BOSH! Healthy Vegan. Henry Firth
RUPY AUJLA. THE DOCTOR’S KITCHEN.
I’ve long been a fan of BOSH! since a mutual friend of ours, who also happens to be a medical colleague, introduced us a few years ago. So I was genuinely humbled to be asked to write a foreword for Henry and Ian’s latest book. Their recipes have convinced me, along with the millions of others across the globe, to consider plant-based dishes as not only normal, but just as satiating and exciting as any non-plant-based alternatives.
I’m excited to see that the guys have now applied their ingenuity, culinary creativity and love of all things plants to something that could absolutely shift the needle for people’s health. This book is an invaluable guide to how to eat and live healthily while following a plant-based diet.
By way of introduction, my name is Rupy, also known as ‘The Doctor’s Kitchen’. I work as an NHS medical doctor in General Practice and Emergency Medicine. I founded the non-profit Culinary Medicine UK, which teaches health practitioners about nutrition as well as how to cook, and I passionately believe that the key to a happy, healthy life starts on our plate.
It is clear to see that global healthcare systems are struggling under the weight of lifestyle-related illnesses. Without a lifestyle-focused solution that addresses the root cause of ill health, we chain ourselves to a vicious cycle of symptom control interventions.
Make no mistake, as a practicing doctor in the NHS I wholeheartedly believe in the use of life-saving pharmaceuticals and surgery. However, the biggest impact we can have on our wellbeing and future health is closely tied to the way we live our lives and what we choose to eat.
Henry and Ian provide a sincere, honest and practical guide to eating more colourfully, living with purpose and considering achievable goals to improve your wellbeing, whether you choose to go completely plant-based or not. And that is precisely why I love these guys.
Although they are passionate about the benefits of a fully plant-based life, they also appreciate other people’s individual preferences, no judgement. Even if it’s just a few meals a week, then that’s OK too. You’ll still see benefits to how you feel.
They recognise the responsibility writing a ‘healthy cook book’ comes with too, which is why they’ve made the effort to collaborate with a nutrition professional to ensure their delicious recipes are consistent with trusted international dietary guidelines without compromising on taste.
Beyond incredible recipes and actionable tips, BOSH! demonstrates a genuine desire to help motivate you to make lasting, lifestyle changes and improve your health. I’m excited for how many people this will inspire toward healthier habits and the impact it could have for you, the reader, and on those around you too. The principles of eating well include consuming a variety of ingredients, mainly plants, lots of colour and plenty of fibre. This book will help you put into action a way of eating and living that will benefit your overall health and happiness.
Welcome to the world of more beautiful plants on plates. Let’s get cooking!
Yours in Health,
Dr Rupy Aujla, MBBS, BSc, MRCGP
As BOSH!, it’s our mission to help you get more plants on your plate, more taste in your food and more joy out of your mealtimes. We want you to live a long, healthy, happy life. Our aim in this book is to share with you what we’ve learned about healthy eating and the power of plants.
Four years ago, we were slightly overweight meaties. We adopted a plant-based diet and found our lives changed for the better. The weight fell off, our sleep was better, and our energy levels improved. But a couple of years later, we had become indulgent eaters, often cooking and eating up to five meals a day as we tested recipes for our cookbooks. We had taken our focus off health and wellbeing and were eating too many white, processed carbs – classic vegan junk food! It was delicious, but our health had started to suffer.
So, we made some changes and started learning a new way of living. We learned how to balance fun food with fit food. We’ve done the hard work – and made the mistakes – so you don’t have to. In this book we share with you over 80 healthy recipes, meal plans and all the advice and guidance you need to be a happier, healthier, leaner you – whether it’s every meal, or one meal at a time.
But this isn’t a diet book. Quick diets and promises of instant transformation don’t work in the long term. If they sound too good to be true, that’s because they are. With the latest diet craze you may see short-term benefits, but these can often be at the expense of your future self.
Quick-fix diet plans can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food, encourage a negative self-image and they can even permanently change your body’s metabolism. More often than not, once the diet is over you’ll go back to your old eating patterns anyway and any benefits will be reversed. We’ve all been there.
We are going to show you how eating plants can transform your wellbeing, for good. Making a small change to the way you eat, you can feel incredible and live healthier. And the best part? The food is delicious!
When we adopted this plant-based way of eating, we felt more energetic, slept better, trained better, laughed a lot more and, hopefully, we will live longer, too!
This book is for everyone, whatever your dietary lifestyle. Whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, a flexitarian, a pescatarian, a meat eater – this book is for you. We’ll show you how to eat the rainbow, whether you’re looking to lose fat, eat for fitness, or just be the healthiest you can be. It’s about finding the balance that you feel comfortable with and incorporating plant-based eating into your life as much as you can.
If you’re looking to lose fat, become leaner or shape up, a plant-based diet is one of the best ways to do that. Eating the right plants will help you feel fuller for longer, which can help you start to shed fat.
If you’re looking to build muscle, you’re in the right place. Colourful plants are packed with protein and a load of vital nutrients to help you get maximum gains and experience optimum recovery after exercise. We’ll show you how plant-based nutrition can help fitness and muscle building.
If you’re just looking to be a healthier version of you, then this is for you. We want to help everyone reach their optimum health. These recipes will help your gut, blood, heart and immune system function at their best.
Our recipes are delicious, easy and offer the best in nutrition. They have been put together using the latest medical advice available for a plant-based diet, and according to government and NHS healthy-eating guidelines (the EatWell Plate) and other national food guidelines. And we’ve worked with a registered dietician to make sure that all our dishes are balanced, health-giving and well portioned.
The recipes all follow the principles of eating the rainbow. Packed with colourful plants and their unique health-giving phytonutrients, they reflect a varied plant-based diet. The meals are also full of dietary fibre and high-quality carbs, proteins and fats, and are low in salt, sugar and saturated fat (saturated fat has links with increased cholesterol, heart disease and stroke, so a diet that’s low in this is great!).
They have all been nutritionally analysed – you’ll see labels beneath the recipes indicating whether they are a particularly good source of protein or fibre, or are low in fat or sugar, as well as the calories per serving.
We’ll show you why eating plants is a great choice for your health. You’ll learn how to eat plants the right way, while discovering delicious new recipes. We’ll also give you some ideas for when you want to relax