|
We’ve got two kids, ages 1 and 3, and I’m about 20 pounds heavier today
than I was before my first pregnancy. I feel run-down and often a
little blue, so I "feed my sweet tooth" probably more than is good for
me. I’m a little worried about where all this is going . . . .
Honestly, you should be a little worried. The average mother is about
10 pounds heavier than a comparable woman without children, moms tend
to eat high-carb quick foods on the run, and mothers are at heightened
risk for Type II diabetes – all of which are related.
Type II diabetes is a serious illness that is rising dramatically.
Essentially, it’s a condition in which the body has grown increasingly
insensitive to the hormone, insulin, which makes it harder and harder
to get "fuel" into the cells where it’s needed, so the body produces
more and more insulin, which just makes the cells even more oblivious
to it, in a vicious cycle.
When this happens, you feel run-down and you’re vulnerable to many of
the nasty consequences of standard, "juvenile" diabetes, including JAN
SAY. And even if you don’t develop full-blown Type II diabetes, partway
there is a syndrome of insulin insensitivity that has many of the
problems of diabetes in a milder form.
So preventing Type II diabetes is a smart thing to do! And it will make
your family eat better and help keep your kids off that slippery slope
themselves, since Type II diabetes is increasingly found among
teenagers.
You knock out Type II diabetes with a one-two punch: maintain normal (=
LOW) insulin levels, and keep your body sensitive to it. Here’s how:
Maintain low levels of insulin:
o Eat a low carbohydrate diet – Low carbs mean low blood sugars. Plus,
the protein that you’re eating instead of carbohydrates will raise
blood sugar levels only gently, and help them stay there stably for a
long time. If you are particularly concerned about Type 2 diabetes, all
major sugar sources (including honey and fruit juice) and grain
products should be eliminated.
o When you do consume carbohydrates, eat only those with high fiber
content - Fiber helps spread out the effects of sugar, reducing its
negative impact. Carbs with lots of fiber include vegetables, beans,
and legumes.
o Exercise routinely – Moderate exercise tends to lower blood sugar and
insulin levels, and it also helps our cells maintain their sensitivity
to insulin. For example, thirty minutes each day of brisk walking is
enough to have a major impact on your blood sugar levels – and, of
course, on your health in general.
o Lower your stress – When your stress level rises, so do your stress
hormones, including cortisol and adrenaline. When these go up, so do
your levels of blood sugar and insulin. So managing stress is important
in the prevention of diabetes. This is a big topic, but the headlines
are:
- Take an honest look at your life and how you could slow down and do less. Really!
- Throughout your day, take little moments to relax, such as by a big breath or just looking out the window for a few seconds.
- Cultivate some kind of regular practice – like a craft, meditation,
yoga, inspirational reading, journaling, playing music – that is
calming and self-nurturing.
- Reach out to people you like;
research has shown that time with friends really helps lower stress
(and especially for women).
- Routinely imagine that positive
experiences are soaking into you, becoming a part of you, a resource
inside that you can draw on for soothing and encouragement.
o Maintain (or attain) your optimal weight – Excess weight correlates
with diabetes. One reason is that many causes of being overweight –
such as a high carbohydrate diet and little exercise – also lead to
diabetes. Additionally, growing evidence indicates that certain fat
tissues may generate biochemical processes that contribute to diabetes.
Support high insulin sensitivity through consuming:
o Chromium – Take 500 mg/day.
o Lipoic acid (also called alpha-lipoic acid) – Take 100-300 mg/day.
o Omega-3 oils – Although these are present in fatty fish, you’d be
prone to mercury poisoning if you ate enough to get all the omega-3’s
you need. Therefore, use a high-quality supplement that has been
"molecularly distilled" and take enough to consume 500 mg/day of an
ingredient called DHA (shown on the label).
These supplements can be found in your local health food store (or on
our website, www.NurtureMom.com). The other benefits of these natural
substances include decreased risk of cardiovascular disease, a sunnier
mood, and improved liver function.
So, follow these important steps, and your risk for diabetes will radically decrease!
*******
(Rick Hanson, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, Jan Hanson, M.S.,
L.Ac., is an acupuncturist/nutritionist, and they are raising a
daughter and son, ages 13 and 16. With Ricki Pollycove, M.D., they are
the first and second authors of Mother Nurture: A Mother’s Guide to
Health in Body, Mind, and Intimate Relationships, published by Penguin.
You can see their website at www.nurturemom.com or email them with
questions or comments at info@nurturemom.com; unfortunately, a personal
reply may not always be possible.) |