“There is that irony after Eating Together, that I’m not eating together, so to speak,” muses Mosley, but notes:“I have a lot of people who come through the house, which is really nice, family come and stay. People come for supper.” “I’m a big fan of promoting getting children and families around the table,” continues the retired GP, noting the many physical and psychological benefits of having dinner as a unit.“We did it as children. Michael did it with his family.And I think for us, it held us together. It was our core cement in the day.” After Michael’s death, Mosley and their children made a pact to remember him by eating together, as they did the day he disappeared.“Yes, it’s very emotional,” she says quietly.“On the other side of it, we, the family, I think, are much closer in many ways since then, but we miss him hugely.” Working on two books in such quick succession and staying busy has seemingly helped Mosley tether herself. “It’s a difficult one when you are in bereavement, you never quite get the balance right,” she says.“To be honest, I have really enjoyed working. People have said,‘It’ll catch up with you,’ and it might do, and it does at times, but I’ve had a lot of support.” Michael was dedicated to boosting peoples’ metabolic health – which, when poor, can lead to chronic conditions, such as diabetes, non-alcoholic liver disease and sleep apnoea – mainly through diet and rapid weight loss.
explains Mosley, hence the Fast 800 books, which contain healthy, balanced recipes that are low in starchy carbs, revolve around a Mediterranean-style diet, and ‘fast days’ where you consume 800-1,000 calories,“which is plenty for you to go into fat burning and lose weight, but also have some bright nutrients”. The Mosley family, in honour of Michael, have partnered with King’s College London and the Chronic Disease Research Foundation (CDRF) to advance research in this area, to help people live longer and more healthily. It’s the importance of continuing “Michael’s amazing legacy” that drives Mosley on. “He was really passionate about his work and improving the nation’s health. It felt important to do. I’m really pleased, and I feel very privileged to be carrying on his legacy, because he had such a huge impact.We had not realised quite how much an impact he had been making over the years,” she says.“The response [from people when he died] was so incredibly touching. It really did make a difference.” The Fast 800 Favourites by Dr Clare Bailey Mosley is published in hardback by Short Books, priced £26. Photography by Smith & Gilmour.Available November 20.
“It’s about how your body processes energy from food,”
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