Food and Health Room

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Single breast cancer treatment
as good as a course

A single targeted dose of radiotherapy could be as effective at treating breast cancer as a full course, a long-term study suggests

Researchers said people who received the shorter treatment were also less likely to die of other cancers and heart disease in the following five years.

But cancer specialists have raised concerns about the study's methodology.

A fifth of patients in the study received extra doses of radiotherapy.

The study's lead author, Prof Jayant Vaidya, said he had expected a proportion of the women to need extra radiotherapy, since post-op tests could reveal tumours were bigger or more aggressive than expected.

This still left 80% of women benefiting from a shorter course of treatment with fewer side-effects, he said.

Targeted Intraoperative Radiotherapy (TARGIT-IORT) involves a single, targeted dose of radiation inside the breast, immediately after the tumour is removed.

This type of radiotherapy, developed by doctors at University College London (UCL), is delivered using a small device placed inside the breast, directly on the site of the cancer.

It means patients can receive radiation treatment at the same time as their operation to have their cancer removed.

And they shouldn't have to return for any further treatments, which can involve 15 to 30 hospital visits for people having a standard course of radiotherapy.

This treatment is already available on the NHS in a small number of clinics that have the right equipment.

During the pandemic, NHS England has reduced the number of visits people need to make for standard radiotherapy after surgery to about five.

The TARGIT-A trial involved 2,298 women with breast cancer in 10 countries being given either targeted therapy during surgery or a standard course of radiotherapy between 2000 and 2012.

The study reported at the 10-year mark that a single dose of radiation during surgery was as effective as a prolonged course.

This latest study, which followed women up for five years after their treatment, confirmed that conclusion, the researchers said.

And it found fewer in the group receiving the single-dose treatment had died from other causes, including heart disease, lung problems and other cancers.

UCL said previous studies had shown the treatment also had fewer radiation-related side-effects, including pain and changes to the breast's appearance.
'Cancer-free'

Writer Marcelle Bernstein received the one-off treatment eight years ago, and has had the all-clear ever since.

"Within two months of diagnosis I was cancer-free," she said.

And, having seen her mother die of breast cancer 25 years earlier, she felt it was important she "wouldn't be a cancer sufferer longer than necessary".

"I just liked the idea of something treating just the tiny area affected and not touching the rest of the body," she said.

However, 20% of the women in the study given a single dose of radiation did go on to have further radiotherapy treatments, when tests discovered "unsuspected higher-risk factors".

Concerns

Joanne Haviland at the Institute of Cancer Research raised concerns about some of the definitions the researchers used in their study.

"Conventional radiotherapy has evolved considerably since the design of the TARGIT-A trial, including shorter treatment schedules and smaller volumes of breast treated, with greatly improved patient experience and extremely high levels of clinical cure at very low cost to the NHS."

Martin Ledwick of Cancer Research UK said: "As the women taking part in the study received radiotherapy at the same time as having a lumpectomy, doctors weren't able to analyse their tumours in advance to see if they would need a longer course of radiotherapy until after their operation.

"While 20% of the women in this study did then need additional treatment, 80% of patients were spared this."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53834130

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Do you cheat when you eat?

Do you cheat when you eat? The nine rules to a healthy diet... that just one in 1,000 of us stick to

Experts compared diets of more than half a million Brits with PHE Eatwell Guide

Fewer than one third of Britons meet at least five suggestions from document

Tips include eating less than 70g of red meat a day and slashing sugary foods

Just one in 1,000 people sticks to all nine official healthy eating guidelines, a major study found.

Experts compared the diets of more than half a million Britons with the recommendations in Public Health England's Eatwell Guide.

Fewer than one third of us meet at least five of the suggestions. And just over four in ten manage between three and four.

Worryingly, a minuscule number consistently follow all nine of the tips, which include eating less than 70g of red meat a day and slashing sugary food intake.

This is despite new evidence showing it could add years to your life.

Some of the guidelines in particular are ignored, with fewer than one in ten people consuming enough fibre.

Experts compared the diets of more than half a million Britons with the recommendations in Public Health England's Eatwell Guide

Click to Enlarge:


The study found those who stuck to five or more of the nine recommendations were seven per cent less likely to die than those who followed two or fewer.

Eating five a day was enough to reduce the risk of dying early by ten per cent, the research by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the University of Oxford found.

Currently just 29 per cent of adults and 18 per cent of children meet the daily fruit and vegetable portion recommendation.

The study is the latest evidence of how poor diets are fuelling the obesity crisis.

It also highlights how healthy diets are important in preventing climate change by cutting emissions. Following at least five of the guidelines can reduce greenhouse gases by 30 per cent.

The research will raise further questions about the effectiveness of Public Health England, which is being scrapped after it was blamed for a series of coronavirus fiascos.

Professor Alan Dangour, the study's author, said: 'We urge the Government to develop a stronger joined-up approach to tackle the impending health and environmental crises.'

Professor Andrew Salter, from the University of Nottingham, added: 'Perhaps one of the most remarkable findings is the low level of adherence to the guidelines currently in the UK.'

Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, said: 'The challenge remains to help more people follow this advice.'

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5 food mistakes to avoid
if you're trying to lose weight

You’ve been eating healthily, working out and getting in your 10,000 steps (nearly) every day, but the weight still isn’t coming down. What’s going on?

If you’ve been sticking to your plan but not getting the results you’d expect, it could be that you’re unknowingly making mistakes that are preventing you from losing weight.

Here are five common food mistakes that could be derailing your weight loss:

Skipping meals

Time restricted eating, or 'intermittent fasting', has become increasingly popular and it can be supportive in helping you to lose weight. If restricting your eating window each day works for you, great, but it’s important to do it consistently. Just skipping breakfast here and there is more likely to end in trouble, as it can lead to overeating later in the day.

Some clients who come to see me have been skipping meals, only to find themselves with uncontrollable sugar cravings come 4pm. Or they have dinner, and then can’t stop raiding the cupboards after they’ve finished. Having healthy, balanced meals at regular intervals means you’re less likely to overeat later on.

Danger drinks

A common mistake I see people making when they’re trying to lose weight is forgetting to consider drinks. Coffee shop hot drinks, fizzy drinks and cocktails can often be hiding huge amounts of sugar. Educate yourself. Check the website of your favourite coffee shop to see how much sugar is in your favourite flavoured latte. Look at the back of the can of your fizzy drink, even the healthier-looking ones can be deceiving. Opt for dry wines or Champagne over cocktails. Small changes like this can make a big difference.

Forgetting fibre

If you’re trying to lose weight it can be easy to focus on what to eat less of, but if there’s one thing to increase, it’s your vegetable intake. We get fibre from vegetables, which fills us up and keeps us regular. You can also eat substantial portions of most vegetables (especially green veg) without dramatically increasing your calorie intake. Veggies don’t have to be boring. Think roasted Mediterranean vegetables, ratatouille, stir-fries, stews and veggie noodles topped with something delicious. Losing weight doesn’t have to mean going hungry.

Opting for low fat foods

Fat gained a bad reputation due to it’s higher calorie content per gram compared to carbohydrates and protein, but we now know that there us much more to weight loss than simply calories in vs calories out. Foods that are sold as ‘low fat’ are often highly processed and higher in sugar than the original version and as a general rule, I don’t recommend them.

Fat is an essential part of our diet, it has many important roles including hormone production and helping our body absorb fat soluble nutrients like vitamins A, D and E. The type of fats you’re including is key, focus on healthy fats like avocados, oily fish, unroasted nuts and seed and keep your portion sizes in check.

Thinking all calories are created equal

While we are on the subject of calories, it’s worth making sure that yours are coming from the best sources. It’s easy to be tempted to buy processed diet foods with the calorie count handily displayed on the front, but fresh, nutritious meals are a far better option. Base your meals around a quality protein source like fish, eggs or tofu, a moderate portion of healthy fats and plenty of vegetables or salad, which will fill and sustain you until your next meal. Meal prep can be helpful here, so find some recipes that you can batch cook in advance.

If you’re doing all of the above but still struggling to lose weight, try keeping a food diary on an app like MyFitnessPal. It can often be an eye opening experience.

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/we ... 65251.html

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Improve your immunity in 21 days

The links are undeniable: having underlying health conditions and being overweight put us at a significantly greater risk of COVID-19

Countless research studies have proven it. Boris is on a mission to tackle it. And now a new book sets out guidelines for exactly how you can improve your health and protect yourself in just 21 days.

It is understood that eighty per cent of chronic disease is attributable to lifestyle and linked to environmental factors. That is to say, that eighty percent of common diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease can be prevented with healthier diet and lifestyle choices.

We know that losing weight and improving our health can help us prevent these diseases, but how can it help us fight Covid?

What is metabolic health?

In his book, The 21-Day Immunity Plan, Aseem Malhotra details the strong link between poor metabolic health and its impact on our immune health. In simple terms, metabolic can be explained as the state of balance the body maintains between storing fat and burning it for energy. Once this balance is disrupted it impacts negatively on our health in a variety of ways.

Poor metabolic health is directly linked to the development of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke and has also linked to the development of cancer and dementia. It is assessed using five markers: blood glucose (sugar) levels, blood pressure, waist circumference and cholesterol profile.
How being overweight affects our immunity

Poor metabolic health and our weight are closely linked. Excess body fat has a negative effect on our immune function in a number of different ways but primarily through a process known as chronic inflammation. When we suffer an infection, a healthy functioning immune and inflammatory response protects us. But carrying excess body fat is known to result in chronic inflammation – a constant low-grade inflammation that has many negative impacts on health. Underlying chronic inflammation means that when we are exposed to a virus the cells that are responsible for mounting an attack do not function as effectively as they should and are less able to protect us.

Diabetes

It’s known that diabetes (both type 1 and type 2) is associated with more frequent and more severe infections. In the UK it was noted that compared to non-diabetics those with type 2 diabetes who contracted coronavirus had a threefold increased risk in death and those with type 1 diabetes had a fourfold increase. One study in China revealed that type 2 diabetics with poor glucose control had a 10-fold increases risk of death in comparison with those with better glucose control.

Unlike Type 1 diabetes, which is diagnosed early in life, our chances of developing Type 2 diabetes are significantly impacted by our diet. It’s now known we can reverse it through dietary intervention, something I have witnessed first hand on multiple occasions in my own clinical practice.

Can a vaccine save us?

