Regenerative Health: Discover Your Metabolic Type and Renew Your Liver for Life

by Kristin Kirkpatrick MS RD LD, Ibrahim Hanouneh

The authors of Skinny Liver offer a new look at liver disease through four types of conditions and deliver practical plans for liver health.

Your liver plays a key role in your health, affecting chronic inflammation, heart health, mental health, cognitive health, and metabolic health (including type 2 diabetes). Yet most people aren’t aware of its power—and are unknowingly sabotaging their liver health. Medical understanding has evolved to reveal that metabolic health is the best indicator of fatty liver risk, meaning that treating fatty liver disease is less about losing weight (and the unhealthy diet culture that accompanies it) and more about adopting smart lifestyle habits to reduce your risk. Based on the most up-to-date research, Regenerative Health introduces the four metabolic profiles—the Preventer, the Fine-Tuner, the Re-calibrator, and the Regenerator–and an easy assessment. Once you determine your type, you’ll follow easy steps to customize your Regenerative Health eating and lifestyle plan.
 
With practical tips on nutrition, exercise, and wellness; meal suggestions; recipes; and recommended snacks, Regenerative Health will help you treat your current liver issues and also help you prevent more from developing. Whether you already have a diagnosis or simply want to be feel as good as you can, experts Kristin Kirkpatrick and Ibrahim Hanouneh give you the knowledge and the tools to take charge of your health. 

Genres: Health, Nonfiction

336 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 20, 2024

Reviews

[Pauline Stout · Rating 3 out of 5]

According to the authors of this book there is a growing epidemic of liver problems/disease in the world. It is reversible though. If you follow the diet and lifestyle changes that are outlined in this book (according to what body/metabolic type you have) you can not only prevent liver damage if you are healthy, you can halt/reverse that damage if you aren’t.

Before I say anything, let me emphasize that before you follow any plan in here, you should 100% consult with your doctor. The authors do say at several points that you should do that if you have a preexisting condition like diabetes, but you should also do that if you think you are perfectly healthy. Not all conditions have outward symptoms.

I do like several of the points that they make in this. I agree when they say that outward appearance doesn’t always indicate health. You don’t necessarily have to lose weight to be healthy. Eating more vegetables and moving more is a good thing. I like how it talks about applying this book to children. As it says, children are very susceptible to taking eating/diet advise and comments on weight and turning that into an eating disorder. The advise for how to get children moving and healthy is very good. I like the recipe section that was so closed at the end of the book. Multiple things sounded tasty and I’m looking forward to making some of the things I saw there. I do have several issues with this book however.

There is a heavy emphasis on moderate to low carb dieting in this book, which won’t work for everyone. It has a heavy emphasis on intermittent fasting, which really isn’t for everyone. There is a very fine line between fasting and disordered eating and it bothers me that the authors never said that fasting can lead to this. There are also multiple health conditions that can be negatively effected by intermittent fasting. Doctor advise should always be sought out before intermittent fasting is started. Intuitive eating is also emphasized without really going into what it is. I’m willing to bet a large amount of people reading this don’t know what intuitive eating is or how to do it properly. It would have been nice to see that more fully explained in this book.

Several eating plans are gone over in this book and most of them concern me. A lot of attention is given to not overly restricting what you eat at but when an example of a day of eating is given it seems extremely restrictive. It talks about how breakfast should be your largest meal of the day but then shows examples of hilariously small first meals. The health properties of coffee are talked about but it’s use as a hunger suppressant is also talked about which raises red flags for me. A cup of coffee isn’t a snack. People shouldn’t be encouraged to have a cup of coffee instead of eating when they are hungry.

The things that annoyed me that most was it’s anti “chemical”. It says at several points they if you can’t pronounce something in the ingredients list of something you shouldn’t eat it. This is a terrible guide for finding the right things to eat. Tocopherol, pyridoxine, cyanocobalamin, ergocalciferol, and phylloquinone all sound scary. Those are vitamins E, B6, B12, D, and K respectively. Just because something has a shorter ingredient list doesn’t mean it’s better for you. Storing things in plastic won’t kill you.

I’m not going to say this was a bad book. Like said, there are a lot of good points that are covered in this. Just please, if you are going to use this book as a means to change your health, consult with your doctor about it first. This is a mostly a good stepping stone book and a good start to a healthy life journey.

[Terri (BooklyMatters) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive and non-intimidating guide, written by the combined expertise of a registered dietician and an M.D, focusing on the optimal care and feeding of what may be the most underrated and indispensable human organ - one’s liver. Extensively cross-referenced and dense with information, recipes, tips and tools, this is a health reference book to keep close to hand, once the main message has been digested, to inspire and support one’s own preventative or healing journey.

