Eating well doesn't need to be dull food and deprivation - it should be eating a wonderfully varied, vibrant and exciting range of foods. In The Kitchen Prescription, gastroenterologist Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed draws on her love of good food and her expertise in gut health to create 101 recipes that are easy to make, incredibly delicious to eat and will effortlessly keep your gut and digestion in tip-top condition. It is incredibly humbling and empowering to be the first doctor to win MasterChef because there are food related ailments that I can relate to in a way that not many other people can. Outside of the Trust, how has your journey as a chef evolved? It is incredibly humbling and empowering to be the first doctor to win MasterChef” – Meet Dr Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed

Eating well doesn’t need to be dull food and deprivation – it should be eating a wonderfully varied, vibrant and exciting range of foods. In The Kitchen Prescription, gastroenterologist Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed draws on her love of good food and her expertise in gut health to create 101 recipes that are easy to make, incredibly delicious to eat and will effortlessly keep your gut and digestion in tip-top condition. To celebrate the publication of The Kitchen Prescription, we are gifting someone a virtual fridge exploration with Saliha, and a goody hamper full of gut health-friendly items. During the 45 minute session with Saliha, you will take her through your fridge and she will suggest ways to improve what is in there for optimum gut health. Dr Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed is a specialist registrar in hepatology and gastroenterology at the Trust. She made history as the first ever doctor to win MasterChef in 2017 and since then she has published three books: Foodology, Khazana and The Kitchen Prescription (coming 30 March 2023). Here, Saliha shares her passion for her role, cooking, and eating healthy and nutritious foods. How long have you worked at the Trust? The people. I have always been drawn to hospital environments because you work alongside the best kind of people who become more than colleagues. When you are part of a strong, well-connected team, something magical happens as these special relationships translate into everyone wanting to provide the best possible care to patients. The Trust has recently launched a menu of budget buster meals in response to the cost-of-living crisis and to encourage people to eat more healthily. Why do you think initiatives like this are important?Eating well doesn't need to be dull food and deprivation - it should be eating a wonderfully varied, vibrant and exciting range of foods. In The Kitchen Prescription , gastroenterologist Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed draws on her love of good food and her expertise in gut health to create 101 recipes that are easy to make, incredibly delicious to eat and will effortlessly keep your gut and digestion in tip-top condition. I am working as a specialist registrar in hepatology and gastroenterology, so essentially the liver, the digestive system and the bowels are my specialty. There is a huge amount of variety in the work I am doing. I run clinics alongside our consultants, including outpatient and hot patient clinics, I do endoscopy, ward rounds, and teach medical students. What do you love most about your job? The more diversely we eat, the lower our risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and the more enhanced our immunity. This is a book you'll be reaching for time and again, because these recipes are a joy to eat and fuss free, and you can feel happy in the knowledge you'll be helping your body to stay healthy too.

Transform your gut health one delicious satisfying bite a time with Masterchef winner, Observer Food Monthly award winner and gastroenterologist, Saliha Mahmood Ahmed. The more diversely we eat, the lower our risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and the more enhanced our immunity. This is a book you’ll be reaching for time and again, because these recipes are a joy to eat and fuss free, and you can feel happy in the knowledge you’ll be helping your body to stay healthy too. Dr Saliha Mahmood Ahmed is a Gastroenterology Doctor, winner of MasterChef 2017 and author of Foodology and Khazana, which won the Observer Food Monthly Best Cookbook of the Year 2019. In The Kitchen Prescription, Saliha draws on her love of good food and her expertise in gut health to create 101 recipes that are easy to make, incredibly delicious to eat and will effortlessly keep your gut and digestion in tip-top condition. I’ve recently been involved in a campaign called 24/7 NHS food which aimed to make food available for NHS staff overnight. This campaign taught me that food poverty is very real, and it affects people from all different strata of society, including our staff. I think it is brilliant that the Trust is making a conscious effort to produce healthy and nutritious food for staff on a budget. It is one of the core things we can do for staff well-being; well-fed staff will lead to a better performing workforce and boosted morale. In 2017 you were crowned winner of the BBC’s MasterChef. How did you discover your passion for cooking?

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With two children and a career in gastroenterology it is very difficult to open a restaurant, so I have turned to my love of writing instead! The first book I published in 2018, Khazana, was an exploration of Indo-Persian cuisine, which is the region where I am from. I wrote my second book, Foodology, in 2021 and the tagline is, ‘a food lovers guide to finding digestive health and happiness’. This book explores the amazing organ that is the human gut and the basic scientific concept of why we enjoy what we eat and how factors such as taste, texture and smell all add to the overall foodie experience. My latest book, The Kitchen Prescription, is due to be published Thursday 30 March and features 101 recipes that we can eat to optimise our gut health and it explores the broad ranging implications of better gut health. These recipes are easy to make (in the smallest, most basic of kitchens), incredibly delicious and have the power to lower our risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, and enhance our immunity.