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Monday 31 October 2016

Animal fat bounces back: Consumption is on the rise with push from millennials

Dive Brief:
  • About 13% of all survey respondents said they would be willing to consume animal fats, up 9% from last year. Also, 9% of respondents said they increased their consumption of animal fats, an uptick of over 6% of respondents the year before.
  • Millennials showed an even bigger increase in consuming animal fats, increasing to 24% from the 15% who had eaten them last year. One in five millennials said they ate more animal fats this year, over just 13% last year.
Dive Insight:

Animal fats that were once taboo have resurfaced as public opinion of the healthiness of them has evolved. Fat products include lard and tallow in their natural, minimally-processed form, without the addition of artificial trans fats that hydrogenated shortenings often contain.

This drastic shift in perception of animal fat comes in part from the discovery that the sugar industry may have manipulated research that said fats were unhealthy. Health experts and the federal government based their long-held recommendations that consumers should avoid saturated fats off of these studies. But more recent research implicates that the sugar industry skewed these results to shift the blame for heart disease and other chronic illnesses.

Other recent studies have found that it may be better for consumers to embrace rather than avoid saturated fats, particularly in meat and full-fat dairy, which has also seen a resurgence. As fat bounces back and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration redefines the term "healthy" to allow saturated fats in better-for-you products, manufacturers may be more likely to add ingredients like lard and tallow to their recipes to offer in-demand health benefits.


Graham

Halloween 2016 Fun Count Down The Low Carb Way !

These two are certainly looking forward to more Halloween fun
this mobile phone picture taken last year 2015


Now here they are having chosen their pumpkins 2016

and here are the finished results (the third one is their friends)


all dressed for the evenings festivities



Now for a few fun food suggestions !


These Friendly Zombie Eyes Can Be So Healthy For Halloween !
more details here




How about some Spookily Friendly Peppers For Halloween !
more details here



Then there are Strawberry Scareberries
you may have recently seen them here

Pumpkin Spice Muffins... made the low carb way
see more details here

Halloween Mummy Dogs ... always fun
the details are here

How about some warming Halloween soup?
this Roast Red Pepper & Tomato Soup is nice
see details here


Whatever you are doing on the evening of 31st October,
and I know not everyone welcomes Halloween, stay safe and take care ...

Why not use some of these fun food ideas for Fireworks Night on 5th November

All the best Jan

Ricotta Almond Cake : Low Carb


This lovely low carb cake recipe is from Ewelina's blog and she describes it as "something between cheesecake and regular cake. It's quite heavy but velvety and smooth inside with a gentle hint of lemon zest. If you like marzipan you will enjoy that this aromatic cake is packed with the sweet flavour of almonds. It is extremely easy to make with a short list of ingredients, and it doesn't take much time to bake. The cake is very moist and tastes much better the next day."

Here are the ingredients you will need:
240 g ground almonds
250 g ricotta cheese
170 g xylitol, powdered (or any other sweetener of your choice which is equivalent of 170g of sugar)
4 eggs
Zest from 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
60g almond flakes


Here is what you do:
1. Preheat oven to 160 C / 375 F / Gas Mark 5
.
2. Line a 20 cm loose bottom cake tin with baking paper
3. Using electric mixer beat egg yolks with xylitol, add ricotta, vanilla extract, lemon zest and ground almond and briefly mix to combine the mixture.
4. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks. Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into ricotta mixture to loosen and then fold in the rest.
5. Spread the mixture in the tin, sprinkle the almond flakes on the top and bake for about 50 minutes.
6. Cool it down and refrigerate it overnight. Dust with powdered xylitol before serving.


Most importantly sit down and enjoy a slice ...

In case you'd like to know:
Whole Cake has 67g carbohydrate
One slice 1/12th of cake is 5.6g carbohydrate

Definitely time to put the kettle on - wouldn't you agree !


All the best Jan

Sunday 30 October 2016

Thank you to each and every one of you two million views ... and still rising!

Little did we know that when we first started our humble blog ... that the 30th October 2016 would see us reaching over two million views ... and still rising!

So, to all those who started following the blog in those early days - that stayed with us - that keep on supporting us. We say thank you to each and every one of you.


Of course, over the years we have welcomed many new readers from all around the world, and to those who are slightly newer readers and followers ... we also say welcome and thank you.


Thank you to everyone - you are appreciated

Our original profile states:

"We are a small band of diabetics all low carbers. Posting links to diabetes related articles and low carb food advice. In our spare time we like to lampoon the spreaders of fear and misinformation. Welcome to the crazy world of diabetes."

Our Interests: "Challenging the outdated dogma that believes diabetics should base their diet on blood glucose raising carbohydrates, and demolishing the myths that says saturated fat causes chronic disease."

