Jordan Rubin was nineteen years old when his body basically started to shut down. He didn't just have a stomach ache; he had Crohn’s disease, malnutrition, and a weight that plummeted to 104 pounds. He was in a wheelchair. Doctors—seventy of them, actually—basically told him there wasn't much hope.
It’s a wild story. Most people know him now as the guy behind Garden of Life or Ancient Nutrition, but before the supplements, there were the books. Specifically, books by Jordan Rubin that tried to bridge the gap between ancient biblical practices and modern nutritional science.
Honestly, whether you’re a person of faith or just someone looking for a way to fix a trashed gut, his bibliography is a deep dive into "Old World" living.
The Maker’s Diet: The Book That Started Everything
If you've heard of Jordan Rubin, you've heard of The Maker's Diet. Released in 2004, it didn't just sit on shelves; it exploded onto the New York Times bestseller list.
The premise is pretty straightforward. Rubin argues that we should eat what God intended us to eat. No processed junk. No "Frankenfoods."
He breaks it down into a 40-day health experience. It’s divided into three phases, starting strict and slowly adding more variety. He focuses heavily on:
- Whole, unprocessed foods (think pastures, not factories).
- Avoiding "unclean" meats as defined in the Old Testament (pork and shellfish are out).
- Fermented foods to restore the gut microbiome.
What's interesting is that while critics back then called it a "fad," a lot of what he wrote in The Maker’s Diet—like the importance of probiotics and avoiding refined sugars—is now mainstream science. People weren't talking about "leaky gut" in 2004 like they are now. He was kinda ahead of the curve.
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Beyond the Basics
He didn't stop there. He later released The Maker's Diet Revolution, which updated the original plan with a 10-day "transformation" focus. He also branched out into very specific niches. You've got The Maker's Diet for Weight Loss and even a Shopper’s Guide because, let's be real, reading labels in a modern grocery store is a nightmare.
Gut Health and the "Patient Heal Thyself" Movement
Before the massive success of the diet books, Rubin wrote Patient Heal Thyself. This book is much more personal. It’s where he really unpacks his battle with Crohn’s.
It’s not just a memoir. It’s a blueprint. He introduces the concept of HSOs—Homeostatic Soil Organisms.
Back in the day, humans ate vegetables with a little bit of dirt still on them. That dirt contained beneficial bacteria that kept our immune systems in check. Today, we scrub everything with chemicals and wonder why our allergies are through the roof.
In Restoring Your Digestive Health, which he co-authored with Joseph Brasco, MD, he gets even more clinical. They tackle:
- Crohn's and Colitis: Specific protocols for inflammatory bowel disease.
- IBS: Managing the "irritable" gut through enzymes and diet.
- Celiac and Gluten issues: Long before "GF" was a sticker on every menu.
Ancient Medicine and The Biblio Diet (2025-2026)
Jordan’s more recent work, often co-authored with Dr. Josh Axe, moves toward a broader "ancient medicine" philosophy. Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine is a massive 500-page beast of a book. It’s not just "this smells nice." It’s a literal handbook on using plant compounds for everything from hormone balance to cleaning your kitchen.
His latest major release, The Biblio Diet (and the accompanying Biblio Diet Study Guide), is essentially the 2026 evolution of his life's work.
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It’s less about "don't eat this" and more about "thrive like this." He talks about:
- Metabolism mastery: Using biblical fasting cycles.
- Pain reduction: Utilizing specific herbs and collagen (a big focus of his lately).
- Regenerative living: How the health of the soil we grow food in directly dictates the health of our cells.
Why Do These Books Still Rank?
You might wonder why books by Jordan Rubin still have such a following twenty years later.
It’s the "E-E-A-T" factor—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust. Rubin isn't just a theorist. He’s a guy who survived a death sentence by changing his lifestyle.
There are critics, of course. Some medical professionals argue that "biblical eating" isn't a substitute for traditional medicine, and they’re right—Rubin himself often mentions working with doctors. But for the millions who feel "brushed off" by a fifteen-minute HMO appointment, his books offer a sense of agency.
He makes you feel like you can actually do something about your health today. Not next month. Today.
A Quick List of Other Key Titles
- The Great Physician’s Rx series: Dozens of small, focused books on things like cancer, diabetes, and heart health.
- Planet Heal Thyself: A look at environmental health and regenerative farming.
- The Joseph Blessing: A shift toward the spiritual and mental side of success.
- Essential Fasting: Co-authored with Josh Axe, focusing on intermittent fasting.
What You Should Actually Do Next
If you’re looking to dive into the world of Jordan Rubin, don't just buy everything at once. You'll get overwhelmed.
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Start with the Updated and Expanded version of The Maker's Diet. It’s the most well-rounded entry point. If you have specific gut issues, grab Restoring Your Digestive Health.
The real secret to his success isn't just the information; it's the application. Reading the book won't fix your gut. Eating the fermented veggies and ditching the processed sugar will.
Identify one "ancient" habit—maybe it’s adding a probiotic or trying a 24-hour fast—and test it for two weeks. Most people find that the old ways of doing things actually work better than the "modern" shortcuts we've been sold.