Introduction In all the discussions about the community of microorganisms living in the human gut (the microbiome) and its “good” and “bad” bacteria; in all the science about how to manipulate bacterial populations to increase gut health; and in all the media urging greater awareness of the microbiome’s influence on us all, there has been a missing link. The science of the microbiome has, until recently, largely neglected an active and potentially virulent community within: It is fungus, and it is among us. The fungi in your microbiome may not outnumber the bacteria, but it can compromise your health, contributing to weight gain, digestive problems, inflammatory bowel disorders, and even mood disorders and mental illness. As a research scientist specializing in fungus, I have dedicated my life to the study of the fungi that live in our guts, as well as in and on other parts of our bodies. I’ve witnessed firsthand what kind of trouble fungi can cause. Infections and systemic inflammation are a couple of obvious ways fungi can cause trouble, but they are devious in other ways—fungi can work in an insidious partnership with “bad” bacteria to foil even the most aggressive medications and render useless our most vigorous efforts at dietary control. Intestinal fungi in particular can work with disease-causing gut bacteria, forming sticky biofilms that are a lot like the plaque on your teeth. These biofilms coat the lining of your digestive tract, protecting harmful fungal and bacterial microbes from the body’s immune system, and even from antibiotic and antifungal treatment. But we can outsmart them. Total Gut Balance is the first general-audience health book to explain how fungi work in the human gut, in ways that are beneficial, neutral, and detrimental to human health. If you have recently gained a lot of weight, or are having trouble losing weight; if you have digestive disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), stomach pain, bloating after eating, flatulence, belching, nausea, vomiting, acid reflux or heartburn, chronic constipation or diarrhea (or both); if you have a diagnosed chronic disease such as Crohn’s disease (CD), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or colitis; or even if you just have a general feeling of poor health and low energy, then you need to know how to manage your total gut balance. It could be a root cause of your health and weight issues. The good news is that gut fungi change rapidly. Gut bacteria, by contrast, is largely established at birth and while it can shift gradually with dietary changes, it can never completely be remade. Not so with fungus. The community of fungi inside and on the surface of a human host (that’s you) is called the mycobiome—a term I coined in 2010 that is now in widespread use in both the scientific community and in popular culture. The mycobiome is dynamic, shifting significantly with every meal. We know that what you eat and do directly influence your gut fungi, and that your gut fungi, in turn, can directly influence what you weigh, how you feel, how well your immune system works, how much inflammation you have, and more. Within 24 hours, you can remake your mycobiome for better or for worse based on what you decide to eat and other factors within your control. When you make gut-friendly choices, you can set yourself on the fast track to total gut balance, which translates to weight loss, better digestion, improved health, and more energy. If you want results and you want them now, fungi are your inroad to a short-term as well as a long-term gut makeover. In this book, you will learn a new way of eating for gut health that specifically targets fungi and takes advantage of its changeable nature. You’ll also learn how to target the beneficial bacteria whose job it is to keep fungi under control. This can help you get the specific and dramatic results you’ve been hoping for, in record time. The Mycobiome Diet is my potent and fast-acting solution to achieve total gut balance through direct intervention with gut fungi. This diet takes the best elements from many current popular research-based diets, but combines them for maximum total gut balance effect as follows:

A groundbreaking guide to your gut Most people understand the importance of a healthy gut microbiome for digestive health and overall wellbeing. But what about the mycobiome—the fungi that live inside our bodies? Here, Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum introduces this important component of the microbiome and explains how diet affects this population and how its balance or imbalance can cause you to feel—a poor balance of fungi can lead to weight gain, pain and bloating, and low energy, and can worsen symptoms for those with IBS or Crohn’s. Good news: Gut fungi respond quickly and dramatically to dietary and lifestyle changes. Within 24 hours, you can remake your mycobiome, supporting a path to weight loss, better digestion, and more energy. Alongside this accessible gut science, Ghannoum outlines fast changes for fostering healthy fungi as well as 7- and 20-day diet plans, with more than 50 dietician-tested recipes, to cultivate a thriving mycobiome and methods for tweaking your lifestyle for long-term gut health.

A groundbreaking guide to your gut Most people understand the importance of a healthy gut microbiome for digestive health and overall wellbeing. But what about the mycobiome—the fungi that live inside our bodies? Here, Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum introduces this important component of the microbiome and explains how diet affects this population and how its balance or imbalance can cause you to feel—a poor balance of fungi can lead to weight gain, pain and bloating, and low energy, and can worsen symptoms for those with IBS or Crohn’s. Good news: Gut fungi respond quickly and dramatically to dietary and lifestyle changes. Within 24 hours, you can remake your mycobiome, supporting a path to weight loss, better digestion, and more energy. Alongside this accessible gut science, Ghannoum outlines fast changes for fostering healthy fungi as well as 7- and 20-day diet plans, with more than 50 dietician-tested recipes, to cultivate a thriving mycobiome and methods for tweaking your lifestyle for long-term gut health.

