I came across this initiative, which is being rolled out across an area near to where I live. It's so great to see how low carb is really starting to take hold in the UK in this way.

This is excellent. At first, I thought this was going to be another article about the Unwins, so it's great to see other physicians coming to this conclusion, too.

Why I've stuck with it since 2003!

When a person is ahead of the curve, everything seems deadly slow.

How very cool. This program uses both Dr Unwin's diet and incorporates Dr Mosley's fasting and lower carb approach. I thought Dr. Unwin's program is supported by the Royal College of GPs, this one page diet linked here doesn’t mention it? They also have a FB page to join for support, and share other resources.

https://freshwell.co.uk/info.aspx?p=9

And related to nothing LC, mid-Essex was one of my favorite areas. A friend lived in Witham and we would bicycle around on the weekends. More recently, my husband's company Europe base was in Braintree. So for days on end our daughter and I would explore the surrounding countryside, I have photos of DD at age 12 feeding the ducks in Finchingfield, and those other villages as well. Thanks for the memories

Why is it that the UK is supporting low-carb while the US turns a blind eye?

Good question, Benay. I don't know much about UK politics, but in the US, corporate lobbyists hold extreme sway over food policies issuing from the government. And here's where corporate interests lie:

There's no money in fresh, whole foods--meat, vegetables, and fruits. It's processed foods--breakfast cereal, "energy bars," frozen pizza, and all forms of pasta and pastry, etc.--that make big bucks for manufacturers. For that matter, the fast food industry and the restaurant industry have no interest in supporting large-scale changes in the perception of weight management on behalf of the population who struggle with it.

Finally, pharmaceutical companies are working on expensive drug interventions. Why would they fund studies showing that low-carbohydrate nutrition works all by itself most of the time??

As in most issues of vital concern: follow the money.

This is a local healthcare initiative, possibly inspired by others who are taking this approach, like Dr. Unwin. It's not something formally endorsed by government healthcare at the national level. In fact, we do have this in the United States, but it requires some research to find the providers. In addition, because of the rampant and contentious debates regarding what is considered healthy nutrition, the practices offering a low carb approach are often camouflaged by the overwhelming arguments in the media. Dr. Mark Cucuzella (who is one of my doctors), Dr. Jeff Gerber, Dr. Eric Westman, and others have spearheaded practices that emphasize lifestyle treatment. There are now a host of other GPs who support and endorse low carb health approaches. They are not often publicized, as this is still a controversial approach and medical centers like Langone, who sponsor Doctor Radio on Sirius/XM seem to like to control the narrative. However, in a recent program on Doctor Radio, I heard some very sound advice being given for one who had been given a diagnosis of pre-diabetes. The question was "do I have any chance in beating this and getting rid of the symptoms?" The advice was to cut out carbs and all things with sugar as a first step, and yes, it can be controlled and eliminated. This is encouraging, however, to Benay's point, we still have a long way to go. But it's happening, and there are medical professionals today that can function as partners in one's lifestyle adaptation program to achieve better health through low carb.

I'm very happy to see this local activity in the UK, and I sincerely hope we see much more of it around the world.

In the UK the state saves money keeping people healthy.

In the US it's pretty much the opposite.

How many years is it now since Atkins published his book?
And the powers that be refuse to let go of their mantra that a low fat high carbohydrate diet - lots and lots of grains - is a healthy diet which all American should follow.
I suspect there is a lot of money at stake which is why our dietary directives do not change.
Money drives everything

While that is certainly a factor, we also have the metric tons of scientists who put their careers on the hearthealthywholegrains bandwagon. They won't admit to a wrong path that has tortured and killed so many, can they?

They have been pointing to people who can maintain their health that way, or at least they can in their youth. It "works" for THESE people! Then we are the ones at fault for not being able to digest wheat

The book Death by Food Pyramid didn't get enough notice for its game-changing acknowledgement that we are all bundles of different digestion enzymes, and that's where we should start with a healthy diet. It was a major influence in me trying to drop all plant matter from my own diet. Which worked wonderfully.

So what we have now in too much of our US science, at least, is how this makes such rigid thinkers good careerists... but very bad scientists.