Our Favourite books include "Dr.Richard Bernstein The Diabetes Solution, Gary Taubes The Diet Delusion, Dr. Malcolm Kendrick The Cholestrol Con. "

In more recent times the blog has taken on a more magazine type feel with a widening of articles, news, views, recipes, some personal stories, and our ever popular Saturday Night Is Music Night Spot.

The team's main concern is still with diabetes and the better control of it by following a LCHF lifestyle, but more and more people, who are not diabetic, have been discovering this lifestyle and seeing for themselves the improvement in health and well-being it can give.

None of the low carb team are medical professionals. The articles you read are personal views but often link to both medical and scientific studies.

Jan is the only one of the team who is not a diabetic, but being married to Eddie a Type 2 diabetic, and seeing how this LCHF lifestyle can and does help so many, it just made sense to her to live the lifestyle and join the small team.

The low carb team are always busy, both on the blog and behind the scenes, working hard to promote the LCHF lifestyle. We enjoy finding and posting a wide selection of articles for the blog, and will continue to do so. We present articles, news items, thoughts, recipe ideas, some music and even a cartoon every now and then for all to read. It is a mix which we hope includes something for everyone to read and enjoy!

We would like to to say a big thank you to ALL our readers, and those who do take time to stop and leave a thought or comment, you are appreciated.

Included here are just a few thank you's from the many different countries who use this blog, with some apologies, because we know there are many languages that do not appear here.

THANK YOU to all.

merci, danke, tak, terima kasih, xie xie, grazie, dziekuje, obrigado, spasibo, gracias, tack, tesekkür ederim, do jeh, Дякую, thank you.

Good Luck and Good Health To All

Just one last thing - if you would like to find out more about the LCHF lifestyle, then please read Introduction to low-carb for beginners, it's free of charge and you can find it here

From Jan, Eddie and Graham - 'the low carb team'

Broccoli and Chicken Courgette/ Zucchini Boats


This really does make a tasty lunch ... or supper dish. Well really it's up to you dear reader when you may choose to eat this. "The filling on the inside is just perfect and really comes together with all of the flavours. It’s almost a chicken vegetable medley with cheese and sour cream holding everything together."

Ingredients:
Serves Two
10 oz. Courgette / Zucchini (2 large courgette / zucchini, hollowed out)
2 tbsp. Butter
3 oz. Cheddar Cheese, shredded / grated
1 cup Broccoli
6 oz. Rotisserie Chicken, shredded
2 tbsp. Sour Cream
1 stalk Green Onion
Salt and Pepper to taste


This makes a total of 2 servings and each serving comes out to be:
34g Fats, 5g Net Carbs, and 30g Protein.

How about adding "bacon as it’s a perfect addition to this. Aside from adding extra sour cream, you could do a light drizzle of ranch on top just to make the flavours pop that much more!"

Please go across to see the preparation and cooking step by step guide here

We love broccoli in our house - it's very nutritious


Did you know that Broccoli contains almost 5 times as much vitamin C, 8 times as much Calcium,
and almost 2.5 times as much Fibre as Potato.

All the best Jan

Saturday 29 October 2016

Izzy Bizu - Lost Paradise in the 1Xtra Live Lounge

Last one for tonight have a good weekend folks
Graham

Michael Kiwanuka - One More Night in the 1Xtra Live Lounge

I've featured this guy before like his voice
Graham

Matt Dusk et Florence K - Somethin' Stupid

One for Jan one of her favourite songs and artists Matt Dusk. Apart from good looks, talent and money, I don't know what she sees in him. Eddie  

Royal Marines Band - A Life On The Ocean Wave

As regular readers know, Saturday night is music night on this blog. This splendid piece of marching music is dedicated to Professor Tim Noakes. Countless thousands stand behind him, in his march against dietary stupidity, corruption and greed. Eddie


'Council wants to destroy Tim Noakes'

Professor Tim Noakes is an A1 rated science professor, the highest rating possible. Although he has always stayed fit (he runs regular marathons) he became a type two diabetic. To cut a long story short, he reversed his type two diabetes with a low carb higher healthy fat diet and zero medication. Tim wants everyone to know how he has turned his health around. He is a man on a mission. The bottom line, he recommends whole fresh non starchy food and regular modest exercise. Little did he know or realise, the dark forces of greed and corruption, that permeates the world of dietetics, would turn full force against him.

"In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act"



Eddie

From the SA Argos  

Cape Town - Professor Tim Noakes is the subject of a vendetta by the Health Professions Council of South Africa, which wants to destroy his career, his lawyer has claimed.

This comes after the council issued a statement on Friday saying Noakes was guilty of unprofessional conduct.

The statement sent after conclusion of the council’s hearing this week on allegations Noakes gave “unconventional” and “dangerous” medical advice about breastfeeding on Twitter. Hours later, however, after releasing the guilty verdict statement, the council issued a retraction and an apology, but by then the “verdict” had gone viral.