Relying on medical intervention alone to save us is a risky business, whether that’s a vaccine to protect us from Covid or medications to manage chronic diseases. In his book, Aseem highlights the fact that obesity appears to reduce the response to vaccination and increase the risk of viruses mutating. This happens because viruses stay in the body for longer as a result of an inability to produce the full immune response, which allows the virus to replicate for longer and produce a new strain. On the other hand, several studies have revealed that exercise can significantly increase the antibody response to influenza vaccine. This goes to show the extent to which medical treatment can be significantly enhanced by improving our diet and lifestyle.

Ageing and immunity

We cannot ignore the impact of ageing on immunity, particularly with coronavirus given that it’s by far the biggest risk factor for death. Those aged over 65 account for 80 per cent of hospitalisation compared to those under 65, and are 23 times more likely to die.

But Aseem points to the fact that the overwhelming majority of those that died from COVID-19 in older age groups had at least one underlying condition, predominantly rooted in poor metabolic health. While we can’t slow down the speed at which the years pass, we can impact the speed at which our body ages through our diet and lifestyle choices.

Influencing immunity

An individual’s immune system is the result of a number of factors and some of them cannot be changed, such as age and genetics. But many of them can, such as diet, exercise, weight, alcohol and stress. As the saying goes ‘genes load the gun, environment pulls the trigger’.

Four steps to better metabolic (and immune) health:

So what can we do to support our metabolic health in order to support our immune defences? The 21-Day Immunity Plan highlights four key areas to address.

1. A low carb Mediterranean Diet

Poor diet is the most significant contributor to metabolic health disorders and is now responsible for more disease and death than physical inactivity, smoking and alcohol combined. Aseem describes ultra-processed foods and drink as “the number one enemy” in our western diets, making up more than a staggering 50 per cent of calories consumed on average in the UK. He highlights the major dietary culprits including a diet low in whole fruit and vegetables, inadequate intake of nuts and seeds, not enough omega 3 fats, not enough fibre, too much sugar, and a high intake of processed meat.

In The 21 Day Immunity Plan he explains how to identify and eliminate ultra-processed foods from your diet and outlines a clear strategy for how to eat to support metabolic and immune health. These principles are based on a nutrient dense, low carb Mediterranean diet approach.

2. Key nutrients

There’s been a lot of publicity around the link between vitamin D deficiency and worse outcomes from coronavirus. A study from Indonesia revealed a ten-fold difference in death rates between those with the lowest levels versus those with normal levels. It’s therefore vital to ensure your vitamin D levels are always optimised. In his book, Aseem discusses the importance of vitamin D and other immune–essential nutrients, along with how to establish your levels and what to do to make sure you’re getting enough.

A BMJ paper on Nutrition, Prevention and Health is quoted as saying: ‘What is clear is that conditions of nutrient deficiency impair the functioning of the immune system and increase susceptibility to infection.’ Ensuring optimal intake of key nutrients is an important step in supporting immune system health.

3. Exercise

The immune system is significantly influenced by physical activity. Just a single bout of moderate to vigorous exercise has been shown to enhance the immune system’s ability to function and fight infection more effectively. Over time, with regular exercise, these effects build up to strengthen immune defences. Moderate activity has an anti-inflammatory effect and is well known to improve metabolic health.

However, overly intense and prolonged bouts of exercise can have a negative impact on immune function, especially if the individual is not well rested or nourished. As with so many things, moderation is key. The Chief Medical Officer’s guidelines for adults state that we should be engaging in at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week and/or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity per week, as well as some form of strength building exercise on at least two days per week.

4. Stress management

Chronic stress plays a significant role in the development of most chronic metabolic diseases. In the 21-day plan Aseem shares simple guidance and techniques for how to reduce stress which has proven to be a powerful tool in managing patients with heart disease.

Why 21 days?

There are three main reasons for a 21 day plan. The first is that for most people it takes three weeks to break any habit, in this case a sugar and ultra-processed food habit.

The second is that most people with adverse metabolic health will start to see marked improvements to their health and/or shape within three weeks. Aseem points to a number of different trials outlining the significant changes that can be made in a short period of time.

The third reason is the need to change the narrative around the impact of lifestyle changes and show that their effect on health can be rapid and substantial. We should use this to motivate ourselves to continue to reap the benefits of improved health for life.

This reflects what I have seen in my own clinical practice. Many of the clients I work with are amazed at how quickly nutrition and lifestyle optimisation can result in significant fat loss, increased energy and improved health markers. Of course, health improvement is a journey and not a quick fix, but it is witnessing the fruits of our labour – so to speak – that keeps us motivated to continue.

Lifestyle medicine: the future of healthcare

Like me, Aseem is a passionate advocate for ‘lifestyle medicine’. We share the fundamental belief that, when taken good care of, our body possesses an innate ability to heal itself. An ability far greater than that of many modern medical practices. We also share the belief that prevention is better than cure and that much can be done to protect ourselves from ill health - way beyond mask wearing and hand sanitising.

https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/he ... 31671.html

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NHS to prescribe shakes
and soups diet to diabetics

Thousands of people with type 2 diabetes are being enrolled into an NHS trial of 'soups and shakes' diet which has been proven to reverse the illness

A total of 5,000 patients in England have been signed up to trial the radical 12-month diet programme to slim them down and restore their health.

Volunteers will be restricted to just 800 calories per day - a third of an adult man's recommended daily intake and almost half of a woman's.

Their meals will be limited to blended shakes, bowls of soup and health bars for three months, before real, nutritious food is reintroduced for the remaining nine months.

Type 2 diabetes is linked in most cases to being overweight or obese, not doing enough exercise and consuming too much sugar.

The move is an expansion of a smaller trial after a 2018 study by Oxford University showed almost half of people who stuck to the soups and shakes plan saw their diabetes go into remission after a year.

Diabetes is estimated to cost the health service £10billion a year, while almost one in 20 prescriptions written by GPs are for diabetes treatment.

The condition is also one of the biggest risk factors in coronavirus deaths, with around a third of UK Covid-19 victims also suffering from the condition.

People with type 2 diabetes will be offered a soup and shakes weight-loss plan on the NHS

A trial of the soups and shakes diet found it is suitable for most people who want to lose weight and is effective because people consume fewer calories than they burn.

The 5,000 volunteers – who have all been diagnosed with diabetes in the last six years – will start the programmes today.

They will be told to swap out food for blended meal replacement shakes and soups for three months.

For the rest of the year, they will be coached by nutritionists, who will help reintroduce ordinary, nutritious meals into their diets and increase their exercise levels.

CAN DIABETES BE REVERSED?

It is possible to put type 2 diabetes into 'remission', when blood sugar levels are below the diabetes range and the patient no longer needs to take medication.

The term 'reversed' is not often used because it implies cured. But there is no guarantee a person who has had type 2 diabetes is free from the disease forever.

The strongest evidence for reaching type 2 diabetes remission points towards weight loss in people who are carrying extra weight or have obesity.

Scientists believe that storing too much fat in the liver and pancreas affects how type 2 diabetes develops and losing this fat can help put the disease into remission, according to Diabetes.org.

The website says: 'In fact, losing around 15kg significantly increases your chances of type 2 diabetes remission.'

It's easier to get diabetes into remission closer to the time of diagnosis.

Professor Jonathan Valabhji, NHS national clinical director for diabetes and obesity, said: 'This is the latest example of how the NHS, through our Long-Term Plan, is rapidly adopting the latest evidence-based treatments to help people stay well, maintain a healthy weight and avoid major diseases.

'There has never been a more important time to lose weight and put their type 2 diabetes into remission, so it's good news for thousands of people across the country that practical, supportive measures like this are increasingly available on the NHS.'

Bridget Turner, director of policy campaigns and improvement at Diabetes UK, said the programme is 'an important first step' for patients to access a remission programme within the NHS.

She said: 'We know that some people with type 2 diabetes want and need support from healthcare professionals to lose weight effectively, and now as these programmes are piloted across the NHS they will.

'People with type 2 diabetes who have put their diabetes into remission frequently tell us how it has changed their lives.

'We are so pleased to see that others will now have the same opportunity and hope that it won't be too long before more remission programmes are rolled out across the country.'

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease, affecting 90 per cent of all 4.7million diabetics in the UK.

Type 1 diabetes is caused when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin to regulate the body's blood-sugar levels, and is generally caused by genetics.

Whereas type 2 is linked to obesity and eating too much sugar, which cause the body to become resistant to insulin.

Because type 2 is mostly caused by people's lifestyles, it can be reversed through low calorie and low sugar diets.

The trial comes just more than a month after Boris Johnson's Government launched a drive to tackle obesity after the Prime Minister realised his own weight may have contributed to him ending up in intensive care when he caught coronavirus.

TYPE 2 DIABETES CAN BE TRIGGERED BY A 'WEIGHT THRESHOLD'

Every person has a target weight they must stay below or they risk getting type 2 diabetes, a study suggests.

Researchers looking at half a million Britons said people appear to have a personal body mass index (BMI) threshold which triggers abnormal blood sugar levels.

They claim millions of people could avoid developing diabetes if they kept their weight in a healthy range below that target.

And for those who are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, the condition can be reversed entirely by aggressively reducing calories, the scientists say.

Because BMI is specific to each individual, everybody will have a different threshold at which they are deemed 'overweight' or 'obese' and risk developing diabetes.

For example, a 6ft (182cm) man would be considered healthy if they weighed 13 stone (82kg) whereas a 5ft 4inch (164cm) woman would be deemed obese.

BMI is a crude measure that uses height and weight to work out if someone is a healthy weight.

The researchers haven't given exact figures, but they say their findings will help doctors identify who is most at-risk of diabetes, based on their weight.

The study, conducted by the University of Cambridge, looked at 445,765 people in the UK Biobank.

Scientists found people deemed severely obese, who had a BMI of 35 or more, had an 11-fold increased risk of diabetes compared to the lowest group, with an average BMI of 21.7.

That was the case even when genetic predispositions to the condition - such as a family history of diabetes - were factored in.

Unveiling the findings at the annual European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress today, lead researcher Professor Brian Ference said the study was quite clear.

'The findings indicate that BMI is a much more powerful risk factor for diabetes that genetic predisposition,' he said.

'This suggests that when people cross a certain BMI threshold, their chances of diabetes go up and stay at that same high-risk level regardless of how long they are overweight.'

Mr Johnson said that since his recovery from the deadly illness he had focused on getting fitter by going on morning runs with his dog Dilyn, and he was pictured last week running in London with a personal trainer.

He has urged the nation to follow his lead, insisting the Government's 'better health strategy' will help people to 'bring their weight down' and better protect the NHS.

The UK is the second fattest country in Europe with two-thirds of adults above a healthy weight, according to Government data, and one in three children aged 10 to 11 are overweight or obese.

The Government's new anti-obesity strategy will attempt to bring an end to confectionery displays at shop checkouts and a ban on adverts for foods high in fat, sugar and salt on TV before 9pm.

Deals such as 'buy one get one free' on unhealthy foods will also be banned, while alcoholic drinks could soon have to list their calorie content.

Placing sugary and fatty items in prominent locations in stores will be stopped, including at checkouts and entrances, and online.

Instead, shops will be encouraged to promote healthier choices and offer more discounts on healthy food such as fruit and vegetables.

The Government will also hold a consultation on whether the ban on online adverts for foods high in salt, sugar and fat should apply at all times of the day.

Mr Johnson said in a video posted on Twitter to mark the launch of the strategy in July that 'like many people I struggle with my weight' and he had 'always wanted to lose weight for ages and ages'.

'But since I have recovered from coronavirus I have been steadily building up my fitness,' he said.

'I don't want to make any excessive claims because I have only just started concentrating on it but I am more than a stone down.

The diabetes trial comes amid Prime Minister Boris Johnson's pledge to try and help Britain lose weight as he himself has been improving his health since a brush with coronavirus that left him in intensive care (Pictured running in Buckinghamshire)

'When I went into ICU, when I was really ill, I was way overweight. I am only about five foot ten and I was too fat.

'I start the day by going for a run with the dog - quite a gentle run but actually getting faster and faster now as I get fitter.

'The great thing about going for a run at the beginning of the day is that nothing could be worse for the rest of the day.

'If you really go in hard, if you really take some exercise at the beginning, the rest of the day will be a breeze.'

Mr Johnson said the 'number one' benefit of losing weight is that you 'feel much better' and feel 'more full of energy'.

He continued: 'The other thing obviously is if you can get your weight down a bit and protect your health you will also be protecting the NHS.

'Gyms are great but you don't need to have a gym. There are amazing things on your phone these days, amazing apps, fantastic trainers that you can watch on YouTube.

'What we are doing now with our better health strategy is just trying to help people a little bit to bring their weight down - not in an excessively bossy or nannying way, I hope.

'We want this one really to be sympathetic to people, to understand the difficulties that people face with their weight, the struggles that everybody faces, that many, many people face, to lose weight and just to be helpful.'

As the impact of coronavirus on overweight people has become abundantly clear, scientists have begun human trials of a 'potentially life-saving' treatment for coronavirus patients with diabetes.

Doctors will test an AstraZeneca-made drug called AZD1656 to see if it can reduce the risk of serious illness or death for infected diabetics.

Patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes face up to three times the risk of dying if they catch Covid-19, an array of studies have shown.

NHS data shows that, of all specifically categorised illnesses (i.e. not 'other'), diabetes was the most common underlying condition among people who died of Covid-19 up to August 20, accounting for more than a quarter of all victims

The experimental drug being tested is called a glucose kinase activator - it is designed to reduce blood sugar and is still in clinical trial phases for use on type 2 diabetes and kidney transplant patients.

What are Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that causes the insulin producing cells in the pancreas to be destroyed, preventing the body from being able to produce enough insulin to regulate blood glucose levels.

If the amount of glucose in the blood is too high, it can, over time, seriously damage the body's organs.

Patients diagnosed with type 1 are treated with insulin.

It has sometimes be referred to as juvenile diabetes, but the term regarded as outdated because the condition can develop at any age.

Type 2 diabetes is a condition which causes a person's blood sugar to get too high.

Over 4 million people in the UK are thought to have some form of diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with being overweight and you may be more likely to get it if it's in the family.

The condition means the body does not react properly to insulin – the hormone which controls absorption of sugar into the blood – and cannot properly regulate sugar glucose levels in the blood.

Excess fat in the liver increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as the buildup makes it harder to control glucose levels, and also makes the body more resistant to insulin.

Weight loss is the key to reducing liver fat and getting symptoms under control.

It will be trialled on up to 150 Covid-19 patients from NHS hospitals over the next four months.

Researchers hope it will prevent the immune systems of diabetic patients from over-reacting to coronavirus, which can be deadly.

The firm running the trial on patients in hospital said it was 'potentially life-saving' and 'has the potential to make a huge difference'.

Although the reason people with diabetes are at greater risk from coronavirus is not perfectly understood, it is thought to be down to immune system dysfunction.

Those with the illnesses, which mean the body is unable to control sugar levels in the blood, tend to be at greater risk of infections in general.

Wounds and illnesses are slower to heal in people with diabetes and they are more at risk of complications because high levels of sugar can damage vital molecules in the immune system.

If they catch Covid-19 people with the conditions appear to be more likely to develop pneumonia or to have a deadly immune system over-reaction.

This applies both to type 1 diabetes, which cannot be prevented, and type 2 diabetes which is often brought on by unhealthy lifestyles — a bad diet and not exercising.

Studies suggest that people with type 1 diabetes have a more than three times higher risk of death with Covid-19 than a healthy person, and those with type 2 diabetes are twice as likely to die, according to the NHS .

Scientists at Excalibur Healthcare Services, which has organised and got funding for the trial, hope that AZD1656 will stop diabetic patients' immune systems from over-reacting to Covid-19.

The glucokinase activator, made by Cambridge-based AstraZeneca, is designed to be used to reduce blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Tests have proved it is safe and it is undergoing mass human trials to check it works effectively, aimed at people with type 2 diabetes and people who have had kidney transplants.

The coronavirus trial, named ARCADIA, is being run with the help of the British medical research charity St George Street.

The drug will be trialled on coronavirus patients in UK hospitals who have 'mild to moderate' symptoms.

If it works the company suggested the drug could be prescribed by a GP to diabetic people who have early symptoms of Covid-19.

The ARCADIA trial has received approval from the governmental Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
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Our patients felt 10 years younger after losing two stone, writes ROY TAYLOR, Professor of Medicine and Metabolism at Newcastle University

For decades, the scourge of type 2 diabetes has caused untold misery. Almost four million Britons are now living with the condition.

Incredibly, one in six NHS beds is occupied by a patient with the condition, which can lead to terrible complications and shortens sufferers’ lives by an average of six years – all while costing taxpayers £10billion a year.

Yet, after decades in which the news on diabetes and obesity only seemed to be getting worse, this could all at last be about to change.

As today’s Mail reveals, under a new and pioneering NHS pilot scheme, doctors will prescribe a three-month low-calorie diet of soups and shakes to 5,000 people living with diabetes across England.

Professor Roy Taylor who is a professor of medicine and metabolism at Newcastle University
How late-night snacking can pack on the pounds

It is the time of day when it is finally possible to relax, open up a bottle of wine and maybe a bag of crisps.

But those who eat too much in the evening may be risking a weight gain.

A study of almost 1,200 people looked at how much of their daily calories they consumed past 6pm.

This ranged from less than a third on average, to almost half. Those who ate the least in the evening were found to consume about 170 fewer calories during the day – the equivalent of half a chocolate bar.

Lead study author Judith Baird, from Ulster University, said: ‘Some people may eat more in the evenings because we tend to get hungrier as the day goes on.

‘It may feel like they need to eat more to feel full.

‘Next, we wish to explore dietary patterns, such as snacking, and possibly where and how people eat, such as with others, in the kitchen or in front of the television.’

The study, which is due to be presented at the European and International Conference on Obesity this week, studied 1,177 people in the UK, aged from 19 to 64.

Previous studies have found that people who eat a greater percentage of their calories in the evening are more likely to be obese.

If successful, the technique could be rolled out across the country, where I believe it could potentially arrest diabetes in millions of patients, helping them to achieve long-term remission from this terrible condition.

The programme is based on clear evidence that type 2 diabetes can be conquered – and even reversed – if people lose enough weight.

And it is all the more timely, of course, given everything we know about how much worse people with obesity and diabetes often fare when they are hit by the coronavirus.

I have been working at the forefront of diabetes research for over 30 years so I naturally welcome this vital and long-overdue intervention.

In fact, my team at Newcastle University was the first to pinpoint the precise connection between being susceptible to a little more fat than you can cope with and developing type 2 diabetes in 2011.

I calculated that a person would need to lose at least two-and-a-half stone for the diabetes to be reversed.

Despite widespread scepticism from experts who thought that the disease would return once the patients stopped their diet, we showed that type 2 diabetes can be reversed – permanently – simply by losing weight.

In our latest study, also funded by Diabetes UK, we put 149 overweight patients with type 2 on a liquid diet of 800 calories a day for 12 weeks followed by a gradual switch back to normal foods.

Two years later, over one-third of them had no diabetes.

Others improved so much that the tablets they took to treat the condition could be reduced or stopped, even though their diabetes may not have gone into remission.

Those who lost two stone or more, and kept the weight off, had normal blood sugar levels and no longer needed diabetes drugs two years on.

And all of them benefited in terms of their overall health.

One person who was due to have a knee replacement operation even found that their pain went away so they cancelled the surgery. It was all hugely cheering.

What astonished me most, however, was that our patients all found the whole process much easier than they – or we – had expected. They reported feeling much more energetic after only a couple of weeks into the weight loss.

Under a new and pioneering NHS pilot scheme, doctors will prescribe a three-month low-calorie diet of soups and shakes to 5,000 people living with diabetes across England

The most common comment was: ‘I feel 10 years younger.’

Rates of cancer and heart attacks were also far lower than in a matched set of patients following NHS guidelines and taking tablets for their diabetes.

That study reinforced how absolutely essential diet is to treating diabetes.

To do anything about the condition, one must start in the kitchen. Of course, exercise is great for overall health, but, as they say, you can’t outrun a bad diet.

During our research, we came across what must be the best-kept secret in weight loss: Do not start an exercise programme until after you have lost some weight with a calorie-controlled diet.

It’s only after losing a significant amount of weight that we advise people to increase their physical activities.

This pilot scheme will be supervised by experienced medical professionals to ensure that patients will lose weight in a safe and healthy manner.

Furthermore, the subjects will get a lot of support, whether that is one-to-one advice or support from their peers who will find themselves in a similar position.

The new NHS England programme builds on important insights gleaned from 20 years of research.

