Dr. McDougall's Digestive Tune-Up

by John A. McDougall, Howard Bartner (Illustrator)

Dr. John McDougall breaks through cultural taboos with a candid, humorous look at how the digestive tract functions. Join Dr. McDougall in his office as he motivates two of his middle-aged patients to make wiser lifestyle choices in order to regain their digestive health. Learn how a low-fat, cholesterol-free, plant-based diet can prevent and cure constipation, hemorrhoids, IBS, and other chronic intestinal disorders. Anyone with digestive problems will be able to benefit from this noninvasive approach for healing intestinal conditions. You'll find information on how to understand the workings of your digestive system, identify the root causes of digestive discomfort, find out why friendly bacteria are necessary for overall health, and avoid surgical procedures and expensive medications. This knowledge will enable you to take control of the healing process. Dr. John McDougall has been studying, writing and speaking out about the effects of nutrition on disease for over 30 years. He offers his changing approach to optimal health through his books, dvds, seminars, and live-in treatment programs. Color illustrations.

Genres: Health, Nutrition, Food, Vegan, Nonfiction, Medicine, Medical

211 pages, Paperback

First published July 30, 2006

About the author

John A. McDougall was an American physician, author, and advocate of low-fat, plant-based nutrition. After surviving a stroke at 18, he pursued medicine, ultimately creating the McDougall Program, a starch-based vegan diet aimed at preventing and reversing chronic disease. His bestseller The McDougall Plan popularized his nutritional philosophy, emphasizing unprocessed starches, vegetables, and fruit while eliminating all animal products, oils, and processed foods. Over his career, McDougall published multiple books, sold more than 1.5 million copies, and co-founded Dr. McDougall's Right Foods.
McDougall ran a 10-day residential health program in California and appeared frequently in media to promote dietary change. He also served on the advisory board of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and was a plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging federal cholesterol guidelines. In 2018, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.
Though praised by supporters for his unwavering commitment to diet-based healing, McDougall also faced criticism for promoting what some experts labeled as a restrictive “fad diet.” Concerns included potential nutritional deficiencies and the exclusion of entire food groups like nuts and oils. Nonetheless, studies reported health improvements among adherents, and the American Heart Association acknowledged partial alignment with its dietary guidelines.
McDougall's work significantly influenced the plant-based movement and helped reshape public understanding of nutrition’s role in health. Despite controversy, his emphasis on whole foods and dietary simplicity made lasting contributions to preventive medicine and lifestyle change.

Reviews

[nisan · Rating 2 out of 5]

sindirim sistemi fizyopatolojisi bilgilerimin üzerinden geçme niyetiyle başladığım kitap 'nihai' 'en sağlıklı' 'olması gereken' diyetin çok garipsediğim bir şekilde doğal nişasta içeren kök sebzeler ve diğer doğal şeker içeren bitkiler (tüm sebzeler, bakliyat ve tahıllar) bazlı olduğunu savunan bir kitap çıktı.

adam (sn dr. mcdougall) tam bir yağ düşmanı. özellikle hayvansal yağlar olmak üzere herhangi yağ tüketiminin neredeyse bütün hastalıkların başı olduğunu çığırıyor. bunun yanında diyetinde süt ve süt ürünleri dahil tüm hayvansal gıdaları yasaklıyor. bunların fazla 'yoğun besleyici'likleri olduğunu ve insanın evriminin gereği etobur olmadığını, maymunlardan en yakın akrabalarımızın nasıl beslendiğine bakmamız gerektiğini, bunun kanıt olduğunu falan söylüyor.

diyetin -fiziksel aktivite, temiz hava, doğru nefesle birlikte- gerçek anlamda sağlığın anahtarı olduğunu söyleyip bunu sonuna kadar savunan, insanlara ulaşmaya çalışan doktorların olması dünya üzerindeki en harika şey çünkü olmaya devlet cihanda, bir nefes sıhhat gibi. ve buna ulaşmanın herkesin kendi elinde ve sorumluluğunda olduğu bilincine vardırıyor. ya da onu amaçlıyor.

