We have had such a mild winter here in northeast Ohio that my husband, Rich, and I have been playing Speedminton in the yard! However, it has been lightly snowing here for the last two days. The light snow looks very pretty out my window as I write this.
In honor of February being Heart Month, I would like to share some newer insights that can help you to keep your heart healthy. This was discussed in The Fat Summit, which aired a couple of weeks ago.
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While you might be aware of the importance of keeping your blood pressure in check--you may not be aware that there is a link between high blood pressure and high blood sugar. In fact, Dr. Mark Hyman contends that the epidemic of Type 2 Diabetes that affects one in two American adults (and one in four kids) is being driven by just that--sugar and carbohydrates--not fat! Does any of this apply to you? Let's take a look.
Some of the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes include:
- inflammation
- high triglycerides
- unhealthy cholesterol levels
- high blood pressure
- high blood sugar
- excess belly fat
How has your winter been so far? We have had such a mild winter here in northeast Ohio
You don't have to have all of these symptoms to have Type 2 Diabetes--and it does not have to run in your family to get it, as it is diet and lifestyle dependent, with physical inactivity (less than 30 min of exercise, 4 times per week) increasing your risk. Note that Type 1 Diabetes, referred to as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune condition and different than Type 2 Diabetes, which is diet and lifestyle related. Type 2 used to be called Adult Onset Diabetes until it started to become epidemic in children.
So you might be thinking, why do I care? I enjoy eating donuts and I take my blood pressure meds to keep that in check--what's the big deal? Because Type 2 Diabetes that is not addressed can, over time, damage your heart and blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and even lead to Type 3 Diabetes, the new term for Alzheimer's Disease. How many of you don't want to end up with Alzheimer's or dementia, which is happening more frequently in younger adults?
Consider that your brain is made up of 70% fat--what do you think the effect of a diet that is high in sugar and low in fat does to your brain? The thinking that your brain needs sugar to operate has been debunked. It needs fuel, but it seems to prefer the fuel that comes from fats--healthy fats.
But the government keeps telling us to eat low fat to keep our cholesterol low to prevent heart disease, right? Well, the US Dietary guidelines committee, which is the committee that makes our food policy in America, recently issued a 700 page document in which they removed restrictions on fat intake. Apparently they know that what's killing Americans is sugar and carbs, not fat.
You don't have to have all of these symptoms to have Type 2 Diabetes--and it does not have to run in your family to get it, as it is diet and lifestyle dependent, with physical inactivity (less than 30 min of exercise, 4 times per week) increasing your risk. Note that Type 1 Diabetes, referred to as juvenile diabetes, is an autoimmune condition and different than Type 2 Diabetes, which is diet and lifestyle related. Type 2 used to be called Adult Onset Diabetes until it started to become epidemic in children.
So you might be thinking, why do I care? I enjoy eating donuts and I take my blood pressure meds to keep that in check--what's the big deal? Because Type 2 Diabetes that is not addressed can, over time, damage your heart and blood vessels, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and even lead to Type 3 Diabetes, the new term for Alzheimer's Disease. How many of you don't want to end up with Alzheimer's or dementia, which is happening more frequently in younger adults?
Consider that your brain is made up of 70% fat--what do you think the effect of a diet that is high in sugar and low in fat does to your brain? The thinking that your brain needs sugar to operate has been debunked. It needs fuel, but it seems to prefer the fuel that comes from fats--healthy fats.
But the government keeps telling us to eat low fat to keep our cholesterol low to prevent heart disease, right? Well, the US Dietary guidelines committee, which is the committee that makes our food policy in America, recently issued a 700 page document in which they removed restrictions on fat intake. Apparently they know that what's killing Americans is sugar and carbs, not fat.
And if that weren't bad enough, the FDA is now requiring a warning label on Statin drugs noting that these drugs can have a negative effect on cognitive function including memory and increase your risk of type 2 diabetes.
How can this new information be of help to you?
How can this new information be of help to you?
Action Steps:
There is a correlation between oxidized LDL cholesterol and A1C. A1C should be at or below 5.5 according to Dr. Perlmutter, neurologist and author of the new book Brain Maker. Anything above 5.5 predicts significant increased risk of brain shrinkage on annual MRI scans. This is a new research finding.
Big Belly = Small Brain
Dr. Mark Hyman is working at the Cleveland Clinic where they are doing diabetes research, putting people on diets that are 60-70% fat to reverse their diabetes and get them off of insulin. Tremendous breakthroughs are occurring when diet and lifestyle factors are corrected.
It is important to note that fat and sugar are not the only two aspects of a healthy diet and lifestyle that are needed for you to thrive. It is the synergy of everything that you do that determines your health. These are exciting times that we live in and there is a revolution in health care that is occurring. Dr. Hyman has said that it takes about 17 years for new discoveries to make it into the mainstream. I don't know about you, but I don't want to wait that long!
It is important to note that fat and sugar are not the only two aspects of a healthy diet and lifestyle that are needed for you to thrive. It is the synergy of everything that you do that determines your health. These are exciting times that we live in and there is a revolution in health care that is occurring. Dr. Hyman has said that it takes about 17 years for new discoveries to make it into the mainstream. I don't know about you, but I don't want to wait that long!
What the new research is revealing to us over and over is that nature got it right to begin with.
- Eat real, healthy food that has been raised in a healthy way that is respectful to all life
- Drink clean water
- Breath clean air
- Meditate and reduce stress
- Exercise
- Have healthy relationships
- Have fun
- Get good sleep
- Be grateful for what you have
- And give back to your community
These will be the prescriptions of the future, for we have forgotten how to do this. And at this moment, you have the opportunity to re-learn how to get the excess carbohydrates and sugars out of your diet and incorporate healthy fats back into your diet.
If you would like support to shift your diet and lifestyle to be supportive of your optimal health, click below:
If you would like support to shift your diet and lifestyle to be supportive of your optimal health, click below:
Have a Happy Valentine's Day!
Lots of Love,
Karen
Lots of Love,
Karen
Much of the information that was just presented was from an interview in The Fat Summit between Dr. Mark Hyman, Dir. of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and Dr. David Perlmutter, neurologist and author of the books, Brain Maker and Grain Brain. According to these doctors, we shouldn't worry about fat in terms of heart disease, and not in terms of weight either. But the quality of the fats that we eat is very important. If you have any medical question concerning the information provided, please consult a doctor who is knowledgable about the latest research. For more information you can either purchase a recording of the more than 30 expert interviews from The Fat Summit or read one of Dr. David Perlmutter's books:
Clicking on the book image will allow you to view the book on Amazon
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