Menopause puts you at risk for insulin resistance and having insulin resistance worsens your menopausal symptoms. Insulin resistance also leads to weight gain, and memory loss. During perimenopause our brain goes through massive rewiring and in the first few years of menopause that rewiring is the origin of many menopausal symptoms such as insomnia, sleep disturbance, memory loss and hot flashes. With lowering progesterone we may experience migraines. sleep disturbances and an inability to cope with stress. Lowering estrogen levels (that will occur in perimenopause or menopause depending on your lifestyle and genetics) affect how your brain works. Your brain liked how estrogen boosted serotonin, regulated your circadian rhythm, boosted your brain function( by improving insulin sensitivity and stimulating mitochondria) and reduced inflammation so it needs to adjust to this change. Successful recalibration of your brain can put you on the road to a healthy midlife brain or unsuccessful recalibration can point you towards a longer term risk of cognitive decline. To promote a healthy pathway you can cultivate metabolic flexibility. This means being able to switch between glucose and ketones for energy. This is affected by diet and lifestyle. Insulin resistance decreases your metabolic flexibility.
How does insulin resistance cause you to gain weight around your middle section? When your cells aren’t sensitive to insulin your body will continue to increase levels in the blood stream to get the cells to respond. Insulin triggers fat to be released from the cells and be stored as fat around your middle- waist, hips, thighs, and for some around your mid back. The higher your insulin levels the more fat you will store. Healthy fats in your diet do not cause high insulin, high intake of processed, refined carbohydrates causes high insulin and we are more prone to insulin resistance in menopause and as we age.
Do you wonder if you are insulin resistant? There is about a 1 in 2 chance you have insulin resistance. You can do a glucose tolerance test or do insulin blood tests on fasting and then again 2 hours after eating. Eating a healthy diet of protein, healthy fats and moderate amounts of healthy complex carbohydrates is a diet that everyone can benefit from and can prevent many other chronic conditions. Many of my patients struggle with increasing protein in their diet. Below are some ways to get protein at each meal to improve your health.
~Protein- eat a gram of protein per each pound of your body weight if you are looking to lose fat. Eat at least 70 grams if you are looking to maintain your weight but decrease sugar cravings.
Example of high protein foods:
Example of high protein foods:
3 Boiled eggs 18 grams
Chicken breast 3.5 oz 27 grams
Almonds ¼ cup 7 grams
Beef Protein Powder- 1 scoop of 27g gives you 21 grams
Haddock 3.5oz 20grams
Tuna 1 can 20 grams
Cheese 1.5oz 8grams
Greek Yoghurt 6oz (¾ cup) 15 grams
Beef 3.5 oz 26 grams
Lentils 3.5oz 9 grams 1 cup 18 grams
Beef Protein Powder
*Limit dairy if you have constipation or are dealing with an inflammatory condition such as arthritis
Check list for reversing Insulin Resistance
Move your body
Take magnesium-300mg /day minimum ( I recommend Magnesium Bisglycinate because the glycinate is also helpful for insulin resistance
Try intermittent fasting. Eating during a 9 hour window. For example, first meal at 10 am and then nothing after 7 pm.
Reduce and eliminate normal desserts. Can have stevia, xylitol, rice syrup, dark chocolate, whole fruit, monk fruit.
Tips for sugar Cravings:
Eat enough protein especially in your morning meal because it satisfies appetite.
Eat full satisfying meals that include protein, starch and fat.Don’t attempt to restrict your overall calories when you are trying to get off sugar.
Supplement magnesium because it helps with cravings and sleep.
Pick a start date during a lower stress time of your life.
Go cold turkey off normal desserts and dessert type foods for 4 weeks.
Intense cravings will subside after twenty minutes.
Know that all cravings subside after 7 days.
Know that reversing insulin resistance will help prevent future cravings.
Know that you are okay. You are not a bad person because you crave or binge on sugar.
Signs you are addicted to sugar:
Craving sugar when you aren’t hungry
Craving sugar in response to negative emotions
Hiding your sugar eating from loved ones
Feeling angry or upset at the thought of giving up sugar
Being unable to imagine life without sugar
Reach out for support to learn helpful tools to overcome a sugar addiction. Like any addiction, sugar addiction can be overcome. It helps to work on your overall health to start feeling better when you want to change your diet and overcome sugar addiction. There are supplements that can compliment your diet changes to optimal your results.
Carbs -Low carb can be helpful for a short amount of time such as 2-3 months. For example ketos diets usually work for 2-3 months but after that your metabolism can be negatively affected. I recommend aiming for the same amount of grams of carbs as the number of grams of protein you eat. This works well for perimenopause and menopause when we all become insulin resistant to some degree. Some of us more than others.
For more support or an individualized treatment plan book an appointment with me at http://drglennacalder.janeapp.com Or join my Optimal Health online groups for support, meal plans and more!
Dr. Glenna