Blog Interview
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2013
INSPIRATIONAL INTERVIEW with Peter Pratt
Join in an inspirational interview with a very amazing man, Peter Pratt who is bringing waves of health and inspired living to the Sunshine Coast
Peter Pratt is the owner and creator of the inspirational
The Diabetic Health Clinic is a interesting name can you tell us a bit about the name?
Yes the name is very descriptive for what we focus on. Obviously firstly on diabetes and in particular type 2 diabetes which is the prevalent type. We focus on every diabetic being in a position to regain their health and we run a program in the form of workshops which we call clinics.
Can you tell us a bit about how the Diabetic Health Clinic came about?
I was diagnosed at the age of 40 or 7 years ago with type two diabetes. These things come as a bit of shock when they happen. The doctor prescribed pills and during that time advised me that the biggest impact that I can make on the disease is to change my lifestyle. Every diabetic knows that a change in lifestyle is of utmost importance. So I did, I modified my eating habits by reducing unhealthy foods and I started running as I figured exercise would be a good thing. I did well as I dropped from around 110kg to 86kg in a two year period. Then my knee started to give up as an old injury started to rear its ugly head, I slowed down the running and the weight went back up to 100kg. Throughout the whole period I had to continue my diabetic medications.
I then came across a movie by Joe Cross “Fat Sick and Nearly Dead” which by the way was a fairly good description of me. The movie motivated me to do a extended vegetable juice fast during which time my sugar levels stabilised and normalised. At the end of the juice fast I was able to change what I was traditionally eating to a whole foods plant based, as grown food intake. It was easy at the time and I created a long term lifestyle change. When I was declared by my doctor as a non diabetic I became excited about the possibility of sharing how to do this with others struggling with type 2 diabetes and that was the beginnings of the Diabetic Health Clinic.
One thing that intrigues me is the Juice Fast. How long did you do this for?
A total of 30 days.
So you did not eat for thirty days?
That isn’t technically right, what actually happens is that the juice fast is predominantly based around juicing a variety of vegetables. I was consuming ¾ of a litre per meal, three times a day. To actually make that much juice you need a lot of veggies. Because the pulp is stripped away and you have the goodness of all those raw uncooked veggies in the juice, there is more nutrition in one juice than I would have in a week of normal eating. You can’t eat that much veggies in one sitting but it’s quite easy to drink them.
Were you ever hungry?
My biggest fear at the point where I started the juice fast was being hungry. Interestingly once the sugar withdrawals were finished with I found that hunger was not an issue. When it was getting close to the next meal then of course you feel hunger as you normally do before any meal. What I did find is that I was able to experience hunger the way it is meant to be. I discovered that hunger without cravings feels very different. Without knowing, in the past I would mix up hunger and cravings and call it all hunger. Those were the days when I became very angry when I was hungry for to long. That anger comes from the sugar addiction which causes those cravings. When you are sugar free you are just simply hungry. This in itself is a monumental change.
So how did the juice fast impact on your diabetes?
Once the intake of processed sugars and all processed foods is stopped and replaced with high doses of pure natural nutrition the blood sugar levels return to a healthy level within just a few days. Once I was through the withdrawals I felt good which motivated me to keep going. I lost masses of weight which motivated me even more and the result is a changed lifestyle with a full type 2 diabetic reversal.
Withdrawal symptoms, it seems you talk a lot about the sugar addiction, could you elaborate?
Processed sugar is an extremely addictive substance, our foods today are mainly processed. The rule is that any processed foods for diabetics are bad as they either contain sugar or turn into sugar quickly when ingested. This is what is known as a high GI food. Because of our culture of consuming factory made foods the average Australian now consumes 23 teaspoons of sugar per day, that is a massive 68kg per year. There is nothing moderate about this level of processed sugar consumption. When you stop this consumption, because sugar is a very addictive substance you experience withdrawals, these can last up to 6 days and can be horrible. My went for 3 days which was 3 days to long.
And the weight loss how much did you loose?
12kg in the first 30 days, in the subsequent 2 months after I began eating solid foods I lost another 11kg which is a total of 23kg.