The hidden role of fungi inside and all around us From beneficial yeasts that aid digestion to toxic molds that cause disease, we are constantly navigating a world filled with fungi. Molds, Mushrooms, and Medicines explores the amazing ways fungi interact with our bodies, showing how our health and well-being depend on an immense ecosystem of yeasts and molds inside and all around us. Nicholas Money takes readers on a guided tour of a marvelous unseen realm, describing how our immune systems are engaged in continuous conversation with the teeming mycobiome inside the body, and how we can fall prey to serious and even life-threatening infections when this peaceful coexistence is disturbed. He also sheds light on our complicated relationship with fungi outside the body, from wild mushrooms and cultivated molds that have been staples of the human diet for millennia to the controversial experimentation with magic mushrooms in the treatment of depression. Drawing on the latest advances in mycology, Molds, Mushrooms, and Medicines reveals what scientists are learning about the importance of fungi to our lives, from their vital role in supporting the ecosystems on which we depend to their emerging uses in lifesaving medicine.

What if the ability to look, feel, and perform at peak capacity wasn’t the stuff of lore but instead was within easy reach? In a perfect world, you would be able to have it all: complete optimization of mind, body, and spirit. In Boundless, the New York Times bestselling author of Beyond Training and health and fitness leader Ben Greenfield offers a first-of-its-kind blueprint for total human optimization. To catapult you down the path of maximizing cognition, mental clarity, and IQ, you will discover: How to rewire your skull’s supercomputer (& 9 ways to fix your neurotransmitters) The 12 best ways to heal a leaky brain 8 proven methods to banish stress and kiss high cortisol goodbye 10 foods that break your brain, and how to eat yourself smart How to safely utilize nootropics and smart drugs, along with 8 of the best brain-boosting supplement stacks and psychedelics The top nutrient for brain health that you probably aren’t getting enough of 6 ways to upgrade your brain using biohacking gear, games, and tools How to exercise the cells of your nervous system using technology and modern science Easy ways to train your brain for power, speed, and longevity The ultimate guide to optimizing your sleep, maximizing mental recovery, and stopping jet lag To ensure that you look good naked and live a long time, you will learn: 6 ways to get quick, powerful muscles (& why bigger muscles aren’t better) How to burn fat fast without destroying your body The fitness secrets of 6 of the fittest old people on the planet The best training program for maximizing muscle gain and fat loss at the same time One simple tactic for staying lean year-round with minimal effort A step-by-step system for figuring out exactly which foods to eat 14 ways to build an unstoppable immune system Little-known tactics, tips, and tricks for recovering from workouts with lightning speed The best tools for biohacking your body at home and on the road How to eat, train, and live for optimal symmetry and beauty (& how to raise kids with superhuman bodies and brains) And to help you live a fulfilling and happy life, you will learn: 12 techniques to heal your body using your own internal pharmacy What the single most powerful emotion is and how to tap into it every day 4 of the best ways to heal your body and spirit using sounds and vibrations 6 ways to enhance your life and longevity with love, friendships, and lasting relationships How to biohack the bedroom for better sex and longer orgasms, and the top libido-enhancing herbs, supplements, and strategies The perfect morning, afternoon, and evening routines for enhancing sleep, productivity, and overall happiness 28 ways to combine ancestral wisdom and modern science to enhance longevity, including the best foods, herbs, supplements, injections, medical treatments, biohacks, fasting strategies, and much more The 4 hidden variables that can make or break your mind, body, and spirit The exercise that will change your life forever (& how to reverse-engineer your perfect day) Boundless guides you every step of the way to becoming an expert in what makes your brain tick, your body work, and your spirit happy. You can flip open the book to any chapter and discover research-proven, trench-tested techniques to build muscle, burn fat, live longer, have mind-blowing sex, raise robust children, and much, much more!

“A fascinating, funny, and easy-to-read book about the latest human microbiome discoveries and how these discoveries might help us tend to our inner microbes so as to optimize our overall health.” —Daphne Miller, MD author of Farmacology: Total health from the Ground Up and The Jungle Effect “Virtually every aspect of health and vitality is influenced by the collection of microbes living within us. The Good Gut empowers the reader with the opportunity to embrace this leading edge science in an actionable, user-friendly way.” —David Perlmutter, MD and author, #1 New York Times Bestseller, Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar: Your Brain's Silent Killers 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 in the entire realm 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 that we collectively call the microbiota. The microbiota interacts with our bodies in a number of powerful ways; the Sonnenburgs argue that it determines in no small part whether we’re sick or healthy, fit or obese, sunny or moody. The microbiota has always been with us, and in fact has coevolved with humans, entwining its functions with ours so deeply, the Sonnenburgs show us, humans are really composite organisms having both microbial and human parts. But now, they argue, because of changes to diet, antibiotic over-use, and over-sterilization, our gut microbiota is facing a “mass extinction event,” which is causing our bodies to go haywire, and may be behind the mysterious spike in some of our most troubling modern afflictions, from food allergies to autism, cancer to depression. It doesn’t have to be this way. The Good Gut offers a new plan for health that focuses on how to nourish your microbiota, including recipes and a menu plan. In this groundbreaking work, the Sonnenburgs show how we can keep our microbiota off the endangered species list and how we can strengthen the community that inhabits our gut and thereby improve our own health. The answer is unique for each of us, and it changes as you age. In this important and timely investigation, the Sonnenburgs look at safe alternatives to antibiotics; dietary and lifestyle choices to encourage microbial health; the management of the aging microbiota; and the nourishment of your own individual microbiome. Caring for our gut microbes may be the most important health choice we can make.

First diet book connecting the microbiome with healthy weight loss; featuring an easy wellness program with a 3-phase diet.