There has been much discussion here of the NHS and the problems it faces.
Let me offer another Aldous Huxley quote to add to the one I offered a few days ago. It is this:
Medical Science has made such tremendous progress that there is hardly a healthy human left.
I have tried to find the source of this, and I am not the only person who has failed to do so.
I am not really sure if that matters. Huxley was, almost as ever, ahead of his time. He foresaw that the medico-pharmaceutical industrial complex would reach the point where there was no part of life that could not be medicalised, and where a syndrome, disease or otherwise treatable condition from which profit might be made could not be created.
He was right. That is why we have a sick country.
What he failed to predict was the extent to which the sugar and ultra-processed food industries would become willing partners in this.
He was also unaware that there are ways of tackling this. I have been persuaded to cut almost all carbohydrates and as much sugar as possible out of my diet. It has not been hard, although it has been akin to breaking an addiction. Nor has it been expensive. Savings in booze (I do not notice its near total absence at home now) and, in my case, savings on buns of all sorts, have more than covered the cost of more cheese (especially), eggs, cream (for pannacottas), and bacon, which was something I had not eaten for a while, but which I now do.
I now find I eat much less, because I no longer appear to be nearly as hungry as I was. The sugar spikes that used to feel like hunger, but were more like the messages my brain sent to me as a sugar addict to demand more of that substance on which it has become dependent, no longer get sent. I can go longer between meals. When I get to them, I am satisfied with less.
I sleep better.
I have more energy.
I feel better.
My head is clearer.
And I have lost a stone without noticing, or even trying.
I am down two inches in waist size.
The medical evidence is that I will have massively reduced my risk of diabetes, cancer, dementia and many forms of heart disease, at least for a long time.
And if you have never tried it, celeriac mash is as good as that from potato, and celeriac chips are just fine.
Why doesn't the medical world talk about this?
Why don't those prescribing GLP-1 drugs for weight loss advise instead this very cheap, drug-free and massively health-beneficial alternative, which only appears to have positive side effects?
Why don't the heart, diabetes and cancer foundations do so?
Could it be that they, like so many NGOs (as I noted recently), do not exist to solve problems, but to perpetuate them in the interests of keeping their own careers going, becoming useful fools for the medico-pharmaceutical industrial complex in the process?
I offer it as a thought.
And after thinking about that, think how much could be saved for the NHS.
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Careful, Richard, don’t go all RFK on us.
But seriously, as a former wholefood shop worker, I do support learning how to eat better and resist the sugar mafia. Thanks for sharing your discoveries.
If only I could get to like the taste of celeriac ….
It’s really good…
But add flavouring is you want. Ample ways to do that.
I think I’m ‘mostly’ with you on that one , I read John Yudkin’s “Pure white and deadly” 40 years ago, where it seemed to clear to me, from the arguments and evidence presented, that sugar and processed carbohydrates were the biggest culprits in relation to heart disease, and that corporations and NGO seemed to have an unhealthy alliance.
Personally, I try not to eat flesh from creatures that have been alive and/or farmed, especially bacon, as that really doesn’t seem to be ‘good’, any more.
Caveat, though, it *is* expensive to eat non processed fresh food. Time consuming to prepare it too.
Just a thought.
As I explain, I think the expenses argument is heavily overplayed. Cut out booze and the problem is, largely, solved. The time issues is not that significant either. There are many meals that can be cooked in minutes still.
LDL is causally linked to atherosclerosis and this sort of diet will raise LDL. It’s our biggest killer.
LDL goes up.
Triglycerides go down.
There is no evidence between LDL and plaque progression on serial CT angiography.
Your claim is wrong, based on recent research.
Dr Malcolm Kendrick, a GP, has written a book which I found gave a very good summary of research and stats on cardiovascular disease. The mechanism for the deposition of arterial plaque is explained clearly. ‘ The Great Cholesterol Con’ (look out for author name as there’s another book with same title).
There is a problem for those who obsess about cholesterol and controlling it. People with higher levels of cholesterol in older age live longer than those with lower levels. So why are we trying to bring cholesterol levels down? It’s not to extend life so there must be another reason. Could it be profit?
Couple of typos- course instead of source, and ‘pharmaceutical’ mis spelled too.
Corrected now.
The in-house team also found them. But thanks.
