Why Kabocha Squash?

Kabocha squash is very sweet and has a fluffy, chestnut-texture that’s similar to a sweet potato crossed with a pumpkin. It is used widely in Asia, especially Japan and Korea, where it is fried into tempura, stewed, or even used in desserts. Food anthropologists have determined that the squashes originated in Mesoamerica and were then brought to Asia by the Portuguese.

Full of beta carotene, iron, vitamins, and other good stuff, kabocha is also extremely good for you. It’s smaller than most winter squashes, so it’s perfect for single servings or small households.

Buying and Storing Kabocha Squash

Kabocha squashes are squat and have a dull finish. They are usually a dark green in color with some faint stripes or bumps, but there are some varieties that are bright orange on the outside. The flesh inside is a bright orange-yellow.

When buying kabocha, choose squash that are heavy for their size. The rind should be dull and firm with no soft spots. The light-colored bumps on the green rind are normal. Kabocha squashes are usually available in the late summer to early fall and can be stored like other hard winter squashes for up to a month in cool, dry conditions.

Cooking Kabocha Squash

Kabocha squash is versatile — it can be roasted or steamed and used in much the same way like other hard winter squashes like butternut or pumpkins. Try it in your next pumpkin pie or pureed soup!

source: http://www.thekitchn.com/kabocha-squash-pumpkins-sweeter-cousin-ingredient-intelligence-57871

Thousands of people with type 2 diabetes have a “false sense of security” and wrongly believe they have the illness under control, a new survey has revealed.

Failure to follow diet, exercise and medication guidelines can leave sufferers of the condition – affecting 205,000 people – at risk of heart disease, nerve damage, kidney disease, vision loss and foot ulcers.

The research showed that although 70pc of people believe they have the condition under control, only half have changed their diet and just one-third are taking enough exercise.

Almost one in four admitted they forgot to take their medication at some point in the previous month and one in 20 lapse at least once a week.

Prof Seamus Sreenan, consultant diabetologist in Connolly Hospital, Dublin, warned: “I would be concerned that some have a false sense of security.

“Effective treatment of type 2 diabetes for most people requires a significant change in diet and exercise as well as constant monitoring.

“We as healthcare professionals caring for people with diabetes appreciate the difficulties involved in making significant lifestyle changes and are concerned that our advice is not always followed through.”

The problem is that uncontrolled diabetes can have no obvious symptoms – and the complications only come to light when patients are assessed at diabetes clinics, he added.

“I would encourage all people living with type 2 diabetes to agree specific targets for sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels with their healthcare professional so that they engage fully to best control their condition.”

Sugar

The research, carried out by Diabetes Ireland with the drug firm Janssen, comes amid predictions that rising levels of obesity will see the numbers with the disease escalate.

It showed that more than one in four who are newly diagnosed are confused and find it difficult to understand the kind of lifestyle changes needed to live with the condition.

They need to keep blood sugar levels within a range recommended by their doctor. They need to reduce the amount of fat, salt and sugar they eat while increasing fibre. They must eat regularly, and include starchy carbohydrates.

Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/health/people-with-diabetes-fail-to-tackle-diet-and-exercise-30921053.html

Picked while still immature, the rind of the summer squash and zucchini is soft and thin, making it completely edible. Summer squash are bright in color, in shades of green and yellow, and make a colorful addition to casseroles, pastas and fritatas. Very mild in flavor, the vegetable also makes a hearty addition to any dish when cut in large slices, chunky pieces or even julienned. Aside from the varieties of spaghetti squash I have seen on Houston restaurant menus, I often see the summer squash as a supplemental ingredient to many dishes. Recently, however, I discovered a phenomenal dish featuring this star ingredient in a hip Midtown restaurant.

Fuente: http://www.houstoniamag.com/eat-and-drink/gastronaut/articles/star-ingredient-of-the-season-summer-squash-june-2015