I fell into Lifestyle Medicine through discovering how Low Carb worked really well to get blood sugars down. The more I read, the more doors opened up into the fascinating world of Lifestyle Medicine. I believe one of the reasons why our profession is tired and burnt out is that we have been reduced to being health clerks pushing ever changing directions from on high instead of meaningfully engaging with patients on what matters to them. Lifestyle Medicine has injected new energy into my personal practice and I enjoy working with my patients. As clinicians we should walk our talk and engage in the self-care that we promote to our patients. I feel very lucky to be a part of the Aspen partnership which is a progressive partnership embracing new ways of working. Environmental health is inextricably linked with human health and we can no longer afford not to address this.

Desert Island Food – Blueberries.

Favourite meal to make at home – Curry and a boat load of vegetables on the side.

Favourite way to move – Walking every time.

Favourite destination – My bed! I would love to go back to Corsica and Bali. Other favourite destinations are visiting family back home in Malaysia and the in-laws in la belle France.

Mantra – Live and let live, eat and let eat.

I became interested in lifestyle medicine three years ago. I was blown away by the improvements my patients saw in their health when they changed what they were eating. It was a real lightbulb moment for me reading the Obesity code by Dr Jason Fung and realising that as clinicians we have not been arming our patients with the knowledge and support they need to succeed  This has expanded into valuing sleep, stress management and keeping moving and reading the Four Pillar Plan by Dr Ranjan Chatterjee was another game changer.

Desert Island Food – oo tough choice between strawberries or biltong!

Favourite meal to make at home – medium rare fillet steak, with butter and Salad

Favourite way to move – walking my dog Woody

Favourite destination – Maldives for relaxation,  Disney for fun although the food is awful!

Mantra – Big girl pants on! We can do this!

I was introduced to Lifestyle medicine by a colleague and became fascinated on reading 'How Not to Die' and 'How Not to Diet' by Dr Greger and watching the documentary 'Forks over knives'. These opened my eyes to plant-based, whole food eating and I have been a convert ever since. I feel plant-based, whole food eating can really benefit everyone (and the planet), but especially those who suffer with long term conditions such as diabetes and metabolic disorders.

Desert Island Food –  Chocolate

Favourite meal to make at home – Plant-based Fondue.

Favourite way to move – Pilates and hiking.

Favourite destination – Austria, The Lake District and Southern California.

Mantra – You can't outrun a bad diet.

After the better part of a decade sitting at a desk, prescribing expensive medicines to reduce people’s blood sugars, and telling them to ‘eat less, move more’…I started to feel it was a bit of a waste of time, not least because no one seemed to feel any better for it and I was increasingly overweight and lacking in energy myself. Lifestyle medicine captured my attention and enthusiasm because I realised that was what Charles Darwin would have described as ‘survival of the fittest’. Afterall, we’re all Africans if you go back a million years and humans didn’t evolve sitting about on chairs eating starchy carbohydrates out of a packet 3 times per day. However, having experienced for myself how much better you can feel, and how quickly you can achieve this, I’m now an evangelical convert to the cause!

Desert Island Food – Seafood 

Favourite meal to make at home – Chilli with guacamole and soured cream. 

Favourite way to move – Walking up hills with a dog. 

Favourite destination – Somewhere near the sea with a good brewery and a heavy rock festival.

Mantra –  Go hard, or go home!

Desert island food - cheese
Favourite meal to make at home - Thai green curry and coconut cauliflower rice
Favourite way to move - coastal walks with the dogs
Favourite destination - can’t choose between The Maldives, a Greek island or New York
Mantra- above all be kind!

Desert Island Food – white chocolate

Favourite meal to make at home- Liver, Bacon, onions, creamy mash, peas and gravy

Favourite way to move- after that meal slowly lol or jigging away to music blaring

I came across Low Carb Lifestyle in a simple conversation with a friend. I became inquisitive as to why this worked and started reading, looking at Youtube and the internet to educate myself. For the first time in my life I was able to lose weight without hunger. I managed to put my Diabetes into remission and reduce my Blood Pressure.

I believe everyone has the right to have this information to regain their health. I joined the Eat Real Food at Aspen and this have been very successful in supporting patients with our ongoing health and maintaining good nutrition. We learn from each other and support each other. It makes us accountable for our actions around health and wellbeing. We share the whole health picture of what it means to be healthy.

Desert Island - Food Scallops

Favourite meal to make at home -  Cardamom Chicken with lots of fresh coriander.

Favourite way to move -  walking, preferably on the golf course.

Favourite destination - Mijas Spain.

Mantra -  Nobody’s going to die, if we try this.

I am the head cook and bottle washer in our household, so when John decided to try the Low Carb Healthy Fat lifestyle about 8/9 years ago to improve his Type 2 Diabetes as traditional medicines didn’t seem to be working very well, I did it too.  I am not a restaurant and I wasn’t going to be cooking separate meals.  I was overweight, being only 5ft 3in tall and a size 18/20 but I was happy in my skin.  My only medical condition was arthritis but not prescribed any medication other than paracetamol.  Fast forward to today – I am now size 12/14, my arthritis is greatly improved and I rarely take any painkillers these days.  I noticed the change in my shape before the scales showed much.  I have been this size now for about 3 years.

Desert Island Food – Strawberries

Favourite meal to make at home – Rare steak with loads of vegetables or salad

Favourite way to move – Walking when I can

Favourite destination – Travelling in France

Mantra – Eat until you are full and then stop