Page 15 - Healthy food

carbs with nutritional value, for instance). ‘Unprocess’ your diet by
I have enormous respect for all health avoiding any food product with
professionals, including dietitians, but 5more than five ingredients. I’m
as doctors we can’t refer everyone to convinced that inflammation is the key
an NHS dietitian as there simply isn’t factor in the epidemic of lifestyle-driven
the capacity. That’s why GPs need far diseases. I believe damaged fats (such
more education on prescribing diet and as vegetable oils, which can degrade
lifestyle changes. We’re good at when heated) as well as highly refined
managing type 2 diabetes, but not so carbohydrates in our modern diets are
good at managing the causes of it, driving much of this inflammation via
which may have begun 20 years before. food in a restricted time window – for the immune system. My advice is to eat
Food is only part of the equation, example, within 12 hours – allows your more ‘real’ food as close as possible to
though. There’s currently no book out body to enhance its own natural house its natural state to reduce inflammation,
there that gives equal emphasis to diet, clearing. Reported health benefits of nurture our microbiome and help us to
relaxation, movement and sleep, which micro-fasting include improved blood educate our immune system. All the
is why I wrote mine. sugar control, immune and mitochondrial world’s populations that are known for
function (mitochondria are the energy their longevity have a common factor in
cells in your body), enhanced that they all eat minimally
Dr Chatterjee’s detoxification and Microbiota processed foods. Sticking
five principles Accessible Carbohydrates (MCA) to foods with five or
that feed on gut bugs. It also
fewer ingredients is a
for healthy eating enhances appetite signalling useful barometer for
(knowing when you’re hungry and ‘unprocessing’ your
De-normalise sugar and retrain when you’re full). This is a simple diet. Challenge
your taste buds. Overconsumption change most of my patients have yourself to go
1of sugar alters your taste buds. As been able to make. for two weeks
we become used to it we just crave eating only
more and more, and it’s something Drink eight glasses of water fresh food.
we’re biologically wired to do. One a day (1.2 litres). The health
Harvard professor of evolutionary 4benefits of drinking more
biology says sugar is ‘a deep ancient water include increased
craving’ that probably evolved to help energy, fewer headaches,
us survive. But unrelenting sugar better bowel function,
consumption sets us off on a blood- clearer skin, fewer
sugar rollercoaster and can lead to type tummy aches,
2 diabetes, so you need to cut back. longer periods
of concentration
Eat five different vegetables and reduced
every day of five different cravings
2colours. Most people who try to for sugar.
eat five a day end up eating more super-
sweet fruit. Try to retune your palate by
eating mainly vegetables. A variety of
colours is good for promoting bacteria
diversity in the gut (the gut microbiome).
ALL INTERVIEWS BY JO WATERS. PHOTOS: SUSAN BELL, ISTOCK 312-hour microfast every day).
Consume all your food within a
12-hour window (so you have a

Micro-fasting (or autophagy, to give
it its proper medical name) is a hot
area of research I wasn’t taught about
in medical school. It’s about giving the
body a rest so that it has time to clean
up. It’s your body’s chance to get busy
with cellular repair, immune system
repair and a host of other essential
maintenance projects. Eating all your

FEBRUARY 2018 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE 15