TV Chef Theo Michaels has spoken about the need to eat healthy home cooked meals as today marks World Diabetes Day. The global event is an opportunity for individuals to contribute to diabetes awareness and support those affected by the condition.
World Diabetes Day reaches millions of people in over 160 countries and is pivotal to advocating for better care and prevention. This year the popular TV chef has launched a series of cooking videos creating delicious food for people who are looking to lower their blood sugar – a key risk factor for type-2 diabetes.
The TV chef has teamed up with SmarterNaturally, an exciting government funded UK company that has created a super soup using a special type of broccoli. Theo, who is an author and former star of MasterChef, has created the free videos which show how to prepare delicious, easy-to-make meals using the super soup.
The special variety of super strength broccoli has been used to create a ‘super-soup’ that could help people suffering from diabetes and other health conditions.
“After being introduced to Smarter Naturally soup and reading the research behind the health benefits I was sold on how beneficial their soup is for maintaining a healthy metabolism and supporting your body. I set about creating recipes that are full of flavour that complement the broccoli ingredient as well as being type 2 diabetes friendly. I’m very pleased with the results and enjoyed working with the SmarterNaturally team.”
Theo Michaels
Theo added: “This country has an obesity epidemic which is a big cause of type 2 diabetes. A lot of it it comes down to diet and how people eat. It is a clinical issue for a lot of people and not that they are over eating. But for a lot us who weigh ourselves, keep an eye on the BMI and look in the mirror we don’t look bad but technically we are obese. But Smarter Naturally can really help. I have got type 1 and type 2 diabetes in my family, so I am conscious of it.”
“I love this company and its honesty behind what it is doing. They have got this fantastic product which is backed by proper science. There is no sort of marketing cheat here or what it might do, it does what it says. It is clinically proven and I know they have got lots of plans where they won’t do anything until the scientists with massive brains have proved it actually does what it says. I love the research behind it and I love the health benefits and I think they have got a very covert natural source of broccoli. It is a product that really capitalises on what Mother Nature has got out there.
“My job has been to jazz up some of those recipes. So if you are eating the soup once a week and you are a long term advocate of it there are things like Indonesian, Thai and risotto recipes. There is also a Mexican inspired one. The core of it all is that it helps cut the risk of type 2 diabetes.”
The recipes are free to watch on SmarterNaturally’s website (https://smarternaturally.com/recipes/) and will show how the special freeze dried broccoli can be used to create lots of different and flavoursome dishes.
Most users of SmarterNaturally use it as a once a week soup which is easily made adding boiling water but now the super soup has been given a culinary makeover by Theo Micheals as he shows how easy it is to pimp up the soup.
The recipes include Smoked Haddock with Cheddar Broccoli Sauce, Thai Green Curry and Indonesian Laksi. All inspired by the super soup. The benefits of broccoli have been gaining traction as a super-food, but not all broccoli varieties are the same.
This new, unique variety of broccoli is called GRextra. Grown in the UK, it has been formulated into a ‘super-soup’ called SmarterNaturally. What makes the soup special is its very high levels of a health-boosting molecule called glucoraphanin. Once in our gut, this molecule’s active form (called sulforaphane) turns on anti-oxidant genes in our cells, which can help maintain a healthier metabolism – particularly as we age.
A healthier, younger metabolism is linked to all kinds of health benefits, including, lower blood pressure, protection against heart disease and reduced risk of some forms of cancer. But for now, SmarterNaturally are focussing on supporting people with high blood sugar levels.
The soup has been developed by scientists at the Quadrum Institute, a centre for food and health research that combines the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals’ endoscopy centre and the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School.
Lead scientist for SmarterNaturally, Professor Richard Mithen, said: “SmarterNaturally Soup aims to help keep our metabolism young. Research suggests that eating one bowl a week could deliver enough glucoraphanin and other healthy nutrients to help people maintain a healthy metabolism, which is associated with a reduced risk of developing age-related health conditions like type 2 diabetes, cancer and heart disease.”
“What Sulforaphane does is turn on a set of genes that are regulated by the protein NRF2, involved in blood sugar control,” said Steve Morrison, a medical biochemist who is head of clinical research for SmarterNaturally. Stored sugar is drawn out of the body and we are prevented from laying down more sugar, so that blood glucose levels are lowered when the glucoraphanin-rich broccoli is consumed regularly.”
SmarterNaturally launched the delicious ‘Super-Soup’ last year and many already see it as a game-changer for the many patients at risk of developing type-2 diabetes. Most pre-diabetics are simply told to change their diet and take more exercise, but figures show that compliance is low and that 20% go on to develop full blown diabetes within five years.
SmarterNaturally soup is tasty, affordable and simple to serve, making it a completely new way to support those people working to bring their blood sugar down to healthier levels and hoping to avoid going on to develop type-2 diabetes.
Laura Knight, CEO, SmarterNaturally said: “There’s a growing body of research suggesting that eating high levels of glucoraphanin in your diet could have a range of health benefits beyond reducing elevated blood sugar too – such as contributing to reducing cholesterol, helping to prevent heart disease and even helping slow or prevent the growth of some cancers. And since one bowl of SmarterNaturally soup contains much more glucoraphanin than any other product on the market, it has a very low impact on lifestyle and it is easy and simple to stick to.”
Dr Kingsley Betts, GP, said: “There is scientific evidence that this special glucoraphanin rich broccoli soup can help reduce oxidative stress and when eaten weekly for 4-6 months potentially has lots of general health benefits, which include improved blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure, prostate and other organ health. It could even help the aging process and is present in a unique tasty soup containing a high concentration of the naturally occurring active ingredient glucoraphanin. SmarterNaturally Soup is the best source of glucoraphanin I’ve come across, which makes it a really exciting new way for people to look after their health – particularly as they get older.”