Who knew the scary and astounding statistics - with the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease currently at more than forty percent of the US population - this disease is correlated with metabolic syndrome , type 2 diabetes and obesity, leading over time to increasingly deadly liver impairments. In many cases symptom-free, this disease functions as a silent and centrally-connected killer, with continued liver damage leading to irreversible scarring (cirrhosis), cancer and heart disease.

Largely controllable through diet and lifestyle, (the liver, if not too unduly taxed and for too long, can miraculously regenerate itself) the authors, medical professionals with a long history of practice in this area, provide a liver-health survey assessment to provide both information and incentive for change. They detail a restorative plan, centering on a Mediterranean-based low-to-moderate carb diet, along with treatment guidance on everything from exercise to stress management for individuals and families.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in their own or a loved one’s journey to wellness, I gobbled up this wonderful, accessible book, which is packed with practical and actionable advice, provided in a comfortable and encouraging manner.

A great big thank you to the publisher, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

[JoyReaderGirl1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Requesting and being selected to review, “Regenerative Health—Discover Your Metabolic Type and Renew Your LIVER for Life,” by the extensively knowledgeable collaborative author team of medical specialist Gastroenterologist Ibrahim Hanouneh and Registered Dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick, just may be the most timely nonfiction reference book that has come my way—ever—because I have recently been diagnosed with an early form of liver disease.

According to research presented in “Regenerative Health,” shockingly one in four people worldwide now are diagnosed with some form of liver disease due to poor eating habits; lack of exercise; health concerns like diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure; and alcohol consumption—which is terrifying.

The good news offered by Hanouneh and Kirkpatrick is that the liver is a super organ that can regenerate itself if it’s not too damaged. Therefore, included in this comprehensive handbook is extensive research about the liver and the progression of its diseases; tests used to identify liver problems; body-type risk factors; and suggestions on how to counteract the effects of liver disease via multiple types of healthy eating plans.

This is an eye-opening study of an epidemic that is exponentially increasing by the decade and has already taken root silently in our children as well as a huge proportion of countless individuals throughout the world. Interestingly, as stated in this book, one ‘super food’ that’s showing great progress in reversing liver disease is COFFEE. Drinking 3-4 cups of black coffee a day can work miracles.

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Authors
Gastroenterologist Ibrahim Hanouneh and Registered Dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick, and Publisher Hachette Go, an imprint of Hachette Books for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

[Colleen T · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

The liver is one of the most important organs in your body and is pivotal to your overall health. Diet, exercise and maintaining a general well-being are essential to keeping the liver healthy and preventing Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), a disease of which Kristin Kirkpatrick and Ibrahim Hanouneh focus on throughout this book. They provide many suggestions of different types of diets that will help to maintain optimal liver health depending on one's needs, provide recipes and meal plans to follow, and assessments for the reader to take to see where they are with their health.

I try to maintain some semblance of healthy behavior throughout my life, so this book was definitely something I wanted to read since I hoped it would provide some perspective on body, mind, and soul improvement. I learned a lot of information about how important the liver is to the body and I even plan to buy the physical copy of this book when it comes on February 20th to make some of the recipes they provide.

My only issue with the book was that it came off a little sales-y and slightly unrelatable, but this was a minor concern.

If you are someone who is trying to turn a new leaf with your health, especially concerning your liver, please go check out this book when it's released.

[Margaret Closs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not just like every other diet book, or meal plans. This goes through the underlying principles of restoring your liver, and what is reasonable for individuals with different criteria to do. I appreciated that it is also realistic and realizes you can't go from a junk food loving product of our culture to a healthy Whole Foods eater overnight. Organized initially into what lifestyle changes and steps you should take first with reflections and then to a recommended diet plan, I feel like this will be a resource well into my future. I also appreciate how it is appropriate for making the whole family healthier, not just the parents, especially with the unhealthy eating often starting in childhood.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read health books that focus on things you can actually do. This is a well researched book on eating a diet that supports liver and your metabolic system. My take away is weight is not as important as inches: waistlines below 35 inches for women, 40 for men and fatty liver disease is practically an epidemic these days due to the standard American diet. You can reverse this if you start early enough.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is so interesting. It provided so many achievable ideas on how to change things you are doing that will make big effects on your health. There’s so much information and ideas that I am sure every time you read it you will find something new to do. Great book for taking small steps to change your health in large ways.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Corrica · Rating 1 out of 5]

Some valuable information but the book is full of so much dirt culture talk it is hard to ignore. Very damaging if you have a history of ED. Don’t worry, if you don’t you’ll get one from following this book!

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book, written by an internist and a dietician, seems to be written to appeal to a wide audience. If you or someone you love is newly diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and you’re not sure what to do, this would be a good place to start. Sadly, I found the text repetitive and lacking the breadth and depth of information I was hoping for.

