Should we all pay attention to the research related to diabetes?

By: Joyce Bunderson (Dr. Grandma) November 7, 2009

Meat Consumption is Linked to Diabetes Risk

Medical scientists draw the line to define where type-2 diabetes starts, and sometimes that line is changed. In reality we probably all should strive to eat the healthy diet designed for a type-2 diabetic; I personally find it very satisfying and delicious.

This Post is something to think about if you’re trying to avoid or manage diabetes.
Don’t Forget American-Mediterranean cooking (less meat, more veggies and beans).

In the November 2009 journal Diabetologia, which is all about studies of issues related to diabetes, a new article reports the results of a huge meta analysis. That just means that it takes the information from thousands and thousands of individuals across several different studies and ‘melts’ those studies down to see how the info all ‘fits together’ and if there are common findings. It’s a lot of hard work, but often the enormous numbers of people, and the different people and different approaches in the studies, make the findings powerful and meaningful.

The article that I’m referring to is related to meat consumption and the risk of type-2 diabetes. They found that a high intake of processed meat (sausage, bacon, cold cuts, ham, etc.) might increase the risk of developing type-2 diabetes, on average, by 40 per cent. That’s a large percentage increase – maybe consider going without the meat with your breakfast, more often. Or try adding some poultry to your soup instead of sausage.

They also found that high intakes of all types of meat were associated with a 17 per cent increase in the risk of type-2 diabetes.  Maybe a meatless lunch or dinner a few times a week would be a worthy goal.

If you want to read the entire article and see all the ‘huge’ numbers, this is where you can find it:
Diabetologia
November 2009, Volume 52, Issue 11, Pages 2277-2287
”Meat consumption and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies”
Authors: D. Aune, G. Ursin, M.B. Veierod

As I’ve mentioned to you before, Vic and I are flexitarians.  We have meals without animal products from time to time.  The other day I made this easy soup, but in reality it wasn’t strictly animal product free, because I added a large dollop of Zero-Fat Greek Yogurt. The taste was great and the meal was very easy. Vic has had a couple of lunch meals from it too. That is one benefit of making a pot of soup – leftovers. ☺

See the pictures of making beet soup and recipe below.

Wheat Berries and Beet Greens – Flavors of Egypt Soup
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves of minced garlic
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
4 cups coarsely chopped beet greens
2 cups canned white beans or chick peas with juice
2 cups cooked wheat berries
1/8 teaspoon chili powder
4 cups of vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
Sauté the onion, garlic, cumin and coriander in the olive oil. When the onions are soft, add the greens and sauté for about 5 minutes.

Add the beans and juice, broth and wheat berries and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Mix the yogurt and lemon juice.

Serve the soup with a dollop of yogurt mixture.

Notes:
•    This soup is great for a ‘hurry-up’ dinner.  Historically the Egyptians make the soup with molokhia leaves; so this recipe is what I call American-Mediterranean. I have not found any molokhia leaves for sale here, but have found beet greens.
•    There are many versions of beet green soups around the Mediterranean.
•    Soak the beet greens and rinse well (beet greens are often sandy.)  Chop the beet greens by slicing off the stems from the leaves, then cut the stems into ½ inch pieces.  Cut the broad leaves in half along the stem line; then slice an entire stack of leaves into 1½ inch pieces.
•    This soup is full of powerful nutrients; but it may be of concern to some that there is no animal protein except for the yogurt.  There is protein in the wheat berries, vegetables, beans and broth. But you can certainly add some chicken or turkey to make this more acceptable to those who require animal protein.  It will still taste great. An easy way to do that is just add a 15 ounce can of chicken chunks – that way your recipe is still very quick and easy to make.