A health book by Dr Rangan Chatterjee, a 40-year old father of two and star of the British television series Doctor in the House, is shaping up to become a 2018 bestseller.
The 4 Pillar Plan: How to Relax, Eat, Move, Sleep Your Way to a Longer, Healthier Life, was published last month following a six-way auction among publishers.
Chatterjee is at the forefront of a new generation of social-media-savvy medics – sharing everything from the quick vegetable coconut curry he whipped up for his kids with his 12 500 followers on Instagram, to his Tedx talk on how he helps patients reverse type-2 diabetes without medication, which has been watched more than 850 000 times on YouTube.
“Our whole model is about diagnosing and giving a pill,” he says. “That’s what we’re very good at and that model of care works very well for acute problems.”
It is clearly working less well for tackling chronic conditions such as type-2 diabetes, obesity and depression and what truly impassions Chatterjee is that most of these conditions, often viewed as inevitable evils of modern life, could be cured with some straightforward tweaks to our daily routines.
He is more likely to write lifestyle prescriptions – a diet high in healthy fats, meditation and more physical activity – to tackle the root causes of depression, than a mood-altering drug.
“The way we are collectively living our modern lives is having a negative impact on our health,” he says. “I want to strip it all back – and give people the blueprint [to do so themselves].”
Which is exactly what he does in The 4 Pillar Plan: How to Relax, Eat, Move, Sleep Your Way to a Longer, Healthier Life.
Chatterjee advocates a whole-life plan making five small and easily achievable changes in each of the four broad areas outlined by the titular “pillars”: rest, diet, movement and sleep.
In practical terms, that might mean prioritising at least 15 minutes of me-time a day; introducing daily micro-fasts; building more walking into your regular routine; and setting a bedtime alarm that kicks off a “no-tech” 90 minutes before sleep that will give you more energy in the morning.
It is striving for balance that will lead to the biggest improvements and, crucially, ones that can be sustained.
The cornerstone was a change in his own family’s diet, incorporating foods to promote gut health.
“People think about calories, fat and carbs. That’s too short-sighted. I think about food in terms of its impact on our gut microbes and how it impacts on our immune system – 80% of your immune system lives in your gut.”
Central to his dietary advice is a redefinition of our five-a-day, shifting the focus to five different-coloured vegetables, rather than any old combination of fruit and veg.
“The different colours help promote the growth of different gut bugs, he says. “So the more colours you have, the more health benefits you’ll get.”
He jumps off his seat again to show me the step he keeps on the kitchen floor, on which he performs the glute exercises that have cured the chronic back pain he suffered for 10 years, in the time it takes his morning coffee to brew.
“It’s not about joining that expensive gym. You don’t need any equipment, you can do press-ups here,” he demonstrates against the island.
From the patient whose panic attacks improved by 80% to the menopausal woman whose symptoms dramatically reduced by following The 4 Pillar Plan, he reels off success stories with the enthusiasm and excitement of one who has seen the light. Upon reading the book, I felt I had too.
“People don’t know how good they could feel. We’re walking around feeling tired, needing coffee to get us through, an alarm clock to get us up, working from deadline to deadline. I want to help people understand how quickly they could feel well,” he said.
“For all chronic health conditions, 10% of our health outcome is down to our genes. A whole 90% is down to our environment and how we live our lives.”
The 4 Pillar Plan is published by Penguin Life. – The Telegraph