The Nuffield Trust has pulled together a really useful set of figures showing where the NHS budget actually went in 2022/23—and it paints a pretty stark picture of what we value, or rather, what we don’t. NHS Trusts spent a massive £68.1 billion on acute care—essentially fixing people once they’re already seriously ill. Mental health services got £10.4 billion, which is something, but still nowhere near what’s needed. Primary care and GPs got £9.4 billion. Community healthcare got £7.8 billion, ambulance services £3 billion. The local authority public health grant? Just £2.7 billion. That’s all we’re willing to spend on keeping people well in the first place. And dental care? £2.5 billion. Eye care and pharmacies together: £2.3 billion.
What this tells us is brutally simple: the NHS isn’t set up to prevent illness—it’s built to react to it. We wait until people are unwell and then scramble to patch them up and it cost a fortune to do it. Prevention is an afterthought, if it’s thought about at all.
If Wes Streeting, the current Health Secretary, really wants to court controversy – as he so often does —he should stop dancing around the issue and say what needs saying: staying healthy is not just a personal win, it’s a civic duty. The NHS is collapsing under the weight of preventable illness. If we want to save it for those who truly need it—those struck by misfortune, not lifestyle—we have to stop pretending this is someone else’s problem.
It’s time we put as much energy (and money) into preventing illness as we do into treating it. Because right now, we’re spending billions on mopping the floor while the tap is still running.
Aldous Huxley also wrote the Perennial Philosophy -or Wisdom-which argued there is one spiritual truth underlying all the major religions and spiritual traditions.
I used have a lot to do with the Theosophical Society which taught something similar. Today they are more of a forum for discussing spirituality, science, philosophy and psychology. There is no compulsion to ‘believe’ anything. Like many such organisations now smaller and older than it used to be.
However, I think the approach of the Perennial Wisdom will outlast many of the older religions which are also in decline.
Wikiquote suggests that the “quote” was invented by an antivaxer around 2018.
https://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/Aldous_Huxley#Misattributed
Not that you really need a quote from an eminent individual to eat better and exercise more. Cutting alcohol is always a good thing and too many people suffer and die from alcoholism, including a close relative (recently deceased).
Sounds like you are aiming for a high protein, low carbohydrate diet, similar to Atkins. Fine, but all choices (including not making a choice) come with risk and I’ve seen suggestions that such diets may be linked with increased risk of heart disease, kidney problems, and some cancers. Are you adding fruit and vegetables alongside the cheese, cream, eggs and bacon?
Among the advantages of cereals is their relative ease of production and energy intensiveness, which is why we produce and eat so much wheat and barley and oats and rice and millet and maize. I wonder if we could feed 8 billion people on your high protein diet. Can we feed all the pigs and chickens and cows?
Plenty of veg, but little fruit: it is laden with sugar. Fruit juices are actually very much worse.
My wife (MRCP, MRCGP) has read a lot of the literature on this – and there is a lot, including on cancer, which she has had, plus chemo and radio, more than a decade ago now. The evidence that such a low diet is the best possible way to avoid cancer, or its recurrence, is very high.
I realise the issue with 8 billion people.
We also have to recognise that in the whole history of human (or pre-human but related) existence eating carbs is an incredibly recent phenomenon and we are simply not adapted to eat them, most especially in the quantities we now do.
And I stress, the advantage of this diet is how much less you want to eat – because the addiction to do so does not kick in. It is weird. I might not have believed it. But it’s what I have found. I never thought I could give up in Danish pastries. I have.
Enviornmentally it’s a disaster diet. Good luck addressing climate change with it.
Richard loves to rag on about the sugar industry as if the meat and dairy industry is not also a trillion dollar business.
You totally ignore reduced consumption.
Please don’t call again. My guess is you are paid to troll.
In low carbohydrate diets the reduction in carbohydrate calories needs to be replaced with calories from fats – healthy, natural fats, ideally of animal origin. It’s a sad thing that animal fats have been demonised as they have – it can be dated back to the publication of the UK dietary guidelines in the early 80s. Interestingly the inexorable rise in type 2 diabetes, obesity and other metabolic diseases also can be tracked back to that time. You’re on absolutely the right track, Richard. I’m on the same track and share your experience of loss of hunger pangs, clearer mind, better sleep, slimmer waist, more energy. It’s a very great relief to me that despite the vice-like grip Big Food and Big Pharma have had on dietary advice for all these years that slowly and unstoppably the knowledge is getting out. Ordinary people stopping to question, reading, experimenting and learning the truth – and sharing their successes with friends and loved ones. We really have been groomed for years and it’s a fantastic thing to see more and more people rejecting the inversions the authorities try to push on us.
It reminds me of the statement: “Goldman Sachs asks in biotech research report: ‘Is curing patients a sustainable business model?’.
Apparently it appeared in a report entitled “The Genome Revolution.” (10 Apr 2018).