“The previous statement is retracted and we apologise for incorrectly stating that Prof Tim Noakes was found guilty by the professional conduct committee,” read the statement from the council. The Noakes inquiry is, in fact, set to conclude in April .

Adam Pike, an attorney for Noakes, reacted angrily to the initial statement. “This is deliberate. It’s an intent to destroy the reputation of one of South Africa’s greatest scientists. “It’s symptomatic of how the matter has been run. This is so irregular and so incorrect on so many levels.

“There’s a personal vendetta and I don’t know where it comes from.”

Pike also attacked what he said was the council’s lack of professionalism. “The council is a regulator of the profession. They have failed in their duty.” The statutory body regulates health workers.

If it finds Noakes guilty, his licence could be revoked.

Weekend Argus on Friday contacted Noakes via his office, and his personal assistant, Megan Lofthouse, said the council wanted to discredit the professor. “I don’t know why they would even do that (send out the incorrect statement) unless it was to further incriminate him on a totally unjustified matter. It’s just totally incorrect.

“Our feeling is that the hearing went very well in our favour but obviously we can’t say yet what the committee will decide.” Noakes referred all queries to Pike.

Council spokeswoman Daphney Chuma said the PR department was to blame for the “guilty” verdict on Friday. “The mistake is attributed to the PR department. It’s not our legal team.”

It appeared from Chuma’s comments the council had prepared the guilty verdict statement and was prepared to send it out when the hearing concludes.

“There was no communication breakdown. We sent a wrong statement. It was issued by myself,” said Chuma.

The initial statement opened with the line: “Professor Tim Noakes, a professor at the University of Cape Town, was found guilty of unprofessional conduct.

“This is after he provided unconventional advice on breastfeeding babies on social media which was not in accordance with the norms and standards of his profession.

“Professor Noakes testified and called all of his witnesses in defence of his case. The witnesses were cross-examined.” The council said further it “now closed its case and there are no further witnesses to be called”. The council said proceedings had been adjourned until April 4 and 5.

“The only outstanding issue is that of argument of the matter. The matter will then be argued before the (professional conduct) committee, which will then deliberate on the issue and come to a decision between April 6 to 7.

“A judgment/verdict on the matter will be issued on Friday, April 21, 2017 by the committee.”

Noakes was accused of giving “unconventional” and “dangerous” medical advice in February 2014 after a woman had asked him on social media whether he’d recommend a low-carb, high-fat diet to breast-feeding mothers.

Noakes said his answer - that the breast milk would be very healthy - had initially been deemed as potentially “deadly”.


Latest update taken from here.


Butternut Squash Soup with Chicken, Coconut and Ginger : Dairy Free


For those of us who live in the Northern Hemisphere it really is the time of year to be thinking about delicious, warming soups. Take this one for example, it's a great moderate/low carb and dairy free recipe idea from Swedish chef Birgitta Höglund (pictured below) who has featured on the Diet Doctor site and also has a low carb/Paleo recipe blog with more delicious recipes.



This butternut-squash soup is wholesome, warming and dairy-free - not only does this soup have such a vibrantly beautiful color, - butternut squash also contains a lot of beneficial nutrients. Reason perhaps to include this vegetable in our menu plans ...

This recipe is from Birgitta’s cookbook 'Low Carb High Fat and Paleo Slow Cooking' where the ethos is "Many people simply prefer to eat simple, natural food without preservatives" ... sounds good to me.


Here are the ingredients you will need to serve four people:
(14g carbs per serving)

1 butternut squash, about 2.2 lbs (1kg)
3 1⁄3 oz. (100 ml) coconut oil (with coconut flavor)
½ – 1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
1 2-inch (5 cm) piece of fresh ginger
2 cloves of garlic
6¼ fl. oz. (200 ml) finely chopped leek, white only
1 tablespoon turmeric
3 1⁄3 fl. oz. (100 ml) homemade chicken stock or 1 organic chicken stock cube + 3⅓ fl. oz. (100 ml) water
2 cups (500 ml) coconut cream
3½ fl. oz. (400 ml) water
Juice from 1 lime
1 2⁄3 cups (400 ml) shredded cooked chicken

The Preparation/Cooking Instructions are on Diet Doctor site here

"Butternut squash is one of the most nutritious and healthiest vegetables you can eat, with a rich array of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as well as significant amounts of digestive fiber. It not only tastes great, it is also low in calories, yet surprisingly filling. Many people would do well to replace fattening potato products with the far healthier and nutritionally superior butternut squash" ... find out more here



Hope you may enjoy a delicious bowl of this soup soon

All the best Jan

Friday 28 October 2016

Could dogs be given statins?

Heart treatment which only costs £1.20 a day could give your pooch an extra 15 MONTHS of life

  • Pimobendan is usually given to dogs that already have heart disease
  • It opens up the blood vessels that carry the blood to and from the heart
  • New research suggests that dogs with enlarged hearts should be preemptively given the drug 
In a 'major breakthrough' for canine research, a heart treatment could give a lifeline to millions of dogs around the world.

The treatment delays the onset of mitral valve disease (MVD), which is the leading cause of death in many species of dog.
The drug, pimobendan, is usually given to dogs that already have heart disease, and only costs £1.20 a day. 

The research comes from the Royal Veterinary College in London, where researchers have tested the drug over seven years in 360 dogs from 11 countries. 

The results suggest that giving the drug to high-risk dogs with enlarged hearts - a known warning sign of the condition - delays the onset of heart failure by an average of 15 months.

Pimobendan is usually given to dogs that have already been diagnosed with heart disease.

The drug works by opening up the blood vessels that carry the blood to and from the heart. 

This reduces the work the dog's heart has to do to pump the blood around its body, and increases the strength of the dog's heart beat, improving the pumping action.

It costs 60p per 1.25mg tablet in the UK (the price varies from around 60 cents to $1.20 per 1.25mg tablet in the US), which small dogs will need to take twice a day.

Professor Adrian Boswood, from the Royal Veterinary College, who led the study, said: 'This is a major breakthrough in treatment and could extend the lives of dogs around the world.

'Up until now, vets and dog owners had no choice but to wait until their dog developed heart failure before they could receive effective treatment. 

'This ground-breaking research and treatment offers a lifeline to millions of dogs, by delaying heart failure for up to 15 months.'

MVD mostly affects small dog breeds including cavalier King Charles spaniels, dachshunds, miniature poodles and terriers.

Cavalier King Charles spaniels are about 20 times more vulnerable than average to the disease.

Broadcaster Gloria Hunniford, who owns two cavalier King Charles spaniels, Roxy, four, and eight-year-old Gemma, said: 'Our beautiful dog Gemma was diagnosed with a heart condition after she collapsed earlier this year, but before that we saw no real signs that she might be unwell. 

'Thankfully, she's doing well with the right medication.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

Pimobendan is not a statin so I presume Big Pharma is eyeing another lucrative market for them.

Just checked and nope it's not April 1st 

Graham

The benefits of high cholesterol

People with high cholesterol live the longest.

The Cholesterol Myths by Uffe Ravnskov, MD, PhD


This statement seems so incredible that it takes a long time to clear one´s brainwashed mind to fully understand its importance. Yet the fact that people with high cholesterol live the longest emerges clearly from many scientific papers.1 But let us take a look at heart mortality,the risk of dying from a heart attack if cholesterol is high.

Consider for instance the finding by Dr.Harlan Krumholz of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Yale University, who reported that old people with low cholesterol died twice as often from a heart attack as did old people with a high cholesterol.2 Supporters of the cholesterol campaign consistently ignore his observation, or consider it as a rare exception, the result of chance among a huge number of studies finding the opposite.

But it is not an exception; there are now a large number of findings that contradict the lipid hypothesis. To be more specific, almost all studies of old people have shown that high cholesterol is not a risk fact for coronary heart disease. This was the result of my search in the Medline database for studies addressing that question.3 Eleven studies of old people came up with that result, and a further seven found that high cholesterol did not predict all-cause mortality either, and more such studies have been published since then.

I have mentioned it before, but it is worth repeating, that more than 90 percent of those who die from a heart attack or a stroke have passed the age of 65. You may also recall that high cholesterol is not a risk factor for women, nor for a number of other population groups.

But there is more comfort for those who have high cholesterol. At least fifteen studies found that total mortality was inversely associated with either total or LDL-cholesterol, or both. This means that it is actually much better to have high than to have low cholesterol if you want to live to be very old.


More on this paper here.

Eddie

Autumn Colours and Works of Art ... through the eyes of children

Do you remember seeing this from a previous post here


well now they have created some lovely colourful Autumnal trees
here's one


and here's another


works of art from two of the grandchildren

Autumn is such a good time to enjoy fun walks and picking up natures colourful bounty,
many a fun Autumn craft to be enjoyed - wouldn't you agree !

