Ahhh my Wednesday is now complete with a nice quoting of Ace Ventura! =P
Oh white devil.... You are my frenemy! Pregnant or not I want you in my life daily if not hourly. Fruit, honey, maple syrup, tub of frosting.... it doesn't matter! I love you in all your forms (more love for the latter though if I'm honest)!
We all "know" that sugar intake should be limited no matter what your reproductive state is. We all "know" that it promotes weight gain and could be the cause of Type 2 Diabetes. But did we all know that it also feeds cancer cells, depresses the immune system, and contributes to heart disease? Momma's, did you know that you are also naturally insulin resistant when you are pregnant? (Kresser, 2011)
DETOUR:
"Insulin" in a very small, comically simple nut shell, go --> In a healthy person: You eat sugar or some simple carbohydrate (bread/pasta/etc), your digestive system breaks the substance down into its most simplest (smallest) form, called glucose, to be transferred through your intestinal lining and into your blood stream. Now the glucose (sugar) wants to enter the cell, the basic structural unit of the body and the building block of which you and I are made up of. Glucose must pass through the cellular membrane (aka outer wall that encloses all the cells inner'ds) to get inside and act as gasoline for the cell to do its job. But glucose is not that popular and is not on "the list" for the party inside the cell so it has to tag along with the billionaire socialite insulin. With insulin by its side, glucose is permitted to enter the party (able to get into the cell to fuel the work that needs to be done to keep you alive). Glucose gets into the party, you stay alive, everyone is happy! Now... Insulin resistance can appear in many different forms. One is when insulin is less effective at moving glucose from the blood into the cell. When this happens the body produces more insulin thinking that a larger quantity will help get the job done. This is not always the case... either you have a bunch of glucose and a bunch of insulin floating around your blood unable to get into the party (cell) to do it's job OR you have a sudden crash from high to low blood sugar because of the overload of insulin. (Note insulin is a fat storing hormone... excess/high amounts in your blood stream = excess fat storing. Also having sustained high blood sugar is dangerous for your health... Having sudden crashes in blood sugar is also dangerous.) The End.
BACK ON THE MAIN ROAD:
So if preggo's are naturally insulin resistant we are more susceptible to excess high blood sugar which can cause excessive weight gain and gestational diabetes (Kresser, 2011).
WRAP IT UP, I'M GETTING BORED:
What does this tell us? We should feel SUPER guilty about the pint of Ben&Jerry's we just downed, right?! hahaha Of course not! What we should take from all of this is a general understanding that our bodies are in a bit of an abnormal state (like I really need to point that out! lol). We need to be smarter about our food choices throughout the day, and indulge our cravings in a more moderate level rather than wolfing down any and all oreo's in sight! These are a few things I try to practice with this knowledge:
- CHEAT DAY: I give myself a cheat day to indulge cravings. It's usually once a week (sometimes twice if I am being honest). This is the day that the knowledge of glucose and it's snobby friend insulin gets thrown out the window and I eat what I want! It's good for the emotional side of my wellbeing. :D
- CHOOSE SLOW DIGESTER'S: During my non cheat days I choose foods that are digested and released slowly into my blood stream. Proteins are the hardest/slowest nutrient for your body to break down. This means a slow, steady release of energy into the blood. Pairing a protein with a sweet is not a bad idea to help combat the sugar spike! Chicken and Chocolate anyone?!?! =P Also veggies are a good choice in keeping that blood sugar from sky rocketing to fast/high.
- BE PALEO: Going along with the paleo lifestyle, I avoid all grain (bread, pasta, rice, etc), and processed sugar (cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, dehydrated cane juice, sucrose, fructose, anything with a -ose at the end of it's name). If I am buying packaged food (can, box, bag, etc) I check out the ingredients list found on the food label to see if they contain any hidden sugars. If it has it in there I put it back on the shelf.
- USE GOD's SUGAR: I choose to cook/bake dishes using natural sugars like: honey, maple syrup, and on occasion stevia/truvia. Although these are a better choice than processed white/brown/powdered sugar, it is still sugar and we shouldn't over do it.
- EAT FRUIT: To curb the ever present sugar craving I seem to live with I keep fruit (frozen/fresh) around the house for those weak moments. I do not feel guilty about eating my fruit even with my natural insulin resistant self because I know its a heck of a lot better than a snickers and has vitamins/minerals that me and my mini-me need! I try to ensure I get more vegetables through out the day than fruit though. I do keep juice intake to a minimum because that gets into the blood stream REALLY fast comparatively to eating the actual piece of fruit. Again... better than soda, but still something to think about. Oh and do 100% fruit juice. V8 Fruit Fusion is crap. Sorry friends, but it is.
- DIET = DEATH: Lastly (I promise I am almost done).... Very very VERY rarely do I indulge in a "diet" soda. Remember this: IF YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A SODA, OR CANDY, OR COOKIE, OR WHATEVER HAVE THE REAL VERSION! NOT THE REDUCED SUGAR, OR SUGAR FREE VERSION! Anything that is sugar free still tastes sweet right? The company puts a chemical artificial sweetener in the product to make it tolerable. So your taste buds register sugar being eaten when it senses a sweet taste. Insulin is produced to regulate the supposed rise in sugar (glucose) level to come when that sweetness is digested, but no sugar actually comes. Artificial sweeteners do not act like real sugar (glucose) in the body because they aren't real! So all you get is an elevated insulin level floating around your blood with nothing to do... aka excess fat storage and insulin resistance in your future. Kapeesh? Diet = Death! Just have the real damn cookie! =P
Okay, I am done... for now! =P
RECIPE:
To help combat those sweet cravings here's one of my FAVORITE paleo dessert recipes (I did tweak it a little to my liking):
Coconut Chocolate Chip
Cookies
by Civlizedcavemancooking.com!
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
1/2 Cup Almond Flour
1/2 Cup Coconut Oil
1/2 Cup Raw Honey (or natural sweetener
of your choice)
4 Omega 3 eggs
1/2 Tsp Vanilla extract
1/8 Tsp sea salt
1/2 Cup of shredded unsweetened coconut (I usually use a lot more than 1/2 a cup)
Process:
▪
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
▪
In a large bowl, combine coconut oil, raw honey,
eggs, vanilla extract, and sea salt. (To make your life easier, in a small
bowl on the side, combine the raw honey and coconut oil and melt in the microwave before mixing it in)
▪
Add in your coconut flour and almond flour.
▪
Stir in the shredded coconut and
chocolate chips. I will add in the shredded coconut in small amounts until most of the liquid in the recipe is absorbed. You want the cookies to stand on their own.
▪
On parchment lined baking sheets, drop
heaping tablespoons of cookie batter.(Ensure you form them to look like the
cookies you want for a final product as these do not rise or spread like
conventional cookies, which also means you can place more on a baking sheet
without worrying about them touching)
▪
Bake for 15 minutes or until golden
brown.
Remove from the oven, transfer to a cooling
rack and then enjoy with a nice cup of coconut milk.
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