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/goldman-asks-is-curing-patients-a-sustainable-business-model.html
On the contrary to Huxley, it is food science that has got out of control. It seems to me a lot of old favourites are 3-D printed now – made up of exuded sugars, not baked using flavourings instead of real ingredients. This ought to be tackled at source.
Your fundamental point though is spot on. Profit is creating poorly people.
If you can dig out a copy of Hal Harley’s film ‘The Girl from Monday’ (2005), a sci-fi film set in a dystopian future where even sex between adults is traded on the market, and where heart surgery is sold as a lifestyle choice – the whole film is searing commentary on invasive capitalism and its moral corruption of people.
Yuck
I acceopt your word for it, but not my idea of entertainment, even for education.
A lot of people, notably in the pharmaceutical industries, want you to be sick enough to need long-term treatment but not sick enough to die.
Correct.
Best of all, things like statins. Take them for decades, in all likelihood with no benefit whatsoever and lots of side effects needing evermore treatments.
I love it – your medical advisor is another “statin-denier”! Join the club. When we bring down the cholesterol-heart hypothesis the props that hold up the the statin market collapses too. That’s why they hold on for dear life to the tale about dietary fat clogging up arteries and attempt to marginalise anyone who tries to publish evidence or hypotheses to the contrary.
Heard Lord Darzi for the first time today – on R4 – almost unbelievable enthusiasm for Google’s deep mind claim they will eliminate all disease using our personal data and AI. Utterly unquestioning and unscientific , admitting he was ‘working with them’ . And he is a major influence on govt plans for NHS.
We are in dystopia.
Total idiot.
We know how to prevent disease now.
Why isn’t he talking about that?
Not sure about dropping whole fresh fruit from my diet but I never drink fruit juice these days.
Fruit has a lot of fiber that is both good for your digestive system and satisfying to eat, and the pulp has a lot of the nutrients.
Fruit juice, on the other hand, has little or no fiber, a lot less nutrients in many cases, and is far less filling, so people often consume more sugar with less nutritional benefits.
To give an example a glass of orange juice is around 3 oranges. You could easily drink 2 glasses, but you probably won’t sit and eat 6 oranges.
new research finds that drinking just one glass of 100 percent fruit juice every day leads to gaining close to half a pound over three years. Yet increasing whole fruit intake by one serving each day resulted in about a pound of weight loss over three years.
What’s more, The high sugar and low fiber content of juice means that it can spike blood sugar levels and increase your appetite. Over time, this combination can lead to weight gain.
In the study of nearly 50,000 postmenopausal women, researchers found that weight gain among fruit juice drinkers was on par with those who regularly consumed sugary drinks like soda.
Whole, fresh fruit, however is full of fiber. Fiber-rich fruits can help you feel full while eating fewer calories. Dietary fiber in fruits can also help reduce cholesterol and may lower the risk for heart disease.
Skip the straw and snack on fresh fruit instead
Stay fit and healthy Richard as I hope all contrubutors and readers of this blog willl for a long time to come.
https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=fruit-vs-fruit-juice-whats-the-difference-197-30060
Fruit is good in small doses – which is how it seasonally appeared. Genetically modified fruit all year round is quite different.
“Genetically modified fruit”
would that be the Mango-man fruit?
🙂
I think you are right about fruit, and another thing is the tropical fruit is higher in sugar than UK fruit.
We eat fruit as an occasional treat, and our diet is much the same as yours.p
“Veg is king” as my local organic farm declares.
Prof Murphy,
Your confession about Danish pastries hit me like a rogue crumb to the heart—I felt that. I, too, have waged war against buttery layers of betrayal, only to realise my willpower is about as reliable as a paper napkin in a rainstorm. “Giving up” sounds so noble, doesn’t it? Like we’re ascetic monks trading flaky sins for kale… which, let’s be honest, tastes like the lawn clippings of regret.
But here’s the solidarity I offer (no, it’s not a Danish—though I’ve considered bribing you with one just to watch the chaos):
Imagine us as two exiles from Carbahalla, clutching oat milk lattes and muttering, “Remember when joy had layers?” We’re like Shakespearean protagonists, tormented by the ghost of pastries past. “To eat, or not to eat?” Answer: Don’t. (Unless it’s Tuesday. Or your Wi-Fi’s down. Exceptions matter.)
Let’s start a support group: Lard Anonymous. Meetings held outside bakeries. Agenda: Stare longingly at eclairs while reciting affirmations like, “I am strong. I am resilient. I will not lick the display case.” Relapses celebrated with a brisk jog… to the nearest salad bar.