and if you think, that's strange Jan hasn't posted a recipe today


this low carb Provençal Chicken dish is nice, see it here

All the best Jan

Thursday 27 October 2016

Statin Use Linked to Increased Parkinson's Risk

BALTIMORE — New findings from a large national claims database show the use of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs to be associated with an increased risk for Parkinson's disease (PD), contrary to previous research suggesting the drugs have a protective effect for PD.
"We identified 20,000 Parkinson's disease patients and looked at whether using statins was associated with a higher or lower risk, and we found people using statins have a higher risk of the disease, so this is the opposite of what has been hypothesized," senior author Xuemei Huang, MD, PhD, vice chair for research at Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, told Medscape Medical News.
While high cholesterol has been shown to have a protective effect on the risk for PD, the role of statin use has been the subject of debate.
Among studies supporting a benefits was research published in 2012 in the Archives of Neurology showing a "modest Parkinson's disease reduction" with the use of statins.
In looking at the issue in a previous study of their own, Dr Huang and colleagues in fact found an increased risk associated with statin use, and they sought in the new study to further explore the association in a much larger cohort.
For the new study, presented here at the American Neurological Association (ANA) 2016 Annual Meeting, the researchers turned to data from the MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database, including information on 30,343,035 persons aged 40 to 65 years between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2012.
Of the subjects, 21,559 were identified as having PD on the basis of criteria of having a primary or secondary diagnosis, using anti-Parkinson's medication, or having deep-brain stimulation surgery.
In the cross-sectional analysis, the use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, including statins or nonstatins, was associated with a significantly higher prevalence of Parkinson's disease (odds ratio [OR], 1.61 - 1.67; P < .0001) after adjustment for age, sex, and other comorbidities, such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.
For a comparative neurodegenerative group, the researchers also looked at the association of statin with diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease but found only a minimal association (OR, 1.01 - 1.12; P = .055).
The associations of cholesterol-lowering medications with PD were strongest among patients with hyperlipidemia, and there were no significant differences between lipophilic or hydrophilic statins, as well as the other nonstatin cholesterol-lowering drugs, in their effect on PD risk.
"We know that overall weight of the literature favors that higher cholesterol is associated with beneficial outcomes in Parkinson's disease, so it's possible that statins take away that protection by treating the high cholesterol," Dr Huang explained.
"Another possibility is that statins can block not only the cholesterol synthesis but also synthesis of coenzyme Q10 that is essential for cell function."
The researchers also stratified persons according to how long they had been receiving treatment by using a lagged matched case-control analysis of 2458 pairs of PD cases and controls.
In the cross-sectional analysis, both statins and nonstatin cholesterol-lowering drugs were associated with PD, but in the lagged case-control analysis of treatment duration, only statins remained significantly associated with PD risk.
The highest risk was linked to the earlier period after starting statins (OR, 1.93 for less than 1 year of use; 1.83 for 1 to 2.5 years; and 1.37 for 2.5 years or more; P trend < .0001).
"The increased risk of Parkinson's is more likely when statins are first used, so we think it could be that the statins 'unmasked' Parkinson's," Dr. Huang said. "Namely, people may be already on the way to Parkinson's and when they use statins to control the high cholesterol, it gives Parkinson's a push to reveal its clinical symptoms.
"Based on this data, we think caution should be taken before advancing statins to be protective of Parkinson's disease," she added. "The data are not clear yet."
meta-analysis published earlier this year in the journal Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safetysuggests that one reason for the inconsistencies in evidence of the role of statins is that many studies fail to adjust for cholesterol levels.
In that report, studies that did not make the adjustment showed a protective effect of statins (relative risk, 0.75), but those that did adjust for cholesterol or hyperlipidemia showed no protective effect: Those adjusting for hyperlipidemia had a relative risk of 0.91, and for cholesterol, the relative risk was 1.04.
"The apparent protective effect of statins on risk of Parkinson's disease is at least partially explained by confounding by statin indication," the authors said.
In addition, a separate meta-analysis published in the Journal of Neurology in 2013 suggested that there is a significant publication bias in recent literature toward reporting protective effects of statins in PD.
"The current study is one of very few studies reporting potential negative effects of statin in Parkinson's disease," Dr Huang noted.
The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine-Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, General Clinical Research Center (GCRC), GCRC Construction, and the Center for Applied Studies in Health Economics. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Graham

Thought for the day.


Eddie

Came in to us as a comment from a reader, worthy of it's own post.

"I don't know who is getting paid off by whom....but.....I DO know this. On Jan 1st of this year we removed from our daily diet; anything yeast raised (so breads and pastas), condiments, sweet treats, deep fried anythings and severely restricted our dairy intake to plain yoghurt, a drip of milk for himself's coffee and the odd slice of cheese. We eat meat and fresh produce, whole grain rice and oatmeal, eggs and the aforementioned dairy products. We cook everything ourselves and seldom eat out. Since initiating this new food plan we feel better, have less bloating and gas AND I have dropped 40 pounds with no effort whatsoever. I firmly believe a low carb diet is the best way to go.. ."

Comment made on this post here.

Eddie

Thai Pumpkin Soup : LCHF


Deep orange. Wonderfully spicy, exotic and fragrant. Rich and satisfying. A low carb high fat Thai pumpkin soup for cold, rainy days. And it’s dairy-free, too!

