Real Food –
a 21st Century Rebellion
Why do we all need to be rebels?
According to the UK government’s “Eatwell Guide” a healthy diet means eating low fat, low calorie, high carbohydrate food.
We’re told to lose weight by counting calories and cutting fat. We’re offered low calorie shakes, soups and snack bars, and we believe we have to put up with being hungry. We’re told to eat less and do more exercise. We’re led to believe it’s our fault.
The problem is: this advice is just plain wrong.
You see, it’s not the calories that matter. (How can 100 calories of sugar possibly be as good for you as 100 calories of vegetables, meat or fish?)
And it’s not fat that’s causing heart disease, diabetes, obesity. It’s sugar, refined carbs and processed foods.
And we’re surrounded by these foods everywhere we look!
This is what we call an “obesogenic” environment. Adverts and pictures of ultra-processed and sugar-laden foods surround us 24/7.
It’s not surprising we’re addicted to sugar, reach for crisps at the checkout when we fancy a snack, guzzle high sugar energy drinks because we need them to compensate for energy burned at the gym.
We know these foods are bad for us, but we’re addicted. And there’s very little we can do to resist.
The data speaks for itself: as a nation, we’ve been following government advice, yet diabetes and obesity are increasing exponentially.
Our national food guidelines are based on a misrepresentation of the science and they must be revised. Our health, the nation’s health, and the economy, is too important to just do nothing.
Key statistics we want to influence
%
% of adults with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D)
%
% of adults who have pre-diabetes
£ bn - cost of treating diabetes, England & Wales '02
£bn cost of diabetes-related early retirement & absenteeism
%
% of adults who are overweight or obese
%
% of children who are overweight or obese
# Statin prescriptions, 2017
%
% of people who'd change their lifestyle to prevent dementia
Our Mission
We aim to make sure all people have an informed choice about healthy eating – real food, low carb, healthy fat (LCHF). Health care professionals must offer Real Food / LCHF and related protocols – such as intermittent fasting (IF) – to patients because lifestyle approaches are key to de-prescribing and remission of diabetes and other so-called progressive diseases.
A big part of our work is building a grass-roots network of educators and ambassadors within the rich diversity of UK communities. These people will – as a result of their own journey to health, and new-found confidence in themselves as leaders – set up and run their own groups, generating an income through this.
Change NHS nutrition Policy
The “Eat well Plate” needs to change. It promotes processed foods, an excessive level of carbohydrates and inadequate healthy fat. Research needs to be separated from the interests of profit-making companies.
Challenge Toxic Industries
The influence which Big Food, Farming and Farma have on health is an outrage. Profit should not dominate health policy and local spending priorities. We call for health sector governance reform.
Grass Roots Groups
Grassroots groups are an important way for the general public to adopt a Real Food, Low Carb way of eating and improve their health outcomes. We are working with others to develop a sustainable model for this.
Meet the Chief Rebel
- As long ago as 1993 I completed a Masters degree in Human Nutrition. This was at the time of the Ethiopian famine which led to the famous Band Aid appeal. I continued in emergency nutrition and therapeutic feeding programmes, and from there I specialised in food and nutrition response in emergencies and poverty alleviation.
- In 2006 a personal tragedy led me to return to the UK, after living and working for 10 years abroad. I retrained in International Human Resources Development and Management, and trained as a coach, facilitator and an applied improviser.
- I always struggled to maintain a healthy weight, despite being relatively sporty. I came across the ketogenic diet when i was playing tennis. My opponent had boundless energy and told me his wife and mother in law swore by the ketogenic diet for weight loss. So I started to research it.
- I found the Public Health collaboration – a charity which aims to change national nutrition policy for diabetes and obesity, replacing the current “Eat Well [Badly] Plate” for a real food, low carbohydrate and high/healthy fat (LCHF) way of eating. I became an Ambassador and set up group coaching programmes. I trained in LCHF through the Nutrition Network in South Africa and others.
- I continue to run LCHF group coaching programmes tailored for different “food culture” groups.
- In 2023 I became a Meterbolic® Affiliate, offering Kraft Tests to people who want to measure their metabolic health and their insulin response to food.
- I’m doing this work because of two personal connections:
- First: My father developed Alzheimer’s/Dementia – also known as “Type 3 Diabetes” in metabolically-aware health communities. I have learned that Alzheimer’s is both reversible and preventable. It’s too late for my father, unfortunately, but I aim to help others before it’s too late for them.
- Second: I am married to a British Bajan man – and discovered when I spent time there that Barbados has one of the highest rates of amputation in the world – the majority of cases due to diabetes.
This is why I’m encouraging rebels wherever I can – advising them to eat real (not ultra processed) food; and to rebalance our food plates to a much lower proportion coming from carbohydrates.
Lesley Adams, Founder of Real Food Rebels
