Thefirstpresentationofwhichwashercollapsingtothefloorwith a heartattack.
Buttoday, I have 15 minutestosaveyourlife.
Ormorespecifically, I have 15 minutestohelppreventthedeathsofroughly 50% oftheadultsinthisaudiencetodaywhowillsuccumbtopreventablelifestylerelatedillnesseslikeheartdisease, strokeandcomplicationsofmetabolicdisease.
Butasmorepeopleunderstandthepowerofourdietstohelppreventandinsomecasestreatillhealth, thelogicalquestionbecomes, doctor, whatshould I beeating?
Andifyou'velookedattheheadlinesorscrolledthroughsocialmedia, youwillnoticemeatfightingwithvegans, paleofightingwiththeDiabetesAssociation, a warofattritionbetweenmultiplesideswiththelosersbeingthemillionsofpeoplejusttryingtofigureouthowbesttolookafterthemselves.
Today I'm goingtohelpyouwith a differentapproachbecauseitseemsstrangetomethatyoucanhavesomepeoplewhodecidetoeat a plant-baseddietandimprovetheirheartsymptomswhilesomeswearbylowcarbohydrateandcomeoffdiabetesmedications.
I wanttomakeitclearherethatfoodisnot a panacea, it's not a cure-allor a replacementforthemanydrugsandservicesthat I prescribeasanNHSdoctordaily, butitis a hugecomponentofwell-being.
Andit's thisconflictthatiscreatinganissue.
I wouldalsolovetostandhereandexplaintoyouwhatyoushouldbeeatingandexpectyoutojustdoit, inthesameway I canprescribe a pillto a patientandaskthemtotakeitthreetimes a day.
Butit's not.
I rememberaroundsevenyearsago, when I startedintroducingdietintomyconsultations, I had a 45-year-oldmancomeintomyclinic.
In 2018, I broughttogether a groupofnutritionexpertsanddoctorspassionateaboutreformingnutritioneducationinUKmedicalschools.
WerantheUK's firstculinarymedicinecourse, anintensefourweeksofculinaryactivitieswith a professionalchef, nutritionlectureswith a registereddietician, andteachingonhowtoapplythisinformationwithintheconstraintsofanNHSclinicappointmentby a GP.