"Every patient with IBD asks about food — they deserve evidence-based answers".

In this final episode of Season One, I’m diving into the conditions that first sparked my passion for gut health more than 20 years ago — Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, collectively known as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

As a Consultant Gastroenterologist, I work with people living with IBD every day. And I’ve learned that one of the most common — questions that patients ask is deceptively simple: What should I eat?

In this episode, I unpack what the science actually says about food and IBD. I explore:

• How diet and lifestyle — not just genetics — play a major role in IBD development and progression
• The foods and dietary patterns that are associated with lower inflammation and better outcomes
• The research that’s convinced me every person with IBD deserves education and support around diet
• The 10 food rules I share with my patients living with Crohn’s and colitis
• The evidence behind plant-based diets, Mediterranean diets, and specific dietary patterns for IBD
• What the latest clinical guidelines from the US, Europe, and UK are — and aren’t — saying about diet

I also share the resources I recommend most often in clinic to help people with IBD take action and build an evidence-based dietary pattern to help maximise their gut health and overall well-being.

If you’re are interested in learning exactly how diet effects gut health and overall wellbeing - especially if you or a loved one is living with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease - this episode is for you!

Resources I mention in this episode:

You can download the full slide deck I used while preparing this episode — complete with citations and references — at www.alandesmond.com/ibd

• Canada’s Food Guide
• The Plant-Based Crohn’s and Colitis Cookbook by Helena Rose Murphy
• Nutritional Therapy for IBD
• Case report and review of the evidence published by Dr Alan Desmond with Dr Neal Barnard and colleagues.

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Connect with Dr Alan Desmond Instagram Threads X/Twitter

Sponsored by Linwoods Healthfoods.
Shop their entire range at linwoodshealthfoods.com and use code DESMOND for a 15% saving and free delivery.

'Longevity isn’t just extra years — it’s extra good years. The longer you live in a Blue Zone, the fewer unhealthy years you endure'

Today's conversation is with explorer, author, and National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner, the man who brought us the concept of the Blue Zones — those remarkable places where people live longer, healthier lives than almost anywhere else on Earth.

In this conversation, you’ll hear why a long life is more about your environment than your willpower, how food, purpose, movement, and community shape your health, and why changing your surroundings works better than relying on motivation alone. And of course, we touch on a few fun extras — including the truth about coffee in the Blue Zones.

We share a few laughs, discuss the role of a Blue Zones microbiome science and more:

• The 5 pillars of every Blue Zone diet
• Why living longer also means living healthier
• How purpose and social connection add years to your life
• Why diets fail but environments succeed
• Simple, powerful lifestyle shifts you can make today

Books by Dan Buettner:

• The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100
• The Blue Zones Challenge: A 4-Week Plan for a Longer, Better Life

Learn more at: www.bluezones.com

Follow Dan on Instagram: @danbuettner

Updates and tickets to live podcast recordings: Join the mailing list

Connect with Dr Alan Desmond Instagram Threads X/Twitter

Sponsored by Linwoods Healthfoods.
Shop their entire range at linwoodshealthfoods.com and use code DESMOND for a 15% saving and free delivery.

'Dementia is not inevitable. We can live a cognitively vibrant life by focusing on our lifestyle- especially food'.

Today’s guests are Dr Dean Sherzai and Dr Ayesha Sherzai — an inspiring husband-and-wife team — neurologists, researchers, and authors who have dedicated their careers to preventing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia through evidence-based lifestyle change.

Today, over 55 million people live with dementia worldwide, and that number is expected to triple by 2050. But the Sherzai's are here with a powerful message: Dementia is not inevitable. Most cases can be prevented through evidence-based diet and lifestyle practices. And it's never too early to begin planning for a memorable life.

In this episode, they share practical insights on how to protect your brain health, what they’ve learned working in Loma Linda — America’s only true Blue Zone — and the simple steps we can all take to improve our cognitive health today.

Connect with Dean and Ayesha online: Instagram, YouTube, and explore their free resources at thebraindocs.com.

Grab a copy of Dean and Ayesha’s extraordinary books: The Alzheimer’s Solution and The 30-Day Alzheimer’s Solution — packed with practical guidance, inspiring science, and delicious recipes to support your brain health.

Updates and tickets to live podcast recordings: Join the mailing list

Connect with Dr Alan Desmond Instagram Threads X/Twitter

Sponsored by Linwoods Healthfoods.
Shop their entire range at linwoodshealthfoods.com and use code DESMOND for a 15% saving and free delivery.