Page 18 - Healthy food

‘WHAT’S ON YOUR PLATE IS
FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN

ANY PILL I COULD PRESCRIBE’

DR RUPY AUJLA, a practising week to none. What this experience
NHS GP, was inspired by his reaffirmed for me was the immense
mother’s approach power of lifestyle and the incredible
to curing her ability of the body to ‘self heal’ if given
allergies through the correct nutrition.
diet to write his new To help, I scoured journals, watched
book The Doctor’s presentations and attended international
Kitchen (Thorsons, nutritional conferences. I read thousands
£14.99). of papers, studies and books dedicated
to nutrition. I am shocked that medical
schools cover all this evidence in just a
AT THE AGE OF 12, I witnessed my few uninspiring lectures.
mother take control of a medical I then started using the information in
condition that had baffled multiple my consultations. My diabetic patients
physicians. She used to suffer from improved their blood-sugar control,
random anaphylaxis attacks – the worst arthritic patients lost weight and became
form of allergy, where your airway can more active and people reported their
close and your blood pressure drops. mood lifting, and even those who had
I watched my mother completely no significant change felt better.
overhaul her diet and lifestyle. Her daily But I couldn’t write recipes for every
‘prescription’ involved a wholefoods patient (over 40 a day), plus paperwork,
diet packed with vegetables, good prescriptions and home visits. So that’s
sleep patterns, exercise and meditation. where The Doctor’s Kitchen comes in: it’s
She gradually became more a multi-platform resource to
confident and stronger and ^ The body has inspire patients to appreciate
came off all her medications the beauty of food and its
with the support of her the power to ‘self medicinal effects. My aim is to
doctors. Thankfully, heal’ given the make healthy eating inclusive
she never needed an and accessible. Some patients
adrenaline shot again. right nutrition _ will tell me they can’t afford
Following medical school, to eat healthily, but I tell
I experienced two gruelling years as a them that some really nutritious foods,
junior doctor. During one weekend shift such as carrots, apples and beetroots,
eight years ago when I was 24, I had are cheap and readily available.
palpitations and was diagnosed with Eating based on the principles of the
atrial fibrillation (AF), an irregular Mediterranean diet is a good starting
heartbeat. It was the first of many AF point and one I personally follow. I’m
episodes I was to suffer over two years. not a vegetarian but I advocate a largely
Eventually, I was offered the choice of plant-based diet with lots of colourful
medication or a surgical procedure fruit and vegetables, legumes and
called ablation, where an area near the beans and judicious use of meat and
heart is burnt with a laser. oily fish, as well as nuts and seeds.
While I was mulling it over, I This year, I’ll be teaching a four-week
overhauled my diet and lifestyle. Out course in nutrition to student doctors
went cereals and toast for breakfast and at Bristol University. I hope that it will
in came dark green leafy vegetables become a blueprint for the training of
with miso, nuts and seeds. Gone were all doctors in the future. Food isn’t a
soggy sandwiches; I never left for work cure-all and of course we will still
without my lunchbox brimming with need pharmaceuticals, but, where
vegetables. I also started meditating appropriate, the food and lifestyle
and made sure I got enough sleep. My approach can be more effective
AF episodes reduced from one or two a than pharmaceuticals.

18 HEALTHY FOOD GUIDE FEBRUARY 2018