecting and nothing really new for me.

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite thing about this book was the introduction showing all the jobs of the gut. the role of the digestive organs layout is fantastic because not only does it show all areas of your body that are involved but also explains in detail what each does for digestion. the inflammation and the gut as well as how it lays out a low-fodmap diet we’re so nicely done and laid out. I’ve read a lot of low-fodmap books and this is one of the best laid out I’ve seen.
The recipes left a lid to be desired. There are only a handful that we’d use in our home but they are pretty basic.
A great book to get at the library, which is what I did.

[~Vixhen~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first section of this book was very informative. It gave detailed info regarding how the gut processes food, digestive disorders, Low Fodmap and how to build gut friendly meals. I found this information very helpful. The majority of the book provided a variety of recipes. While there were some vegan options, I found them to be very meat driven. To be fair, this book didn't represent itself to be vegan in any way shape or form - so that it was fine for me. It is a well written book with colored pictures of every recipe, which is a huge plus.

[rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

As someone who has many food sensitivities- this book was difficult. It was hard to find gluten and dairy free options. The recipes are healthy, but they weren't the inflammation calming meals I was hoping for.

[Rammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first 1/4 is incredibly informative and easily 5 ⭐. Recipes could use some imagination but they serve their purpose. Learned a lot about how to structure a recipe and critical items to be mindful of. Helpful without being overwhelming.

[Dray · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have digestive issues this is a great book with a lot of info about dealing with a variety of issues using food as the intervention. I found the recipes too meat centered for my daily use.

[Mskychick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this would be a great cookbook for those who need FODMAP recipes. For me personally, I checked this book out to look for new recipes, but didn’t find any new or exciting recipes to try

[Mimccub · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad I was able to borrow this from the library. Cookbooks are always hit or miss for me when it comes to finding recipe I’d like to actually try to make.

[Jeanette Durkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great compilation of recipes! I really liked the illustrations!

[Leah Krieger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as other American Test Kitchen cookbooks. I didn't find recipes that I wanted to make

[Kare · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for FODMAP information and tips as to how to cook with FODMAPs in mind. I suppose it is a good beginning but I need a ready reference chart.

[Tracy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wasn't what I expected and not many recipes. Did not tell me anything I didn't already know.

[Sammi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I keep coming back to this cookbook for a handful of recipes that have made it into my regular rotation.

[M.Marie.S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Background info was helpful, recipes are for dishes that look tasty. But alas, too complicated for me! These are not quick or easy.

[Reader]

Yum!

[Alcqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned about Foodmaps from my doctor. I was happy to see it referenced in this book. I learned a lot about what foods should be avoided if one has digestive issues. I also learned some techniques on effectively adding problematic foods to my diet. For example, garlic is difficult on my digestive system. It can be added through infused cooking oils to reduce discomfort. Unfortunately, l decided on three stars based on the recipes. I still recommend this book to others looking for an easy way to resolve digestive issues.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The general consensus is that for those of us that have IBD or any variation thereof, fiber is the way out...for me it is the way to the throne. This is a start, I just hope the recipes work for me as I have been shut out of the veggies/fruit world for months. The book also has a short chapter of Know Your Gut, Fight it with Food, the Disorders of Digestion, Low FODMAPs. If you are grain or lactose intolerant, it gives you substitutes you can use and then the recipes are listed as gluten free or Low FODMAP and then gives the nutritional information for each recipe. To me, this is a well rounded book as it seems to have a little bit of everything other than just recipes.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main problem with this book is that almost every recipe requires adjustments to actually fit into a gut healthy diet. Great that they provide options for making things gluten-free, dairy-free, low fodmap, but I have no interest in testing substitutions on every recipe when there are recipes out there that are already done. Besides, why would you not just print the recipes that fit the required diet?

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most recipes have meat, so if you're trying to cut back on that, you might be disappointed. They have a meatless section, but I didn't find the recipes very original. I am looking forward to trying the black bean burgers.

[Jo-Ann Houde · Rating 3 out of 5]

My gut feel about this recipe book was that it would be good!

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Want to try the Quinoa Taco Salad, Black Bean Burgers, and the Pan-Steamed Kale recipes.

[Kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend ANY cookbook by ATK!

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found some good recipes that I plan on trying soon.