YOU’VE probably seen Dale Pinnock, the Medicinal Chef, on TV or read one of his 14 books. He’s been on Lorraine, the Alan Titchmarsh Show and the series Eat, Shop and Save explaining the science of how food can make us healthier. Well, here’s the exciting news: Dale is teaming up with me to give Slimpodders expert advice on how to eat for good health and what to eat to lose weight more effectively.
He’ll be joining us on Facebook for a live session in a week or so, and today in this blog he’s giving you an introductory insight into the invaluable guidance he’s going to be sharing with you. I’m SO excited!
Over the next four weeks Medicinal Chef Dale will be showing you that if you just change one thing in your diet it can make a big difference to your weight and your health.
He’ll be showing you how you can give your favourite food a facelift and also how you can eat to help underlying medical conditions, like under-active thyroids, and other health related issues that might be preventing you from losing weight so far.
He’ll even be helping you to make healthy comfort food during the winter months and sharing some great recipes! Dale and I met in October at a conference in California and I knew right away that he’d be just the man to give podders expert help with nutrition and health.
Dale has degrees in human nutrition and herbal medicine and is completing a master’s degree in nutritional medicine. Don’t worry that he’ll be baffling you with science – Dale has a remarkable knack of putting everything in a down to earth way that’s great fun.
His book The Medicinal Chef is packed with recipes that prove how easy it is to use seemingly humble ingredients which have been shown to have beneficial effects on a range of medical conditions – as well as helping you to shed pounds.
You can find out more at Dale’s website. Today the Medicinal Chef has this advice for you to set the scene for the amazing stuff he’ll be sharing:
“How many of you were on the diet hamster wheel for years and were involved in counting or recording something? A lot of you, I would guess. For decades we’ve been taught the concept of diet that revolves around counting calories, counting points, or syns, or all manner of different things.
“Yet the more of us that do this, the more of us that fail. We focus on all of the things we shouldn’t do, and arbitrary numbers that in theory, if the maths add up, take us to health and fitness Utopia.
“However, the health of the nation is in crisis. That is undeniable now. Here in the UK between 2005 and 2015 the percentage of adults that were overweight or obese rose from 60.5% to 62.9%. We are WAY over the halfway mark!!
“We are in an age where we know so much about the way that our bodies work, and there is so much information at our fingertips, yet the scales keep going up. I believe there are two things responsible for this. Environment and misinformation.
“The first, we cannot easily control. The second, well that very much influences our choices. If we tackle that, we can determine how we respond to the first.
“So what is this misinformation? Well, I’m going to tease you with it here, and make a very controversial statement…
“The biggest piece of misinformation is that weight management is simply a “calories in” versus “calories out” equation. Burn more calories than you consume, and you will lose weight.
“OH IS THAT IT?? That’s all I need to do then…if only!!! Millions of people have been doing this and just continue to pile on weight or struggle to lose a pound. In my clinical practice I have worked with thousands of patients over the years and I have NEVER met ONE single patient that strictly adhered to a calorie counting diet and managed to maintain it and to successfully keep the weight off for more than two years.
The Medicinal Chef says you’re not to blame
“This is the norm. We are taught this, we put it into action, and we fail. Then, even worse we believe that it’s US that’s to blame. We feel like a failure and we beat ourselves up. We get disheartened and we give up and stop our efforts to live a healthier life.
“Our bodies are not a mechanical engine that runs at a set rate on a single standardised fuel. We are biological systems. We break down, absorb, metabolise, respond, react, adapt.
“We are an incredibly complex and beautifully orchestrated sea of interconnected biochemical processes and interactions. We are regulated by hormones, by cross-system communication and it is understanding this, our very nature that holds the key to getting free from the dieting trap for ever.
“Understand exactly how your body works, how the food that you eat influences the myriad of control systems, hormonal responses and biochemical interactions, and how to put this knowledge into action when you eat, then you will finally have the map out of the woods.”
And I’m delighted and excited that’s what Dale the Medicinal Chef is going to be showing us all! So look out for my blogs in the weeks ahead. Please leave a comment below with your food questions and to give Dale a warm welcome to the Slimpod community.
22 thoughts on “Medicinal Chef Dale will reveal which foods make us healthier”
Excellent news look forward to it. Can we discuss lots of us who are hypothyroid and also on drugs that increase weight. I personally would like to know how to approach this food wise. There is lots of articles on the website but leaves you extremely confused. Trevor really helps but need to know what to eat, tried so many things before.
