Eat well, feel better: GP Clare Bailey on her health-focused way of eating
Eat Well, Feel Better: GP Clare Bailey’s Health-Focused Diet
Diet is a loaded term for Wendyl Nissen, but she’s reaping the benefits of GP Clare Bailey’s health-conscious eating plan.
Beyond Dieting
Stories about dieting, fasting, or calorie counting often leave us feeling inadequate. They imply we’re not the right size or shape. That’s why we steer clear of such narratives. However, recent scientific studies suggest a simpler approach: eat well, feel better, and potentially lose some weight.
Dr. Clare Bailey’s Approach
Dr. Clare Bailey, a British GP with 30 years of experience, witnessed firsthand the limitations of traditional medical advice. She saw patients daily who were at risk of type 2 diabetes. The standard advice was often unhelpful, akin to saying, “To play golf, hit the ball into the hole.”
Clare realized that patients weren’t truly supported by immediate medication. She noted, “The feeling was that my patients were not in control of diabetes; they depended on the medication, and really, nobody expected them to come off it. Ever.”
Rethinking Dietary Advice
For the past 50 years, doctors have advocated for a low-fat, steady diet with frequent snacks. However, during this period, weight issues, blood sugar levels, and type 2 diabetes have surged. Clare’s perspective shifted when her husband, Dr. Michael Mosley, reversed his diabetes through intermittent fasting, as detailed in his bestselling book, The Fast Diet.
Clare began supporting her patients to follow similar advice and saw remarkable results. She has since released a new recipe book, The Fast 800 Easy, featuring 130 recipes developed during Britain’s first lockdown.
Healthier Eating
Clare’s book focuses on moderately low-calorie, low-carb Mediterranean-style meals. It emphasizes gut-friendly foods, which aligns with the growing interest in supporting the immune system, especially during a pandemic.
Clare shares, “I actually stopped working as a GP a year ago. Michael and I were traveling and juggling book tours, so now we focus on that.”
Body Positivity and Health
Clare acknowledges the body positivity movement, which encourages acceptance of one’s body. She says, “It is a difficult one. On the whole, we really try not to talk about weight in terms of how you’re looking. It’s not about having a beach body. It’s about having a body which functions well so that you feel good, that you’re getting the nutrition you need to keep your mood up, your immunity up to protect you.”
She highlights that during the pandemic, people who are significantly overweight or diabetic are more likely to have severe Covid outcomes. “So these things do matter. We’re not talking about what you look like in a bikini—that’s not the message at all,” she says.
Family and Food
Clare and Michael have four adult children. She admits that feeding her family wasn’t always balanced. “They do all have a healthy relationship with food and like their food, but we did have years of chicken nuggets and chips and stuff. Looking back, it wasn’t the sort of food we should have fed them, but when you’re busy, you adjust to the lowest common denominator.”
For more information, you can follow Dr. Clare Bailey on Instagram @drclarebailey.
