Martijn van Beek is founder and CEO of Voeding Leeft. A social enterprise founded in 2011, which develops lifestyle as medicine programs for everyone who wants better health and is motivated to change his/her lifestyle to achieve it. Our most prominent program is ReverseDiabetes2Now.com (“Keer Diabetes2 Om” in Dutch). Martijn’s background is a master in business economics. He worked 15 years in 4 food multinationals, incl. at board level. His transformation came in 2005 when he realized the food industry is part of the problem. He decided to be part of the solution the rest of his career.
Reverse Diabetes2 Now (RD2N) is a lifestyle treatment for people with type 2 diabetes, developed by Voeding Leeft. Using nutrition, exercise, sleep and relaxation as therapy, the 6 month treatment aims to reduce medication intake, improve blood values (HbA1c) and give people a better quality of life. The philosophy behind the treatment is that type 2 diabetes should be treated as any other life-threatening addiction and the essence of the treatment is for that reason empowering patients on the deepest possible mental and even spiritual level, to change their lifestyle. The treatment is run under strict supervision of a medical specialist, supported by a team of dietician, nurse and coach. The team assist participants in groups of around 20 patients to achieve a healthier lifestyle with intensive individualized nutrition, behavioral and lifestyle coaching, relaxation, cooking classes and physician-guided medication management. In a combination of face-to-face group meetings (5 full days) and extensive online support. The result of this intervention is a drastic improvement in quality of life as a result of better physical and mental health, as well as a significant reduction in healthcare costs. Even after 2 years.
