2.5 stars. This book is probably fine for health-conscious but generally-well readers who are concerned about the Standard American Diet and generally-accepted but likely-problematic toxic exposures. As someone with an immune disease expressed through many body systems but especially the gut... people like me are not the target audience for this book.

The author spends a lot of time explaining how contemporary food habits have created a number of bad health outcomes. He specifies at one point that he's not victim-blaming, and it's certainly true that at least some of the basis for my health issues can be attributed to what my mother and grandmother ate, and what they fed me when I was small, but the narrative sure feels like an explanation of why my problems are my own dang fault.

The author further makes the case that the modern way of eating is responsible for a whole host of diseases, including Alzheimer's and autism. His arguments are compelling, so please be wary of how this book is suggested or used-- diet modification cannot be the only "treatment" for real illnesses!

The author uses as examples from his practice. The patients have a huge variety of illness or problems, but all receive a huge and immediate benefit from essentially the same treatment. The author makes an off-hand remark about books with miracle cure promises but overlooks how his is more of the same.

Not recommended: other books on the same general topic for mostly-well people are already available and have less potential to do less harm.

eARC from NetGalley that I didn't get to years ago, so I listed to the eAudiobook through hoopla courtesy of my local public library. The audiobook narrator was unobtrusive and unobjectionable, no notes.

THE GUT-IMMUNE CONNECTION is the latest text by Emeran Mayer, a medical doctor and researcher at the University of California at Los Angeles. Given the current concerns about immunity and the pandemic, it seems timely to build on his expertise in gut-microbiome interactions in order to learn "How Understanding the Connection Between Food and Immunity Can Help Us Regain Our Health." Referring to much research. Mayer advocates for a varied plant-based diet and restricting eating to an eight-hour window. And, his last chapter is designed to "make this knowledge practical and put it into action in the kitchen." There, he includes sample meal plans and recipes like Wild Rice with Mushrooms or Seared Sea Bass with Cauliflower "Rice" Pilaf. They sound great, but they are complicated – his Reinvented Shepherd's Pie, for example, has almost two dozen ingredients, including fresh ginger, Korean chili flakes and Korean chili paste, plus kimchi, Napa cabbage, Japanese eggplant, and baby bok choy, to name a few. Diet and lifestyle are key leverage points, but other texts may be more accessible for the general reader.