The Art of Eating Well

These days it seems we are constantly bombarded, through our national and local media, with stark reminders of the dangers linked to our modern lifestyles. The toll which our cravings and attachments to pleasure is taking appears to be growing ever larger, such that a not insignificant percentage of the population of this country is likely to suffer from one or more of the following conditions, which we commonly term as ‘lifestyle diseases’ :  obesity; diabetes; high blood pressure – and many of us are at risk of succumbing to the often fatal consequences of these diseases if they are left unchecked.

Possibly as a result of the warnings, a good many of us take action in a desire to intervene before things get out of hand and spiral completely out of control. New Year is a time when we typically experience a powerful urge to rebalance our minds and bodies and to renew. This urge is franked in the form of a New Year’s Resolution and so it is that once we have bid farewell to the Christmas season and its excesses, we embark on a journey to ‘put things right’ and undo the damage we have inflicted on ourselves.

We set off with the best of intentions. How many of us start by following a strict calorie-controlled diet, or take out a subscription to the gym?  Sadly, and perhaps inevitably, it is not long before our noble intentions founder and we revert to our former behaviours. The cravings that are borne out of a need to reward ourselves gain the upper hand and we jettison the diet plan. The gym loses its appeal and we convince ourselves that at least we gave it a try. We forget our original motivation for setting out on this journey because, after all, there’s always next year…..

This moreorless happened to me, every year for 20 or more years. For a good part of my adult life (I am now 53), I was overweight, substantially overweight. I tried many diets during that time, and whilst I did succeed in losing some weight, this was invariably short-lived as the diet was not sustainable for me; it was either prohibitive and left me feeling hungry, or it was simply boring and lacked any degree of excitement. I also exercised regularly and went to the gym, convinced this would help me to burn off the excess calories I was eating. Again, this made me feel better, but it didn’t enable me to lose weight. It rarely does of its own accord.

What I now know, profoundly, is that this was the wrong approach, that our systems are much more complex than that.

I now know it is not just about how much we eat, how many calories we consume, but what and how we eat that makes the difference. The reason I know this is that I am a direct beneficiary of a simple and easy-to-follow approach which is open to anyone anywhere so long as they are willing to embrace it. It involves eating food that is primarily raw and plant-based, not processed or refined, and preferably organic. It doesn’t involve a 'diet plan' nor does it require counting calories.

It incorporates all the food groups including fats, carbohydrates, proteins and fibre. Last but not least, it is never boring; on the contrary, it is exciting, vibrant and satisfying. It is a way of eating which, instead of regarding food as the enemy, rejoices in food and in the act of eating. It makes ‘healthy food’ pleasurable. It is eating a ‘Mediterranean Diet’ with a twist.

Since 2009, I have lost 7 stone and have come off blood pressure medication, as my levels normalised. This was a wholly unexpected bonus for me, having taken the medication for 20 years. I also no longer take statins as my cholesterol level is well within the acceptable range.

I have loved every minute of this way of eating and it has added a more vivid colour to the tapestry of my life, to the point where I, together with my wife Annette, am excited to now share our experience and knowledge with anyone who is feeling ‘stuck’ and doesn’t know which way to turn, who is fearful of what may happen because they are suffering from a condition that they feel is irreversible or for which they feel they lack the energy to face without the support of medication.

Both of us recognise that many people have mind blocks which can become obstacles to improving our life situation. The key to resolving and removing these blocks is the ability to become more aware and to recognise that our minds, whilst being the incredible tools they are, can sometimes hamper our progress.

The reason for our excitement is that it doesn’t have to be this way if we are willing to embrace change, to accept our situation and be more compassionate with ourselves and think what we might be able to do differently. If we can do this, we can heal ourselves, and that feels rather special! Our Art of Calm Detoxing For Healthy Weight Loss Programme is designed to help anyone interested in embarking on this journey.

Breaking Free

In the course of my work, I encounter many people who suffer from what we might term a modern lifestyle disease, or condition, including one or more of the following : diabetes; high blood pressure; insomnia; anxiety & panic attacks; joint & muscle pain; fatigue.

I myself have suffered from a few of these, including high blood pressure and anxiety, for which I took medication for 20 years. Initially, I was prescribed a beta blocker called Atenolol by a doctor while I was living in The Netherlands in the 1990’s. He felt the drug would help with my anxiety by its action on adrenaline, effectively mediating the ‘fight or flight’ response in my body. The same doctor, who I respected and who I’m convinced had my best interests at heart, also encouraged me to take a drug, little-known at the time called Seroxat, which he felt might help with the panic attacks. Seroxat is an SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) which at the time was being increasingly prescribed as an antidepressant and mood-enhancer. After speaking to my mother about this (she was concerned about me taking a drug in case I became reliant on this), I declined. In retrospect, I am especially pleased to have heeded my mother’s advice owing to the now widely-known controversy surrounding this drug. I agreed to take the beta-blocker though (I continued to take this for more than 10 years before changing to an other drug to control my blood pressure, this time an ACE Inhibitor called Lisinopril).

Looking back, I realise that at the time, I felt I was somehow responsible for my condition, that I was to blame, and that I needed help from outside, and this was in the form of medication. The hypochondriac in me was convinced there was something wrong with me, that I was ‘broken’ and I needed to be ‘fixed’.  Admittedly, I was overweight, substantially overweight. I exercised regularly and worked out in the gym, convinced this would help me to burn off the excess calories I was eating. Sadly, this was the wrong approach, our systems are much more complex than that.

