Teach Your Child To Love: insulin

Kamis, 20 Oktober 2011

Junk Food Diet May Cause Autism Through Insulin Resistance

By Julia Moravcsik, PhD, author of Teach Your Child to Love Healthy Food

Michael Stern, a Rice University biochemist has theorized that the same junk food diet that causes diabetes may also cause autism.

Dr. Stern found that genes that cause autism impact insulin signaling. When they eat a poor diet, children with these genes may develop autism.

What to Feed Your Autistic Child

Stern suggests that a simple research study could verify his theory. If autistic children are given a low carb diet, and their symptoms subside, then there would be evidence for his theory.

There is no need to wait for the published study. A low carb diet is generally a healthy one, as long as it doesn't contain excessive amounts of meat.

Here are some steps to a healthy low carb and low glycemic index diet:

Eliminate all the sugar and other sweeteners from your child's diet.
Eliminate all refined flour from your child's diet. Only feed her whole grains, especially whole grains that haven't been ground up (like sprouted wheat breads).
Step up the number of vegetables she eats. Try to aim for 9 per day.
Give her lots of protein, but avoid too much meat, especially fried or grilled meats.
Give her at least one, and preferably two, servings of beans per day. Buy a few bean cookbooks.

Insulin sensitivity can also be improved by these diet changes:

Eliminate most sources of saturated fat. Milk is ok, but make it lowfat if your child is two years old or older.
Avoid fried foods.
If your child is overweight, help her lose weight by giving her real, whole foods.

Eat a Healthy Diet During Pregnancy

Eating a junk food diet during pregnancy may also increase the chances of having an autistic child, possibly through the same mechanism. Big swings in blood sugar may affect the fetus if it has autism genes.

Avoid sweets, refined flour, and fatty foods during pregnancy. Eat lots of vegetables, beans, and whole grains. Feel free to eat fruit, but eat it with meals.

Ignore friends and relatives who encourage you to eat junk food because you're "eating for two." These nine months are the most important months in your whole life to eat healthfully.

More Information

For more information on the study, see this news release.

Would you like a simple, easy-to-follow program that will teach your child to love healthy food? See my new book Teach Your Child to Love Healthy Food on amazon.com.

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Kamis, 06 Oktober 2011

AGEs -- Another Reason to Stop Giving Kids Processed Food

By Julia Moravcsik, PhD, author of Teach Your Child to Love Healthy Food

A recent study found that babies have high levels of chemicals called advanced glycation end products. These chemicals are the result of exposing food to high heat, and are especially high in processed food and fast food. Processed food is made with high heat, and fast food restaurants use high temperature oils or grilling to cook their food.

AGEs can cause many modern diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's. AGEs cause inflammation, which may be involved in countless other diseases, such as allergies and autoimmune disorders. Scientists are just beginning to discover the ramifications of the high level of AGEs in the modern diet.

Babies emerge from the womb already high in these AGEs. Because the bloodstreams of the mother and fetus are connected, the AGEs in the junk food that the mother has eaten finds its way into the baby.

Babies who are fed formula continue to get large amounts of AGEs -- they were found to have twice the levels that adult diabetics have. Many of these babies actually had elevated insulin levels -- something that we think of as an adult health problem.

How to Reduce AGEs in Your Child's Diet

You can take these steps to reduce the AGEs in your child's diet:

If you're pregnant, avoid processed foods, fast foods, and foods (especially meats) cooked at high temperatures.
Breastfeed your baby.
Most of your child's food should be homemade. Packaged food has been processed at high heat to extend shelf life.
Limit the amount of fried food that you give to your child.
Use low temperatures for frying. Never grill meats.
Before frying, coat the food with high antioxidant foods, such as cherry juice, herbs, or spices. These will protect the surface of the food, which is in contact with the high temperatures, and reduce the formation of AGEs.
Feed your child lots of fruits, vegetables, and other low-fat plant foods.
If you give your child meat, make sure it's cooked at a low temperature. Stewing is especially good -- it produces few AGEs.
While I hate to recommend a completely raw food diet because of its nutritional imbalances, you can still benefit from using raw food recipes. There are many good raw food cookbooks, and there may even be a raw food restaurant near you.

Would you like a simple, easy-to-follow program that will teach your child to love healthy food? See my new book Teach Your Child to Love Healthy Food on amazon.com.