Today is World Diabetes Day–Nov 14th, birthday of Fred Banting, who along with Charles Best first discovered insulin, revolutionizing the treatment of diabetes.
The World Diabetes Day 2014 campaign marks the first of a three-year (2014-16) focus on healthy living and diabetes.
Special focus will be placed on the importance of starting the day with a healthy breakfast. (see below!)
Facebook question for Robin & Meredith: What do you guys have for breakfast? The cookbooks don’t mention anything and I’m curious ~Maire Martello
To eat well in England you should have breakfast three times a day.
~ W. Somerset Maugham
All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast. ~ John Gunther
Oysters are the usual opening to a winter breakfast. Indeed, they are almost indispensable.
~ Grimod de la Reyniere (1758-1838)
“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”
~ I’m sure my mother said that a few times!
Breakfast–before I set off on my walk–is the same every morning (and no sign of an oyster)!
large organic oat flakes mixed with…
freshly-cracked walnuts (watch out for rogue pieces of shell that crack your teeth)
a dried, untreated apricot–chopped
a teaspoon of linseeds
a prune (cooked),
half a pot of plain organic yogurt
cinnamon–sprinkled on top (Some studies show cinnamon helps lower blood sugar levels.)
and moistened with unsweetened oat or almond milk
Two slices of 100% organic rye bread with a little butter and pear & apple fruit spread (no added sugar)
and a small black coffee
The same every morning?
Yes!
Dull?
Not for me. I look forward to it–once a day, at least!
Maybe we are at our most conservative, most in need of ritual, just after waking up. I find the assembling and eating of this bowl of goodies a daily delight.
Meredith’s version of breakfast heaven is cooked oats (she’s eating it as I write!) :
Porridge: small oat flakes cooked in organic milk, organic plain yogurt, a cooked prune, perhaps some seasonal fruit, cinnamon sprinkled over.
Neither of us feel the need to snack before lunch–the oats keep us going.
Latest estimates* suggest that there are 382 million people living with diabetes worldwide.
What makes the pandemic particularly menacing is that throughout much of the world, it remains hidden.
In my case, there were NO symptoms. My Type 2 diabetes was picked up in a routine blood test.
Up to HALF of all people with diabetes worldwide remain UNDIAGNOSED!
A simple blood test is all that is needed for a diagnosis.
If you have a family history of diabetes, as I did, a routine test is a good idea!
Life, within doors, has few pleasanter prospects than a neatly arranged and well-provisioned breakfast table.
~ Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
* International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas
Robin Ellis 