My name is Lesley Harper, I am a dietitian registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) in the UK. Registration No. DT24814. I am also a member of the British Dietetic Association.

I developed this website after conducting extensive research on nutrition, health and disease, specifically metabolic health. This piece of work started out as an ambition to bring health professionals together to agree on a foundational ‘diet’ for diabetes. I saw a lot of division and confusion amongst health care professionals and more importantly our patients who were caught in the middle, equally confused. I wanted to bring a unified approach to our advice and give our patients simple and effective choices.

I have been qualified for over 15 years and it increasingly troubled me that our patients in Somerset (and nationally) appear to be becoming sicker. Additionally, from my own experience the ‘Eatwell Guide’ didn’t seem to be working for me. I saw different diets worked for different people, but I asked myself ‘why in the long term is almost everyone struggling to maintain their weight?’ This led me to question the current national dietary guidance.

Following inspiration from some incredibly knowledgable and inspiring nutrition professionals (Christopher Gardener PhD, Gil Carvalho MD PhD and Simon Hill MSc,BSc) I became inspired to make changes to my diet, specifically the inclusion of a lot more pulses, plenty of plant based fats and intact minimally processed whole grains. I’ll admit, the latter intact whole grains were pretty new to me, for all I had ever really known was whole grain bread, pasta, flaked porridge oats and brown rice (and it turns out these are all very processed whole grains except the latter brown rice). ‘What is an oat groat?’ I asked myself. All these changes resulted in noticeable improvements in my energy levels. Incidentally, shortly after in August 2023 I stumbled upon the work of Professor Richard Johnson, MD – the world leading expert researcher in the field of fructose who has written around 800 clinical research papers in well respected medical journals. My life and medical history gave me a lot of unanswered questions and his theory of a metabolic switch in humans made a lot of sense to me and it seemed to fit with the vast majority of evidence for humans and diet. I made further changes to my diet, allowing myself to have unlimited amounts of whole foods (no carb restrictions, no portion restrictions or restrictions of whole foods groups). I then reduced added sugar, refined grains, including refined grains marketed as ‘wholegrain’, and any ultra processed foods which I somehow found a lot easier after making the initial changes. I already had very few ultra processed foods in my diet.

Very soon after making further changes to my diet, I experienced a feeling of fullness which I could not recall ever experiencing in my life and my craving for sugar and the refined grains I ate (small amounts of mainly sourdough, biscotti and the occasional home made cake – I loved cake!) disappeared entirely. This was followed by significant changes to my metabolic health and wellbeing, so much so I am entirely convinced that humans, like animals (including our pets) have a metabolic switch.

Here are just some of the incredible symptoms I have experienced:

