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UPDATE: May. 18, 2023, 5:00 a.m. EDT This post has been updated with the latest
2023-05-18 17:51
Apple's new iPad Pro will have an OLED display and new keyboard, report says
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2023-08-28 17:26
What are the healthy alternatives to ultra-processed foods?
Scientists have revealed the shocking impact of consuming ultra-processed foods in a short space of time. Two twin sisters were asked to switch up their diets as a part of a King's College London experiment for BBC Panorama. Aimee, 24, spent two weeks eating ultra-processed foods, while her sister Nancy was asked to consume the same amount of calories – but exclusively eating raw or low-processed foods. The results revealed that Aimee gained almost a kilo in weight, while her sister lost weight. The test also showed a difference in blood sugar and blood fat levels, with Aimee's worsening. So, what are ultra-processed foods? Some foods are considered "ultra-processed" under the NOVA food classification system developed by University of São Paulo researchers. They typically have five or more ingredients. The other three categories are unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed ingredients and processed foods. "They tend to include many additives and ingredients that are not typically used in home cooking, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and artificial colours and flavours. These foods generally have a long shelf life," writes British Heart Foundation (BHF). Foods include ham, sausages, crisps, ice cream, mass-produced bread, carbonated drinks, instant soups – and even some alcoholic beverages such as whiskey, gin and rum. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Stocking up on ultra-processed foods often leaves no room for healthier options. The BHF encourages people to swap out to make conscious choices, such as swapping out flavoured yoghurts for plain and adding fresh fruit. Instead of buying pre-made sauces, they suggest making your own and freezing the extra portions for another day. Porridge with fruits and nuts also makes a great alternative to sugar-filled breakfast cereals. "In the last decade, the evidence has been slowly growing that ultra-processed food is harmful for us in ways we hadn't thought," Professor Tim Spector of epidemiology told BBC Panorama. "We're talking about a whole variety of cancers, heart disease, strokes, dementia." BHF Senior Dietitian Victoria Taylor said: "We already recommend people adopt a Mediterranean-style diet, which includes plenty of minimally or unprocessed foods such as fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds, beans, lentils and whole grains. This, along with exercising regularly and not smoking, has been shown to be beneficial for lowering the risk of heart and circulatory disease.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
2023-06-05 22:48
A Week In Boston, MA, On A $51,400 Salary
Welcome to Money Diaries where we are tackling the ever-present taboo that is money. We’re asking real people how they spend their hard-earned money during a seven-day period — and we’re tracking every last dollar.
2023-08-18 23:16
Being lonely ‘may increase risk of heart disease in diabetes patients’
Being lonely may the increase risk of heart disease in diabetes patients, research suggests. Scientists have found loneliness to be a bigger risk factor for coronary heart disease – a condition where the blood vessels supplying the heart are narrowed or blocked – than diet, exercise, smoking and depression. The researchers said their findings, published in the European Heart Journal, highlight the importance of meaningful social relationships to stay healthy. Study author Professor Lu Qi, of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, said: “The quality of social contact appears to be more important for heart health in people with diabetes than the number of engagements “We should not downplay the important of loneliness on physical and emotional health. “I would encourage patients with diabetes who feel lonely to join a group or class and try to make friends with people who have shared interests.” For the study, the researchers looked at data from the UK Biobank – an online database of medical and lifestyle records from more than half a million Britons – involving more than 18,000 adults aged between 37 to 73. These people had diabetes but no heart disease at the start of the decade-long study. The researchers used questionnaires to assess loneliness and other factors that may affect relationships such as body mass index (BMI), physical activity, diet, alcohol, smoking, and medications, blood pressure, cholesterol and control of blood sugar. The findings suggest that asking patients with diabetes about loneliness should become part of standard assessment, with referral of those affected to mental health services Prof Lu Qi Over the course of more than 10 years, more than 3,000 people developed heart disease, which included coronary heart disease or stroke. The researchers found those who scored the highest in loneliness had a 26% greater risk of heart disease, compared to people with lower scores. The team also found loneliness to be a bigger risk factor for heart disease than diet, exercise, smoking and depression – but showed a weaker influence when compared to kidney function, cholesterol and BMI. Professor Qi said: “Loneliness ranked higher as a predisposing factor for cardiovascular disease than several lifestyle habits. “We also found that for patients with diabetes, the consequence of physical risk factors (ie poorly controlled blood sugar, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking and poor kidney function) was greater in those who were lonely compared to those who were not.” “The findings suggest that asking patients with diabetes about loneliness should become part of standard assessment, with referral of those affected to mental health services.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live 7 ways to save money on your hair Sarcoma Awareness Month: What you need to know about these cancers Bjork’s controversial swan dress to go on display in new exhibition
2023-06-30 16:18
Avedon at 100: Celebrities select the famed photographer's best works
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2023-05-15 23:18
NVIDIA’s RTX GPUs are your gateway to AI-powered excellence
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2023-09-06 10:45
Zero-fuss cooking: BBQ pork ribs and zingy Asian slaw
Sweet and smokey, melt off the bone BBQ pork ribs and a zingy, Asian-style slaw are this week’s match made in heaven. Ideal for family get togethers and al fresco dining, this showstopper summer dish requires zero-fuss cooking. Serve with cold beers and pitta breads to mop up the goodness. BBQ pork ribs and slaw Serves: 4 Ingredients: 800g BBQ pork ribs 1 tbsp hoisin sauce (optional) For the slaw: 2 carrots, peeled into ribbons ¼ red cabbage, shredded ½ fennel bulb, finely sliced ½ red chilli, deseeded and finely diced 1 tbsp root ginger, grated 2 tbsp sauerkraut 2 tbsp hot lemon sauce 2 tbsp chopped coriander Method: To cook the pork ribs, wrap them in tin foil and bake them in the oven at 150C for 1-1.5 hours, or if you have a BBQ, use that! Remove them from the tin foil and increase the temperature of your grill to 200C. Grill for 15-20 mins, basting regularly with the remaining BBQ marinade (and hoisin sauce, if you’re using it). To prepare the slaw, peel your carrots into ribbons and toss them in a large bowl with the shredded red cabbage, finely sliced fennel, and sauerkraut. Add in the grated root ginger, chopped red chilli and coriander. Instead of mayonnaise, try adding hot lemon sauce to your slaw for a zingy, spiced version. Mix well and season to taste, then serve alongside your BBQ ribs. Read More Five dinner ideas from around the world to try this week Hi Barbie! Nine cocktails inspired by the doll’s most iconic outfits The National Portrait Gallery’s new restaurant is fabulous upgrade Three barbecue recipes to try that aren’t burgers The dish that defines me: Alex Outhwaite’s Vietnamese bun cha 3 TikTok-approved recipes for picnic season
2023-07-25 13:48
Netflix's trailer for the IRL 'Squid Game' teases nightmarish games from the show
In case you'd forgotten, a real-life Squid Game is coming to Netflix. The death game
2023-09-22 22:29
The best VPNs for streaming sport
Sport dominates the lives of millions of people around the world, and fortunately most of
2023-08-04 18:16
How to shop for and cook Japanese food at home like a pro
The dinner rotation is an unspoken, yet essential schedule. Most of us have five or six reliable recipes tucked away in our back pockets, ready to be pulled out at a moment’s notice. Sometimes this means cooking the same dishes week in, week out. Venturing outside this routine should be an exciting prospect. Maybe you’ve been inspired by a travel documentary or a new cookbook caught your eye. It doesn’t look that hard, right? But hunting down the right ingredients can feel like a minefield when you don’t really know what you’re looking for or even where to find them. Shopping well is crucial for success in the kitchen. God only knows the number of times I’ve come home with the wrong thing or given up because I was overwhelmed by the supermarket aisles. What if I end up wasting money on a new meal that turns out catastrophic? Some cuisines are more daunting than others. Japanese food has such a reputation for perfection that the idea of making anything other than a katsu at home terrifies me. But it wouldn’t be so scary if I had a real-life expert to walk me through the supermarket shelves, show me what to look for and demonstrate that I could indeed be churning out beautiful sushi, delicious broths and other Japanese dishes from my humble kitchen. Enter: cookbook author and teacher, Atsuko Ikeda, who has offered to take me to an Asian cash and carry to teach me how to shop for Japanese ingredients. We meet at Tazaki, a major distributor of Asian ingredients in the UK that has a warehouse in North Greenwich. It was previously owned by SeeWoo but was acquired by Tazaki last year and is currently in the process of revamping stock. However, it still carries just about everything you need to get started on a Japanese culinary adventure. Ikeda, who has authored three cookbooks on Japanese small plates, comfort food and sushi, is a frequent visitor. We begin by perusing the fresh ingredients, like daikon (white winter radish), whole lotus root and mustard