INGREDIENTS:
Makes 6½ cups
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger root
2 teaspoons crushed garlic
2 tablespoons Thai red curry paste (The heat of different brands of Thai red curry paste vary in heat, so if unsure add less curry past to start off with. You can always add more later.)
2 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
2 cups water
500 g pumpkin cubes, cut smaller (perhaps buy the packets of cubed pumpkin, but to speed up the cooking process, cut each cube into three or four smaller pieces. Choose the brightest orange pumpkin you can get.)
2 tablespoons tomato paste

400 g can coconut cream
1 tablespoon Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt to taste
milled black pepper to taste
toasted pumpkin seeds to garnish
chopped chives to garnish
cayenne pepper to garnish


METHOD:
1. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot and sauté the onion and ginger. Add the garlic and red curry paste; stir-fry for 30 seconds.
2. Add the chicken stock (or vegetable stock), water, pumpkin and tomato paste. Stir well. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer partially covered for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally.
3. Add the coconut cream, fish sauce and lemon juice. Simmer partially covered for a further 5 minutes.
4. Remove from the heat. Liquidise until smooth (you can use a stick blender). Add salt if need be (taste first – the fish sauce is very salty) and black pepper to taste. Reheat if necessary.
5. Spoon into bowls. Sprinkle with rows of pumpkin seeds, chopped chives and a little cayenne pepper.

You can keep this soup covered in the fridge for several days.

Recipe idea by Dalene Crafford and also on Sugar Free Revolution site here

If you should need help with measurement equivalents see here
This warming soup is just right for the cooler months, hope you may enjoy some soon ...


... thought I'd leave you with this Autumnal arrangement, hope you like it

All the best Jan

Wednesday 26 October 2016

Chipotle and kale frittata


This is a wonderful one-pan dish, topped with tomato and mint salsa. Each serving is just 5.2g carb so suits many who live the LCHF lifestyle ... and even if you're just looking for a tasty frittata, this fits the bill so well!

Ingredients:

Serves Four
For the frittata:
1 tbsp olive oil
100 g kale, washed and chopped
1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips
2 spring onions, (scallions) finely diced
4 whisked eggs with a pinch of salt
1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
For the mint and tomato salsa:
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
handful of torn mint
1 clove garlic, finely minced
8 slices of jalapeno from a jar, drained on a kitchen towel and finely chopped
half a red onion, (sliced into half moons)
juice of 1 lime
pinch of paprika
salt and olive oil to dress the salsa

Method:
For the frittata:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C / fan 160˚C/ gas mark 4.
2. Using a small frying (skillet) pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the kale, peppers and spring onions (scallions). Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour in the eggs, sprinkle over the chipotle and transfer to the oven to cook for around 5 minutes, or until the eggs are evenly cooked.
For the salsa:
1. To prepare the salsa, add all the ingredients to a small mixing bowl, and mix until all the vegetables are thoroughly covered.
2. To serve, remove the frittata from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes then top with the salsa and serve straight to the table.

Each serving provides:
5.2g carbohydrate 2.4g fibre 9.1g protein 8.8g fat

Recipe idea is from Shelina Permalloo. She is an English cook, author and winner of the MasterChef 2012 UK TV show competition.

It's just a thought - but this recipe may also work well with spinach. If you'd like to read more about Frittata's and quiches see here

I thought I'd also share some autumnal flowers, image from here

All the best Jan

Tuesday 25 October 2016

Thousands Sue for Damages Against Cholesterol Drugs as Big Pharma Defends Billion Dollar Industry

The $100 billion dollar cholesterol-lowering statin drug industry is under attack, as thousands of Americans are filing lawsuits against the manufacturers of cholesterol-lowering drugs such as Lipitor. Research continues to confirm just how dangerous these drugs are, with yet another study published recently linking increased statin drug use to type 2 diabetes.

Since the study was published by the American Diabetes Association, these known risks to cholesterol-lowering drugs can no longer be denied or defended, and the lawsuits are pouring in at a rapid pace. Most of the lawsuits at this point are from women who have suffered with diabetes as a result of taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, but lawsuits over breast cancer, Alzheimer’s, liver damage, and others may soon follow now that it is generally known how dangerous these drugs are.

This information regarding a tsunami of lawsuits against cholesterol drug manufacturers has yet to be widely published by the mainstream media, however. To find out the magnitude of the lawsuits being filed against statin drug manufacturers, we turn to law firms who are reaping the fruit of litigation against Big Pharma.

According to statistics supplied by various law firms, there were 464 claims filed against Lipitor as of April 15, 2014, which increased to 703 by May 15, and then to 846 by June 16. By mid-July 2014 over 959 claims have been filed for damages due to Lipitor alone, and that increased in August to 1162. There are also many claims currently filed against Crestor, the next nearest competitor to Lipitor, and undoubtedly other similar drugs now sold under generic labels. These lawsuits now number well over 1,200, and are increasing at a rapid pace.

Lipitor is by far the most profitable drug in the history of mankind among all pharmaceutical products, let alone being the most profitable cholesterol drug before its patent expired at the end of 2011. Sales to date from this one particular cholesterol-lowering statin drug have exceeded $140 billion.