WOW. That is a incredible weight loss, how can this happen?
The elimination of processed sugar and foods out of the diet is what makes such weight loss possible. The problem is that when we dump sugar at such high levels into our bodies, our body is forced to deal with the situation. Insulin which is made by the pancreas when we start eating, is responsible for allowing cells to open their doors for the sugar to come in. This is a good thing as some cells need lots of energy, for example muscles. When we use our bodies as sugar dumps the body has no other choice but to store the excess sugar in cells that don’t really need energy. The problem is that when the sugar enters these cells it is stored as fat. It is our insatiable addiction to processed foods and sugars, in conjunction with the high volumes that we consume which is causing the obesity epidemic which then becomes the catalyst for the diabetes epidemic.
That is fascinating, so what you are saying is that all processed foods are bad? Is it ok to eat them in moderation?
Yes and No, Yes they are all bad. By the time that a whole bunch of extracted ingredients have been put together, then a whole bunch of chemicals have been thrown in how can that possibly be good for you? Secondly things can even appear as healthy, for example bread, in particular white bread which is made from white flour. This is flour that has been stripped from all goodness so it is processed, the issue is that when you ingest white bread it takes about 4 minutes to be broken down into sugar. People get their sugar hit from consuming this type of bread. As far as eating in moderation goes it does not make it ok to eat in small quantities if it is bad for you. That is like smoking a ½ a pack per day instead of a pack. Secondly because processed sugar is so addictive once you have kicked the habit having small quantities is usually the beginning of going back to a processed sugar rich diet and the beginning of a new sugar addiction. If you have struggled with diabetes this is the last place you want to go to.
When you talk about sugar, fruits have sugar and so do vegetables, and you hear about this in the media sometimes, do you see this sugar as harmful?
This is a very good question. The best way to answer this is to point out that people do not get addicted to say, plums. It is common for people to be addicted to certain foods all of which are processed and also contain extracted sugars. Good examples can be chocolates or foods that utilise processed ingredients and that produce a high sugar loads like pasta or breads or even white rice. The reason this happens is that when substances are extracted out of the plant kingdom they are mono nutrients, all of these substances cause imbalances in the body, and it just so happens happens that processed sugars which include most processed foods are an addictive substance. When sugars are consumed in the context of a as grown food they are safe. Assuming that you are on a diet of as grown foods only, you still need to get your daily dose of sugar, 5 – 8 teaspoons per day is what our bodies need. The safest way to get this sugar is in the context of an as grown, whole, unmodified and natural food.
So what do you suggest that people do?
This is a simple answer, however in the context of a powerful sugar addiction not an easy answer. It is simple to consume a whole foods, plant based, as grown diet. It can be extremely difficult to get over a powerful sugar addiction. Bek it is exciting to see what you are doing. Your book and recipes are what we need more off. Growing our own veggies is best. You cover all of these issues in what you do. Educating people is the start of creating a tide of resistance against bad and unhealthy foods. The very foods that are making us sick. People need to start reading material and start to understand the massive problem that society has. Latest statistics show that over 60% of Australians are over weight or obese. That is terrible. This type of society is going to be unhealthy and sick. The more people we can reach, the more we can change the health of our nation. If someone has gone down the track of being unhealthy for so long that they have developed type 2 diabetes then turning to a program like ours is good as they can be coached through getting over the sugar addiction, then they are taught how to create a lifelong, lifestyle change. By doing so they are able arrest their diabetic condition and in most cases reverse their condition. There is nothing more exciting than seeing a doctor say “can you please stop taking the pills”.
That must be so amazing to hear a doctor say that.
You sound so passionate about what you are doing!
Absolutely, if essentially you saved your life and went from fat sick and nearly dead to healthy full of life and energy wouldn’t you be passionate about what you have done and wouldn’t you want to tell others about it?
You are so right, thank you for your wonderful insights, explanations and the motivation that you shared, it has been a real honour to have your interview on my blog, and to meet such an inspirational person as yourself.
The work you are doing is truly amazing.
Thank you for your time.
You can find out more about Peter’s amazing work and clinic at: