Chicken, bacon and lentil soup with ciabatta

Creamy chicken soup is the ultimate winter meal – this version gets a flavour boost from bacon, lentils and a dollop of sour cream. Served with crunchy warm bread, I can’t think of anything better!

This is a great recipe to cook up and freeze in portions for a rainy day. If you wanted to make this creamy chicken soup dairy-free you could replace the sour cream with some coconut yoghurt or even coconut cream.

Ingredients

Creamy Chicken, Bacon, Lentil Soup

• streaky bacon 250g, diced
• onion 1, diced
• carrots 2, peeled and diced or grated
• celery 3 stalks, diced
• leek 1, white and pale green part only, thinly sliced
• chicken thighs 450g, boneless, skinless
• thyme 1-2 tablespoons chopped
• split red lentils ½ cup
• chicken stock 2 cups
• water 2 cups
• salt ¾ teaspoon
• sour cream ¼ cup

Chipotle sour cream

• sour cream ¼ cup
• chipotle sauce 1 tablespoon (optional)
• parsley 1-2 tablespoons chopped

• To serve

  • parsley ¼ cup, chopped
  • ciabatta or other bread warmed or toasted, sliced (omit for gluten-free, or replace with gluten-free bread)
  • pinch of paprika or smoked paprika

METHOD

1. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot on medium to high heat. Add bacon and cook for about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, carrots, celery and leek. Stir, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are just tender.

2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt. Add to pot with thyme, lentils, stock, water and salt and bring to a simmer while stirring. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked and lentils are tender.

3. In a small bowl mix all chipotle sour cream ingredients together.

4. Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from soup, roughly dice or shred and return to pot. Stir in sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

TO SERVE, ladle soup into bowls, add a dollop of chipotle sour cream and sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Serve with ciabatta on the side.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING

CALORIES

534

CARBS

32.6 g

TOTAL FAT

27.6 g

PROTEIN

38.8 g

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Exercise vs. diabetes: New level of detail uncovered

Although exercise is already known to reduce type 2 diabetes risk, a new study brings additional detail. Using data from more than 1 million participants across four continents, researchers measured the precise benefits of exercise.

Diabetes in the United States is reaching epidemic proportions. Almost 1 in 10 Americans are estimated to have diabetes - that is more than 29 million people.

Also, an additional 86 million are thought to have prediabetes; this describes a state where an individual's blood sugar level is higher than it should be, but not high enough to trigger a diabetes diagnosis. It is considered an early warning signal.

With the global number of type 2 diabetes cases expected to hit 592 million by 2035, all knowledge of how this disease might be managed is vital.

The risk factors for type 2 diabetes (the most common version of diabetes) are well known.

Being overweight or obese, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and inactivity are all known to play a substantial role. All of the above can be managed, at least in part, by exercise.

Exercise and diabetes: A fresh look

A new study, published this week in the journal Diabetologia, takes a deeper look at the role of exercise in the development of type 2 diabetes. It is the most in-depth study to examine exercise independent from other influential factors, such as diet. The conclusions from the report are clear:

Currently, physical activity guidelines in the U.S. and the United Kingdom recommend 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week; this could include cycling, walking, or sports. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fewer than 50 percent of American adults meet these recommendations.

The current study was a result of collaborative work between two institutions - University College London and the University of Cambridge, both of which are based in the U.K. Data from more than 1 million people was collated. In all, the team analyzed 23 studies from the U.S., Asia, Australia, and Europe.

Thanks to the vast amount of information available to them, the investigators were able to strip out the effects of exercise and examine them independently of other behavioral factors, such as diet and smoking. This is in contrast to earlier work that has not been able to isolate the impact of physical activity alone.

The researchers found that any exercise is beneficial in staving off diabetes, but individuals who exceeded the 150 minute recommendation saw the greatest benefits.

'More is better'

According to the analysis, cycling or walking briskly for 150 minutes each week cuts the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 26 percent.

Those who exercise moderately or vigorously for an hour each day reduced their risk by 40 percent. At the other end of the scale, for those who did not manage to reach the 150 minute target, any amount of physical activity they carried out still reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes, but to a lesser extent. Our results suggest a major potential for physical activity to slow down or reverse the global increase in type 2 diabetes and should prove useful for health impact modeling, which frequently forms part of the evidence base for policy decisions.

As mentioned, exercise has long been known to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes; however, now we have a clearer picture of the exact figures behind this effect. As Dr. Brage says:

"These new results add more detail to our understanding of how changes in the levels of physical activity across populations could impact the incidence of disease. They also lend support to policies to increase physical activity at all levels. This means building environments that make physical activity part of everyday life."

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Pork with Blueberry Herb Sauce Recipe

MAKES: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 boneless pork loin chops (6 ounces each)
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon fresh sage or 1/4 teaspoon dried sage leaves

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, pepper, salt and cayenne; sprinkle over pork.

In a large ovenproof skillet coated with cooking spray, brown pork chops. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until a thermometer reads 160°. Remove pork and keep warm.

Add remaining ingredients to the pan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened, about 8 minutes. Serve with pork. Yield: 4 servings.

