Healthy Carbohydates in the Womb

Since it is Mother’s Day how does a Mother’s diet affect the genetics of what happens in the womb?  Is it really all that significant?  Recent research shows processed foods can do more harm than once realized.

Processed refined carbohydrates are those that are altered from their original form.  Most things you buy in a package fit the definition of a processed carbohydrate – chips, crackers, cookies you buy in the grocery store.

These are “foods” manufacturers alter to make a profit.   Companies add sweeteners, additives, and other ingredients to allow the high markup.

Almost all processed foods come with a price of added sugars, trans fat and other things your body would rather avoid.  These foods are not healthy for anyone, especially not pregnant women.

Recent studies show the blood triglyceride level (fat in the blood) of a pregnant woman is closely tied to the birth weight and body fat of the infant.  Infants born to women with high triglyceride levels have double the body fat of a normal infant.

Even more alarming is high maternal cholesterol and triglyceride levels are associated with a greater risk of fatty streak formation in infant’s arteries, and a high risk of heart disease during childhood.

Eating a balanced diet of healthy protein and fats and unprocessed carbohydrates can keep your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Healthy carbohydrate-containing foods are those that are in their natural forms – fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, avocado, yams, etc.

What better Mother’s Day gift to give to yourself and your future child than the gift of health?

How Can I eat Healthy During Pregnancy?

Since we've been discussing the genetics of what happens in the womb, what are the guidelines for having a healthy pregnancy?

What you eat and how active you are determines your child’s future well-being.  Although specific recommendations may vary hitting these key foods will help set the tone for health.

Here is a checklist for healthy eating for fertility, pregnancy, or breast-feeding.

   Strive for balance in your diet:

• Protein - lean sources of beef, lamb, chicken, and fish; eggs, nuts/seeds, nut butters at each meal and snack
• Carbohydrates - fruits, vegetables, and unprocessed whole grains
• Fats – omega-3 rich and monounsaturated fats (avocados, nuts/seeds and olive oil) on a daily basis:
•        ALA – found in ground flax seed
•        DHA  -found in fish and fish oil
•        EPA – found in fish and fish oil

Eat or drink dairy - 3 to 4 servings of plain low fat yogurt, cottage/ricotta cheese, hard cheeses (grass-fed)

Consume fruits - 3 to 4 servings per day, including one citrus or vitamin-C rich fruit

Eat your vegetables - dark green leafy and orange/yellow/red daily

Choose real, whole foods - avoid processed and refined foods.  Choose fresh, unprocessed foods, and as much as possible, organic and non-genetically modified foods and animal products that are grass fed 

Avoid diet foods or foods with non-nutritive sweeteners 

Minimize caffeine and avoid alcohol

Preventing Diabetes?

What would you do to prevent blindness, going on dialysis or having the nerves in your hands and feet in constant pain?  Many of us would do most anything to prevent those things, but those same individuals may not realize that simple lifestyle management may help those things never come to fruition.

As we discussed yesterday, one in three individuals is at a high risk of becoming diabetic.  However, even with diabetes in your history here are 3 simple things you can do to prevent diabetes and avoid ever going on medication.

1.  Exercise 30 minutes per day.  The Landmark study done on those with pre-diabetes looked at 3 separate groups – one group was the control group which means no intervention was given.  The second group was put on Metformin, a drug that both prevents and treats diabetes.  The third group was given a small amount of guidance regarding diet and lifestyle and exercised 30 minutes per day.

The results showed there was no change in group one.  Group two had lowered their risk of diabetes by 30 percent.  Group 3 lowered their risk of diabetes by 58 percent.

Walking just half an hour per day can lower diabetes risk by 58%?  Absolutely!  How does that work?  Even a moderate walk can make your insulin work better by 50 percent for the rest of the day.  This decrease only works for about 24 hours so near daily exercise is essential.

2.  Sleep at least 7-8 hours per night.  Multiple studies in the last 5 years have shown that lack of sleep lowers insulin sensitivity.  These sleep studies revealed that individuals who slept less than 7 hours per night had morning blood sugars in the diabetic range in those without diabetes.  When the subjects returned to over 7 hours of sleep per night their blood sugars became normalized.

3.  Eat protein at each meal with non-processed forms of carbohydrate.  I could talk about this one all day long and it is explained at length in my new book A Recipe for Life.  If you eat some sort of protein at each meal and snack such as lean meat, poultry, fish, nuts/seeds, low fat plain yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. and balance it with fruits, vegetables, and some healthy form of fat such as avocado or olive oil it will greatly assist in keeping your blood sugars normalized.  This type of eating requires shopping on the perimeter of the grocery store.

Walk a half hour per day, sleep 7.5 hours per night and eat a healthy balanced diet versus go on medications or have terrible health consequences in later years?  Sounds like a slam dunk to me – remember it’s prevention not prescription.