The Doctor’s Kitchen. Dr Rupy Aujla
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always plagued with guilt whenever a patient suffers an adverse side effect from medication, of which there are many examples, from swollen legs as a result of blood-pressure drugs to an increased risk of fractures related to antacid medications.9
In general practice there is a clear need for medications, but where a cost-effective, evidence-based alternative exists and has a plausible mechanism of action I would encourage us as a scientific community to investigate and embrace it. I urge physicians and patients to explore the multitude of other treatment methods before we succumb to medications for chronic conditions. This needs to happen. Healthcare systems across the Western world are crumbling under the weight of growing financial demands10,11 and no matter how much we invest in novel therapeutics we must always start with simple diet and lifestyle measures. I am here to empower you.
Discovering the plethora of studies demonstrating how effective lifestyle interventions are was revolutionary to me. In fact, our current guidelines for some of the most common lifestyle-related diseases reflect this. The first step to tackling diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is ‘Lifestyle Change’.12,13,14 Yet most doctors wouldn’t know where to start when it comes to giving dietary advice and this poor ability to motivate our patients to embrace a healthy outlook is reflected by how over-medicated we are as a population. I’m convinced that our indulgence in pills over plates is a product of poor nutrition training in the medical curricula, which still stands at less than 20 hours of teaching during a five-year medical degree.15,16 If medical students were encouraged to learn more about the impact of lifestyle, we’d have a much healthier nation.17,18 Our lack of knowledge, short consultation times and patient demand for a quick fix creates a scenario where the easiest option is to provide pharmaceuticals. But, the first thing we should be asking before reaching for that prescription pad is, ‘What are you eating?’
Our population is plagued by obesity, stress and cardiovascular disease, and the prevalence of these conditions is rising fast.19 The answer to our epidemic of chronic disease is staring at us from the grocery aisles. I want to prevent the need for invasive devices, powerful prescription medications or painful procedures and offer a delightful alternative: eating fresh produce, colourful plants and igniting a passion for flavour! Best of all, the creativity and pleasure of preparing and eating good food is attainable for everyone.
The answer to our epidemic of chronic disease is staring at us from the grocery aisles.
Rather than using this section to bombard you with myriad papers, details of trials and large studies to prove a point, I’ve speckled all the recipes with bite-sized chunks of information to give you a sense of this interesting research. I’ve also included amongst the recipes some further information on my favourite ingredients and their amazing health benefits (see here). You might expect ‘health food’ to be bland and lacking variety, but I’m going to show you it’s the exact opposite. Flavour as well as function is what I’m passionate about, and diversity of ingredients is essential. Our health depends on it.
Health is not a privilege
As a GP in the NHS, I’m passionate about accessible healthcare for everyone. I am fully aware that people’s circumstances are different and there is a perception that using fresh produce and eating well is expensive and attainable only for the privileged. It doesn’t have to be.
Well-branded supplements, yoga on top of luxury hotels and eye-wateringly expensive turmeric lattes … You’d be forgiven for thinking a ‘healthy’ life was akin to an exclusive, invite-only club. Most of my colleagues expect me to cynically dismiss this trend. After all, it’s damaging to people’s self-esteem, it promotes an unhealthy attitude towards body image and excludes those in society that are the most vulnerable. But, actually, I believe we need to think beyond a ‘them’ and ‘us’ attitude. Despite its many flaws and shortcomings, the wellness industry has done an unbelievable job of motivating a generation of millennials to drink green smoothies, include kale as a staple in their shopping baskets, and exercise. No number of doctor visits could create such impressive behavioural change!
Without the allure of healthy living promoted by aspirational figures, ‘food in medicine’ wouldn’t have gained such attention in recent years. So, while doctors and health professionals can be damning of the industry, I’m grateful for the spotlight and want to know, where we can steer this trend in the future?
My aim is to make healthy eating inclusive and accessible to all. I personally witness a sense of elitism around eating well and many of my patients associate health with wealth. I’m constantly challenged in the consulting room by patients who believe they don’t have the time or money for a good diet. I see patients from all walks of life and let me share this with you: just because you are well off doesn’t automatically make you healthy, even if you can afford expensive ingredients.
Forget all of your preconceptions of ‘wellness’.
The most nutritionally dense foods are the least expensive on the shelf. These are the real ‘superfoods’ available in supermarkets, and that’s why I focus on them. Once you understand the principles of eating well, health doesn’t become a privilege. It’s a choice no more expensive than the average household can afford.
The most nutritionally dense foods are the least expensive on the shelf.
I’m proud to work with a lottery-funded community kitchen, Made in Hackney, to dispel these myths. We inform people about where to get local organic produce, veg drop boxes and, ultimately, how to use wholesome ingredients in our daily life cheaply and efficiently. As the only doctor in the organisation, I lend a clinical perspective to the kitchen sessions. It’s humbling to have the opportunity to explore people’s experiences of food in medicine and break the cycle of ‘can’t cook, won’t cook’ attitudes.
Think of the repercussions for public health if everybody nationwide had access to simple nutritional advice and was taught the fundamentals of healthy living? Healthy eating is attainable whatever your background. This isn’t an exclusive club; it’s how we shape the future of wellness.
Why I eat ‘plant-focused’
On social media people often mistake me for a vegetarian or vegan because I get so excitable about vegetables. I do actually eat all types of meat and fish but I focus my diet around plants.
Rest assured there is logical reasoning underpinning my enthusiasm for chicory, cabbages and – of course – the greens! Abundant in vitamins and minerals, everybody generally knows they’re ‘good for us’, but the story goes a lot deeper.
Phytochemicals, the chemicals found in plants, are another explanation for the incredible health benefits of fruits and vegetables.20 These are what give plants their pigment, smell and, importantly, flavour.21 It’s the study of these chemicals that ignited my passion for nutritional medicine. A number of research papers look at their effect on inflammation,22 bone health23 and even cancer.24 We have only scratched the surface when it comes to investigating just how influential these thousands of bioactive compounds are to human health. But, looking at the associations between food and disease, the positive impact of diets largely based on plants and whole foods is indisputable.25 This is why they make up the bulk of my daily plate and why they should feature heavily on yours, too.
Eat mostly plants and you’ll stand a better chance at living a healthier, more vibrant and fulfilling life, free of disease.
These compounds exist in a multitude of produce that is commonplace in grocery stores nationwide. Everything from a simple carrot to your basic apple is brimming with phytochemicals like quercetin and carotene.26