The best diet for optimal blood sugar control & health
Videos of the lectures given at the Public Health Collaboration conference 2018 which was held in May over the royal wedding weekend have now been released on You Tube.
You can see my talk, Achieving your optimal blood sugar target, as well as others, on the link below. There are a wide variety of lifestyle topics discussed. Happy viewing.
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=public+health+collaboration+conference+2018
Goats Cheese Rosemary Crackers – 2 Net Carbs
Published on July 13, 2017 at Shirley Yates low carb food blog.
These delicious goats cheese crackers are flavoured with fresh rosemary and make a great gluten free and low carb cracker to have alongside with a dip.
Course: Appetizer
Servings: 12 Crackers
Author: Angela Coleby
Ingredients
1/2 cup (56g) coconut flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Rosemary, fresh
6oz (168g) Goats cheese.
Instructions
Put all ingredients into a food processor and blitz until smooth.
Spoon the mixture onto a piece of parchment paper, then place another piece on top. Gently roll out the dough until about 1 cm thick.
Cut out with a cookie cutter or shape by hand.
Place onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Bake for 18-20 minutes until firm and golden.
Allow to cool or place in the fridge overnight for best results.
Recipe Notes
Makes 12 crackers
Nutritional Info per cracker – 99 Calories, 8g Fat. 4g Protein, 4g Total Carbs, 2g Fibre, 2g Net Carbs
Parents and siblings of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome are more likely than non relatives to develop insulin resistance. The older relatives are, the more likely they are to develop type two diabetes.
Polycystic ovaries affects 4-19% of women of reproductive age. Type 2 diabetes is significantly higher among both the mothers and fathers of women with polycystic ovaries. Both are over twice as likely to be diabetic compared to matched controls. Type two diabetes is more prevalent in the sisters and brothers of those with polycystic ovaries but was not statistically significant. Fasting insulin levels and insulin resistance were significantly higher in the mothers, fathers and sisters of women with polycystic ovaries.
My comment: Doctors tend to regard polycystic ovaries as a gynaecological condition, but this research indicates that it is a disease of insulin resistance and increased likelihood of type two diabetes in the whole family and does not just affect women, but men in the family as well.
Yilmaz B et al. Diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance in mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers of women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Fertil. Steril.2018 June 27 doi:10.1016/j.fertnsert.2018.04.024.PMID:29960703
USA researchers have proven that video games such as Kinect Sports and Just Dance can help overweight children lose weight and improve their cardiovascular risk factors.
Adherence to the programme of one hour three times a week was very high with 94.4 % sticking to the games. 46 families were involved with 23 families in the intervention and control groups.
BMI , blood pressure, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol all improved in the intervention group.
The study was funded by the AHA.
Ingredients
9 Eggs (medium)
300g Dark Chocolate (minimum 72% cocoa)
150g Inulin Powder
70g Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
30ml Double Cream
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Method
(makes approx. 18 servings)
Pre-heat the oven to 140°C. Melt the chocolate in a heat proof bowl over hot water (bain-marie) then stir through the double cream. Whilst the chocolate is melting separate the egg yolks and egg whites into two bowls. Whip the whites to form soft peaks. Combine the egg yolks with the inulin very gently (do not mix). Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg yolks then sift in the cocoa powder and add the vanilla and combine together. Fold in the egg whites. Pour into a large round spring form cake tin (buttered if non-stick or lined if not) and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Remove and allow to cool so the cake comes away from the sides of the tin slightly. Serve with berries and a dollop of cream!
Lucozade just isn’t what it used to be. With the sugar tax affecting the diabetics favourite emergency beverage the Independent Diabetes Trust have compiled a list of substitutes that you may wish to use.
For shear portability and cuteness Emma and I are great fans of Jelly Babies but you may have your own.
5-7 Dextrosol
4-5 Glucotabs
60 mls Glucojuice (one bottle)
150-200mls pure fruit juice
3-4 heaped teaspoons of sugar dissolved in water
4-5 Jelly Babies
An Australian study has shown that getting a good sleep at night and being active during the day was the most effective way to boost mood in retirees.
105 people took part in the Life After Work study. They were followed for six month before retirement to 12 months afterwards. They carefully logged their activities and their mood was measured.
The time spent on chores, physical activity, quiet time, screen time, self care, sleep, transport and work, all changed over this period of time. The most favourable substitution was replacing work time with physical activity and sleep. Replacing work with screen time and social activity showed less effect on mood enhancement.
After retirement, depression, anxiety and stress all reduced.
Olds T et al One day you will wake up and won’t have to go to work: The impact of changes in time use on mental health following retirement. PLoS ONE.2018;13(6);e0199605.doi:101371/journal.pone.0199605. PMID:29953472
The Royal College of General Practitioners have recently released an educational programme for UK doctors which they have very kindly allowed me to link to our website.
I recorded this over a year ago and I think the college held off production until their type two diabetes low carb course was also released for doctors.
This means that the RCGP joins the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists as supporters of low carbing for both type one and two diabetes. Surely the other clinical associations and Royal Colleges will follow in due course?
The screencast includes information on diagnosis, emergency situations, blood sugar and dietary management and contraception.
“I have also separately produced an educational screencast on Diabetes in adults (type 1), children and young people (type 1&2) for the Royal College of General Practitioners in my role as an RCGP Clinical Adviser”
http://elearning.rcgp.org.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=8368
Dr Malcolm Kendrick recently discussed a paper in which computers analysed routine clinical data from UK GP practices to identify the factors that most accurately predicted a cardiovascular event over the next ten years. All the 378,256 people whose records were analysed were initially free of cardiovascular disease and 48 variables were identified.
The top ten things that were most likely to see you in hospital with a heart attack or stroke, in order, were:
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Prescribed oral steroids
Older age
Severe mental illness
South Asian ethnicity
Prescribed immunosuppressants
Socio-economic deprivation
Chronic Kidney Disease
The least predictive were LDL, Forced expiratory volume ( a measure of asthma) and AST/ALT ( a measure of liver function). Total cholesterol was 25th.
Can machine learning improve cardiovascular risk prediction using routine clinical data? http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0174944
A survey by Walnut Unlimited asked 1,000 UK people, what can the effects of having diabetes be?
None of them were aware of the pregnancy related consequences of diabetes.
2% knew about stroke, 4% about kidney damage, and 6% about heart disease. Similarly low numbers knew that diabetes is related to a shorter life span. A quarter of those surveyed however did know that amputation and sight loss were complications of diabetes.
Diabetes affects more individuals in the UK than any other serious health condition such as dementia or cancer. 3.7 million people in the UK have diabetes. There are 8,700 diabetes related amputations and 1,600 cases of visual impairment every year.
Diabetic complications can be minimised or avoided by early diagnosis, education and support.
