Welcome to EPISODE #12 of So I Was Listening to this Podcast the Other Day….

🌱 Looking to boost your protein intake without meat? 🍖 Curious about the safety of soy? 🧠 Want to learn about the link between GMOs and Alzheimer’s Disease? 🍬 And how about a delicious new way to enjoy brussel sprouts? 🥦

Join us in this impromptu and jam-packed nutrition info episode as we answer a listener’s burning question about non-meat protein options, uncovering the secrets of higher protein vegetables and introducing the intriguing world of lupini beans! 🌽🍆

But that’s not all! 🌟We’re bringing you valuable insights on continuous glucose monitors and their impact on health. 🩸 We’ll also discuss fatty liver disease and provide practical tips for managing it.

Wait, there’s more! 📚 We can’t resist sharing our favorite takeaways from Jame’s Clear’s masterpiece, “Atomic Habits.” Discover how the power of tiny daily health habits, improving just 1% each day, can create astounding compounding effects that propel you closer to your goals! 🚀

So, if you’re hungry for knowledge and ready to take charge of your health journey, this episode is a must-listen! 🎧 Let’s embark on this nourishing adventure together! 🌱🍎🎙️

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YOUR BRAIN IS YOU.

Think about that. Your brain is what makes you the person you are. It allows you to make choices, enjoy life, learn, do things, feel… If you have a brain, you’re at risk.

It’s common to hear people joking about getting older and ‘losing their marbles’. Losing their memory. It’s not a normal part of aging. It’s common, yes, but NOT NORMAL. It doesn’t have to happen.

If you could do something to prevent dementia and be the person who ages well with memory intact, instead of suffering the devastating effects of memory loss, wouldn’t you want to do that?

Now, why did I come in here again??

Have you ever had trouble recalling someone’s name, or experienced brain fog to the point that you couldn’t remember why you walked into the other room? Or had difficulty remembering all the details of something that you never thought you’d ever forget? Have you ever worried that perhaps this is the onset of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) or dementia?

Maybe you think you’re too young to be worried about that…you’re not. NOBODY IS. The things you eat and the things you do in even in your 20’s and 30’s hugely impacts the likelihood of you developing dementia later in life.

There’s something simple that you can do NOW to improve your memory and thinking abilities and reduce your chances of developing dementia. Even people who carry the Alzheimer’s gene can reduce the chance of the gene being ‘turned on’ if they take certain dietary and lifestyle measures.

You may be experiencing memory and thinking difficulties because of your diet, lifestyle or lack of sleep. There are various reasons. But for many people, it’s a symptom of insulin resistance and other precursors to dementia.

Dementia is not a normal result of aging

Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia are not a normal result of aging and current research seems to indicate that it can be reduced or in some cases reversed.  Dementia is a terrible disease for both the person going through it and for those watching their loved one decline. It’s also difficult for caregivers either at home or in long term care facilities to know how to deal with the behaviour difficulties that arise.

Imagine not being able to remember the names of your family members, or forgetting how to perform simple tasks of daily living like getting dressed, or walking around a familiar location and suddenly realizing that you don’t remember how to get back home. Slowly losing your ability to function independently. Often feeling confused, frustrated and tearful but no one around you seems to understand or is able to help you. Increasingly feeling like you need to leave, to go home, to be somewhere else but not quite remembering where you’re supposed to go or how to get there.

It’s terrifying. It can go on for many years, getting progressively worse. It’s a terrible way to spend your remaining years. It’s an awful way to watch your loved one die.

It can be prevented or at least minimized.

There are over 500,000 Canadians living with dementia with 25000 new cases each year (Alzheimer’s Society Canada, 2018).

Will this be you someday?

I have worked with hundreds of people over the years who have some sort of dementia and see how difficult it is for everyone involved.

Meet Jim and Sheila. I see Jim come in to visit his wife Sheila at the LTC, and she knows he’s a familiar person but can’t quite place who he is… sometimes she calls him ‘dad’. They had exciting retirement plans, that is until she started to get more and more forgetful. It got to the point that he couldn’t take care of her physical needs and wandering behaviours anymore. It breaks his heart every time he has to leave her. He has given up all of his retirement plans- THEIR retirement plans. Instead of traveling the world with Sheila, he now goes to the long term care facility to visit Sheila every day, hoping she will remember him. Somedays she is lucid and knows he is her beloved husband. But most of the time, she doesn’t quite know who he is.

Do something NOW

Keeping your mind functioning optimally is so important at any age. Think about how much more you can enjoy your life NOW when you’re able to think clearly and focus. You can improve your brain function now AND reduce your chances of Alzheimer’s or dementia later, by make small changes today.

Taking dietary and lifestyle steps NOW can be the difference between you having the retirement of your dreams or living in a seniors’ home or visiting your loved one there. It can be the difference between being able to dress yourself every day, or relying on a ‘stranger’ to do it for you.

Think this doesn’t apply to you?
Think you are years away from experiencing this?
NOPE. The groundwork for this brain decay starts at least 30 years before symptoms start.

30 years.

What can you do?

Exercise, sleep and food are key elements of a healthy brain.

Get moving. Even if it’s just a 10-minute walk. Do it every day. Be consistent.

Figure out how to get a better night’s sleep. Regular exercise will help. Reducing screen time before bed, taking a magnesium glycinate or melatonin supplement at bedtime, yoga or meditation before sleep, avoiding alcohol 3 hours before bedtime or getting treatment for sleep apnea can all help.

What you eat is critically important. A high carb diet (typical North American Diet) is very harmful to the brain. It promotes inflammation which damages the brain. A high carb diet also leads to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. People with Type 2 Diabetes have a significantly higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease.