I joined Slimpod as I was overweight and borderline type 2 diabetes. I wanted to control my diabetes with diet and exercise but conventional diets are not for me as I know that ‘dieting’ doesn’t work and it has to be a lifestyle change. I joined in March and have lost very little weight but do feel better and have lost inches in the last few weeks by using ‘not breaking the chain’. I would like advice on eating with diabetes particularly as my biggest downfall is a very sweet tooth and low self control!
most of my diet is protein and vegetables- low carb. But I like playing tennis. what’s the best food to eat before a tennis match/other exercise?
Really delighted have under active thyriod so looking forward to see what he has for us
Fabulous,I was just contemplating on the fact that I’m stuck after losing a stone..contemplating giving up carbs, I’ve given up alcohol for a whole week too…trying to kick start a drop..so the timing is perfect..
It’s so true that calories v calories out doesn’t work . i had tried for many years to follow this and where did it get me – nowhere. unhappy. food deprived, weight problems. Slimpod made all the difference to me. i’ll keep my food queries until it all get’s going. Looking forward to this!!
Great news. I’d be particularly interested in what his thoughts are on best lifestyle diet for diabetics as I’m trying to feed both me and my other half. Should you be avoiding carbs which turn into sugar? If allowed carbs what percentage would you recommend? Can you have some sugary food and then counteract with good food after it? Top tips to stay on track as a diabetic
Very interesting….I for one believed in the calories in and out theory! Tell me, does the food you used to eat in your youth and what you eat now make a difference? Apart from the fact that we move less in our later years, of course but back then we ate dripping, butter, steamed or boiled puddings etc.
Just added butter and a little olive oil back into my diet, Im vegan. I am 75 and suddenly look ‘crepey’! Also added coconut oil, not eating it, lathering it on, its working.
Have had no weight loss, an inch loss here and there only, but oddly look so much slimmer that people are noticing. However, added tbs of apple cider vinegar before main meals once or twice a day, diluted in water and drink through straw to protect my tooth enamel. It’s magic, the weight is moving again…..
Really intriguing, and looking forward to learning more! Please can the subject of weight management during menopause be addressed? That would be much appreciated, thank you!
Fantastic, I would love to have more information on type 1 diabetes foods that would help weight loss and works with insulin
This is very exciting as I have done lots of reading around the subject and come to the same conclusions. I need help feeding a very sceptical husband and fussy son so we can all eat healthily and on a budget – haven’t got time to cook two sets of meals. Thank you.
Oh my , I cannot wait this is excellent news , I still believe the calories In calories out concept to a certain extent I am really interested in finding a better way .
I suppose we’ve got a fairly good idea of which foods we should be eating, but maybe we need some recipes from Dale to inspire us to eat them!
Sounds really interesting, can’t wait to start reading about it.
Welcome Dale
Exciting! Please will you discuss tasty alternatives to white carbs for someone (my Type 2 diabetic partner) who doesn’t like any of the obvious alternative options. He is Podding with me but struggles with this in particular.
Thank you, really looking forward to your contribution.
Welcome Dale, the slimpod community will be a great fit for you.
I’m very interested in foods for gut healing. I’ve discovered I’m coeliac, and as well as gluten also have problems with dairy, soy, legumes, some nuts and sunflower. I take probiotics, and eat fish, masses of veg and ancient grains. But I need to not feel hungry all the time! And I’m still having IBS type symptoms after several months. I’m sure some other podders must have issues with gluten and their microbiome. Thank you.
Great news. I would love some advice on what foods to eat & what to avoid with Hypothyroidism & in pre menopause. I joined Slimpod early this year & haven’t lost any weight. I only recently discovered I have very low ferritin level & also interactive thyroid. The one positive is that I have in the last month been walking 4 times a week & really enjoying it. Looking forward to Dale’s advice.
I will be really interested in this. There is so much confusion out there as to what we should all eat and drink as each expert tells us something different. Also, I find it far easier to lay down and stick to a healthy habit if I know the reason’s why it’s healthy and what difference it makes to my body (in simple, laymen’s terms, of course!).
I will look forward to reading your interesting ideas as I need a boost. Been trying my hardest to shift another Stone off before Christmas. ?
Is there a replay of this somewhere. I have under active thyroid and would really be interested
If I eat the correct food choices at my meal times, would I ever need to snack?