Nutritional Needs of Women

“In my 40’S I find myself wishing for the body I hated when I was in my 20’S!”

“... genetics may play a much more complex role in obesity than we previously understood. The effect maybe on regulatory aspects of insulin management and neuroendocrine hormones that control calorie metabolism.“ Dr. Jeffrey Bland

“There is no magic hormone or combination of hormones that can be indiscriminately used by all women. Each women is an individual and hormonal balance must be the ultimate goal for all women. Dr. Joseph Collins

Weight control is not just about calories in versus calories out. It’s a question of hormonal balance, diet and lifestyle factors.

Frustration Are you exercising and eating fairly well but putting on weight especially around your middle?

Women tend to store excess fat in the middle of the body as they get older – even in Asian countries

Consequences of weight gain: Diabetes Heart disease Hypothyroidism Breast cancer Depression Lower self-image Gall Stones Sleep Apnea

The Recipe for Success 1.Balanced food - taking body fat % into account 2. Proper hormonal balance 3. Appropriate exercise 4. Supplementation and/or bioidentical hormones

Hormone A substance formed in some organ or gland and carried by a body fluid to another organ or tissue, where it has a specific effect.

Hormonal Imbalance Most people do not feel well because their poor eating habits and life style have limited their ability to regenerate the biochemicals needed for repair.

The Major Hormones Adrenaline Cortisol Insulin Estrogen

Lifestyle-based endocrine issues Are more common than Glandular-based endocrine diseases

Lifestyle-based adrenaline The adrenal glands secrete high levels of adrenaline in response to skipped meals, stress, lack of sleep or low calorie diets

Adrenaline Helps your body access its biochemicals for repair. Excess adrenaline leads to using up your body and fatigue.

Adrenaline There are no early warning signs of high adrenaline. In fact, you feel good with high energy.

Adrenaline People with low adrenaline use caffeine or sugar to help them produce and use their adrenaline. Eventually you become addicted to their use. Caffeine blocks adrenaline breakdown.

Adrenal Fatigue (burn-out) Chronic over stimulation leads to lowered adrenal hormones and fatigue. The lower the states the longer it takes to recover. (1 - 3 years)

Testing for Adrenal Hormones BioHealth (800) And Genova (800) Have comprehensive adrenal saliva profiles as well as other important testing procedures

Adrenaline and Progesterone Progesterone increases the release of adrenaline. Hormones, even natural hormones, should be given on the basis of testing, symptoms and then retested.

Skipping Meals Skipping meals causes the release of adrenaline which then signals the liver to release stored glycogen. It also causes the body to use other functional chemicals to supply sugar to the brain.

Exercise Over exercising leads to high levels of adrenaline. Over exercising is not good for people with adrenal burn-out. You will actually get worse and may see no benefit from exercise in terms of weight loss.

Exercise Read The Slow Burn by Stu Mittleman for suggestions and a discussion of low-impact, appropriate aerobic exercise.

Lifestyle-based insulin The pancreas secretes high levels of insulin to offset a high carbohydrate meal

Insulin The proper level of insulin helps your body rebuild necessary biochemicals. Low insulin is similar to high adrenaline.

Insulin/Adrenaline Ratios To much adrenaline leads to body wasting. To much insulin leads to weight gain

The Sugar Hormones Insulin Raised by carbohydrates Glucagon Raised by exercise and protein

Sugar and Your Health Excess sugar is turned into body fat, cholesterol or triglycerides, primarily by the liver. Excessive sugar is worse than excess fat.

Flour Products and Sugar Flour products turn to sugar quickly. Avoid processed grains and other processed carbohydrates.

The Brain and Sugar The brain runs on sugar. Insulin regulates how much sugar enters brain cells. Proper insulin levels are critical for good health.

