Type 1 Diabetes
I don't need to tell you how serious diabetes is. Type 1 diabetes is caused by an autoimmune problem where your own body attacks insulin producing cells in the pancreas. For this reason it is also called insulin dependent diabetes. Insulin is necessary to push glucose into your cells so that you can use it for energy. The good news is that there are things you can do for your infant that can significantly decrease the likelihood of him/her developing type 1 diabetes? Here are four things to do for your baby:
1. Optimize your child’s vitamin D levels.
Children who take a vitamin D supplement from age 1 onwards reduce their risk of developing type 1 diabetes by 80 percent (Dr. Micheal Holick). Pregnant women should also maintain adequate vitamin D levels to decrease the risk of type 1 diabetes. The latest research leads me to recommend 35 IUs (international units) of vitamin D3 per pound of body weight. This translates to:
• 35 IUs per pound per day for children below 5
• 2500 IUs for children between the ages of 5 to 10
• 5000 IUs for adults ages 18 to 30
• 5000 IUs for pregnant women
The best way to determine your current level and supplementation need is to do a blood test. The best test to order is the 25 hydroxyvitamin D, available through Lab Corp.
2. Breastfeed your baby.
Babies fed using bottles tend to gain too much weight in their first year, and this may increase their chance of type 1 diabetes. Breast milk is much preferred over formula because exposure to pasteurized cow’s milk early in life may increase a child’s risk of type 1 diabetes. It also increases the risk of food allergies and other health problems.
3. Avoid feeding cereal to your infant.
Choose vegetable sources of carbohydrates over grains. Grains are extremely difficult to digest and babies may not have the ability to break down grain proteins like gluten. Grains are just not the best choice for most people, including infants. Babies who are given cereal may also increase their risk of type 1 diabetes.
4. Do some research before vaccinating your infant.
Some research indicates that the incidences of autoimmune diseases in children are a result of the growing number of vaccinations received. Dr. Donald W. Miller points out that there has been a 17-fold increase in type 1 diabetes -- from 1 in 7,100 children in the 1950s to 1 in 400 today.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Coconut Oil:
Coconut oil is fantastic for cooking.
I use it to lightly oil my cast iron pan for frying an egg, sauteéing kale or any veggies that might have a slightly bitter taste as the coconut oil is just barely sweet. Coconut oil is very stable even at higher temperatures, which means that you can cook with it without making it go rancid. Just don't heat it to the point of smoking! Other oils like olive oil and butter can't be heated as much because they are not nearly as stable.
Coconut oil is great for baking.
You can use it in place of vegetable oil, margarine or crisco (all of which are highly processed oils with molecular structures that are not easily recognized by your body). As a side note, I NEVER use vegetable oils, margarine or crisco. Those are not foods. If you leave margarine out for a year or more it will still be there because bugs won't even touch the stuff! The only vegetable oil currently in my kitchen is extra virgin olive oil.
Coconut oil is a HEALTHY saturated fat.
Yes, you read that correctly. It's a naturally occurring saturated fat that your body knows how to handle and process. We've been told over the last 30 years or so that eating saturated fat was unhealthy and this isn't true! One interesting thing to note about coconut oil is that it melts into a liquid at around 76 degrees. Last time I checked, our bodies run somewhere around 98 degrees. That means this stuff doesn't stay solid when it hits your body. Other fats out there that are naturally liquid but become solid by a chemical process (hydrogenated oils) don't melt again until they hit much higher temperatures in a pan or an oven. Our bodies aren't that hot. I'll get into the great fat debate more in a future post, but for now you can go ahead and do a google search for "health benefits of coconut oil" and see for yourself. I eat tons of coconut oil and I'm not fat, I promise.
Coconut oil makes a fantastic natural moisturizer.
Not that I use it as a moisturizer very often (on occasion I may rub a little on my hands when I am in the kitchen), but for you women out there listen up! What you put on your skin will absorb right into your body, just like 'the patch' for people that are trying to quite smoking. My advice to you is to never put anything on your skin that you wouldn't put in your mouth. Many skin care products contain a litany of chemicals that you should be avoiding. Coconut oil is a great alternative, and will probably cost less as well! It will not leave your face or body oily, just try it for a week and see for yourself!
Coconut oil mixes easily with organic, unsweetened cocoa powder to make homemade CHOCOLATE!
Everyone loves chocolate. Did you know that it can be healthy? Yes healthy! Send me an email to get a recipe for homemade, healthy chocolate bars! brian@behealthynutrition.com
For information about my health services, please go to my website
Coconut oil is fantastic for cooking.
I use it to lightly oil my cast iron pan for frying an egg, sauteéing kale or any veggies that might have a slightly bitter taste as the coconut oil is just barely sweet. Coconut oil is very stable even at higher temperatures, which means that you can cook with it without making it go rancid. Just don't heat it to the point of smoking! Other oils like olive oil and butter can't be heated as much because they are not nearly as stable.
Coconut oil is great for baking.
You can use it in place of vegetable oil, margarine or crisco (all of which are highly processed oils with molecular structures that are not easily recognized by your body). As a side note, I NEVER use vegetable oils, margarine or crisco. Those are not foods. If you leave margarine out for a year or more it will still be there because bugs won't even touch the stuff! The only vegetable oil currently in my kitchen is extra virgin olive oil.
Coconut oil is a HEALTHY saturated fat.
Yes, you read that correctly. It's a naturally occurring saturated fat that your body knows how to handle and process. We've been told over the last 30 years or so that eating saturated fat was unhealthy and this isn't true! One interesting thing to note about coconut oil is that it melts into a liquid at around 76 degrees. Last time I checked, our bodies run somewhere around 98 degrees. That means this stuff doesn't stay solid when it hits your body. Other fats out there that are naturally liquid but become solid by a chemical process (hydrogenated oils) don't melt again until they hit much higher temperatures in a pan or an oven. Our bodies aren't that hot. I'll get into the great fat debate more in a future post, but for now you can go ahead and do a google search for "health benefits of coconut oil" and see for yourself. I eat tons of coconut oil and I'm not fat, I promise.
Coconut oil makes a fantastic natural moisturizer.
Not that I use it as a moisturizer very often (on occasion I may rub a little on my hands when I am in the kitchen), but for you women out there listen up! What you put on your skin will absorb right into your body, just like 'the patch' for people that are trying to quite smoking. My advice to you is to never put anything on your skin that you wouldn't put in your mouth. Many skin care products contain a litany of chemicals that you should be avoiding. Coconut oil is a great alternative, and will probably cost less as well! It will not leave your face or body oily, just try it for a week and see for yourself!
Coconut oil mixes easily with organic, unsweetened cocoa powder to make homemade CHOCOLATE!
Everyone loves chocolate. Did you know that it can be healthy? Yes healthy! Send me an email to get a recipe for homemade, healthy chocolate bars! brian@behealthynutrition.com
For information about my health services, please go to my website
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Kale Chips
We have had a great growing season so far her in Cincinnati lots of rain and sun so my backyard vegetable garden is absolutely bursting with kale and I am about to make myself some chips. My weakness used to be for salsa and chips but now I use kale chips to ease my salt cravings (grey sea salt of course!) Watch this video to find out more about how to make these tasty treats. Kale is high in folic acid and calcium and in fact it is a better source of calcium than milk! In order to preserve more of the nutrients of kale, cook at a lower temperature than what is recommended in the video (200F) Also consider adding juice from 1/2 of a lemon, and grey sea salt. Cook for 15-20 minutes, flip and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Sooooo good!
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