The Healthy Baby Gut Guide: Prevent allergies, build immunity and develop good gut health from day one

by Dr Vincent Ho

Childhood allergies are booming, but what if there was a way to prevent allergies in the first place? What if simple lifestyle changes in the critical first 1000 days could change your baby's life?

For families across the world, eczema, asthma, hay fever and food allergies are constant anxieties, sometimes with devastating consequences. Leading gastroenterologist Dr Vincent Ho has taken a deep dive into the exploding medical field of gut health and explains that from conception to birth, and from breastfeeding to the introduction of solid foods, small steps go a long way in preventing allergies and fortifying your baby's immune system. Dr Ho cuts through the scientific jargon to provide strategies for allergy management and treatment, and shows you how to strengthen your child's gut health for the long term - all before they begin to walk.

The Healthy Baby Gut Guide is packed with sensible advice, surprising scientific discoveries and even a nutritionist-approved nine-week infant meal plan to help parents navigate the introduction of common allergenic foods. Practical, easy-to-follow and utterly eye-opening, this book is essential reading for every parent and parent-to-be.

'This is a really useful guide. Dr Vincent Ho has put together an easy to read and understand book on how to reduce allergies in children. I highly recommend this book in your list of baby books to read.' - Dr Sonny Chong, Consultant Paediatrician and Gastroenterologist, Queen Mary's Hospital for Children

'A terrific evidence-based guide to help parents foster the optimum gut health for their babies. As a mother and scientist, I will turn to this book time and time again. Dr Ho is clearly and expert in his field, navigating a tricky subject with admirable ease and dexterity.' - Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed

Paperback

Published July 22, 2021

Reviews

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The information was solid, intriguing, and very simplified for the subject manner. It contains a lot of new research and meta analysises and is very up to date.

There were a few issues that I had. First of all, citations were sorely needed in a book of this scope. I'm not sure if I'm just missing them or he just put them on a website or what, but there really needs to be complete citations when including so many studies and experiments. Secondly, he mentions multiple time breastfeeding being a great preventative factor up to 12 months. I'm not sure if Australia has different recommendations, but both the AAP and WHO recommend breastfeeding for 2 years or more. The cut off that is half of their recommended minimum is odd. I'm hoping he meant 12 months as a minimum and I just misunderstood, but it really sounded like he was saying that should be the maximum, which is definitely not in line with current recommendations. Obviously no one has to breastfeed and it can be done whatever length of time desired, but it was the way that it came across that you should stop if you hit that time frame that rubbed me the wrong way.

Despite spending a lot of time mentioning what I didn't like, I really liked this book and think it has some very valuable information. Doctor Ho wrote this book from a place of love and concern for his daughter, who was personally affected by food allergies, and I love that he put in the effort of writing and publishing it in order to help others with similar issues and to help everyone decrease allergy risks and safely navigate associated issues. The thesis is clear, his writing relatable and understandable, and this concise guide would be an invaluable resource to anyone struggling to navigate allergies in their children or seeking to decrease odds in future children.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book. As always, one should discuss any type of dietary changes with supervision of their and their child's doctor.

I think there is a lot of good advice in this book. Written by a Gastroenterologist whose own child had food allergies. Dr. Ho takes you from pregnancy to the first couple years (One-thousand days to be exact). Talks about the big allergens and how you (as a parent) can manage these allergies if your child has them.

There is a detailed explanation of different theories for why allergies develop, when they develop, and how one can give their new offspring the best gut health so they can avoid future allergies (food and otherwise).

There is a meal plan for introducing new foods to your child. I mean, this book really covers the important things when dealing with gut health and your baby.

[Becky H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I wish a had been able to read before having my oldest kids! Thanks to this book, going forward I will have a much better understanding of allergies and how to prevent them in babies. This book was so well written and thought provoking. The meal plan in the book is wonderful. I was impressed with this book. If any new parents are worried about about their baby developing allergies I would give this book a read!

[Kea4 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very informative book. Some great ideas and tips about what one can do. It’s explained very well. The book also adds some personal experiences into the mix.
Its for ‘optimizing your baby’s gut health in the first 1000 days after conception.’
Good read.

https://theworldisabookandiamitsreade...

[Juanita Rojas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative book with well-explained science for the layperson. I enjoyed it and found it very helpful, I just wish that the introduction charts were more specific when referring to the amount of food to give to baby when introducing an allergen.