Insulin Sensitivity Sugar taken up by liver Sugar turned into triglycerides/cholesterol Sugar properly taken up by cells Insulin levels rise with a meal then drop to normal shortly after a meal

Insulin Resistance Poor insulin response at cell level Elevated triglycerides/cholesterol High blood pressure Insulin levels rise with a meal and stay elevated Weight around midsection Diabetes II Difficulty losing weight - even with good diet and exercise

Insulin Resistance - Testing A1C Fasting insulin Fasting glucose

“As many as 44% of healthy postmenopausal women may have insulin resistance.” Insulin Resistance

A balanced diet helps you Lower cholesterol Lower blood pressure Reduce inflammation Rebuild biochemicals Lose unwanted body fat

A balanced diet includes Quality protein Low density carbohydrates Quality dense carbohydrates Quality fats and oils

Quality Proteins

Dense Carbohydrates High quality

Avoid dense Carbohydrates Low quality

Low Density Carbohydrates

Use your hand to determine the amount of food to eat at a meal

The protein should be the size and thickness of your palm

The dense carbohydrate should be the same size as your palm, or less

For example, in this meal there is too much potato (dense carbohydrate)

The potato should be equal to or less than the size of the meat Cut out this amount

Add at least two fist-sized servings of low density vegetables

Have as much salad as you want

Use high quality olive or nut oil for cooking and salads

Have 6 Servings of Vegetables per Day Have at least 5 servings per day American Cancer Research Foundation

Most People Don’t Eat Enough Vegetables

WHY Lack of time for preparation No vegetables in the refrigerator Eat in restaurants frequently (poor quality) Too busy or tired to fix them Don’t know how to make them taste good

GOOD FATS Extra virgin Olive or Canola oil Unrefined Sesame or Nut oils Omega 3 fats (seafood, flax seeds) Small amounts of butter Avocado

BAD FATS Cell membrane becomes less flexible Increases LDL cholesterol, lower HDL Liver, kidney or heart disease Gall bladder stones / disease Increases salt craving

Reducing Inflammation Omega 3 fats (seafood, flax seeds, fish oil, krill oil) High color vegetables (color indicates anti-oxidants) Cold-water fish/seafood

Cruciferous vegetables: broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, collard greens, kale, mustard greens, and Brussels sprouts Allium family vegetables: garlic, onions and scallions Flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds and seafood (omega 3 content)

Foods high in selenium: seafood, walnuts, Brazil nuts Foods high in vitamin C and E Seafood that has high omega-3 content (wild salmon, halibut, etc.) Soy food, especially tofu and tempeh as well as certain soy isoflavones

Allergens (wheat, dairy, etc) Red meat, saturated fat foods Corn fed animals, corn syrup Sugar Margarine and partially hydrogenated oils High glycemic index carbohydrates Foods to Avoid

Lifestyle-based cortisol The adrenal glands secrete high levels of cortisol in response to lifestyle stressors which can lead to fat gain, high blood pressure, depression, caffeine craving and fatigue.

Cortisol Testing Saliva test for cortisol, DHEA, melatonin, testosterone, estradiol, progesterone on day 20 of a regular menstrual cycle BioHealth (800) And Genova (800)

Cortisol Reduces inflammation Raised by lifestyle stress Affects sleep and hormone cycles Helps regulate sugars to the brain Progesterone is a precursor Affects blood pressure Uses up proteins when in excess Excess causes adrenal fatigue

Serotonin Raised by carbohydrates/sugars/caffeine, nicotine Lower one week before menstruation (chocolate cravings) Affects ADD/Depression (low states) High quality fats and protein are needed as well as unprocessed carbohydrates

Serotonin 95% of serotonin is produced in the gut Gut or digestive issues may need to be addressed as well as hormonal balance.

Serotonin and Diet (eat foods with tryptophan) Cottage cheese (avoid if dairy sensitive) Tuna Turkey Soy Peanuts/ peanut butter Almonds Shrimp

Major Metabolic Types Insulin-sensitive w/ healthy adrenals Insulin-resistant w/ healthy adrenals Insulin-sensitive w/ burned-out adrenals Insulin-resistant w/ burned-out adrenals

Healing Hormonal Issues You may put on weight as you heal You may be exhausted, have joint pain or be groggy It takes longer than you think, hope or want Real fat burning does not happen until your hormonal system is working properly You may need some stimulants as part of your process

Healing Hormonal Issues A high stress job, relationship or lifestyle with greatly slow down a good diet and exercise program You may need to seriously consider lifestyle adjustments Over exercising will also slow down progress for those with adrenal burn-out

Jeff Woodward 5336 York Avenue South Minneapolis, MN (612)