Although there is some general information about liver function and what helps and hurts the liver, most of the book is focused on prevention or treatment of fatty liver disease. The authors provide a plan for each of the four metabolic types they identify: healthy and lean, healthy and non-lean, unhealthy and lean, and unhealthy and non-lean. Type 2 diabetes or prediabetes is one of the risk factors that determine the category you fall within; the authors do not mention whether Type 1 diabetes affects your risk. The authors mention FIB-4 scores but don’t provide much discussion or rationale for how they interpret the scores.

The diet and lifestyle recommendations are sensible and moderate, and the authors provide gentle guidance for how to ease into their recommended plans. The food plans are based on the nutrient-dense Mediterranean diet, with an emphasis on low to moderate intake of carbohydrates, primarily with a low glycemic load. They also recommend a very gentle version of intermittent fasting that should be quite attainable for most adults, although you should check with your doctor first.

The book includes dozens of recipes, organized into breakfast, snacks and sides, sauces, animal proteins, main meals, and desserts. Recipes include number of servings, prep time and cook time, and indications of which meal plans they fit (Modified Mediterranean, Moderate-carb, Low-carb, Keto-friendly, Gluten-free, Vegan, or Vegetarian). Most of the recipes are simple to make if you have basic cooking skills, and most of the ingredients should be easy to find if you don’t already have them on hand. There are no pictures and no nutrition information. I haven’t tried any of the recipes yet, but some of them look appealing.

The back matter includes notes and recommended resources.

I was provided an ARC through NetGalley that I volunteered to review.

[Jessica Jang · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I got a sense of guilt from this book that I don't try to cook with my child enough. This book offers a comprehensive look at the growing epidemic of liver problems. It presents a roadmap to reversing or preventing damage through diet and lifestyle changes tailored to your metabolic type. I appreciated the emphasis on improving overall health without focusing solely on weight loss and the thoughtful advice for helping children develop healthy habits. The recipe section stands out, with several dishes I’m excited to try. However, the heavy promotion of low-carb diets and intermittent fasting may not be suitable for everyone, and the lack of caution about potential risks, particularly with fasting, is concerning. Additionally, the anti-Chemical” stance feels overly simplistic, and the examples of eating plans seem restrictive despite advocating balance. It’s a helpful guide to start a health journey, but consulting a doctor before implementing the strategies is essential.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy for an honest review.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very thorough book on healing your liver, which you probably didn’t even know needed it. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is epidemic these days even in people who think they’re healthy, and it’s scary that even children are developing it because our modern diets are so full of sugars and processed foods. It’s linked to problems with your heart, brain and more, and affects every system of your body. The book goes into many different diets that you can adopt instead of just one, mostly recommending ones that are pretty low carb, plant based and Mediterranean leaning. There’s a focus on whole food, low glycemic load, protein and prioritization of a few foods they really recommend for liver health (coffee, beans, kiwis, steel cut oats, fatty fish…).

I read a digital version of this book for review.

[Rhi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the medical Portion of this book is fairly well researched and straightforward in terms of understanding liver disease and a more customized approach to addressing it, primarily focused on nutritional and diet changes. Throughout the book the focus is on eating LOTS of fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors- it's the main point, which of course is great advice. However when it comes to the nutritional guidance it's giving 1998 Prevention magazine. In the day at a glance view there are literally no fruits recommended and hardly any vegetables. the RD who I assume contributed to this section focuses on eggs, cheese, and turkey bacon which is insane, not Mediterranean at all, and bland AF. Sad to say the recipes feel like they were designed by an Almond mom who just met a spice last week.

[Jeanette Winkler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book if you are interested in reducing your liver enzyme levels due to NAFLD, type 2 diabetes, etc. This book was very informative, and I learned a lot more about specific foods and their net carb value, etc, to help the liver. The book answered many of my questions. I recommend this book to anyone who is diagnosed as a pre-diabetic or is looking to reverse NAFLD.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected new information. I expected it to be written for a full-blown adult as opposed to a young adult. There just wasn't enough "meat" to the writing. Perfectly fine for people curious and just starting with their research.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a nurse and even I learned a ton from this book! Highly educational, easy to understand, and tons of great recommendations for easy lifestyle swaps!

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

could not get into this book

[Misty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of helpful and straightforward advice, including meal plans and recipes!, for anyone looking to improve their metabolic health.

[Jackie Selles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reinforcing a few scattered ideas was helpful! Move, eat healthy, manage stress, manage toxic exposure and get proper sleep are the basics. Love the recipes in the back, can't wait to try some!

[Samantha Steipp · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just reviewed Regenerative Health by Kristin Kirkpatrick; Ibrahim Hanouneh. #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL] I have learned so much from this book, and it's a perfect addition to helping me change my lifestyle.