Changes in breakfast and dinner timings can reduce body fat

Modest changes to breakfast and dinner times can reduce body fat, a new pilot study in the Journal of Nutritional Sciences reports.

During a 10-week study on ‘time-restricted feeding’ (a form of intermittent fasting), researchers from the University of Surrey investigated the impact changing meal times has on dietary intake, body composition and blood risk markers for diabetes and heart disease.

Participants were split into two groups – those who were required to delay their breakfast by 90 minutes and have their dinner 90 minutes earlier, and those who ate meals as they would normally (the controls). Participants were required to provide blood samples and complete diet diaries before and during the 10-week intervention and complete a feedback questionnaire immediately after the study.

Unlike previous studies in this area, participants were not asked to stick to a strict diet and could eat freely, provided it was within a certain eating window.

Researchers found that those who changed their mealtimes lost on average more than twice as much body fat as those in the control group, who ate their meals as normal.

Coeliac diagnoses rise to 30%

New research from Coeliac UK shows diagnosis of the autoimmune disease, coeliac disease, in the UK rose from 24% in 2011 to 30% in 2015.

Researchers from the University of Nottingham searched UK patient records up to and including 2015 for clinical diagnoses of coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (the skin manifestation of coeliac disease).

They found that although diagnosis rose by a quarter, alarmingly the rate of diagnosis was slowing significantly, resulting in around half a million people in the UK still living with undiagnosed coeliac disease.

It also highlighted that 1 in 4 adults over 18 years diagnosed with coeliac disease had previously been misdiagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), the same percentage that had been reported in research from 2013.

Coeliac UK has an online assessment click here which allows people to quickly check if they should go to the GP and ask for a blood test.

Vegan launches more than double

New figures from Mintel reveal 5% of all food and drink products launched globally between July 2017 and June 2018 were vegan, while 11% were vegetarian.

While the number of vegetarian launches has been relatively stable over the past few years, vegan launches have more than doubled in the past five years, growing by 175% from July 2013 to June 2018.

Katya Witham, global food & drink analyst at Mintel, comments:

“Our research shows that stricter plant-based diets like veganism are still niche, while a much higher percentage of consumers are embracing ‘flexitarianism’. The majority of consumers are not giving up meat; they are making room for more vegan products as part of ‘flexitarian’ dieting, opening opportunities for plant-based food and drink innovation.”

Graduate Chefs

The Craft Guild of Chefs has revealed six young chefs achieved its Graduate Award 2018.

Regarded as one of the hardest skills tests in the industry, 14 chefs undertook the final kitchen or pastry exams after completing an online entry form and taking part in heats in the north and south. To join the Graduate Awards hall of fame, the chefs, aged 23 or under, had to achieve a pass mark of 85%.

Making the grade in the kitchen exam this year were Ben Cowley (Simpsons Restaurant), Jordon Powell (The Half Moon) and Bronwen Jenkins (Royal Garden Hotel). Passing the pastry tests were Ieuan Davies (Pennyhill Park Hotel), EmmaJayne Lawson (Northcote Manor) and Sofia Petrova, who is based at Ham Yard Hotel.

UK’s first Chinese food diploma

Fears of a demise of the Chinese restaurant industry due to a lack of chefs has led to the launch of the first fully regulated Chinese-specific catering course in the UK.

The level 3 qualification – a mix of online learning and practical assessments – is aimed at current and aspiring chefs in the catering industry who want to enhance their skills and forge a successful career path in this sector.

Most Chinese chefs for the UK’s 2,700 Chinese restaurants are recruited from overseas

It is also aimed at saving restaurant and hotel owners upwards of £15,000 to recruit a Chinese chef from the Far East.

At present, most Chinese chefs  for the UK’s 2,700 Chinese  restaurants are recruited from  overseas with owners using  recruitment agents to find chefs  willing to relocate to the UK.

For more information visit www.chineseculinaryart.co.uk