I now know it is not how much we eat, how many calories we eat, but what and how we eat that makes the difference. In my previous blog I described my journey and how I was able to lose weight through a different approach to eating, and how I was able to come off all my medication. Therefore, for me, food did become my medicine, perhaps Hippocrates would have been proud of me. I should also add it was by no means an overnight fix, it took a number of years, but at no time did it feel that I was having to endure or put up with a way of living that lacked fun or enjoyment – on the contrary, I have loved every minute of it and it has added a more vibrant colour to the tapestry of my life, to the point where I and my wife Annette are sharing our love of raw natural food with others as part of our day-to-day business.

So, this is why I am so excited to share this experience and knowledge with everyone I meet who is feeling ‘stuck’ and doesn’t know which way to turn, who is fearful of what may happen because they are suffering from a condition that they feel is irreversible or for which they feel they lack the energy to face without the support of medication.

The reason for my excitement is that it doesn’t have to be this way if we are willing to embrace change, to accept our situation and be more compassionate with ourselves and think what we might be able to do differently. If we can do this, we can heal ourselves, and that feels rather special! 

Surviving & Thriving in a Land Of Plenty

Recently, a programme aired on TV called "Make My Body Better" presented by Davina McCall. 

The particular episode which was the catalyst for this blog, was concerned with James, a 27 year old man from Liverpool who weighed 32 stone and was described as 'super morbidly obese', a body state which can be life-threatening. 

James came across as a very pleasant and upbeat young man who had simply begun to overeat at a young age and had continued to do so into adulthood. The images of pizza, chips and fried chicken which the camera flashed up repeatedly gave a clear indication of the types of food favoured by James. In a moment of insight a few minutes into the programme, James admitted that he needed to start to view food as fuel rather than a means to provide comfort (a point I understand, though I would also suggest food should be enjoyed for its own sake and perceived as more than simply fuel).

James's condition was deemed to be so life-threatening that an eminent obesity specialist recommended that James underwent bariatric surgery to reduce the size of his stomach so that he would only be able to eat small amounts in future. In order to allow the procedure to go ahead, James needed to lose 2 stone. James succeeded in doing so, and his journey up to and after the surgery was compelling viewing. He showed a resolve and commitment that was inspirational and a credit to this likeable young man. By the end of the programme, James had trained to become a jockey, ridden a Shire horse in a race at Lingfield Park alongside professional jockeys (up to this point in his life, he had never even sat on a horse before!), and had lost more than half his body weight, all within a period of less than a year. The final credits at the end of the programme flashed up a caption so say that he was now 14 stone 5 pounds and was training for a triathlon!

This programme threw up a number of interesting issues and questions for me as I'm sure it did for a lot of viewers. One of these is why so many of us repeatedly engage in activities or actions that result in a less than favourable outcome which threaten our health and welfare, and yet we continue to do this. Similar to smoking, excessive alcohol-intake, or gambling for instance, overeating and poor diet is one of those activities that is affecting more and more inhabitants of the Western World and in many cases, we are aware that it is doing us potential harm, yet we are seemingly unable to veer from our habits. In James's case, it appears that 'comfort' was a key reason. In the programme, we met his mother but there was no mention of his father. Our assumption was that this was a figure which was missing from James's life. Was his mother's moving assertion that James was so special to her because bringing him into the world had 'taught her how to love someone' a clue?

Whatever the reasons and causes of the obesity, the programme was enlightening in many ways. It reminded me of my own situation as someone who had battled against obesity for a large part of my life and had failed to find an antidote until a life-changing event turned things on its head.

The life-changing event was not an accident or illness, nor was it winning the lottery. It was meeting a wonderful, intelligent woman called Annette who is now my wife. Seven years ago, we got back in touch after many years, having originally met as students while spending a year abroad in Germany in 1983. In 2009, when we met up again, it was clear that both of us had changed quite a lot but one thing we had in common was our need to be loved and find our soulmate. Something clicked and after a short time we got engaged and got married in 2011. Eating healthy foods has been a central theme in our lives and I have learned a massive amount from Annette, who was able to overcome a chronic condition through eating food that is primarily plant-based, organic and unprocessed. I adopted this approach to eating and without following a 'diet plan' or feeling the need to count calories, I have lost 7 stone since 2009 and now weigh marginally less than 11 stone. I have come off blood pressure medication which I had been taking for 20 years and I have also come off statins, and maintain a healthy cholesterol level.

I often think about my reasons for overeating earlier in my life, but I can't pinpoint one specific reason. I have never thought about myself as being unhappy and needing comfort, though I was unhappy about my weight and tried many diets, all of which were to end in failure. That alone led to eating more, almost in a  'oh, what the heck, I'm just made this way so I might as well enjoy it' kind of sense. Perhaps I was just looking for a solution in the wrong place. What I do know now is that being overweight is not something we have to endure if we are willing to try to venture out and adopt a different approach to how and what we eat, one which doesn't have to be prohibitive and boring, and which can actually revolve around tasty and vibrant foods that are not processed, mand-made or out of a packet.

Annette and I are passionate about what we eat and how exciting the food can be and this is why we like to share our passion for food with others who are ready to experiment!