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A healthy body depends on a healthy gut.

Marguerite Patten’s story of her struggle with irritable bowel syndrome in Chapter 1 demonstrates dramatically the link between diet and the gut. The lesson from her experience is universal: some foods irritate and upset the gut, while others work to heal damaged tissues and restore normal digestive function. But which foods are which? Just what is the gut, and how does it work? The Healthy Gut Cookbook tackles these questions and explains how you can use choose the best foods to meet your digestive system’s unique needs.

This chapter describes the structure of the gut and explains how its various parts perform different phases of the digestive process. To top things off, the liver – the largest and arguably most important organ in the body – is discussed and guidelines are given on how you can protect it.

Some people find the word gut disagreeable and perhaps a little coarse. In fact, it is a proper descriptive medical term and the title of a highly respected medical journal. In medical usage, gut refers to the small and large intestines, gastrointestinal describes the gut plus the stomach, and digestive system covers all parts of the body involved in the breakdown of food and absorption of nutrients, including the mouth, teeth, liver and pancreas. In this book, the three terms are used interchangeably.

It is not just words that make people feel uneasy; many of us find the need to describe the processes of the gut hugely embarrassing. Perhaps it is the influence of television chat shows and medical dramas, but talking about personal sexual or mental problems often comes easier than discussing the more awkward subject of digestion. Many older people find it rude to speak of ‘fart’ or ‘faeces’. Fortunately, younger people seem less affected by these inhibitions. This text provides a balance of terms that will suit all. A later section suggests ways you can ask for help and accurately describe your symptoms with minimal embarrassment (see here).