As rates of obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes continue to soar, “What should I eat?” has become one of the most important questions of the 21st century.

As a doctor whose speciality is gastroenterology – the diagnosis and treatment of digestive health problems – I find that, faced with a new illness, every patient soon asks me about food: “Is there anything that I should or shouldn’t eat?” We each know intuitively that food can play a vital role in helping us to improve our health, optimise our quality of life and even help us to heal and