For people with recently diagnosed type 2 diabetes, health may start here.

Professor Roy Taylor’s Life Without Diabetes: The Definitive Guide To Understanding and Reversing Type 2 Diabetes is published by Short Books at £9.99.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/arti ... betes.html

[Anthea]

30 Days to a Smarter Brain

How to Rapidly Improve How You Think

Everyone wants a better, and smarter brain to process information faster and have better memory recall.

The most brilliant minds don’t have more brain power than the average person, they just use their brains more efficiently.

Your brain’s health is a product of your daily habits.

To optimize your brain, all you have to do is make slight adjustments to your routine.

30 days offer just enough time to realistically adopt new habits that can help you get smarter and think better, yet long enough to be challenging.

In 30 days or less, you can adopt some of these habits to boost your brain power, improve your mental clarity and build a better brain.

Exhaust Your Brain

Challenge yourself with a whole new experience.

Do more of what exhausts your brain.

Your brain needs exhaustion to grow.

Take up new, cognitively demanding activity — something new you’ve never done before: dancing, piano lessons, a foreign language — is more likely to boost brain processing speed, strengthen synapses, and expand or create functional networks.

“When you’re learning something new, and your brain is feeling like it wants to take a nap, that’s when you know you’re doing things that are growing your brain neurologically, not just maintaining it,” says Dr. Jennifer Jones, a psychologist, and expert in the science of success.

Every time you learn something, you create new connections, and the more connections you can maintain, the easier it will be to retain new information in the future.

Stop Feeding Your Comfort

Comfort provides a state of mental security.

When you’re comfortable and life is good, your brain can release chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which lead to happy feelings.

But in the long-term, comfort is bad for your brain.

Without mental stimulation dendrites, connections between brain neurons that keep information flowing, shrink or disappear altogether

An active life increases dendrite networks and also increase the brain’s regenerating capacity, known as plasticity.

“Neglect of intense learning leads plasticity systems to waste away,” says Norman Doidge in his book, The Brain That Changes Itself.

Michael Merzenich, a pioneer of plasticity research, and author of Soft-wired: How the New Science of Brain Plasticity Can Change Your Life says that going beyond the familiar is essential to brain health.

“It’s the willingness to leave the comfort zone that is the key to keeping the brain new,” he says.

Seeking new experiences, learning new skills, and opening the door to new ideas inspire us and educate us in a way improves mental clarity.

Anything that makes you really comfortable is not really good for your brain

When you are inside your comfort zone you may be outside of the enhancement zone.”

“Your brain needs novelty to grow,” says Jones. Stepping out of your comfort zone literally stretches your brain by allowing the dendrites to become like big trees with full branches rather than little shrubs

Start Mind Focus Exercises

Embrace mindfulness.

There’s plenty of research that shows meditation increases the grey matter in your brain.

Meditation can increase the thickness of regions that control attention and process sensory signals from the outside world.

Yes, meditation makes your brain bigger (literally).

Meditation is the art of silencing the mind.

When the mind is silent, concentration is increased and we experience inner peace and more.

But concentration requires a great amount of effort and time.

In less time than it takes you to have lunch, you could be expanding your brain — literally.

Just like building muscles, you can beneficially build the strength and even the size of your brain in the healthiest and most natural of ways.

Meditation has been proven to benefit the brain.

“Although the practice of meditation is associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation, practitioners have long claimed that meditation also provides cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day,” says study senior author Sara Lazar of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program and a Harvard Medical School instructor in psychology.

The problem is getting started.

It’s kind of like going to the gym. We all know we should do it, but ..

If you do decide to give it a try, you can use Headspace, an app that bills itself as “a gym membership for your mind.”

Your Brain Needs You to Read Every Day

Reading heightens brain connectivity.

Our brains change and develop in some fascinating ways when we read

As you read these words, your brain is decoding a series of abstract symbols and synthesizing the results into complex ideas.

It’s an amazing process.

The reading brain can be likened to the real-time collaborative effort of a symphony orchestra, with various parts of the brain working together, like sections of instruments, to maximize our ability to decode the written text in front of us.

Reading rewires parts of your brain. Maryanne Wolf explains in her book, Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain:

Human beings invented reading only a few thousand years ago. And with this invention, we rearranged the very organization of our brain, which in turn expanded the ways we were able to think, which altered the intellectual evolution of our species. . . . Our ancestors’ invention could come about only because of the human brain’s extraordinary ability to make new connections among its existing structures, a process made possible by the brain’s ability to be reshaped by experience

Reading involves several brain functions, including visual and auditory processes, phonemic awareness, fluency, comprehension, and more.

The same neurological regions of the brain are stimulated by reading about something as by experiencing it.

According to the ongoing research at Haskins Laboratories for the Science of the Spoken and Written Word, reading, unlike watching or listening to media, gives the brain more time to stop, think, process, and imagine the narrative in from of us.

Reading every day can slow down late-life cognitive decline and keeps the brains healthier.

Start a Journaling Habit

Getting a full night of sleep, going for a run, maintaining a healthy diet, and keeping up with family and friends all have well-documented and significant impacts on overall cognitive function.

What’s even more important for your total well-being is journaling.

Journaling helps you prioritize, clarify thinking, and accomplish your most important tasks, over urgent busy work.

Numerous studies (of the scientifically rigorous variety) have shown that personal writing can help people better cope with stressful events, relieve anxiety, boost immune cell activity.

Judy Willis MD, a neurologist, and former classroom teacher explains, “The practice of writing can enhance the brain’s intake, processing, retaining, and retrieving of information… it promotes the brain’s attentive focus … boosts long-term memory, illuminates patterns, gives the brain time for reflection, and when well-guided, is a source of conceptual development and stimulus of the brain’s highest cognition.”

Don’t Sit Still

Sitting still all day, every day is dangerous.

Love it or hate it, physical activity can have potent effects on your brain and mood.

The brain is often described as being “like a muscle”. Its needs to be exercised for better performance

Research shows that moving your body can improve your cognitive function.

What you do with your body impinges on your mental faculties.

Find something you enjoy, then get up and do it. And most importantly, make it a habit.

Build a better exercise routine, and maintain it.

Simple aerobic exercise such as walking 30–45 minutes of brisk walking, three times a week, can help fend off the mental wear and tear, and improve episodic memory and executive-control functions by about 20 percent, according to Art Kramer of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Take a Good and Undisturbed Sleep

A good sleep reduces both physical and mental stress.

The brain accomplishes reorganization of information during sleep.

Importantly, a short afternoon nap (called the power nap) serves as an energy booster for the brain

Scientists have known for decades that the brain requires sleep to consolidate learning and memory.

Far from being lazy, napping is scientifically proven to help improve concentration and boost productivity when you reach a brain power plateau.

Studies on napping suggest that it increases reaction speed and helps with learning — provided naps are no longer than 20 minutes.

Do Nothing for a Change

Doing nothing is a skill.

Busyness can be counterproductive.

It’s hard, we know, but doing nothing is a good way to refocus your brain and help you pay attention to the present time.

Spending time unplugged, disconnected, and in silence can improve your focus, productivity, and creativity.

“….learning to do nothing will help you retake control of your attention at other times, too. One trick: schedule “do nothing” time, like you’d schedule tasks. Just don’t expect others to understand when you decline some social event on the grounds that you’re busy not being busy”, says Oliver Burkeman.

Neuroscience also reveals that silence has nourishing benefits for your brain.

The neuroscientist Marcus Raichle says his best thinking happens in quiet places. For Raichle, silence was shorthand for thoughtful solitude.

The brain is actively internalizing and evaluating information during silence.

A study by Duke University regenerative biologist, Imke Kirste, found that two hours of silence per day prompted cell development in the hippocampus, the brain region related to the formation of memory, involving the senses.

Exceptional creativity often happens in solitude.

Thomas Oppong is the founder of AllTopStartups and writes on science-based answers to problems in life about creativity, productivity, and self-improvement.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/30-d ... obal-en-GB

[Anthea]

11 Reasons Why Everyone Should
Be Eating Sourdough Bread

Bread and bread products get a bad rap. But there are plenty of reasons why you can – and should – include healthy, non-GMO bread in your diet. Most of us hear reason after reason why bread is bad, but we at A Bread Affair are here to point out 11 solid reasons why sourdough bread is a great and important component to any pantry.

By using a special starter of wild yeast and bacteria, the positives of consuming sourdough far outweigh the negative media eye. Sourdough bread is a baking art form that is, by its very nature, a healthier choice – and here are our 11 favourite reasons why.

1. It is easy to digest.

The bacteria-yeast composition will start to breakdown the starches found in the grains before it even reaches your stomach. That means there is way less work to be done, making it much easier on your gut.

2. It has a lower glycemic index.

Compared to many other types of bread, sourdough is fermented in a way that depletes bad starches within it. This means that it won’t cause your blood sugar to rise so drastically upon eating it.

3. Better for gluten-sensitivity.

The longer prep time for sourdough bread means that much of the protein gluten is broken down into amino acids before you consume it. The extensive soaking, rinsing, and other preparation steps means that it is easier to eat and digest, especially if you have mild sensitivities to gluten.

4. More “good acid”.

Lactobacillusis a kind of bacteria found in sourdough bread more so than other types of bread and it results in higher levels of lactic acid. This is important because it means there is less room for phytic acid, which can be potentially dangerous. Larger quantities of lactic acid also result in easier digestion and accessibility to more minerals.

5. Provides healthy bacteria.

Sourdough bread is fermented in a way that fosters more beneficial bacteria in the bread and in your body when you eat it.

6. Less yeast.

Healthy bacteria in sourdough bread works to reduce yeast populations, so the likelihood of infection and/or overgrowth is substantially lower.

7. Natural origins.

Sourdough bread made with whole flour, wild yeast and bacteria comes from a very “natural” origin. It is the oldest form of leavened bread; we have been eating it as part of a natural diet for a long, long time.

8. Fewer preservatives.

Sourdough bread contains acetic acid, which naturally prevent the growth of mold. It naturally preserves itself, meaning that toxic preservatives are not required to make it last. So it won’t go bad – and you can opt out of the hazardous build-up of preservatives in the food supply chain.

9. Good fuel.

Made from wheat, sourdough bread fuels the production of good bacteria in your gut – much like the inulin and oligosaccharides found in onions, leeks, bananas, garlic, asparagus, and so on.