I’ll say that again…people with Type 2 Diabetes have a SIGNIFICANTLY higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s Disease. I bet you didn’t even know they were related! Many researchers now refer to Alzheimer’s Disease as Type 3 Diabetes, because of the link to insulin resistance and blood sugar.

What should I eat?

Switching to a low carb diet is a powerful tool to balance blood sugar and reduce your chances of developing diabetes. People who are already showing signs of pre-diabetes can get their blood sugar back into the normal range by eating low carb.

Start with eating a low carb breakfast. See this POST for more information about why your breakfast choice is so important. Click HERE to get my Better Breakfast Recipe Book.

Check out my BLOG for low carb recipes or contact me to see if my CHANGE Method will work for you.

References
https://alzheimer.ca/en/Home/Get-involved/Advocacy/Latest-info-stats, June 29, 2018

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325195.php

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-2-diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-and-alzheimers/art-20046987

Intermittent Fasting is about controlling the ‘eating window’. You eat the same amount of nourishing food as you normally would, but you eat it during a specific time frame. However, it should be planned …don’t just skip breakfast on a whim and not be prepared with enough nutrition for the rest of the day. Over time, this could lead to nutrient deficiencies and the slowing of your metabolism. THIS IS NOT ABOUT CALORIE RESTRICTION or STARVING YOURSELF!!

Easy Intermittent Fasting

An easy way to do Intermittent Fasting is to simply stop eating for the day about 6 pm, and then don’t eat again until 9 or 10 am the next morning (yes sleeping hours count). Your eating window is 8-9 hours. You still eat the same amount of food, just within that 8-9 hours.

In the morning, cortisol (your stress hormone) is naturally elevated. As long as there isn’t insulin present (because you haven’t eaten anything, especially carbs), cortisol can easily perform one of its many jobs and allow your body to burn stored fat. This is one of the ways it helps with fat loss. This also gives your digestive system a break.

Before I started eating low carb in the morning, my body was expecting those carbs at breakfast. Anytime I skipped breakfast, either intentionally or by accident, I felt terrible…nauseous, light-headed, headachy, low energy. However, once I became ‘fat adapted’ after eating high fat low carb for a period of time, I was easily able to integrate intermittent fasting a few times a week.

Intermittent Fasting and Your Brain

BRAIN FOG. You can’t think clearly, can’t focus, can’t remember things. So annoying. It can slow you down. There are multiple causes but sometimes it’s your diet and the same way of eating that causes brain fog can lead to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Do you want to know an easy way to protect your health and your brain? EVERYONE should answer ‘yes’ to this.

Even if you think you’re too young to worry about those things now, you need to know that the ‘seeds’ that lead to Alzheimer’s (and many other preventable diseases…yes, I said preventable, even in those with the gene) are planted in your 20s and 30s by the choices you make.

Have you ever heard of the word AUTOPHAGY? Me neither…until a short time ago when reading about Intermittent Fasting.

AUTOPHAGY is your body’s way of getting rid of worn-out cellular components anywhere in the body. It’s a really important process that helps to prevent Alzheimer’s and other diseases like Cancer. You WANT your body to be able to carry out this self-cleaning process.

What stimulates this process of autophagy?
Intermittent Fasting.

What inhibits this process of autophagy?
Eating.

Your brain is what makes you who you are. Protect your brain.

Click the link to read more about fasting and autophagy: https://www.dietdoctor.com/renew-body-fasting-autophagy 

More About Fasting and your BRAIN: Skip breakfast and be smarter??

Intermittent Fasting is an easy way to increase BDNF which is Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor. It’s like Miracle Grow for your brain.

Inflammation is one of your body’s mechanisms to promote healing.

Just like cortisol, inflammation is necessary and beneficial. TO. A. POINT.

stressStress is the root of so many problems. Most of my clients have significant chronic stress that interferes with their ability to achieve their health goals.

Stress is often inescapable but we can minimize the impact on our health. We NEED to minimize that impact. Chronic stress impairs sleep, interferes with weight loss, causes inflammation in your body and increases your risk of disease including Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease.

I want to repeat that last point: stress can lead to Diabetes and Alzheimer’s Disease.

Stress increases blood sugar. It’s supposed to do this…giving energy to your muscles so you can either FIGHT or FLEE…fight the enemy attacking you or run away.

If you’re experiencing chronic stress, your blood sugar is constantly elevated. This means that your pancreas needs to keep pumping out insulin in response to this, in order to get the sugar to your cells.

What happens when insulin is constantly present in your blood? Your cells stop responding to insulin.

Brain fog? Memory problems?

Stress might be shrinking your brain. Seriously.

When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol. Cortisol serves many important functions…it’s not a bad thing.

Benefits of Coffee

In moderation, coffee has health benefits such as:

• increased exercise performance and fat burning
• a good dose of disease-fighting antioxidants
• decreased risk of stroke, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Type 2 Diabetes and certain types of cancer
• protection against cirrhosis of the liver

How Much is Safe?

Of course, some people experience negatives effects of drinking too much coffee including interference with sleep, heartburn, jitteriness, irritability, or heart palpitations.

Most negative effects occur when drinking more than 4 cups per day (about 400mg of caffeine), although many people can drink more than that without any problems. I try to keep my consumption to 3-4 cups maximum. Beyond that, my stomach doesn’t like it much and Inusually end up with a headache.

Don’t drink regular caffeinated coffee after 2 or 3 pm if it affects your sleep.

No need to start drinking coffee if you don’t like it. You can experience many of the same benefits from eating a healthy, varied diet.

If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, limit your consumption to 1 or 2 cups per day at most.

If you’re sensitive to caffeine, drink decaffeinated coffee instead. It still has many benefits associated with regular coffee.

Don’t add sugar to your coffee. If you must have it sweetened, use a tiny amount of stevia or Swerve.