In all seriousness (a rare mood for me), your moment of clarity? It’s a beacon for us flaky souls. Every time you resist a Kringle, an angel gets its wings. Or, more likely, a nutritionist stifles a tear of pride. Stay strong, comrade. And if you cave? Well, I’ll bring the wet wipes for the guilt crumbs.
Solidarity in sucrose-free suffering,
A Fellow Warrior in the Butter Wars.
(P.S. If you find a loophole involving “medicinal marzipan,” DM me. Asking for a friend.)
I faced a moment where I might have caved a week or so ago. Late afternoon in a coffee shop with overstocked pastries at their sell by date, being offered free to all comers. And I resisted. I surprised myself.
I found, when I switched to a low carb diet, (not keto or Atkins, just carbs < 100g per day ) that I experienced all of the benefits you mentioned higher up this thread and that, after a while, I began to find that if I did lapse into excess sugar/carbs, it actually made me feel quite unpleasant, whilst at the same time, that impulse to cram a slice of bread or a pastry down the hatch went away.
I am on less than 100g of carb a day, and found what you describe. I had a pastry a couple of months ago, and the reaction was quite strong, and actually disabling. The sugar rush and consequent low made it clear just how toxic it was.
I was told that I was pre diabetic, so reduced carbs and have plenty of cheese, veg, nuts and fruit and I rarely eat meat. I soon reversed my risk of diabetes, and blood tests have been normal for the last 5 years.
Isn’t bacon a Group 1 carcinogen btw?
Probably it is
But I eat pretty small amounts with a lot of egg and tomatoes
And it mush safer than eating doughnuts and wine, let alone most seed oils.
Not sure about bacon because AFAIK it counts as a processed food because of the curing process. I only eat it at weekends. I very much agree about celeriac and also swede or a combination of both with carrot maybe. Like you I lost two inches (and 10 lbs) when I reduced certain things – especially beer.
And I’m glad to read eleswhere that you are using Lightroom.
Your sustainable long-term health is certainly excellent news for both you, your family and also for us, your community!
Shall I send you some of my baler twine offcuts to hold your trousers up?
🙂
‘Why doesn’t the medical world talk about this?’
Is it because those working for the NHS have to follow guidelines based on the ‘Eatwell plate’ with its large helping of carbohydrate?
I tried a low carb diet a couple of decades ago and felt much better.
Dr Atkins, who encouraged this diet in his cardio patients was demonised. Doctors John Yudkin, Uffe Ravnskov, Robert Lustig and others have written clearly for the general public and of course been published in peer-reviewed journals.
The industrial food lobby has been pushing against this for decades.
Spread the word, not the waist. We should learn in school about our body’s very useful but tricky ability to store fat, and the part played by carbohydrate in raising blood sugar and triggering (if not diabetic) the release of insulin.
A plant-based diet is harder to make low-carb, but attention to the glycaemic index or (more useful as based on portion sizes) glycaemic load of a food can be very helpful.
Agreed
I was at school when the Equal Pay Act came into force. Women’s pay is still on average lower than that of men.
Parents face tough choices; I would love to live in a world where parents were supported to be the parents they wish to be.
I find your tossing about of off-topic ‘interesting’ observations somewhat rude.
I should not have approved that comment
Demos is now on troll watch
Too many trolls are now taking 50+ comments before coming out now
It is a new trend
Coincidentally, I watched this yesterday: The Royal Society of Medicine 2025 Dangoor Lecture from Prof. Tim Spector: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEjUxqOvyJ0
Full disclosure I’m a Zoe member, in my 3rd year and feeling so much better for it.
Also worth watching the free ZOE podcasts with various scientists. They are very informative.
He doesn’t get ketosis, I am afraid. There is too much sugar in what he suggests.
But the point is to make it sustainable over decades.
Couldn’t agree more, Richard. I’m not convinced by Zoe. They seem to be acting as gatekeepers, protecting some of the establishment’s crown jewels. As per their Sarah Berry frantically defending seed oils!
The most important thing of course and this will mean it will vary from person to person is that you enjoy what you eat.
I have tended to cut the sort of stuff thats calories but not that exciting over the last few years eg I still eat cake/pop/etc BUT only the good stuff in moderation – eg Lindor but not Dairy Milk and my waistline is about an inch less than it was
Good plain chocolate is good for you. Easter eggs pretty much invariably are not.
Much agree with your dietary alterations, Richard
And you can now also get nitrite free bacon from most supermarkets
https://www.finnebrogue.com/nitrite-free-bacon/
The original idea of adding nitrites, was, funnily enough, American. It helps colour, shelf-life and perhaps most important, curing time – it has spread around the world and now almost all cured meats contain them.