Lipitor benefited from the change in marketing laws in 1997 that allowed pharmaceutical companies in the U.S. to advertise their products directly to consumers. Pfizer convinced an entire generation of Americans that they needed a pill to lower their cholesterol in order to prevent heart disease, in what will go down as one of the most brilliant and unethical marketing schemes of all time.

After Lipitor’s patent expired at the end of 2011, the FDA issued its first warnings against statin drugs, which includes: liver injury, memory loss, diabetes, and muscle damage. Soon after issuing these warnings, the lawsuits started trickling in. Today, with more and more studies being published linking statin drug use to various side effects, those lawsuits have become a tidal wave, even though you are not likely to hear about this in the mainstream media.

Big Pharma Fights Back – They Do Not Want you to Know Cholesterol Drugs are Worthless and Dangerous

As is often the case when learning about the criminal activities of Big Pharma, much of the research is conducted outside of the U.S. The above referenced study published recently by the American Diabetes Association, for example, was conducted in Italy.

Since the patent on Lipitor has expired, pharmaceutical companies have been searching for the next big blockbuster cholesterol drug to bring in profits like Lipitor did. One of these newer cholesterol-lowering drugs is U.S.-made Zetia by Merck. Alberto Donzelli, head of education, appropriateness, and evidence-based medicine at Milan’s public health authority in Italy, has issued warnings about the dangers of this drug, and advised doctors in Italy not to prescribe it. Merck responded with two cease-and-desist orders and the threat of suing Donzelli. Donzelli backed down, but Merck has received a lot of public pressure in Europe since the story was picked up by the British Medical Journal. It was also reported in the Wall Street Journal here in the U.S. When doctors and medical professionals oppose Big Pharma, they put their careers and sometimes their lives on the line.

The fact that cholesterol is not responsible for heart disease, and that cholesterol-lowering drugs provide no statistical advantages to prolonging life by reducing heart attacks, has been widely reported for many years now by those of us in the alternative health media. One mainstream media source in Australia, however, decided to air a documentary on the Cholesterol Myth and “Cholesterol Drug Wars”. The show featured Dr. MaryAnne Demasi and interviewed several doctors and health officials who dared to tell the truth regarding the cholesterol drug scam. It was broadcast by ABC Australia in late 2013, under vigorous protests from the pharmaceutical industry. The videos were eventually removed from their website, and the network issued a statement retracting their endorsement of the show. However, they can still be seen on YouTube for now (watch them here.)

What’s Next in the Cholesterol Drug Wars?

One in four Americans over the age of 45 are currently on statin drugs. In spite of the increased research linking these drugs to diabetes, Alzheimer’s Disease, liver damage, breast cancer, among many others (see: Consumer Alert: 300+ Health Problems Linked To Statin Drugs), government-funded Big Pharma agencies continue to promote statin drugs and are attempting to get more Americans to take them. New guidelines put out by the American Heart Association earlier this year (2014) would more than double the number of Americans taking statin drugs. Big Pharma educated doctors and health officials have been so indoctrinated by the cholesterol theory of heart disease, that there have actually been debates about adding cholesterol lowering drugs to drinking water! In their minds, every person on the planet should be taking these cholesterol-lowering drugs.

However, as we are seeing, Americans are starting to wake up to the Cholesterol Myth and the Statin Drug scam, and those injured by these drugs are seeking damages in litigation at a very fast pace here in 2014, in spite of the mainstream media blackout due to intimidation from Big Pharma.

So what’s next?

If we follow the pattern of Big Pharma when their products can no longer be supported in a free market due to lack of consumer confidence and demand, and massive litigation due to faulty products, they will probably seek some kind of government protection from these lawsuits. Such government protection will allow them to distribute their cholesterol drugs through government drug programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and the new Obamacare. With the baby boomer generation heading into their senior years, it is just too large of a market for them to give up without a fight.

The logic they will use with politicians in Washington D.C. will be very similar to the logic currently used by the vaccine market: Americans are too stupid to know better, so we need laws to protect us and our products against litigation so we can continue to manufacture and distribute them to people who don’t want them, because they don’t realize how much they need our drugs.

This logic is clearly seen in the above referenced American Diabetes study on statins, where they state in their conclusion: “Benefits of statins in reducing cardiovascular events clearly overwhelm the diabetes risk.” In other words, we need to sacrifice those who are harmed by our products for “the greater good” of society, because our drugs are necessary for public health.

Another study linking statin drugs to an increased rate of diabetes was just published in Scotland:

The team from Glasgow University calculated that use of statins increased the risk of type-2 diabetes by around 12 per cent after four years. Those taking the drugs also gained an average of around 240g in weight.

But after identifying that statins had this effect due to the same mechanism which led to them reducing cholesterol, the researchers said the drugs still did more good than harm and patients should continue to take them as directed. (Source)

Do you see the “logic”? “We know our products destroy your health, but we believe they prevent heart disease, so the benefit out-weighs the risk. You need these drugs.”