fakat dr. mcdougall'ın büyük çözüm getiren diyeti sadece uzun süredir aşırı işlenmiş ve çok yüksek kalorili klasik amerikan diyetinde olan insanlar için faydalı olacaktır diye düşünüyorum. asya, afrika, güney amerikada yerleşik toplumların geleneksel yiyeceklerinin pirinç, patates, sebzeler ve meyvelerden oluştuğunu ve asyalılarda safra taşı, kanser ve kalp-damar hastalıklarının olmadığını söylüyor. ama mide kanseri oranının dünyanın kalanına oranla çok yüksek olduğundan bahsetmiyor. ya da ben sanki bahsettiği yerlerde yaşayan insanların full vegan olmadığından ve yemeklerini yağ ile pişirdiklerinden emin gibiyim.

kitabın sonunda çok geniş bir referans listesi var ama birine bile bakmadım. gerçeğin kendi ihtiyaçlarına göre uzatıp çevrilmesinden pek hoşlanmıyorum. yine de farklı bir bakış açısı, birkaç güzel bilgi getirmedi değil. en önemlisi burkitt lenfomaya ismini vermiş dr. burkitt'in 'the fiber man' (lif adam) diye bilindiğini öğrenmek oldu. meğer o da bir diyet savunucusuymuş.

yıllar sonra okul notlarımda ülseratif kolit hastalığı için 'gidişat diyetle bağlantılı değildir' diye yazdığımı görünce şoka uğramıştım. burada da aynı şeyden bahsedilmiş. ah ne zaman çıkacak bu karanlıklar aydınlığa? gerçekten modern pharma o kadar köklü işlemiş ve o kadar çok şeyimizi alıyor ki konuşmaya başlayamam bile..

dr. mcdougall, dr. denis burkitt, dr. natasha campbell, dr. zafer yönden gibi insanların söylediklerini dinlemek, anlamaya çalışmak gerek.

[Anyta Sunday]

Ulcerative Colitis. Well fuck, this shit has to go. :P

Have read lots of studies to figure out the best diet/medication and am plowing my way through books on health (in particularlary the role diet plays). This is very easy to read, addresses issues in a simplified way and has an extensive appendix of scientic studies to support his claims.
I read this after watching the documentaries Forks Over Knives and What The Health.

[Rachel]

I bought this book for my mom to read when she was visiting me awhile back, but I've still got it on my bookshelf. I should read it! I saw on McDougall web site where he says eating coconuts is not allowed. I'm surprised by that. I thought raw coconuts are healthy to eat? And I saw on a goodreads review that he apparently doesn't allow avocados either? Hmmm. If that's true, I think that's very strange. I eat the whole avocado all by itself, like other people might eat a banana or an apple, and I love it. It feels very healthy. High in calories and fat, yes, but it certainly *feels* good for me. Also, on his web site he says that eating a lot of fruit can raise your triglycerides. But I eat a ton of fruit, mostly fruit is what I eat, and my triglycerides are only 57. Hmmmm. So I'm wondering about some of the stuff in McDougall's plan. Maybe the diet recommendations are specifically for weight loss and that's why he wants you to eliminate higher calorie foods.

Also, I see on his plans, he has you mixing fruits with oatmeal and other harder-to-digest things. I don't do that. I eat fruits all by themselves, in the morning, on an empty stomach. I think that's the best way. Feels good to me. So I'm surprised to see him serving fresh canteloupe along side a complicated dinner of mexican salad and tortillas. (This was a photo I saw on McDougall's web site, of a typical meal served at his Santa Rosa clinic.) But my health isn't perfect, so who knows. I tend to trust Dr. McDougall, but on the other hand, some of his recommendations conflict with my own experiences with what feels like healthy eating to me. I have some of his cooking DVDs which I found where kind of elementary .... since I tend to eat more and more raw food all the time, the cooking recipes don't feel very applicable to me. I have bought raw food cookbooks, but they all seem like too much work. In the end, I just end up eating most of my food raw, without any preparation other than washing and slicing. Works great for me! I do generally eat cooked foods in the evening, like when my boyfriend cooks for me or when we eat out. Although, even then, a good portion of the food is usually a raw salad.