10. It’s nutritious.

Sourdough contains a variety of vitamins and nutrients, making it super beneficial to your day-to-day health. Sourdough bread has small to moderate amounts of: iron, manganese, calcium, B1-B6, B12, folate, zinc, potassium, thiamin, niacin, riboflavin, selenium, iron, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamin E. What a great selection! Compared to other breads, sourdough maintains many of the original nutrients that are processed out of other kinds of bread.

11. The taste!

Sourdough bread tastes great on top of being a healthier alternative. What more could you want?

https://abreadaffair.com/bakery-vancouv ... ugh-bread/

I strongly recommend o-op Kalamata Olive Bread

[Anthea]

History of Chicken Tikka Masala

Why Britain’s favourite curry has few fans in India despite its fame

Loved throughout the UK, the dish does not exist in Indian cuisine or figure commonly on menus in India, and Indians are not passionate about it

Some say Bangladeshi chefs who migrated to Britain in the 1960s developed the dish there to appease British palates

With its grilled chunks of chicken enveloped in a spiced, velvety orange curry, chicken tikka masala is one of the most popular dishes in Britain.

It’s a best selling ready meal at supermarket Sainsbury’s, which sells 1.6 million chicken tikka masala meals every year and stocks 16 related products, including a chicken tikka masala pasta sauce. It’s eaten everywhere in the UK, from north to south, and is a staple in the curry houses of London – especially on Brick Lane, known as the Curry Mile, in the city’s East End.

For the uninitiated, the dish consists of boneless chunks of chicken marinated in spices and yogurt that is roasted in an oven before being smothered in a creamy tomato sauce.

The origins of chicken tikka masala are nebulous. It does not exist as such in Indian cuisine or figure commonly on menus in India. Where did it originate?

Despite the name, the dish did not come from the kitchens of the Mughal emperors, or the British Raj. Most Indian cookbooks don’t list it. In her book Curry: A Tale of Cooks and Conquerors, Lizzie Collingham writes that according to food critics, chicken tikka masala “was not a shining example of British multiculturalism but a demonstration of the British facility for reducing all foreign foods to their most unappetising and inedible forms”.

According to the Multicultural Handbook of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics, many Bangladeshi chefs migrated to the UK in the 1960s and developed their own dishes, including chicken tikka masala, to please the British palate.

Others claim that the dish was created in Pakistan. Either way, by 1983, British supermarket Waitrose was selling chicken tikka masala as a ready meal.

In their book Curry Culture, ethnic food historians Peter and Colleen Grove write that “the dish was most probably invented in Britain, probably by a Bangladeshi chef”. They also think its origin may be in a recipe for shahi chicken masala in Balbir Singh’s classic cookbook, Indian Cookery, published in 1961.

Another claim is that it originated in Glasgow, Scotland. In the 2013 BBC cookery TV series The Hairy Bikers, Asif Ali, the son of Ali Ahmed Alam of Glasgow’s Shish Mahal restaurant, says that in 1971 it was his dad who improvised a sauce made from yogurt, tomatoes, cream and spices to satisfy a disgruntled bus driver, who ordered a chicken tikka. When he was served a plate of grilled spiced chicken, he yelled out, “Where’s the gravy?” The Bangladeshi chef pulled out a can of tomato soup, added spices and yogurt and called it chicken tikka masala.

The dish has since become such a part of British culinary culture that in 2009, a Scottish MP asked for a European Union Protected Designation of Origin status for the curry. Despite his effort, it was not accepted.

In 2001, British politician Robin Cook, then the British Foreign Secretary, said that “chicken tikka masala is a British national dish – chicken tikka was an Indian dish and the British added the sauce, because of their desire to have meat served in gravy.”

There is no single recipe for chicken tikka masala. The sauce includes tomato purée and cream; spices such as paprika may be added, or it may be coloured orange with food dye or turmeric.

The process of making chicken tikka masala starts with Indian ingredients and cooking techniques; it involves a tandoor oven, the type of which has been used in central Asia for 5,000 years.

Chicken tikka is a common starter in India. The bite-size boneless chunks of chicken, marinated in yogurt and spices, are cooked in the tandoor oven. The first Mughal emperor Babur, who was a great foodie, imported many of his culinary loves from his homeland, and ordered his chefs to remove the bones before cooking them, leading to the bite-sized pieces called “tikka”.

Celebrity chef and TV host Ranveer Brar says that chicken tikka masala is basically a curry. “In India, gravies came about when chilli peppers and tomatoes were brought in by the Portuguese. It wasn’t until the 17th century that gravy-based curries were popularised for the English, by Anglo-Indian cooks. While many stories exist about the true roots of chicken tikka masala, for me, the dish being a curry makes it Indian enough for me.”

The most probable story of the origin of chicken tikka masala is that it’s a curry house version of butter chicken, which is a favourite dish in India.

Moti Mahal, the legendary Indian restaurant in Delhi dating back to 1947 and the haunt of celebrities and world leaders, was started by chef and restaurateur Kundan Lal Gujral, who is said to have invented butter chicken.

He created a spice mix for tandoori chicken, and the cooks at the restaurant used to recycle the leftover chicken juices in the marinade trays by adding butter and tomatoes. The sauce was tossed with the tandoor-cooked chicken pieces to make butter chicken.

Delhi-based chef Sweety Singh, who is considered an ambassador of Punjabi street food, says that it was usual for eateries to utilise leftover tandoori chicken by dunking it in gravy that was usually made of fresh tomatoes, cashews and cream, to avoid wastage of food. Later they started using boneless chicken.

“Chicken tikka masala is only a British version of this, with the gravy being more fusion, using tomato purée,” he says.

Chicken tikka masala is now served in restaurants around the world from Britain to North America.

It’s probably a fusion dish that cannot claim one heritage or belong to any one city – a fusion of British and South Asian cultures, cooked in myriad ways by chefs of multiple nationalities, its origin clearly Indian, but firmly rooted in the tastes of the Britain.

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/food-dri ... obal-en-GB

[Anthea]

Foods That Can Give You More Energy

Many people feel tired or rundown at some point during the day. A lack of energy could affect your daily activities and make you less productive

Perhaps not surprisingly, the type and quantity of food you eat play essential roles in determining your energy levels during the day.

Even though all foods give you energy, some foods contain nutrients that could help increase your energy levels and maintain your alertness and focus throughout the day.

Here’s a list of 27 foods that have been proven to help promote energy levels.

Bananas may be one of the best foods for energy. They’re an excellent source of complex carbs, potassium, and vitamin B6, all of which can help boost your energy levels.

Fatty fish like salmon and tuna are good sources of protein, fatty acids, and B vitamins, making them great foods to include in your diet.

A serving of salmon or tuna provides you the recommended daily amount of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin.

Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce inflammation, which is a common cause of fatigue (3Trusted Source).

In fact, some studies determined that taking omega-3 supplements could decrease fatigue, especially in cancer patients and those recovering from cancer (4Trusted Source).

Furthermore, vitamin B12 works with folic acid to produce red blood cells and help iron work better in your body. Optimal levels of red blood cells and iron can reduce fatigue and increase energy.

Brown rice is a very nutritious food. Compared with white rice, it’s less processed and retains more nutritional value in the form of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

One-half cup (50 grams) of brown rice contains 2 grams of fiber and provides a large portion of your recommended daily intake (RDI) of manganese, a mineral that helps enzymes break down carbs and proteins to generate energy.

Additionally, thanks to its fiber content, brown rice has a low glycemic index. Therefore, it could help regulate blood sugar levels and promote steady energy levels throughout the day.

Sweet potatoes are a nutritious source of energy for those looking for an extra boost.

A 1-cup (100-gram) serving of sweet potatoes could pack up to 25 grams of complex carbs, 3.1 grams of fiber, 25% of the RDI for manganese, and a whopping 564% of the RDI for vitamin A.

Thanks to sweet potatoes’ fibre and complex carb content, your body digests them slowly, which provides you with a steady supply of energy (9Trusted Source).

Coffee might be the first food you’d think to consume when you’re looking for an energy boost.

It’s rich in caffeine, which can quickly pass from your bloodstream into your brain and inhibit the activity of adenosine, a neurotransmitter that quiets the central nervous system (10Trusted Source).

As a result, the production of epinephrine — a hormone that stimulates the body and brain — increases.

Even though coffee only provides two calories per cup, its stimulatory effects can make you feel alert and focused.

It’s not recommended to consume over 400 mg of caffeine, or about 4 cups of coffee, per day.

Eggs are not only a tremendously satisfying food but also full of energy that can help fuel your day.

They’re packed with protein, which can give you a steady and sustained source of energy.

Additionally, leucine is the most abundant amino acid in eggs, and it’s known to stimulate energy production in several ways.

Leucine can help cells take in more blood sugar, stimulate the production of energy in the cells, and increase the breakdown of fat to produce energy.

Moreover, eggs are rich in B vitamins. These vitamins help enzymes perform their roles in the process of breaking down food for energy.

Apples are one of the most popular fruits in the world, and they’re a good source of carbs and fiber.

A medium-sized apple (100 grams) contains about 14 grams of carbs, 10 grams of sugar, and up to 2.1 grams of fibre.

Due to their rich content of natural sugars and fibre, apples can provide a slow and sustained energy release.

Furthermore, apples have a high antioxidant content. Research has shown that antioxidants may slow the digestion of carbs, so they release energy over a more extended period of time (15).

Lastly, it’s recommended to eat apples whole to reap the benefits of the fibre in their skin.

Water is essential for life. It’s involved in many cellular functions, including energy production.

Not drinking enough water may lead to dehydration, which can slow bodily functions, leaving you feeling sluggish and tired.

Drinking water could give you a boost of energy and help fight feelings of fatigue.

You can avoid dehydration by drinking water even if you’re not thirsty. Try to drink water regularly throughout the day.

Dark chocolate has a higher cocoa content than regular or milk chocolate.

The antioxidants in cocoa have been shown to have many health benefits, such as increasing blood flow throughout your body.

This effect aids the delivery of oxygen to the brain and muscles, which improves their function. This can be especially helpful during exercise.

Additionally, the increase in blood flow produced by antioxidants in cocoa could help reduce mental fatigue and improve mood.

Dark chocolate also contains stimulatory compounds, such as theobromine and caffeine, which have been shown to enhance mental energy and mood (21Trusted Source).

Yerba maté is a drink made from the dried leaves of a plant native to South America. It has been shown to have many health benefits.