• Weight loss – around my middle, upper arms and legs. I was an obese child and I had always worked very hard for the past 20 years to keep the weight off but I had never lost all the weight from around my middle. I now even have abdominal muscles (as my sister says, a six pack is made in the kitchen and not in the gym!).
• Energy levels – an almost immediate and noticeable improvement and an energy level which is consistent throughout the day. I no longer have periods of lethargy after eating or that afternoon slump.
• Appetite regulation – I have an amazing ability to now regulate my appetite. My body tells me when I’m full and it tells me when I need food. Having previously been a fan of 16:8 fasting (as I never felt true hunger), this has since been ditched. I now eat three meals a day and I don’t feel any need to restrict or battle with the fridge. I love the food I am eating and I can eat as much as I want of it. I no longer crave sugar and refined grains and even alcohol.
• Eyesight – my opticians in Bridport, Dorset have confirmed an ongoing significant (at least 2 dioptres on eye tests) improvement in my very short sightedness (Myopia) – I thought myopia, a disease of the mitochondria, was incurable up until now. I have seen the opticians multiple times and I think they are struggling to believe the improvement could possibly be down to my diet. I appreciate this may be viewed as too ‘simple’ of an answer for what can be such a debilitating condition for many. Eventually they might believe me. As I have had so many eye tests I now have to pay extra for them so I am waiting for my eyesight to return to normal before I see them again. I believe I have dropped at least 3 dioptres now and my eye sight continues to improve.
• Cognition – I never thought this was a problem until now. I note a significant improvement in my reaction times when driving (my foot slams on the pedal before I note hazards in my peripheral vision), and the ability to think more logically. I had the nickname ‘Compass’ amongst my local mountain bike friends because I had a habit of getting lost in familiar places, my navigational skills have vastly improved, for me this is remarkable.
• Memory – I’m 42 years old and I believe we have a tendency to normalise mild memory problems (e.g. forgetting names) in our society. Memory problems are not a sign of healthy aging. My ability to retain information is improving all the time (it still has some work to do). I believe humans are far more intelligent than we think.
• Sleep – I think I was an insomniac without realising. I would often stay up later and later and experience tiredness at random times of the day. I was a light sleeper and I often had negative dreams (a lot of falling!) and nightmares. In preceding months these had become difficult to separate from reality. I now start to feel tired at 9pm and my body wakes upon the morning light. I really recognise and value the importance of our circadian rhythms and a good nights sleep.
• Skin – My skin is improving remarkably. Cellulite, age spots, loose skin (yes it really is possible for this to heal naturally), stretch marks, scalp dermatitis, skin integrity and even wrinkles are markedly improving or in the case of cellulite this has disappeared completely. It turns out cellulite is probably a great way to store fat in the body for survival!
• Temperature regulation – I was previously either very cold or very hot. My body now has an amazing ability to regulate its temperature.
• Respiratory conditions – I had lived with allergic rhinitis and hay fever my whole life. As a child I suffered with a lot of respiratory conditions. They improved as I got older (and lost weight) but then seemed to get worse following the pandemic. I also suffered with increasing breathing difficulties when exercising. All of these have gone completely.
• Self–esteem – a notable improvement in my confidence and feelings of self-worth. I am more passionate and determined than ever before.
• Hair – a significant reduction in grey hair growth and I have lots of regrowth across my scalp. My hair no longer requires a hairdryer, the curl I had as a very young child is returning and seems to need a lot less washing. I was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) about 10 years ago (a disease of insulin resistance), therefore this improvement in hair growth makes a lot of sense to me.
• Nails – I’ve stopped biting my nails (a symptom often linked with anxiety) and my nails are now healthier than they have ever been. The white tips are becoming whiter and the white flecks are disappearing, and overall improvement in smoothness and uniformity.
• A real sense of a need for simplicity – all the above changes have made me so aware of how little we need in life to be content. Basic necessities of food, water, warmth, shelter, feeling valued and loved are the key to being happy and healthy. I now realise all the stuff I no longer need (including make up and hair products!).
• Wellbeing and so many more changes – so many truly remarkable changes that I am not going to list them as no one would ever believe me. Seeing really is believing, please try and see for yourself.

All of the above have had such an incredible impact on my life, and I know I am not unique, for my family and friends who are doing what I did are all experiencing many of these symptoms too – I am a little further ahead. Weight loss, significant increase in energy, resolving skin conditions, increased steadiness and improving mental clarity are all a common theme. Significant reductions in the non-HDL cholesterol and triglycerides of those who have long term conditions is also a consistent theme, along with improvements in HbA1c and renal function.

This has been somewhat overwhelming for me at times, I have cried many tears, mainly happy tears but some sad too. I could not have created this website without the support of my husband Mike and my family and friends. Additionally, I am very fortunate to work with some incredibly enthusiastic, passionate and open minded colleagues. I cannot thank these people enough for believing in me. For me the understanding and concept of a metabolic switch in humans answers all the unanswered questions in my life.

I hope this website brings a lot of hope to a lot of people.

With best wishes

Lesley-Anna Harper

Registered Dietitian, BSc

DEVON, UK