There are many factors that prevent us from achieving optimum health: craving for sugar, eating bad carbohydrates, imbalance in metabolic system and poor choices in lifestyle and environmental toxins.
As a caregiver for one of my clients at Motherhealth caregiving agency, I noticed first hand the effects of moldy food, food choices, craving for sugar, environment and lifestyle choices that contributed to our current health.
One of my 90 yr old client with COPD, have weak lungs, skin issues, backpain and indigestion. As I care for him, I added acidophilus and lots of garlic/onions/fresh food in his diet. He is very good at taking his dietary supplements of EFA and others. At 90, his brain function is still intact. But with oxygen to depend on his breathing, life is not that easy in terms of doing the things he loved to do in the past, outside and not inside bed ridden.
I would like to invite you all to a 30min intro on insulin, diabetes, metabolic issues and chronic diseases via the internet. Email Connie at 408-854-188 text , motherhealth@gmail.com to benefit with a total health coaching with use of powerful dietary herbs-food combo to combat health issues related to metabolic disorder which is the root cause of most chronic diseases.
- Insulin is a major switching station, or control hormone, for many processes. It dictates how much fat the body will store.
- As long as your insulin levels are high, you will fight a losing battle with weight loss. It acts on your brain to increase appetite — specifically, an appetite for sugar and refined carbohydrates.
- Insulin increases inflammation and oxidative stress and ages your brain, leading to what is being called type 3 diabetes — also known as Alzheimer’s.
- Insulin increases LDL (“bad”) cholesterol, lowers HDL (“good”) cholesterol, raises triglycerides and increases your blood pressure. Insulin resistance causes 50 percent of all reported cases of high blood pressure.
- Insulin stimulates the growth of cancer cells.
- Insulin leads to mood and behavior disturbances such as depression, panic attacks, anxiety, insomnia and ADHD.
- Insulin makes your blood sticky and more likely to clot, leading to heart attacks and strokes.
- Insulin causes sex-hormone problems and can lead to infertility, facial hair growth, acne and scalp hair loss in women; in men, it can cause low testosterone, breast growth and more.
Rebalancing Act
The good news is that balancing blood sugar and correcting insulin resistance is well within our reach, and the effects are dramatic: Diseases ranging from depression to dementia can be stopped and even reversed if intervention occurs early enough.
While there are some new medications that can help, such as Glucophage, Avandia and Actos, they have side effects and are only a band-aid approach to chronic conditions unless used with a comprehensive nutritional, exercise and stress-management plan that balances your neuro-endocrine system by helping it work the way it was designed.
Here is what to do to rebalance insulin, both nutritionally and through your lifestyle:
- Eat whole, real foods, mostly from plant-based sources. Our bodies evolved and were designed to flourish on fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and lean animal protein such as fish, chicken and eggs.
- Remove toxic foods from your diet. Toxic foods, such as trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, and all processed foods with ingredients you don’t easily recognize, interfere with your metabolism and create blood-sugar imbalances.
- Eat organic. Pesticides, antibiotics and hormones slow down your metabolism.
- Avoid sugar and flour products. They slow your metabolism and contribute to inflammation.
- Eat early and try to eat protein with each meal. Starting off the day with protein — nuts or nut butters, eggs, a protein shake, or even leftovers from the night before — jump-starts your metabolism and helps to avert overeating throughout the day.
- Eat frequently. Fueling your body regularly throughout the day speeds up your metabolism. Make it a priority to have three meals and a couple of snacks every day.
- Finish eating at least two hours before bed. If you fall asleep with food in your stomach, your body is more likely to store it, not burn it.
- Sleep seven to eight hours a night. A lack of sleep generates increased levels of ghrelin, the hunger hormone that triggers you to crave and eat more refined carbs and sugar.
- Build and maintain muscle. Your biggest metabolic engine is your muscle mass — basically, this is where your metabolism lives — so use it or lose it. Working with weights, exercise bands and resistance machines, and doing yoga all prevent your muscles from wasting away.
- Exercise intelligently. Try including interval training into your exercise program two or three days a week: Exercise at 90 to 95 percent of your peak heart rate for 30 to 60 seconds, then three to five minutes at 60 to 65 percent of your peak heart rate, alternating for a total of 30 minutes. Exercising at this intensity will trigger a metabolic effect that will cause you to burn more calories all day and while you sleep.
- Deeply relax daily. Stress hormones such as cortisol increase blood sugar, amplify appetite and cause weight gain around the middle, all of which promote insulin resistance. Find some time each day to sit quietly, breathe deeply or meditate.
Take control of your blood sugar, your health and more :
http://www.teamasantae.com/clubalthea
Text Connie 408-854-1883 for health coach training and the opportunity to help yourself and others in achieving optimum health and more. Email motherhealth@gmail.com