Parma ham doesn’t contain any nitrites but it is – er, a minimum of 12 months old….
https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/farming/geographical-indications-and-quality-schemes/geographical-indications-food-and-drink/prosciutto-di-parma-pdo_en
and time is of course money…
Thanks, Peter. And noted.
I am glad to hear that Richard’s diet is working for him, but I have to say my own diet has changed pretty radically in the other direction; I now consume pretty much only whole-plant foods, and I have seen weight-loss, rise in energy, etc, as well as much reduced food bills.
A place that had a significant influence on my decision to make this change is Dr Michael Greger’s website; Greger has devoted himself to a life advocating what he considers the best medicine – healthy eating. I wonder what his assertions on avoiding dietary cholesterol – which he advocates very strongly – would have on Richard’s views?
His work is scientific and entirely based on reputable studies. Perhaps worth a look, e.g:
https://nutritionfacts.org/video/eggs-and-cholesterol-patently-false-and-misleading-claims/
PS Couldn’t agree more about the malignancy of both sugar and Lord Darzi!
Cholesterol is essential for brain activity. The vast majority in our bodies is naturally made by our livers. The body would not make it if we do not need it. We do. Statins are linked to dementia and cancers. Those with most cholesterol appear to live longest in good health. There is a great deal of evidence to support these suggestions my medical adviser tells me.
Chat GPT’s response to my question about eating fruit:
Is too much fruit bad for health?
ChatGPT said:
Great question! Eating fruit is super healthy overall—it’s packed with vitamins, fiber, antioxidants, and natural sugars. But like most things in life, moderation is key. Here’s the breakdown:
✅ Why fruit is good for you:
• Nutrients: High in vitamins (like C, A, and potassium)
• Fiber: Helps with digestion and satiety
• Antioxidants: Can help fight inflammation and cell damage
• Natural sugars: Easier on your blood sugar than added sugars, especially when eaten whole
⚠️ When too much fruit could be a problem:
• Sugar & Calories: If you’re eating a lot of fruit—like 5+ large servings a day—you might be getting more sugar and calories than you realize. This can matter for people with diabetes, insulin resistance, or those trying to lose weight.
• Blood Sugar Spikes: Especially with very sweet fruits (e.g., grapes, mangoes, bananas), large amounts might spike blood sugar in sensitive individuals.
• Fructose overload: In theory, too much fructose (a sugar in fruit) can burden your liver—but this is usually more of a concern with added fructose from processed foods.
Bottom line:
For most people, 2–4 servings of whole fruit per day is awesome and very unlikely to be “too much.” If you’re eating 6, 7, 8+ servings daily every day, it’s probably worth taking a look at your overall sugar and calorie intake—but it’s still better than chugging soda or eating candy.
Do you eat a lot of fruit every day, or are you just wondering in general?
You said:
I eat a lot of fruit.
ChatGPT said:
Nice! You’re definitely not alone—fruit’s delicious and easy to snack on. Out of curiosity, what kind of fruit are you usually eating, and how much in a day? That can help figure out whether it’s just a healthy habit or maybe something to keep an eye on.
Also, how do you feel after eating a lot of fruit—any energy crashes, digestive stuff, or are you feeling good overall?
You said:
Usually I eat 1 pear, 1 kiwi fruit, 1 plum, 1 nectarine, 1 banana every day. I generally feel good overall.
ChatGPT said:
That lineup sounds awesome—super colorful and full of different nutrients. A fruit bowl like that every day is actually a really solid habit, especially since you feel good overall.
Let’s break it down real quick:
Pear – fiber-rich, good for digestion
Kiwi – loaded with vitamin C, great for immunity
Nectarine – vitamin A, antioxidants
Banana – potassium boost, good for energy and heart health
Plum – helps with digestion and has antioxidants too
That’s 5 fruits a day, but the type and serving size matter—and your choices are all moderate in sugar and packed with nutrients and fiber. Unless you’re adding, like, huge fruit smoothies, juices, or lots more servings on top of that, what you’re eating sounds totally reasonable and even ideal.
If you feel good, your energy is steady, digestion’s solid, and you’re not overdoing added sugars elsewhere, I’d say keep doing what you’re doing. Your body seems to like it.
That’s asking what the status quo is. The status quo is prescribed by big sugar. So that is not answer to anything.
Re cheese, v interesting Food Programme on R4 Sat night. Expert quite withering about govt (& other) mismanagement of UK food & agriculture. Said land ownership should have been reformed years ago.