Real Food Healthcare Professional Map

In the UK patient needs and healthcare demands relating to conditions such as type 2 diabetes and obesity has become overwhelming. Having organisations such as the Public Health Collaboration assisting in addressing these often reversible conditions provides significant hope for people, healthcare professionals and the population. With healthcare systems being so stretched and at times displaying signs of burnt out, the altruistic and determined culture that the Public Health Collaboration purveys is extremely refreshing to see. With organisations such as the Public Health Collaboration I believe healthcare in England can not just survive, it can thrive.”

Dr Campbell Murdoch, NHS General Practitioner, Somerset CCG Person-Centred Care Lead, Public Health England Physical Activity Clinical Champion, Wells Health Centre

My particular interest is around obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. A number of my patients have benefited from the leaflets or podcasts produced by the PHC, also I was present at last years enthusiastic conference and was very touched by the feedback from numerous attendees.

Support from the PHC has helped me both achieve my goal of offering patients lifestyle changes as an alternative to lifelong medication and teach other enthusiastic health professionals how this can be done within an overstretched NHS. Work I hope to continue into the future.”

Dr David Unwin, NHS General Practitioner, RCGP National Champion for Collaborative Care & Support Planning in Obesity & Diabetes, RCGP clinical expert in diabetes, NHS Innovator of the Year 2016, Norwood Surgery Southport

I have valued the PHC as it has all the resources on the website including references. There are eminent Medical Doctors who have been involved in writing this for me to feel the information is valid.

This means I know that I have scientific references to making recommendations to patients. I use the eat real food idea with my own patients- especially the student population. As they are young, they are keen to improve health through lifestyle.

I also do health promotion through TV and have encouraged healthy lifestyles through filming at a vegetable market to encourage the consumption of unprocessed food as opposed to refined carbohydrates and sugar.

The knowledge from PHC is key to my work as I am a busy GP and they have collated relevant information very nicely. It is also important that I feel other Doctors are keen on promoting healthy lifestyle too, so I feel I am not alone and PHC offers this support.

With 60% overweight or obese if we don’t educate health professionals and the public this will be a regret in the future. Just as we now see the harms of smoking we are already in the midst of a chronic disease epidemic and I don’t feel enough is being done as we already have massively rising health costs. We need organisations like PHC. I personally feel that PHC is one of the main organisation tackling this crisis- we need more of this to avoid the health problems we have and which are increasing.”

Dr Angela Goyal, NHS General Practitioner, Leeds Student Medical Practice

I was generally going off my own knowledge or advising people to join Slimming World or buying lay books. Even though I was actively looking for information on diet it was very vague. Then I had a patient who came in and had lost 2 stone. He gave me information about PHC. I read up on it and tried it myself, I was overweight with a BMI of 28. Within 5 weeks my BMI was 24 and my weight was in a “normal range”. Plus, my 14 year old son said “Mum, I’m liking your teas at the moment!”.

I printed out the booklets from the PHC website and added that into my Weight Management consultations. What a difference! My job is now rewarding, I can confidently give advice with handy printouts. Patients see results in the first week and can stick to it. We now have a Group Weight Management drop-in session every Monday at 10.30am for anyone with a BMI over 25 welcome to attend, because individual appointments are too consuming in my clinics, (my main job role is phlebotomy, ECGs, dressings, blood pressure).

Since October 2016, 3 patients have reduced their Type 2 Diabetes medication. 1 has staved off starting injections, 1 has prevented a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis as the nurse agreed to give him 3 months with me then re-check his fasting glucose and HBA1C. 1 has got his BMI from 38 to 31 so his consultant would agree to do his Hip Replacement (which went ahead last week). 1 has seen breathing improvements, he had severe SOB which was due to obesity (BMI 41).

The PHC real food lifestyle guidelines are popular for a variety of reasons; it’s easy, no counting calories or reading food labels, food preparation is quick and patients reduce medications. None of my groups have said they’ve had hunger pangs, cravings or feel deprived of anything. They enjoy the food, look forward to meals and are nourishing their bodies with fresh, nutrient and vitamin dense foods. Some have even said their mood and sleep is better.