• Nutritional Facts

1 pork chop with 1/4 cup sauce: 343 calories, 12g fat (5g saturated fat), 87mg cholesterol, 364mg sodium, 25g carbohydrate (21g sugars, 2g fiber), 33g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 5 lean meat, 1 starch, 1/2 fruit.

If you're interested in more recipes for diabetics as well as some alternative diabetes treatments click Here

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J&J warns diabetic patients: Insulin pump vulnerable to hacking

Oct 4 (Reuters) - Johnson & Johnson is telling patients that it has learned of a security vulnerability in one of its insulin pumps that a hacker could exploit to overdose diabetic patients with insulin, though it describes the risk as low.

Medical device experts said they believe it was the first time a manufacturer had issued such a warning to patients about a cyber vulnerability, a hot topic in the industry following revelations last month about possible bugs in pacemakers and defibrillators.

J&J executives told Reuters they knew of no examples of attempted hacking attacks on the device, the J&J Animas OneTouch Ping insulin pump. The company is nonetheless warning customers and providing advice on how to fix the problem.

"The probability of unauthorized access to the OneTouch Ping system is extremely low," the company said in letters sent on Monday to doctors and about 114,000 patients who use the device in the United States and Canada.

"It would require technical expertise, sophisticated equipment and proximity to the pump, as the OneTouch Ping system is not connected to the internet or to any external network."

If you're interested in alternative diabetes treatments click Here

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Veggie Sausage-Cheddar Frittata for Diabetics

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 11 minutes

Vegetable sausage is easier to crumble if you microwave it at HIGH for 15 seconds.
• Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 wedges)
• 
  

Ingredients

• Cooking spray

• 1 green bell pepper, chopped

• 1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms

• 4 (1.3-ounce) frozen vegetable protein sausage patties, thawed and crumbled

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup egg substitute

• 1/4 cup fat-free half-and-half

• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese
• 
  

• Preparation
• Preheat broiler.
• Place a 12-inch ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. 
• Coat pan with cooking spray. 
• Add chopped bell pepper and mushrooms; sauté 3 minutes. 
• Add sausage, salt, and pepper; reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 1 minute.
• Combine egg substitute and half-and-half; carefully pour over sausage mixture. 
• Cover and cook 6 minutes. (Frittata will be slightly moist on top.) 
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Broil 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese melts. Cut into 8 wedges.

• Nutritional Information

  Calories per serving:	184
  Caloriesfromfat per serving:	29%
  Fat per serving:	5.9g
  Saturated fat per serving:	2.5g
  Monounsaturated fat per serving:	0.7g
  Polyunsaturated fat per serving:	1.4g
  Protein per serving:	21g
  Carbohydrate per serving:	10.4g
  Fiber per serving:	3.2g
  Cholesterol per serving:	11mg
  Iron per serving:	3.7mg
  Sodium per serving:	588mg
  Calcium per serving:	154mg

  If you're interested in more recipes for diabetics as well as some alternative diabetes treatments click Here

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Half of America now has type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), about half of the adult population in the U.S. has either pre-diabetes or diabetes. Interestingly, reaction to the findings seems to suggest this is a good thing. In an editorial responding to the findings, William H. Herman, M.D., M.P.H., and Amy E. Rothberg, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, note that the results "...provide a glimmer of hope."

For an alternate method of handing your type 2 diabetes, check out this page

Apparently, this glimmer of hope stems from the study's findings that despite half of the population being pre-diabetic or diabetic, the numbers are showing that the disease is starting to plateau. It's this stabilizing of numbers after nearly two decades of seeing them increase, in addition to widespread health and obesity awareness efforts, that are making experts feel warm and fuzzy over this latest discovery.

Not so fast.

Half the nation being pre-diabetic or diabetic is nothing to be proud of

While it's wonderful that the numbers, which are based on data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, have been shown to be stabilizing rather than growing, the fact remains that half the population is diabetic or pre-diabetic. That's a point not worthy of expressing excitement over. Not only does it mean that people are walking around in droves with blood sugar issues and related health problems, but it also means that they're contributing to the weakening of the economy and a disrupted work environment. After all, diabetes is considered a major cause of death and illness in the United States with approximately $245 billion being lost from reduced productivity and increased use of health resources.

More in line with focusing on the severity of this problem, Herman and Rothberg's editorial points out, "Progress has been made, but expanded and sustained efforts will be required."

That is the kind of thinking that is needed. Continued efforts to fight the obesity epidemic are necessary; hopefully, this stabilization of numbers doesn't lead people to think it's time to back off from instilling the importance of healthy dietary and exercise habits. If anything, to keep these numbers stable and see them decrease, it's critical that the government and consumers continue to step up to the plate and keep health initiatives moving forward.

Efforts to fight obesity, diabetes must continue amid challenges

Such efforts, according the aforementioned editorial, are outlined as follows:

The shift in cultural attitudes toward obesity, the American Medical Association's (AMA's) recognition of obesity as a disease, and the increasing focus on societal interventions to address food policy and the built environment are beginning to address some of the broad environmental forces that have contributed to the epidemic of obesity. The effort of the AMA to promote screening, testing, and referral of high-risk patients for diabetes prevention through its Prevent Diabetes STAT program and the CDC's efforts to increase the availability of diabetes prevention programs, ensure their quality, and promote their use appear to be helping to identify at-risk individuals and provide the infrastructure to support individual behavioral change.