Hmmmm. Well, I am still interested in the Digestive Tune Up book to see what Dr. McDougall has to say.

[Scott Cheatham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased the Kindle version of this book and read it over a period of a few weeks. It has so much good information on how our digestive system works and the systemic nature food has on all of the other systems our body operates on.

Dr. McDougall is unashamedly a starch-based, no meat in the diet, no dairy, kind of guy. His research over a lifetime points out the benefits of eating this way but he never writes about it in such a way that it seems like he's forcing it. You WANT to transition after reading this. You may struggle at first like the couple he uses in this book. But he encourages you to make the switch.

This book is a little older than his newer works but he's never wavered in his findings. The value In this book is he gives you detailed reasons for many of the struggle we have to feel better. He handles such topics as gastritis, stomach issues, bowel issues, and other areas you might not want to talk about but need to know.

Very highly recommended. Thank you Dr. McDougall.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 8-year old suffers from constipation. We've been working with a GI specialist for over a year. I hate that he's been on Miralax and Ex-Lax for an extended period of time. When asked about diet and nutrition, the practitioner's response is, "He should be fine with a 'well-balanced diet.'" I'm not 100% sure I agree with that, and am now more determined to see a nutritionist to address this matter. I think my whole family would benefit from a plant-based diet.

[Catherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Talk about infomercial! If you like them then read this one. I will be a bit more selective browsing books at Whole Foods. Fool me once....

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book by my new favorite guru. It's a quick read, and now I understand the use of the gallbladder!

[Joanne McKinnon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still learning

I’ve been making changes to my diet for nearly 30 years. I no longer eat food my mother use to make. She died in her early 50s.

I’ve learned more from reading this book. What I find useful is the signs that not all is well with my digestive system. I already had a list of indicators but sometimes they failed to give me an advance warning. Knowing the cause of a discomfort will help tremendously.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and probably pretty accurate account of why a person should eat a plant based diet. Written as if the doctor is consulting a middle-aged couple who are overweight with a myriad of typical health issues. So it's readable and there's good information. Written in 2006 there likely is more current information out there. But odds are this information is still a good foundation for a plant based diet argument.

[B · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author provides simple & easy to understand medical explanations for common digestive issues. However, the author is extremely biased by his evolutionary worldview which fuels his plant-based only diet recommendation.

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good information! I don't know if I like the graphics.

[Serena Long ﺕ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book with great information. We are what we assimilate.

[Leilani · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this four stars but the illustrations were ridiculous. I'm not offended by human anatomy. I appreciated Dr. McDougall's frankness. However, unnecessarily cartoonish human anatomy annoys me. Why dumb it down or poke fun at it?

That being said, this super low fat diet seems to work pretty well. I'm still figuring things out but this has been a helpful step in the process.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for those suffering digestive issues that conventional medicine finds difficult to diagnose. Written by an MD in plain language it provides an introduction to the myriad of conditions that exist and a starting point for further exploration of your individual symptoms. In no way a replacement for medical advice, the book gives you a starting point for further discussion with your integrative medical specialist. Interesting dietary considerations which again provide potential alternatives to conventional treatments.

[sharon spradlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information!

This read has a plethora of good sound medical advice on how nutrition effects you health and wellness. I am now completely vegan in my diet and I feel better. When I read some of th effects foods can have on my health and organs I am even more certain that eliminating animal products and fat is the key to the quality of life I want to have.

[Judith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I registered this book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/3807897

This small book is an overview of digestive issues. In broad strokes, McDougall describes several different conditions and how to treat them.

For me there wasn't enough detail. I had hoped for more. It's a useful starting point, however.

[Karol K · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will upgrade the quality of life for many people. I reccommend it highly.

Please read and share. There are many people out there that have chronic digestive ailments and need help, not a quick fix temporary OTC remedy.

This book is the answer.

[Soul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Broaden my understanding of he digestive system and has a very intriguing method of telling it's story.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Extremely informative, and a resource to keep drawing from in the future. The teaching style wasn't my favorite, but I wasn't reading this book for its verbal eloquence.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easily readable and full of lists to summarize his points. Another in a long list of books that leads us away from processed food and into a more natural diet. I read through it in a day.