This kind of logic and legal protection against their dangerous products is exactly what happened in 1986, when Big Pharma convinced Congress that vaccines were necessary for public health, in spite of the fact that they were causing great harm and sales were slumping, while they were incurring great legal bills in litigation. They threatened Congress to stop manufacturing vaccines due to all the litigation, and Congress obliged by passing legislation that removed all legal liability for damages due to vaccines. That law was then upheld years later, in 2011, by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Today, you cannot sue Big Pharma for damages due to their vaccines, which has resulted in the U.S. administering more vaccines per child than any other country in the world. Without legal protection, the industry would not have survived. Or if it had survived, we would have far fewer and far safer vaccines in the marketplace today.

Instead, we mass vaccinate with an ineffective annual flu vaccine that is crippling hundreds of people a year (see: Government Pays Damages to Vaccine Victims: Flu Shot Most Dangerous with GBS and Death Settlements). The flu shot is being mandated for certain segments of the population as a condition for employment or school, with increasing pressure to mandate forced vaccinations for a greater segment of the population all in the name of “public health safety”.

Is this kind of government protection and mandated drug distribution on the horizon for cholesterol-lowering drugs? You can be sure they will try. It is up to you, the consumer, to stop buying their products now, and to stop voting for people to represent you in Washington D.C. who support Big Pharma.

We are currently living in the Dark Ages when it comes to health freedom, as today’s pharmaceutical companies are the biggest criminals in the marketplace, having reached settlements in criminal medical abuses that reach into the billions of dollars. Yet the government continues to not only recommend their products, but purchase and distribute them with YOUR tax dollars via government funded programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Obamacare.

As a consumer, you must resist purchasing these toxic products, and fight against any kind of mandated “health program” that forces you to purchase or take their products. History will look back on these Dark Days of medical tyranny with horror. In the meantime, don’t become a fatality and statistic to the cholesterol drug scam! If you are responsible for caring for any seniors, help them to not become a fatality or statistic as well, by being informed and taking a stand for your rights!


Graham

The truth about low carb.

One point you must always stay focused on, is the fact almost all whole fresh food is low carb (with the exception of most fruits and some root vegetables) Some of the great myths regarding a low carb lifestyle, include it's unhealthy, it's restrictive and people cannot stay with it long term. Nothing could be further from the truth. I will never ever accept, eating whole fresh foods from the farm or the sea, can be harmful to anyone's health. The junk masquerading as food, coming out of factories more akin to a petro-chem plant, have played a huge role in the epidemics of obesity and the often linked type two diabetes.

If you accept the above, you have to ask yourself, why are so many dietitians against a low carb diet. Could it be so many dietitians and their organisations are taking money from and are sponsored by junk food companies. 


Eddie

The low carb teams diet for the last eight years.



Tomato ragù : Lovely with meatballs, or on grilled chicken or lamb


You may already have your own favourite recipe for an easy tomato sauce or shall we call it
ragù ! However, if you haven't, you may like this recipe suggestion by Gino D'Acampo. It's a basic tomato sauce (ragù) that can be used with meatballs, or on grilled chicken or lamb... and it is also great for freezing.

Ingredients:
Serves Four
1 x 800g tin plum tomatoes (or 2 x 400g tins)
2 celery sticks
2 carrots
2 onions
1 bay leaf (dried is fine)
handful of basil leaves (optional)
1 glass of water
2 tbsp tomato 
purée
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1. Finely chop the celery, carrots and onions, fry them gently in a large (tall) pan in olive oil until softened and golden-brown.

2. Add the tomatoes, basil, bay leaf, tomato purée, water, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
3. Mix well, cover with a lid and allow to simmer on a low heat for approximately 30 minutes. (Make sure you stir occasionally). You can blend this sauce with a handheld stick blender (removing the bay leaf first!) or leave it chunky.

Fresh basil leaves just add a wonderful zing to the dish !

Recipe idea from here


Basil is a versatile and widely used aromatic herb. Basil is an annual plant that is easy to grow from seed but is very sensitive to cold. The plant grows well in warm climates and is widely used throughout southern Europe, particularly the Mediterranean, and in many parts of Asia. There are numerous species of basil; some have scents reminiscent of pineapple, lemon, cinnamon or cloves; others have beautiful purple leaves. The variety called holy basil (tulsi) is an essential part of an authentic Thai curry. In Mediterranean regions, basil and tomato is a classic combination. Pesto, made from basil leaves and pine nuts, with parmesan or pecorino cheese and olive oil (traditionally pounded together in a mortar and pestle – the latter lends pesto its name) is another classic dish.

We bring a variety of articles and recipe ideas to this blog, and not all may be suitable for you. If you may have any food allergies, or underlying health issues these must always be taken into account. If you are a diabetic and not sure how certain foods may affect your blood sugars, test is best, i.e. use your meter.

All the best Jan