I’m hoping to start a Group Weight Management session at our main surgery soon as well. After seeing such positive results at our little branch surgery I would hope that PHC has come in time to help tackle the “Diabesity” (Type 2 caused by Obesity) epidemic and prevent further diagnosis which need costly staffing and medication treatment plans.”

Sally Fewster, NHS Health Care Assistant 3, Robin Hood’s Bay Surgery

With this in mind we have been carrying out a pilot study with type 2 diabetes patients. The data from our pilot demonstrates the profound impact on type 2 diabetes that dietary modifications achieve. The improvements in HbA1c’s (average blood glucose over 3 months) and hunger satisfaction have been rather notable. They’re following a real food lifestyle have lost weight, report higher energy levels, less hunger and all of them are taking fewer medications. All who were on insulin are off it; all who were on oral/injectable hypoglycaemic are off them; and many are even off their metformin (a blood glucose medication).

We’re half way through the pilot but the message from the evidence so far is clear: the health of perhaps 60% of our population (i.e. those with insulin resistance) could be dramatically and fundamentally improved within weeks by giving them the correct dietary advice recommended by PHC. This would reduce the incidence of diabetes, obesity, heart disease and hypertension. It may also reduce the incidence of dementia, cancer, polycystic ovarian syndrome and many gut disorders.

PHC is facilitating this discourse within and outside of the medical profession and is disseminating the real food message. It should be obvious to all that given the parlous financial state of the NHS, we cannot simply medicate our way to improvements in public health. This approach is financially unsustainable. PHC is spearheading a movement promoting a ‘food-rather-than-pills’ approach that is evidence-informed and makes instinctive sense for patients and clinicians alike.”

Dr Vipan Bhardwaj, NHS General Practitioner, Wokingham Medical Centre

Complete remission of type two diabetes, obliteration of acid reflux, normalisation of non-diabetic blood sugar /lipid and other metabolic signs, reversal of some complications of diabetes and normalisation of the menstrual cycle have all been achieved by my patients using the information provided by PHC. The results lead to less expenditure on drugs and importantly the other medical and social costs of dealing with for example the complications of diabetes. In the UK for example 80% of the cost of diabetes is for dealing with the complications and only 20% of the actual cost of basic medication and insulin.

The Public Health Collaboration are seeking to simplify the real food message for the general public and I support them in this. The idea is that we can stop people from getting fat and developing diabetes in the first place with the correct dietary and exercise advice. We can also reverse fat gain, and normalise diabetes control and to a limited extent reverse diabetic complications.”

Dr Katharine Morrison, NHS General Practitioner, Ballochmyle Medical Group

I see this on a daily basis in my role as an NHS dentist. Patients, family and friends who follow the PHC Real Food Lifestyle advice describe many positive outcomes. Importantly for me, they say they need to snack less and crave sugar less, if at all, and in so doing they have all drastically reduced the risk of tooth decay! Which is fantastic and how a prevention programme should work.

The NHS has to start focusing on prevention, as the costs of treating lifestyle diseases are spiralling out of control and unfortunately there is no infinite pool of money to save it. The primary reason for children’s hospital surgical admissions is tooth decay. This is where the PHC has a vital role to play and the NHS has to engage and learn from it.”

Mr Kanap Patel, NHS Dentist, Dene Lodge Dental Practice

The PHC resources have also allowed me to continue to give advice around nutrition and lifestyle, with the added impact of useful patient-friendly resources. What my patients particularly enjoy about the PHC approach is the use of simple, digestible and realistic suggestions. Their evidence based work not only allows me to promote the real food message, it also gives my patients a reassurance that fat is not bad! My patients who have adopted real food return feeling as though they are frauds, with their improved weight, HbA1c, energy and sleep – and all from eating the very foods they were avoiding, and not feeling hungry! Some patients have been in tears with their results, sometimes within a matter of weeks.

The message from PHC could not be simpler. Root cause resolution is clear….eat real food! I feel like the tide is beginning to turn, thank you PHC!”

Dr Peter Foley, NHS General Practitioner & Sports and Exercise Medicine MSc student, Polden Medical Practice