Britain’s waistline crisis gets me in the gut
Anyone throwing their hands up in horror at the news GPS are to begin prescribing diets to overweight patients has obviously never had a problem shedding the pounds.
They have never been seized by a mania that compels them to eat every last biscuit in the packet, or overindulged on bread to the point they look – and definitely feel – like a Zeppelin. Lucky them.
I have long argued that obesity needs to be treated as a pressing public health problem urgently, and if that involves seizing the nettle and medicalising it, then it must be done.
Frankly, given the risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancers, dementia and Covid-19, it’s high time that the medical establishment stopped eggshelling around the issue.
Poor diet is the country’s biggest premature killer and costs our society around £27billion a year.
A terrifying 63 per cent of adults are fat or very fat. One in three children leaves primary school overweight or obese. Our nation needs help.
That might come in the form of a Slimming World group, weight-loss shakes bought online, or even an informal buddy approach whereby friends support one another to reach their goals. Why not your GP?
A great many factors come into play when it comes to overeating; emotions, hormones and gut health.
I’m no nutritionist, but for me a probiotic that prepares your digestive system is essential.
For quite a while now, the gut – and the maintaining of “good bacteria” in the microbiome – has been the focus of obesity research. I’m a complete convert.
Having gained a quarantummy during the first lockdown, I’ve lost it, and more, thanks to taking a shot of watery Symprove biotic every morning that somehow nudges me away from sugar and towards vegetables.
My appetite is reduced, I also have more energy, and I don’t know if it’s related but my long Covid symptoms have ebbed away. It’s not cheap (£1.88 per day adds up over a month), but I am convinced it is setting me up for better choices.
I think probiotics in general are something family doctors should at least consider. A reduction in cravings is the first step to cutting back on calories.