greens. The whole lotus root can be sliced thinly and fried to make crispy lotus chips, while the snow-white daikon can be grated into sauce or cubed and added to soups. But we’re starting simpler. Ikeda picks up shimeji mushrooms, small round cap fungi with medium-length stems that grow from a single base. These have an earthier flavour and are denser in texture than regular button or chestnut mushrooms, which means they retain their size and shape a little better. Spring onions, avocado and carrots also make it into the basket, common vegetables that can be found in any supermarket. We move onto carbs and delve into the rice section. As Ikeda is teaching me how to make sushi later, she explains that it is made with Japanese short-grain rice; it has a more glutinous, starchy texture than long-grain rice, which is more popular in the UK. This starchy quality of short-grain rice makes it stickier, an essential feature to make sure sushi rolls and nigiri bites don’t fall apart. A trusted brand for most Japanese ingredients, including sushi rice, is Yutaka, which can be found almost anywhere – I’ve seen it stocked in my local fishmonger. Plenty of other brands abound, with some supermarkets even providing their own brand products, but Ikeda’s recommendation goes straight into my basket. She points out a variety of noodles, and we’re talking much more than udon. There are bouncy shirataki noodles, almost transparent noodles made from konjac yam that can be eaten hot or cold. You can purchase frozen ramen noodles if you’re experimenting with making your own ramen, but Ikeda winks as she tells me she usually just goes to her favourite ramen shop when she’s craving it. Soba noodles, which can be bought dried, are perfect for the summer when tossed into a cold peanut sauce with an assortment of vegetables. The list goes on and on, but Ikeda reassures me that most noodles are versatile and it mainly depends on what type of texture you’re going for rather than flavour. Next is the condiments aisle, where miso resides (can miso be considered a condiment? I’m not so sure). Miso is, of course, a must-have staple. Ikeda points out three types: white miso, sweet rice miso and barley miso. Later, when we taste them, I’m surprised to learn how vastly different they taste from one another. The white miso, which is the most common type used in recipes, has a slight tang and a savouriness that makes your mouth water, while the barley has a deeper, maltier flavour that is mcuh more comforting. I highly recommend buying different types to taste for yourself. Ikeda also introduces me to yuzugosho, a spicy, tart condiment containing the yuzu fruit and fiery green chillies. It brought a tear to my eye, both from the heat and delicious flavour. Ikeda also teaches me that most commercial wasabi contains more horseradish than wasabi, so buyer beware: if you’re seeking the real deal, you may have to be prepared to shell out more money than you initially think. Some brands are 100 per cent horseradish, marketed as wasabi, so checking the label is essential. The same goes for mirin, a Japanese sweet rice wine which varies in alcohol content. A good rule of thumb is that the cheaper the mirin, the lower the alcohol content. Soy sauce is another staple for most Asian cuisines, but there are differences. Ikeda prefers to use tamari soy sauce, which is thicker and, I find, not as intensely salty as the soy sauce you usually get in tiny fish-shaped plastic bottles from takeaways. At home, I’m a Kikkoman soy sauce fan, but Ikeda recommends Yutaka’s organic tamari soy sauce for a more mellow, sweeter flavour. In terms of proteins, it depends on what dish you want. We’re focused on fish, particularly sushi-grade salmon, which you can buy from Tazaki or most fishmongers. This is where I’m especially nervous, because it’s easy to get the cut wrong. However, knowledgeable fishmongers are your best friends when it comes to choosing the cut, so ask plenty of questions. Ikeda shows me how to slice the salmon for different types of sushi rolls and nigiri, as well as how to steam the fish in a baking parchment parcel, slathered in miso and accompanied by the shimeji mushrooms we’d purchased earlier. You can also add fish roe or masago caviar to your Japanese dishes. The bright orange spheres add a unique saltiness and a satisfying texture to sushi, but can also be used to top rice dishes or stirred through Japanese-inspired pastas. A reliable brand is Elsinore, which can be found in Waitrose. I still find the idea of making sushi daunting, but the supermarket aisles no longer feel so intimidating now that I have a clearer idea of what to look for. It reminds me of how fun it is to try something new in the kitchen and, armed with cookbooks from the experts, the delicious results will keep me coming back for more. Read More Grace Dent’s quick and easy recipes that only require the microwave Forest Side, review: Cumbrian produce elevated to Michelin-starred proportions Showstopping BBQ main dishes for a hot grill summer 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Saltie Girl in Mayfair will make you happy as a clam – as long as you can afford it Chef Ravinder Bhogal: Vegetables are the secret to saving money
2023-06-12 13:58
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