Yerba maté contains antioxidants and caffeine. A regular 8-ounce cup can offer about 85 mg of caffeine, which is similar to the amount in a small cup of coffee.

The caffeine in yerba maté promotes the production of the hormone epinephrine, which increases energy. However, unlike other stimulants, yerba maté does not seem to affect blood pressure or heart rate (23Trusted Source).

Animal research has suggested that yerba maté may enhance mental focus and mood.

Goji berries have been used in Chinese medicine for centuries due to their multiple benefits.

Besides being packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, this fruit is known to be a good source of fibre.

Research has suggested that goji berry juice could provide antioxidant protection (26Trusted Source).

Additionally, goji berries are rich in fibre. A 1-ounce (28-gram) serving provides 2 grams of fiber. This could help slow digestion and release energy slowly.

Goji berries are easy to enjoy mixed in yogurt, smoothies, baked goods, and sauces. Or you can simply eat them raw.

Quinoa is a seed that’s popular for its high protein, carb, and dietary fiber content, as well as its many vitamins and minerals.

Even though this superfood is high in carbs, it has a low glycemic index, which indicates that its carbs are absorbed slowly and can provide a sustained energy release.

Additionally, quinoa is rich in manganese, magnesium, and folate.

Oatmeal is a whole grain cereal that could provide you long-lasting energy.

It contains beta glucan, a soluble fiber that forms a thick gel when combined with water. The presence of this gel in the digestive system delays stomach emptying and the absorption of glucose into the blood.

Furthermore, oats are rich in vitamins and minerals that help the energy production process. These include B vitamins, iron, and manganese.

The combination of all these nutrients makes oatmeal a perfect food for sustained energy release.

Yogurt is an excellent snack to fuel your day.

The carbs in yogurt are mainly in the form of simple sugars, such as lactose and galactose. When broken down, these sugars can provide ready-to-use energy.

Additionally, yogurt is packed with protein, which helps slow the digestion of carbs, thereby slowing the release of sugars into the blood (32Trusted Source).

Hummus is made with chickpeas, sesame seed paste (tahini), oil, and lemon. The combination of these ingredients makes hummus a good source of energy (34Trusted Source).

The chickpeas in hummus are a good source of complex carbs and fiber, which your body can use for steady energy.

In addition, the sesame seed paste and oil in hummus contains healthy fats. These ingredients are also helpful at slowing the absorption of carbs, which helps you avoid blood sugar spikes.

You can enjoy hummus as a dip for veggies or in combination with other dishes, such as sandwiches or salads.

Edamame beans can be an easy and satisfying pick-me-up snack.

They’re relatively low in calories but offer significant amounts of protein, carbs, and fiber. Just 1 cup of edamame beans can pack up to 27 grams of protein, 21 grams of carbs, and about 12 grams of fibre.

Additionally, they have high amounts of vitamins and minerals, such as folic acid and manganese, that can help increase energy in different ways.

Folic acid works with iron to promote energy and fight fatigue and anemia, while manganese helps generate energy from the breakdown of carbs and protein.

Lastly, edamame beans contain high amounts of molybdenum, a mineral that acts as a stimulus for enzymes and assists in the breakdown of nutrients for energy.

Aside from being a great and inexpensive source of protein, lentils are a good source of nutrients and help boost energy levels.

Lentils are legumes that are rich in carbs and fibre. One cup of cooked lentils provides up to 36 grams of carbs and about 14 grams of fibre.

Additionally, lentils can increase your energy levels by replenishing your stores of folate, manganese, zinc, and iron. These nutrients assist in cellular energy production and the breakdown of nutrients for the release of energy.

Avocados are considered to be a superfood.

For example, they’re rich in healthy fats, B vitamins, and fiber. About 84% of the healthy fats in avocados come from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

These healthy fats have been shown to promote optimal blood fat levels and enhance the absorption of nutrients. They can also be stored in the body and used as energy sources.

Additionally, the fibre in avocados accounts for 80% of their carb content, which can help maintain steady energy levels.

Oranges are famous for their high vitamin C content.

One orange can provide as much as 106% of the RDI for vitamin C.

Additionally, oranges contain antioxidant compounds that can protect against oxidative stress.

Research has shown that oxidative stress could promote feelings of fatigue. Therefore, the antioxidant protection provided by compounds in oranges may help decrease fatigue.

In fact, one study showed that 13 women who consumed 17 ounces (500 mL) of orange juice and did 1 hour of aerobic training 3 times per week for 3 months experienced decreases in muscle fatigue and improvements in physical performance.

Strawberries are another good energy-boosting fruit.

They can provide carbs, fiber, and sugars that can enhance your energy levels. One cup of strawberries provides 13 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, and 100% of the RDI for vitamin C.

In addition to helping fight inflammation, the antioxidants in strawberries may help fight fatigue and give you energy.

Strawberries are delicious in many recipes, such as smoothies, parfaits, or salads.

Seeds, such as chia seeds, flax seeds, and pumpkin seeds, could also increase your energy levels.

These seeds are generally high in plant-based omega-3 fatty acids. Low levels of omega-3 fatty acids have been linked to increased inflammation and fatigue.

Moreover, seeds are a good source of fiber and protein. The fiber in seeds contributes to the slow digestion of their nutrients, resulting in a steady, sustained release of energy.

Beans are rich in nutrients and a great source of natural energy.

Even though there are hundreds of types of beans, their nutrient profiles are very similar. They’re a rich source of carbs, fiber, and protein.

Beans are digested slowly, which helps maintain stable blood sugar levels and gives you steady energy. Additionally, beans contain antioxidants that can help fight inflammation and promote energy.

Black beans and black-eyed peas are among the most famous kinds of beans. These beans are good sources of folic acid, iron, and magnesium, which are involved in energy production and aid the delivery of energy to every cell in your body.

Green tea is famous for its long list of health benefits.

It has a high concentration of powerful antioxidants that can help prevent oxidative stress and inflammation.

Similarly to coffee, green tea contains caffeine, which can increase your energy levels. However, green tea also contains a compound called L-theanine.

L-theanine can moderate the effects of caffeine, such as anxiety and the jitters, and it produces a smoother boost of energy.

Moreover, green tea can be a good energy booster for physical activity, as it can decrease fatigue by increasing the breakdown of fat and release of the hormone norepinephrine.

Nuts can be a great snack that’s packed with nutrients to promote energy.

Most nuts, including almonds, walnuts, and cashews, are known for their high calorie density and abundance of proteins, carbs, and healthy fats.

Walnuts, in particular, are also high in omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, as well as antioxidants that can increase energy levels and help with inflammation and antioxidant protection (63Trusted Source).

Additionally, these nuts provide decent amounts of carbs and fiber for a steady and sustained energy boost.

Nuts also contain other vitamins and minerals, such as manganese, iron, B vitamins, and vitamin E. These can help increase energy production and decrease tiredness.

Popcorn can be an excellent low calorie, energizing snack.

It’s high in carbs and fiber, which can make it very satisfying and a good option for an energy-boosting snack.

A 1-cup (8-gram) serving of air-popped popcorn provides fiber and carbs, providing a steady release of energy.

Popcorn can be a healthy food when it’s cooked with wholesome ingredients using the air-pop cooking method.

Leafy green vegetables like spinach and kale are excellent sources of nutrients that promote energy.

They’re high in iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins A, C, E, and K. Additionally, they’re packed with folic acid, fibre, and antioxidants.

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of iron deficiency.

Leafy green vegetables are excellent sources of iron to replenish your body’s stores, as well as vitamin C to enhance the absorption of iron in your body.

Furthermore, leafy green vegetables may enhance the formation of nitric oxide, which helps your blood vessels widen for better blood flow throughout your body.

Beets have gained popularity recently due to their ability to improve energy and stamina.

Studies have shown that beetroot may improve blood flow due to its antioxidant content.

Nitrates, which are compounds found in high amounts in beetroot and beetroot juice, help increase nitric oxide production and improve blood, allowing for increased oxygen delivery to tissues. This effect may increase energy levels, especially during athletic performance.

Additionally, beets are packed with carbs, fiber, and sugar for a sustained energy boost.

An abundant variety of foods can help boost your energy.

Whether they’re packed with carbs for readily available energy, or fibre and protein for a slower release of energy, these foods can help increase your power and stamina.

Additionally, many of these foods contain significant amounts of other nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

All of these compounds are involved in the production of energy within your cells, and they all provide many other health benefits.

If you want more energy, incorporating these foods into your diet is a great place to start.

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/en ... ting-foods

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The Secret to Better Home Fries?
Cook Them Like the French Do

Pommes persillade might sound fancy, but the homey side dish — a staple on bistro menus — is incredibly easy to make at home. Crispy potatoes with soft, tender centers are tossed in melted butter, minced garlic, and fresh parsley to create the ultimate side dish. It’s like the classic diner home fries you know and love, only elevated



The trick to getting these potatoes super crispy is to boil them in salted water before pan-frying them. This does two things: It cooks the potatoes all the way through so they are perfectly tender, and it helps bring some of the potatoes’ gelatinized starches to the surface so the potatoes get nice and crispy. To do this, you’ll cover diced potatoes with cold water, bring to a boil, drain them, and let them dry on a sheet tray, where they’ll cool for at least 10 minutes to allow the excess water to evaporate. Then, fry them in a hot skillet to crisp them up.

Here, we’re garnishing the crispy spuds with shredded Parmesan cheese to amp up their savoriness, but you can leave it out and still end up with a delicious side dish. Serve them immediately to maintain their crispy texture and pair with your favorite protein for the ultimate weeknight dinner.

Pommes Persillade

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes to 30 minutes
Ingredients

4 medium russet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1 tablespoon plus 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 cloves garlic
1/2 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 ounce Parmesan cheese, finely shredded (about 1/2 cup)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

Peel and cut 4 medium russet potatoes into 1-inch cubes. Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover potatoes by 1 inch. Stir in 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover and reduce heat to low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife but not falling apart, 12 to 14 minutes. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Drain the potatoes, then transfer onto a baking sheet and spread into a single layer. Pat the potatoes dry with more towels and let cool for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, mince 2 garlic cloves, coarsely chop the leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh parsley, and finely shred 1 ounce Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup). Microwave 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large microwave-safe bowl until melted, about 30 seconds. Add the garlic, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and stir to combine. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 10-inch cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches if needed, add the potatoes and cook, stirring and flipping them often, until golden-brown and crisp on all sides, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer the potatoes into the bowl of garlic butter and toss to coat. Transfer into a serving bowl and garnish with the Parmesan.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/pomm ... obal-en-GB

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How to fall asleep fast:
10 science-backed hacks

There are some night when all you want is to fall asleep fast - but your body just won't play ball

Whether it's caused by a racing mind, a full tummy or the effects of alcohol, being unable to fall asleep can be a major source of frustration - something that will only fuel your insomnia further.

