WEIGHT LOSS
Our weight-loss columnist and type 1 diabetic, Alice Dogruyol, tries out an anti-inflammatory, blood sugar-balancing, fat-busting broccoli soup – with impressive scientific research to back up the claims.
I AM A HEALTH-FOOD AND supplement junkie. One of my favourite places to walk around in London is the lower ground floor of Whole Foods Market in Kensing ton High Street. I am always on the lookout for new products, especially anything that professes to help balance blood sugar, curb appetite or burn fat. While I love researching alternative and complementary medicine and the ways it can help support weight loss, I am also in awe of modern medicine. I am, after all, completely dependent on insulin for my survival and I have just started taking Wegov y (semaglutide), the injectable weight-management medication, which was prescribed to me by a top endocrinolog ist who specialises in diabetes and obesity. I must inject 0.25mg once a week for the first month, which will increase to 0.5mg a week for the second month, and so on.
I had a tricky first week as it messed up my digestion. Thankfully, some natural laxatives and adjustments to my diet sorted that out. Now in week two, I have started to notice a reduction in my appetite. I am thrilled to be eating less, which in turn means I don’t need to inject as much insulin, which means I will store less fat. Time will tell whether it is the ultimate cure for obesity. I need to give it at least three months to really put it to the test. I have very high hopes and will report back.
But back to broccoli! While I am on Wegovy, I am also implementing a new diet and exercise routine in a bid to tone up and strengthen my muscles and I am on a mission to lower my inflammation and raise my energy. Last summer, I had a blood test that showed I had ver y high levels of free radicals circulating in my body, which is not a good thing. It means I am in a state of oxidative stress, which can trigger several diseases, not to mention premature ageing. My inflammation blood tests also always come back as being high, which is to be expected with type 1 autoimmune diabetes, and also for people with type 2 diabetes.
SUPER SOUP!
On my quest to lose weight, balance blood sugar and feel more energised, I recently came across an exciting new product: broccoli soup! But this is no ordinary soup. SmarterNaturally Super Soup (smarternaturally.com) was recommended by a friend who said it had helped her lose weight and increase energy – all from eating it only once a week. Yes, really! She changed nothing else about her diet either. Needless to say, I was intrigued, so I looked into it – and couldn’t buy my box of sachets fast enough!
SmarterNaturally has major antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, blood sugar-balancing and fat-busting pow
