In Episode 56 I sit down with Gastroenterologist Dr Alan Desmond to talk about restoring and maintaining good digestive health with healthy eating habits. With digestive health issues like IBS, IBD, Coeliac and SIBO on the rise globally understanding how to take control of your own gut health is enormously important.In this episode we specifically covered:How Alan ended up in the Medical world & what his training was likeWhy he has a passion for gut health and what fascinates him about this area of medical practiceLots and lots of scientific evidence to support health eating habitsInflammatory Bowel Disease (Chron's & Ulcerative colitis), colon cancer, IBS, SIBOSpecific studies on IBD and a Whole Food Plant Based DietWhat foods he recommends his patients and the general population eat more of and what he recommends people eat less ofWhat the typical western diet looks like compared to optimal diet for gut healthWhat he makes of various mainstream eating trends like paleo & keto and what scientific evidence supports these methods of eating from a gut health perspective or otherVeganism and gut health issuesLectins and the 'Plant Paradox'Low fibre dietsArtificial sweeteners and emulsifeiersProbiotics & prebioticsTips for healthfully transitioning to a diet richer in plants and managing an increase in fibreBowel movements & frequency: what is indicative of good healthand loads moreIt's a jam packed episode friends. I always say this but either bring a note pad to your first listening session or come back with a notepad when you listen to it for a second time. If you haven't already please connect with Alan on Instagram. He posts loads and loads of science and helpful tips every week that you will greatly benefit from (I know I do!).If you enjoyed this episode and want further info on gut health I highly recommend Episode 17 that I recorded previously with my good friend Dr Will Bulciewisz.Resources:Here is a bunch of studies and other resources that Alan and I spoke about in this episode.1 - EAT Lancet Report on eating for human health & planetary health2 - Health Canada's 2019 food recommendations3 - 2019 Lancet study on fibre and health outcomes4 - Happy Gut course with Happy pear (Use the code PLANTPROOF20 which will give you 20% off their course)5 - 2019 BMJ study on fat intake and gut microbiome diversity (spoken about in outro)REVIEW/SHARE:If you enjoyed the episode and have a spare 1-2 minutes please leave a review on iTunes so the Plant Proof podcast ranks higher and becomes more discoverable for other listeners. And if you have any friends that you think will benefit from listening to this episode or any of the other Plant Proof episodes please share the link – together we can make this world a healthier place.If you liked this episode please share it on social media and tag myself @plant_proof and AlanWHERE TO LISTEN TO THE PLANT PROOF PODCAST?Currently, the Plant Proof podcast can be listened to on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts (note: use the google podcast app not google play), Stitcher, Soundcloud or on the Plantproof.com directly. If you listen on iTunes be sure to hit ‘subscribe’or ‘follow’ on Spotifyso you are instantly notified when I release new episodes each week.Simon HillCreator of plantproof.com - your 100% free resource for Plant Based Information