But happily, help is at hand. Below you'll find 10 hacks to help you fall asleep fast, backed by experts and scientific research...

1. Breathing exercises

Are you a ball of stress when you go to bed? Try this NHS-recommended breathing exercise to relax your mind and body so you can switch off.

Lie in bed, arms away from your sides, palms facing up. Breathe deeply but naturally in through your nose, counting steadily from one to five (or as far as you can comfortably). Without pausing, breathe out gently through your mouth, counting to five again. Keep going for 3-5 minutes.

2. Eat more leafy greens

In a study by researchers at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, taking a magnesium supplement improved how quickly insomniacs dropped off. Up your dietary intake with leafy greens such as spinach to up your magnesium intake naturally, or alternatively consider a supplement.

3. Try visualization

Visualizing a relaxing scene, such as a beach, has been shown to help insomniacs drop off 20 minutes earlier than normal in research published in the journal Behaviour Research And Therapy.

4. Set your bedtime

Having a set time to go to bed and get up helps to regulate your body clock. So as well as setting a morning alarm, set one at night that signals it’s time to end your day.

5. Try essential oils

It’s not just an old wives’ tale, the soothing scent of lavender really can help you drop off more quickly – and make sleep feel more satisfying - according to various studies. Try using a pillow spray or else invest in one of the best essential oil diffusers.

6. Don’t count sheep

A study by Oxford University researchers found when insomniacs were instructed to do so, they actually took longer to drop off. Ewes-ful intel.

7. Avoid afternoon caffeine

It takes five hours for half of your caffeine intake to be removed from your system, so it can take double that for it to totally clear. Try banning it 10 hours before bed.

8. Try writing therapy

A common cause of failure to catch the sleep train is churning over worries. The simple act of brain dumping this on to paper can help flick your ‘off’ switch (and give you confidence you won’t forget ‘to-dos’ come morning). Keep a notepad and pen by your bed to help make pre-bedtime writing therapy a habit.

9. Don’t try too hard

Research from the University of Glasgow split insomniacs into two groups - one tried to sleep as normal, the other had to lie with their eyes open and try not to nod off. The ones battling the Sandman dropped off first. Go figure.

10. Keep your feet warm

A study in the journal Nature found that warm feet are linked to falling asleep. So if yours are cold, pop them on a hot-water bottle. It opens up blood vessels, which causes a drop in body temperature, telling your body it’s time to snooze.

https://www.fitandwell.com/how-to/fall- ... obal-en-GB

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How To Make Pita Bread at Home
Photo by Emma Christensen

Whether we’re talking falafel or deli ham, pockets of pita bread are one of my top choices for sandwiches. So portable! So neatly contained! So easy to eat! The pitas you make at home are worlds apart from the stuff you buy in stores, and watching them puff to glorious heights in your oven or on your stovetop is culinary magic at its best. Here’s how we do it.



Pita is actually a very straightforward bread dough: water, flour, yeast, salt, and that’s about it. What makes it puff so impressively is the dual action of water turning to steam and the yeast becoming hyperactive when both are hit with the heat from the oven or stovetop. The pita has been rolled so thin that this action forces the top and the bottom of the dough to separate and balloon outwards.

You can make pita bread either in the oven or on the stovetop, and there are advantages and disadvantages to both. In the oven, pitas puff up much more grandly and make softer pockets, but they stay pale-colored and fairly mild-tasting. On the stovetop, you lose some of the impressive puffing, but gain tasty and crunchy toasted spots on the surface of the dough. You can also make several pitas at once in the oven, where you can only make one at a time on the stovetop. Both methods work equally well, so the choice is yours!

Pita is also great make-ahead bread. I often prepare the dough through the first rise, punch it down, and then keep it refrigerated for up to a week. The flavor actually improves after a few days of chilling. You can bake the whole batch at once or cut off just what you need to make one or two flatbreads at a time.

Testing Notes:

I make and love homemade pita just as much now as I did when I first wrote this tutorial. It’s an easy and nearly fool-proof recipe for those who are just getting into baking and don’t feel quite ready to make a full-on sandwich bread. It’s also a good one if you’re cooking for just one or two people and maybe have a hard time finishing an entire loaf of bread before it goes bad. I love that I can make the dough for this ahead of time and pinch off just enough for one quick pita whenever I want it. Yum. –Emma



How to Make Homemade Pita Bread

Yield: Makes 8 rounds
Ingredients

1 cup warm water (not hot or boiling)
2 teaspoons active dry or instant yeast
2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 to 2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)

Equipment

Mixing bowl
Rolling pin
Cast iron skillet (for stovetop baking)
Baking sheet or a baking stone (for oven baking)

Instructions

Form the Pita Dough: Mix the water and yeast together, and let sit for about five minutes until the yeast is dissolved. Add 2 1/2 cups of the flour (saving the last half cup for kneading), salt, and olive oil (if using). Stir until a shaggy dough is formed.

Knead the Dough: Sprinkle a little of the extra flour onto your clean work surface and turn out the dough. Knead the dough for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking to your hands or the work surface, but try to be sparing. It's better to use too little flour than too much. If you get tired, stop and let the dough rest for a few minutes before finishing kneading.

Let the Dough Rise: Clean the bowl you used to mix the dough and film it with a little olive oil. Set the dough in the bowl and turn it until it's coated with oil. Cover with a clean dishcloth or plastic wrap and let the dough rise until it's doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

At this point, you can refrigerate the pita dough until it is needed. You can also bake one or two pitas at a time, saving the rest of the dough in the fridge. The dough will keep refrigerated for about a week.

Divide the Pitas: Gently deflate the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces and gently flatten each piece into a thick disk. Sprinkle the pieces with a little more flour and then cover them with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap wrap until you're ready to bake them.

Shape the Pitas: Using a floured rolling pin, roll one of the pieces into a circle 8-9 inches wide and about a quarter inch thick. Lift and turn the dough frequently as you roll to make sure the dough isn't sticking to your counter. Sprinkle with a little extra flour if its starting to stick. If the dough starts to spring back, set it aside to rest for a few minutes, then continue rolling. Repeat with the other pieces of dough. (Once you get into a rhythm, you can be cooking one pita while rolling the next one out.)

To Bake Pitas in the Oven: While shaping the pitas, heat the oven to 450°. If you have a baking stone, put it in the oven to heat. If you don't have a baking stone, place a large baking sheet on the middle rack to heat.

Place the rolled-out pitas directly on the baking stone or baking sheets (as many as will fit), and bake for about 3 minutes. I've found it easiest to carry the pita flat on the palm of my hand and then flip it over onto the baking stone. The pita will start to puff up after a minute or two and is done when it has fully ballooned. Cover baked pitas with a clean dishtowel while cooking any remaining pitas.

To Bake Pitas on the Stovetop: Warm a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until a few bead of water sizzle immediately on contact. Drizzle a little oil in the pan and wipe off the excess.

Lay a rolled-out pita on the skillet and bake for 30 seconds, until you see bubbles starting to form. Flip and cook for 1-2 minutes on the other side, until large toasted spots appear on the underside. Flip again and cook another 1-2 minutes to toast the other side. The pita should start to puff up during this time; if it doesn't or if only small pockets form, try pressing the surface of the pita gently with a clean towel. Keep cooked pitas covered with a clean dishtowel while cooking any remaining pitas.

Storing the Pitas: Pitas are best when eaten immediately after cooking. Leftover pitas will keep in an airtight bag for several days and can be eaten as they are or warmed in a toaster oven. Baked pitas can also be frozen with wax paper between the layers for up to three months.



Recipe Notes

Storing the Dough: Once it has risen, the pita dough can be kept refrigerated until it is needed. You can also bake one or two pitas at a time, saving the rest of the dough in the fridge. The dough will keep refrigerated for about a week.

Pitas That Won't Puff: Sometimes you get pitas that won't puff. The problem is usually that the oven or the skillet aren't hot enough. Make sure both are thoroughly pre-heated before cooking. Even pitas that don't puff are still delicious and can be used wraps or torn into pieces for dipping in hummus.

Emma Christensen is a former editor for The Kitchn and a graduate of the Cambridge School for Culinary Arts. She is the author of True Brews and Brew Better Beer. Check out her website for more cooking stories.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how- ... obal-en-GB

[Anthea]

[Anthea]

17 delicious ways with tinned tuna

When you think about it, tinned tuna is a miracle. The spoilage window for fresh oily fish is measured in days or even hours, but I bought a tin of tuna last week with a best before date of Christmas 2027. I wish I could guarantee I will still be good to go in seven years

The original selling point of tinned tuna was its blandness – a less fishy alternative to sardines, it was marketed as tasting like chicken – which makes it a versatile, if not immediately inspiring ingredient. You can pay a little or a lot for tuna – anywhere from 59p to £10 a tin – and it will probably be in the form of steaks or flakes, packed in oil or brine; it may well come in a jar instead of a tin.

Most recipes specify what type to use, but I wouldn’t sweat it. Tinned tuna is a culinary compromise, so just use what you have, unless it is the really expensive sort and you are saving it for a special occasion. Something is bound to come up in the next seven years.

Salade niçoise


Officially, you are not meant to put tuna in salade niçoise, although this is often said about most of this classic salad’s familiar ingredients – you could make a whole salade niçoise out of stuff that is supposedly verboten. But, with 17 recipes to find, we are hardly in a position to be doctrinaire, so here is a version – from Claudia Roden, no less – that contains tuna and still makes bold claims to authenticity, originating as it does from a restaurant in Nice.

Rosie Birkett’s tuna, white bean and radish salad


Tinned tuna plays a feature role in many other salads. Rachel Roddy’s white beans with tuna and onion contains most of the recipe in its name – nothing else is required but a dressing of oil and vinegar and a handful of chopped parsley. Rosie Birkett’s variation uses spring onions and adds radishes and raw fennel.

