Oh what a week it has been in The Food Medic HQ.
This week The Times ran one of my first big press interviews. I must admit, I was pretty nervous and held my breath as I flicked to through the paper until I landed on the double page spread. There I was smack-bang in the middle of one of the most prestigious newspapers in my Sweaty Betty kit.
I read the article word for word and I was extremely pleased. The most important thing for me was to make sure I got my message out there and I feel that my ethos, and that of The Food Medic, was clear from the article. The article was so well received and it even led to The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Mirror, and The Irish Independent to subsequently write articles on The Food Medic. I can tell you now, I’ve been pinching myself all week!
In addition to the interest from the press, 10,000 more of you have started following my journey – TEN THOUSAND!
I can’t quite get my head around that number and it certainly requires another pinch me moment. I want to take this opportunity to welcome you if you are new to following The Food Medic and sincerely thank you for your support! It is because of you that I have a voice and the more people who believe in what I do, the louder that voice becomes. I truly believe that our healthcare starts with what is on our plate and it is so encouraging to see more and more people inspired by that message and choosing to eat better everyday.
To add to the excitement, this weekend marks The Food Medic book cover reveal!
I feel like this is the last milestone before the actual book release on May 4th. It has been one hell of a rollercoaster. I thought I would never write something as hard as my dissertation, but boy oh boy, writing a book is on a whole other level.
I started the process back in February when I drafted my proposal. I knew exactly what I wanted to write about and I was so inspired that I began writing even before I had a publishing deal. In May 2016 I signed with Yellow Kite, after meeting with several publishers, and the pressure was on to deliver by September. Thankfully I already spent the months prior to this researching and reading, so I had most of the ground work covered and I had a template in my head. I wrote every single day right up until the first week of September when I handed in my first draft.
During this writing period I also moved from Cardiff to London, and started my first job as a doctor.
So I guess you could say that time was pretty tight and my social life took a bit of a nose dive (as did my appearance!) but through the power of sheer motivation and determination I managed to get it done.
I chose not to have a ghost writer because no one could write this book but me. I’ve poured my heart into this book. I have spoken about things that I have never been brave enough, or felt safe enough, to speak about before. I’ve stripped away the blanket of confusion that surrounds nutrition and diet, and brought you right back to the beginning – back to the basics. I’ve answered all your questions and addressed all the common food myths.
I’ve designed you 70 incredibly easy, yet incredibly nutritious meals, to help inspire you to get into the kitchen and start cooking from scratch again. I’ve shown you fundamental exercises and given you the freedom to create your own workouts with my easy-to-follow template.
I’ve given you the tools and I’ve given you the truth, because I don’t want you to ever have to buy another ‘diet’ book again.
I’m offering you this advice not only as a qualified doctor, or a personal trainer, but as a girl who has walked in your shoes. I know first-hand how food can affect both your physical and your mental health. I realised food isn’t the enemy, and chosen well, has the potential to improve health and keep illness at bay. I believe that my undergraduate education in science and medicine has given me the ability to critically analyse and evaluate all of the current research, and to use that information to provide the best advice based on the available evidence.
Disease prevention starts with what we are putting on our plate.
