Dr. Rupy Aujla, aka The Doctor’s Kitchen, was in Dublin for WellFest 2018. He’s a forward-thinking, progressive GP in the UK and his thoughts on the complementary nature of nutrition and lifestyle with medicine are a breath of fresh air.
Although this isn’t anything new in the US, the UK and Ireland are on the cusp of embracing this new type of doctor who looks more holistically at our lives to help avoid and manage illness.
“I don’t think I’m being cavalier in saying food can be medicinal because food is medicinal in the right context. That’s not to say we use food like a pill, but we use it in the correct context which is alongside therapy.”
Having overcome his own health issues in 2011 Rupy uses the experience as a motivating factor in his work and approach to his life.
“I’m motivated by my own experience as well as the thousands of patient experiences across the world where food and lifestyle have had a positive impact on people’s lives and health outcomes.”
“And really what we choose to put on our plates is one of the most important health interventions that anyone can make.”
He recognizes that he has a foodie flair, so in his new book, The Doctor’s Kitchen, he understands that he has to align it with people’s expectations and ability in the kitchen and doesn’t want to overwhelm people but at the same time he wants to inspire them to push the boat out.
We asked him for his top choice for each of the main meals of the day from his book:
Breakfast: Middle Eastern mackerel with green (pea) hummus. He’s trying to encourage more people to look at breakfast time as a potential savoury meal.
“We’ve been conditioned to think that breakfast is something sweet, but actually a lot of cultures encourage people to eat savoury food and lots of greens and I think it’s a great way to start the day.”
Breakfast: Middle Eastern mackerel with green (pea) hummus. He’s trying to encourage more people to look at breakfast time as a potential savoury meal.
“We’ve been conditioned to think that breakfast is something sweet, but actually a lot of cultures encourage people to eat savoury food and lots of greens and I think it’s a great way to start the day.”
Lunch: Herby Mushrooms – Super simple sugar snap peas, thyme, brown mushrooms with a little bit of tomato, all done in one pan and you can whip it up in 10 minutes.
Dinner: Sweet potato bake with prawns and spinach. “I’ve made it on TV live before and it takes about 15 mins in the oven and 15 mins prep.”
We asked Rupy for 3 pieces of advice for young busy guys, whether studying, young professionals or new parents, who want to be healthy but struggle with it or, don’t know where to begin. Turns out these tips really apply to everybody:
1. Prep meals – For anyone short on time prepping meals gets you into the mindset of always cooking from scratch.
2. Master meals you really like – Get into the habit of doing them again and again and tweaking them so that you can whip them up easily, and you know you love them!
3. Hydration – We need it for optimum functioning. It’s such an important aspect of staying healthy.
You can purchase his books here:
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