Dr Alan Desmond

Dr Alan Desmond is an Irish gastroenterologist who promotes a wholefood, plant-based diet for optimal health and is an advocate for a healthier, more sustainable food system.

Desmond studied at the School of Medicine of University College Cork and at John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. He is certified in gastroenterology and general internal medicine, and is an NHS consultant gastroenterologist for the South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. He works at the Devon Gut Clinic in Mount Stuart Hospital, Torquay where he specialises in inflammatory bowel disease. He is also an ambassador for Plant-Based Health Professionals UK, a non-profit organisation that “educates the public, health professionals, and policy makers on the incredible health benefits of a plant-based diet.”

In 2021, he authored The Plant-Based Diet Revolution, which advocates a high-fibre wholefood plant-based diet. He followed this up with his second book, What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You About Food, and launched the Eat This podcast in 2025.

“Within the first 28 days of making the switch to a healthy plant-based diet you will see some very real benefits […] if you have high blood pressure you are likely to see your blood pressure getting better. If you’ve got high cholesterol, you’re likely to see your cholesterol getting better. The first 28 days are the initial focus. There is science showing us that individuals who consume a plant-based diet get tremendous gut microbial benefits and this may be some of the key reasons why people who eat a plant-based diet have lower risk of heart disease, stroke, colorectal cancer and numerous other diseases including type-2 diabetes.”¹Virgin Radio. 2021. Dr Alan Desmond on his book The Plant-Based Diet Revolution & helping depression. Available: https://web.archive.org/web/20231104164512/https://virginradio.co.uk/the-chris-evans-breakfast-show-with-sky/25769/dr-alan-desmond-his-book-the-plant-based-diet-revolution-helping [Accessed 7 September 2026].

Why Dr Alan Desmond is vegan

Dr Alan Desmond is vegan for health.

After seeing hundreds of patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases, Desmond looked to the research and discovered that a plant-based diet was the best way to nurture a healthy gut and digestive system. He became vegan in 2018 when he realised he had to “walk the walk” if he was advising his patients to do the same.²Veggie Channel. 2021. Alan Desmond, Gastroenterologist: how I went plant based. Youtube. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8O81hjKGgs&t=147s [Accessed 7 September 2026]. Although gathering the knowledge was a gradual process, he adopted a plant-based diet overnight and has never looked back.

In 2026, Dr Desmond collaborated with Viva! for the documentary What Do You Really Know About Dairy? in which he assured viewers that calcium is 100 per cent accessible on a plant-based diet and the healthiest and most natural way to obtain it is by eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and leafy greens:

“Fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and leafy greens contain bio-available calcium in its natural state, highly absorbable by humans, and in fact that’s where calcium comes from. That’s where the cows get the calcium that finds its way into the dairy milks so why not skip the cow and go directly to the source, consuming these healthy, natural plant-based foods which also provide calcium and have huge benefits to your overall health.”