While there are many stories of schools that have swapped pizza and chocolate milk lunches for ones that include vegetables and fruits or workplace efforts whereby employees are encouraged to participate in fitness challenges, there are just as many stories of fast food chains that continue to tempt people of all ages with the likes of double bacon burgers infused with bourbon sauce and oozing mounds of cheese.

Resist junk foods to fight this soda nation mentality and become healthy

We're still a soda nation, stuffing junk food in our carts and mouths, addicted to food additives and sugar.

Stores continue to lure the masses with clever marketing tricks to get us to buy the unhealthy stuff. Colorful packaging, junk foods disguised as healthy "natural" must-haves, and enticing wording encourage folks to toss bad items in their carts day after day.

There is also the temptation to spend just a little bit more for a mega-sized soda, duping the American population into thinking that getting more ounces of sugary concoctions means they're stretching their dollar further. In actuality, what's stretching are our waistlines; more than one-third of Americans are obese. It's no secret that obesity is linked to health issues, including diabetes. The soda nation mentality continues.

To keep these numbers stable, we must stay educated about what's good for our health and do our best to eat foods that keep our weight and overall health in check. We must move past a glimmer of hope and work towards making sure healthy initiatives stay in place and permeate mindsets and actions everywhere. A nation where half of its people are diabetic or pre-diabetic and one-third of the population is obese is shameful, and these issues must continue to be addressed.
For an alternate method of handing your type 2 diabetes, check out this page

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Statin drugs increase risk for diabetes and weight gain

Pfizer's Lipitor (atorvastatin) is a record-breaking drug, a prescription with the highest peak sales of any drug on the market. Statin drugs like this one, along with other brand equivalents and generics, are a medical doctor's go-to "solution" for managing patient's cholesterol levels. These drugs are formulated to alter liver function, reducing the efficiency of a specific liver enzyme that produces cholesterol. Under the spell of statins, liver cells are then more capable of capturing low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from the blood of patients, potentially reducing risk of heart attack and stroke. Statin drugs are often prescribed after one has suffered a major vascular event to prevent future incidents. However, suppressing the natural function of enzymes in the liver may very well invite new problems in the human body.

For an alternate method of handing your type 2 diabetes, check out this page

Taking statins increases type 2 diabetes risk by 12 percent

New research from the University College London (UCL) and the University of Glasgow finds that these statin drugs are more risky than rewarding, increasing risk for diabetes and weight gain. A large-scale analysis investigated the mechanism by which statins increase a patient's risk of type 2 diabetes.

In clinical trials that studied the effect of stain drugs on heart disease and stroke, 130,000 participants also underwent tests to determine diabetes risk in relation to the statin drugs. Over a four-year period, patients on statins gained an excess of 240 grams and were 12 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes versus those on placebo. The researchers were able to see that statins and variants of an enzyme-encoding gene in liver cells had a similar effect for increasing risk for type 2 diabetes and weight gain.

Coauthor Dr. Daniel Swerdlow of the UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science confirmed that the findings were related to the statin drugs that participants were taking. "Commonly occurring variants in the gene encoding the same liver enzyme are associated with a lower LDL-cholesterol," he explained, but "Incorporating information from up to 220 000 individuals, we found that these genetic variants were also associated with a higher weight and marginally higher type 2 diabetes risk."

Swerdlow explained the effects of these genetic variants: "The effects were very much smaller than from statin treatment, but the genetic findings indicate that the weight gainand diabetes risk observed in the analysis from trials are related to the known mechanism of action of statins rather than some other unintended effect."

Statins are a risky way to try and prevent cardiovascular disease

In the study, co-senior author Professor Aroon Hingorani explained that suppressing these specific liver enzymes causes future metabolic distress in patients: "The genetic findings of our study help to explain the mechanism by which statins increase weight and diabetesrisk. However, the effects of the genetic variants are orders of magnitude lower than the effects of statins."

The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommends that doctors prescribe statins for those who are deemed at a 10 percent higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease within the next decade. Broad suggestions like these can catapult entire populations of healthy people on a course with unintended side effects like type 2 diabetes. 

Is controlling cholesterol levels in this way an effective solution or are statins a misleading racket? What are better ways for doctors to encourage patients to maintain a healthy vascular system without the need for these risky statin drugs?

Co-senior author of the study Professor Naveed Sattar recommends, "Many patients eligible for statin treatment would also benefit from lifestyle changes including increased physical activity, eating more healthily and stopping smoking. The modest increases in weight and diabetes risk seen in this study could easily be mitigated by adopting healthier diets and lifestyles. Reinforcing the importance of lifestyle changes when discussing these issues with patients would further enhance the benefit of statin treatment in preventing heart attacks and strokes."

For an alternate method of handing your type 2 diabetes, check out this page

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