The Digestive Health Solution

The Digestive Health Solution

Digestive health is one of the hottest topics in health & wellbeing with 1 in 4 people experiencing regular digestive discomfort and new scientific discoveries proving that better digestive health can transform the health of your whole body!

The Digestive Health Solution is a revolutionary book at the cutting edge of the current science and separates itself from the pop health fads with its evidencebased approach.

Explore surprising and vital topics including:
Why digestive health is linked to fatigue, anxiety, insomnia and more.
How certain sugars can be to toxic to your gut health
The truth behind the popular low-FODMAP diet
The gluten intolerance controversy
The crucial role of gut bacteria
How to uncover unexpected problem foods
New ways to revitalise your digestion, fast

With wonderful clarity the book ultimately brings together the best natural solutions in an easy-to-follow personalized plan, providing answers that matter.

The Digestive Health Solution:
is written by an acclaimed international expert in the fields of natural and nutritional medicine.
Expertly takes the reader through the latest scientific discoveries.
Brings together diverse topics – including food sensitivities, gluten/wheat intolerance, low-carb diets for gut health, mind-body connection, natural supplements, probiotics and gut bacteria – to provide real solutions!

Benjamin Brown is a brilliant young Australian naturopath resident in the UK, a vivid writer and an in-demand speaker. He teaches nutritional medicine and contributes regularly to industry magazines and scientific journals. In the digestive health area Ben is -the man'. Ben is on boards at the UK College of Nutrition and Health (BCNH) and lectures at more top places in the world than you can shake a stick at. He specializes in plain-English solutions that come from science.

The Digestive Health Solution
Exisle Publishing
Author: Benjamin I Brown, ND

RRP: $29.99

Interview with Benjamin Brown

Question: What is The Digestive Health Solution?

Benjamin Brown: Poor digestive health is one of the biggest issues in health and wellbeing with up to 1 in 4 people suffering from regular digestive discomfort. Poor digestive health is linked to symptoms such as anxiety, chronic fatigue and a host of other problems. Unfortunately people who want to improve their digestive health don't have a lot of good options; medically they are often dismissed with unhelpful advice and the web is a minefield of information. The Digestive Health Solution(Exisle 2015) brings together all the best natural treatment approaches in a clear, easy-to-follow plan.


Question: What inspired you to write The Digestive Health Solution?

Benjamin Brown: Personal experience was the catalyst and a desire to help people was the motivation. After contracting a terrible bug while traveling through northern Africa I developed post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Beyond the name, IBS is simply chronic bloating, distension, pain and changes in bowel habits and, importantly, it is not only an infection like the one I had that can trigger it; there are several causes that vary from person to person. While I was looking at solutions for myself I quickly released there was a real lack of good, reliable, evidence-based resources for people with IBS. So I started distilling the huge amount of research I was doing into a book, and that's how it came about.


Question: How has our changing diets caused these digestive issues?

Benjamin Brown: Modern dietary changes play a huge role in digestive issues, and although there is a tremendous amount of research in this area it is still ignored in popular books and medical advice. Standard dietary guidance for people is often still a healthy breakfast of whole grain cereal and milk, with a fruit juice, perhaps a salad sandwich for lunch with your latte and pasta for dinner. But all of these foods (except for the salad) can directly cause digestive symptoms and may be the worst possible thing to eat.

If you look at how our diets have changed over the last 100-years in particular it is easy to see what the problem is. We are eating more and more refined sugars, starchy cereals, fatty meats, processed foods and less and less fresh fruits and vegetables. Sugar and starchy foods (such as breakfast cereals, cakes, pasta, and breads) are fermented by bad bacteria and can cause chronic digestive issues as a consequence. And the sugar fructose (from corn syrup, agave syrup and fruit concentrates) is the worst. It is not as easily absorbed as other sugars and sits in your gut fermenting for longer.

So the modernization of our diet plays a massive role and simply reverting back to real food - fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, lean meats, fish, herbs, spices, whole grains and legumes - cooked using traditional home cooking methods rather than industrially prepared or fast-food can be life changing for some people.


Question: Can you please provide your top tips for controlling our gut health?

Benjamin Brown: In The Digestive Health Solution I outline a clear plan for getting your gut bacteria digestive health back on track. Here is a 3-step simplified version of that you can use right now to improve your digestive health:
1. Get symptom relief, fast
A number of natural supplements have been shown to reduce symptoms such as bloating, distention, abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea. You could try one of the following; 100 ml of inner leaf aloe vera juice twice daily, 0.2 ml of delayed release peppermint oil with meals, or the herbal formula Iberogast.

2. Cultivate good bacteria
A good gut diet should emphasize fresh vegetables, some fruits and lean protein sources. Bad gut bacteria can ferment sugars and starchy foods causing pain, distension and changes in bowel habits, so try to keep them to a minimum. Also, try a 4-week course of a good, evidence-based, probiotic supplement like Ethical Nutrients IBS Support to see if it helps.

3. Eliminate common problem foods
Try going gluten and dairy free for 4-weeks to see if it helps. Gluten containing grains (wheat, barley and rye) and dairy products are by far the most common food sensitivities and avoiding these foods alone can resolve symptoms completely for some people. Other common problem foods are alcohol and coffee.


Question: What are the natural medicines you examine in the book?

Benjamin Brown: The book covers the evidence for lifestyle changes, nutritional, herbal and mind-body approaches as there is some fabulous research clearly showing these approaches can have a very powerful effect. Natural products include peppermint oil, digestive enzymes, artichoke leaf extract, probiotics, and Aloe vera juice. Did you know there are some 20 human clinical studies conducted on enteric-coated peppermint oil in IBS and it is used a prescription medication in some countries? Natural medicine is really becoming mainstream.


Interview by Brooke Hunter