The MAN v FAT Newsround 17 May 2021

5000 strong – #MVFNewsround 24/5

May 24, 2021

It’s National BBQ Week this week – you’re ‘avin a giraffe mate, have you seen the weather? Somehow the memo that it’s almost June got lost and it’s been decidedly November-ish. It’s meant to improve on Thursday, so maybe we’ll whip out the BBQ then.

Even so, we’ve got lots to celebrate this week beyond a nicely grilled burger, so onwards with the MAN v FAT Newsround…

News from MAN v FAT

MAN v FAT Football has hit an incredible milestone – we now have more than 5,000 players across the UK! We’re delighted to be helping so many men improve their health and we’re ridiculously proud of everyone that has lost weight with us. It is especially humbling to reach this milestone not long after opening up after lockdown, and we’re so thankful to everyone that has stuck by us during the pandemic.

This week we’re launching a MAN v FAT Football league in Coventry. It kicks off on Tuesday 25th May and if you’re interested but you haven’t signed up yet, get your butt moving and head to the website here to sign up.

In other news...

We get a lot of press releases here at MAN v FAT and some of them are delightfully bonkers, like this one from potato enthusiasts Aviko. They’ve put together some recipes involving chips and they’re er…inventive, for sure. A Bonkers Banoffee Biscoff Bake (yes, that is chips + banoffee + biscuits)? Chips with Oreos? We’re not so sure, but we are interested in their suggestion of coating chips in Wotsits before baking – just strange enough to be ‘bonkers’ but not crossing that line into WTF territory.

It’s aimed at the foodservice industry, but if you’re curious about trying chocolate with your chips you can get all the recipes here.

It’s now thought that up to half a billion people have diabetes, but that many of them don’t even know it. The University of Michigan has released some extensive research that has found that diabetes cases are skyrocketing around the world. They’ve also found that in lower-income countries only 1 in 10 get the proper support they need.

Diabetes is something that can be managed through lifestyle changes (for type 2 diabetes) and medication and the longer it goes untreated, the higher your risk of suffering things like stroke, heart disease, and blindness.

So here’s a quick recap on diabetes: type 1 is the kind that isn’t affected by your lifestyle, and it accounts for around 8% of all diabetes cases. Symptoms come on quickly, and there’s no cure.

Type 2 is affected by your lifestyle and being overweight can increase your chances of developing it. Symptoms appear gradually and it can be managed through your diet and exercise. There’s no cure for type 2 diabetes per se, but it can be prevented and be put into remission with those lifestyle changes.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes include increased thirst, needing to pee more often, fatigue, and blurred vision. Find out more about the symptoms of type 2 diabetes here, and take Diabetes UK’s Know Your Risk quiz here to see whether you’re at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

What we're eating

pic from @newfoodsuk on Instagram

Aldi has launched coffee-flavoured bacon so you no longer have to go to the trouble of making yourself both a fry-up and a coffee in the morning. 2 grilled rashers are 96 calories, although the jury’s out on whether they’re any good. Aldi certainly thinks they are (of course), telling the Metro ‘the coffee infusion marries perfectly with the great taste of bacon to create a syrupy caramel-like bite, ideal for achieving a slightly sweeter taste – and the perfect crisp when cooked’. Hmm.

If your homemade chilli doesn’t quite cut it, try adding some of this new Guinness chilli recipe mix to give it some rich smokiness. The entire 40g sachet is 130 cals, so if you make chilli for 4 this handy mix only adds 32 cals per portion.

Alongside this chilli mix, they’ve also launched a sausage casserole mix and a steak and ale pie mix. And if you’re up for cooking with Guinness (it really does add a sublime smokiness), give our Guinness ribs recipe a go too.