Type 2 Diabetes

The new “F” word: FRUCTOSE!

Dr Bill Nielsen has been practising in Duncan for thirty years

Let’s see, last month we had isolating floods in the valley, a meteor in Copper Canyon, a Saltspring Island earthquake and mini-tsunami in Maple Bay. We was rocked in Biblical proportions. But it didn’t prevent the holiday festivities - because we survived! The baking and barbecues and quaffing and consuming has abated, so now comes the caloric reckoning. How shall we best prepare for February, the heart health awareness month?

We start with Satis. Satis is a Latin word that means “enough!” Satisfaction, sated, satiety stem from satis. The satiety centre in your hypothalamus is a potent mechanism for turning right off any desire to eat. It is the “No thank-you, two is my limit” unit designed to maintain normal bodyweight no matter what your activity levels are.

As the stomach fills, stretch receptors initially shut down hunger. The intestines and liver then work together to give a long lasting No More! Messenger molecules with expensive names like Leptin and Cholecystokinin and of course our Canadian contribution, Insulin, influence the brain to completely eradicate food cravings. You will feel full for hours and not even want to look at another morsel….. unless a tricky little sugar, Fructose, the chemical second cousin of glucose, weasels its way into the equation.

Decades ago a scientist at Yale University fed people different sugars. Then he offered them a choice: another cookie now, or $20 next month. Those subjects who had filled up on natural Glucose took the money. Those who ate its evil twin, modified Fructose, craved and craved and took immediate junk food, forsaking a future benefit. Unfortunately, it seems big food producers must have read that or similar studies and guess what? A dash of Fructose is pumped into all kinds of foods specifically to shut off the satiety centre so, contrary to natural proportions, your brain and body crave weigh too much.

So, as you re-establish nutritional order to the Holiday chaos and bring back balanced diets, exercise and H2O, read those labels carefully. Be fructose savvy. Whether it’s in baking or juice, canned goods or snacks, if you see the “F” word in the product, your coronaries are begging you to put it back on the shelf.

Welcoming the Year of the Tiger

According to the Chinese Zodiac, 2022 is the Year of the Tiger. In many cultures outside of North America, the New Year is not ushered in on January 1st, but instead it aligns more closely with the lunar cycles of nature and is celebrated in January or February. This year, the Lunar New Year lands on February 1st and with it comes another cycle in the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese Zodiac is based on an ancient calendar system that assigns 12 animals to represent one year within a repeating 12-year cycle - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. To add to the complexity, the animal zodiac is often combined with the Yin Yang Five Element theory in which each year is represented by one of the elements: Water, Earth, Wood, Fire and Metal. When intertwined, the animal zodiac and Elements make a 60-year cycle.

Zodiac signs play an integral part in Chinese culture and can be used to determine your fortune for the year. It is believed that people will possess some of the characteristics of their own corresponding animal zodiac.

Back in 2010, the Victoria Tea Festival coincided with Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger. We were Inspired by these ancient traditions and envisioned the animals as teas thus crafting our line of 12 teas and tisanes. Needless to say, the Victoria Tea Festival was the perfect place to launch this new selection of four black teas, four green teas and four herbal infusions. Tiger contains spices indigenous to the land where the Bengal Tiger once roamed with a touch of calendula flower petals to represent the colours of the tiger. Our Tiger is an adventurous and delightfully spicy blend of classic black teas that roars with any type of milk.

Naturally, we will be commemorating the shift into this new cycle with a cup of tea – and in fact we will be celebrating with a cup of the very tea that started our collection off twelve years ago.

Alicia Fall is an employee at Westholme Tea Company, farmer, and ceremonialist in the Cowichan Valley