Angela Hartnett omits the onion and replaces the white beans with a mix of fresh green, yellow and runner beans. Alison Roman – who may or may not be pleased with the sobriquet “the New York Nigella” – presents her spiced black lentil salad with tuna, radish and purple potatoes as a sort of “fridge clean-out meal”. She must have a big fridge.

Apparently, more than half of the tinned tuna consumed in the US is made into sandwiches. The tuna sandwich blighted many an American childhood, including mine, while the tuna melt – a sort of toasted cheese version – is a small but definite improvement. It is normally her milkshake that brings all the boys to the yard, but Kelis also has a lot to say about the proper way to make a tuna melt

The mighty tuna melt
Comfort food ... the mighty tuna melt - linkK
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyl ... lt-toastie

It is also possible to make passable fishcakes with tinned tuna, although this may stretch your definition of fishcake. This version, for example, is baked rather than fried. It sounds a bit like putting six portions of potato salad in the oven, just to see what will happen. Whatever happens, it serves six.

Tinned tuna is the main ingredient of tonnato sauce, an Italian fixture commonly served over thinly sliced veal. As with any quintessential staple, there are about a million ways to make tonnato; it is difficult to find two identical recipes for corroboration, but if you chuck all the fundamental ingredients (tuna, anchovies, garlic, oil, egg yolk and lemon juice or vinegar) into a food processor and blend until you have something with the consistency of mayonnaise, you won’t have gone far off the right track.

Rachel Roddy’s tonnato also has parsley and mustard in it. The one Delia Smith uses for vitello tonnato contains neither, but does include capers. Yotam Ottolenghi uses tonnato to accompany grilled cauliflower steaks; his contains pickled green peppercorns.

Sam Harris’s tuna involtini requires a basic tonnato that omits even garlic, rolled up inside roasted red peppers and served as an antipasto or as party food. These empanadillas employ the same combination – tuna and red pepper – sealed inside dough and baked like little Spanish pasties.

In crust we trust... Tuna and red pepper makes a great empanadilla combination.

Being the kind of thing you happen to have when you don’t have much of anything else, tuna naturally features in a lot of quick and slightly desperate pasta dishes. Spaghetti in a basic sauce made from garlic, olive oil and tomatoes, with a tin of tuna stirred in near the end of cooking, along with some chopped parsley, forms one of those meals I fall back on several times a month, out of a failure of imagination, will or both. Angela Hartnett’s penne with tuna and cherry tomatoes is simpler still, a perfect dish for children to eat and learn to make.

Tuna is a solid, almost structural component of bakes, retaining a certain firmness while everything else in the dish turns to a pleasing mulch. Nigel Slater’s baked tomatoes with tuna and borlotti is the purest from of this – just open a few tins, combine and bake together until the dish takes on a deceptively homemade air. Ottolenghi’s baked orzo puttanesca is technically a pasta dish, but it is a similar store-cupboard-emptying exercise, as long as your cupboard runs to orzo, capers and preserved lemons.

Simple as can be ... pasta with tomato and tuna.

Ottolenghi also does a lovely harissa-spiced tuna picnic cake, which is not really a cake at all, but a sort of solid-state salad – baked and then chilled overnight – that travels well and can be sliced.

Finally, from the kitchen of Allegra McEvedy, comes a deeply intriguing dish of Scandinavian provenance: the Norwegian tuna pasta bake. The ingredients are like a colour chart for posh house paint, incorporating as they do almost every possible shade of off-white: milk, butter, cream cheese, onion, pasta, flour, breadcrumbs and, of course, tuna. This is not just lockdown food; it is overwintering-at-an-Arctic-research-station food. Enjoy – and see you in the spring.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/o ... obal-en-GB

Tuna fishcakes are super-easy, quick and cheap. You can also make and freeze them. Serve with a crispy salad, rice or vegetables for a tasty and filling dinner.

Each fishcake provides 170kcal, 10g protein, 19g carbohydrate (of which 1.5g sugars), 5.5g fat (of which 1.5g saturates), 2g fibre and 0.6g salt

Ingredients

2 medium floury potatoes, peeled and quartered
large knob of unsalted butter
1½ tbsp mayonnaise
1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest only
3 spring onions, thinly sliced
150g tin of tuna, drained
2 slices bread
1 egg, lightly beaten
plain flour
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 15–20 minutes, or until tender.

Drain the potatoes and return them to the pan with the butter, mayonnaise, lemon zest, spring onions, salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Mash together until smooth. Stir in the tuna and set aside.

Put the bread in a food processor and pulse until it crumbs. Put the egg, flour and breadcrumbs into three separate shallow bowls.

Shape the tuna mixture into six fishcakes. Coat each first in flour, then in egg, then in breadcrumbs. (You can use one hand for the flour and breadcrumbs and another for the egg, to keep your fingers clean.)

Place on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are just golden. Serve.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tuna_fishcakes_01279

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Your Skeleton Replaces Itself Every 10 Years

Here's What You Can Do Now To Protect Your Bones for Life

Modern bones are struggling a bit with increasingly sedentary lifestyles, says Matthew T. Drake, MD, PhD, chair of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research’s Professional Practice Committee.

Too much sitting indoors eliminates two of the main ingredients of healthy bones: vitamin D and weight-bearing exercises. This isn’t exactly great news in the midst of a pandemic with no end in sight.

Fortunately, there are actions you can take to help your bones become (and remain) strong as you age. And while the most critical time for building a foundation for good bone health is up until your mid twenties, that doesn’t mean what you have is what you get thereafter.

“Most people think of the skeleton as being very static, and that it doesn’t change,” says Dr. Drake. “In reality, we replace our skeletons about every 10 years—skeletons are always undergoing this constant process of remodeling.”

Bone-healthy habits can therefore be adopted at any stage in life; below, seven to start practicing sooner rather than later.

Tips to protect the health of your bones

1. Adopt a calcium-rich diet

Milk marketing isn’t a lie—calcium is a critical building block for bones. Intake is most important up until your mid-twenties; however, it’s also important during pregnancy. (Maya Feller, RD says you get another shot at supercharged bone building after giving birth, so that can be a crucial time for calcium, too.)

You should maintain recommended calcium levels consistently throughout your life. Dr. Drake numbers it among the most important things to do consistently when it comes to bone health. And you may want to pay careful attention to it as you approach age 50, as women tend to lose two percent of their bone density per year for eight to 10 years around menopause.

The most obvious source of calcium is that aforementioned (cow’s) milk and other forms of dairy. If you’re a vegan, Feller says it’s possible to get enough calcium without animal products, but she notes that this requires planning, really depends on the individual, and can necessitate supplementation.

To this end, nutrition expert Whitney English MS, RDN of Plant-Based Juniors, recommends calcium-rich tofu, broccoli, kale, collards, bok choy, and even some fruits (e.g. oranges and figs) as plant-based calcium carriers.

2. Up your vitamin D intake

Vitamin D is also critically important to bone health, and it works in tandem with calcium to build strong skeletons . “If you have a low vitamin D level you may be at higher risk for bone fracture or softening of the bones (rickets),” says English.

As Dr. Drake notes, it’s not as easy for many humans to obtain adequate vitamin D as it used to be, as we don’t get outside enough. And Feller says that the amount of sunlight you need exposure to in order to avoid deficiency depends on how far where you live is from the equator and the amount of melanin in your skin.

Someone with darker skin requires more sunlight to reach healthy vitamin D levels than does an individual with lighter skin, and if you live in Iceland you’re going to need more primetime exposure than someone who lives in the Caribbean.

Vitamin D isn’t the easiest vitamin to obtain from food. Feller recommends eating eggs, fatty fish and—if you’re up for it—animal liver to up your intake. For those who are plant-based, English recommends UV-treated mushrooms. “Mushrooms that have been exposed to sunlight or artificial light produce large amounts of the bone-health supporting nutrient vitamin D,” she says.

3. Eat enough protein

Collagen, says Dr. Drake, is also an important bone building block, which is why protein can play an important role in skeletal health, too. To get the most bang for your buck, try sardines or anchovies, as they’re good sources of calcium and vitamin D, too.

You can get the protein you need on a plant-based diet, too—it just requires a little more attention and effort. Try adding soy, quinoa, and hemp and chia seeds to your diet to start.

4. Sprinkle in some vitamin K

Some studies show that vitamin K also plays an important role in bone health, and Feller says it’s often added to vitamin D supplements now to make the vitamin D more bioavailable.

It can be found naturally in foods such as parsley, avocados, kiwis, dark leafy greens, and prunes. The latter are also rich in zinc, magnesium, potassium and boron, which can further help with bone formation, regulation, and structure (and they’re actually super delicious dipped in dark chocolate, too).

5. Mimic the Mediterranean Diet

If you can’t be bothered to pay attention to the nitty gritty of every nutrient you intake, you might want to try more simply mimicking the Mediterranean diet instead—new research has correlated it with better bone density in postmenopausal women.

6. Cut back on alcohol and caffeine

Research shows that heavy boozing is bad for bone health (and really, everything else, too). And Dr. Drake says you should probably cap your caffeine intake as well to about two servings per day.

7. Stay physically active

“One of the best things you can do to preserve bone health as you age is to stay active—especially with weight bearing exercises,” says dietitian Dana Hunnes, RD, PhD, adjunct professor at the University of California Los Angeles.

Running and walking are both good exercises to maintain bone health as it puts pressure on the bones which can help compress the structure making it stronger.

Wall squats, step-ups, and sit-ups are also good bone-strengthening exercises if you’re looking for indoor options. If you’re not sure whether or not your favorite workout is working your bones, check out the six factors that make an exercise superior for your skeleton.

It’s also important to exercise more generally, Dr. Drake explains, because muscle strength helps you stay upright and steady on your feet, which can prevent falls that lead to bone health-sabotaging breaks and fractures. With that said, he notes that you should try to avoid any type of exercise—or activity of any sort—that could lead to a fall, especially as you age.

He also caveats yoga practice with respect to bone health for those who are aging, as he says that some of the moves are hard on the skeleton and increase the risk of fractures. “It’s really important if they’re doing those activities that they do them safely,” he says. “Everyone thinks yoga is sort of a cure all, but it needs to be done the right way.”

Whatever form of exercise you choose, it’s ultimately just important to make sure some portion of it requires that your bones be put to the test. “It’s really important to do what we call skeletal loading, which are things where you’re supporting your own weight or more than your own weight,” says Dr. Drake.

“Without this, the bone atrophies.”

https://www.wellandgood.com/bone-health ... obal-en-GB