This collection is based on Daniel Amen, MD’s BRIGHT MINDS model:
I is for Immunity and Infections
D is for Diabesity
S is for Sleep
Diabesity is having high blood sugar and/or being overweight or obese. In the United States, it has become an epidemic that continues to get worse. Half the population is affected by prediabetes (36%) or diabetes (14%), 70% are considered overweight, and 40% are obese.
Excess fat on your body is not your friend.
Obesity is detrimental to brain/mental health and is associated with a greater risk of depression, bipolar disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia (fear of going out), and addictions. Being overweight has been associated with a smaller brain and decreased blood flow to the brain. Excess fat produces chemicals that increase inflammation, stores toxins, and disrupts hormonal function.
High blood sugar is associated with a smaller hippocampus, the seahorse-shaped structure in the temporal lobes associated with mood, learning, and memory. Anxiety and depression are two to three times higher in patients with Type 2 diabetes than in the general population. High blood sugar causes blood vessels to become brittle and break, delays healing, increases the risk of stroke and causes overall lower blood flow in the brain.
As your weight goes up, the size and function of the brain goes down, which should scare the fat off everyone.
If you want to get your brain right, it is imperative you get your food right. Eliminating sugar and other refined carbohydrates from your diet can help regulate your body’s production of insulin, stabilize blood sugar levels, and facilitate the fat breakdown process.
If you don’t know your numbers, you need to have at least a baseline for BMI, waist-to-height ratio, fasting blood sugar, hemoglobin A1c, and fasting insulin levels.
Limit the following foods:
- High caloric foods
- High-glycemic, low-fiber foods (pasta, bread, white potatoes, rice, sugar), which also promote inflammation
- Processed foods
- Artificial dyes, sweeteners, and food additives
- Potentially allergenic foods (everyone is different), such as gluten, dairy, corn, and soy.
Note: In a disturbing study, children of women with the highest gluten intake (20g/day or more) versus those with the lowest gluten intake (less than 7g/day) had double the risk of developing Type 1 diabetes over a follow-up period of 16 years.
The most important food rule: Only love and consume foods that love you back.
Avoid the mindset of diabesity. These are beliefs and thoughts you tell yourself that increase the risk you will never truly get healthy.
“Everything in moderation.” This is generally the thought just before you are going to eat something that will hurt you.
“Live a little; you deserve it.” Funny, but this is the thought of early death. It should be rephrased as “Live a little shorter.”
“I just want to have fun.” But who has more fun? The person with the healthy brain or the one with the troubled brain?
“I want what I want when I want it.” This is a four-year-old’s mindset, but this thought underlies why most people do not get healthy.
“But I always do it this way” is another common thought that tells you that your habits are destroying your mind.
Lose weight slowly. A healthy pace to lose weight is one to two pounds per week. Drink more water, but don’t drink your calories. Get enough protein for breakfast and add more fiber to your overall diet. Great tea has been shown to increase metabolism and decrease the risk of diabetes. Take saunas and eat detoxifying foods. Fat stores toxins, so it’s critical to detox when you lose weight.
My Action Steps:
- I will be very deliberate about crafting a diet and meal plans that are sustainable and will keep me diabetes-free.
- I will work on changing my mindset and my relationship with food to view food as fuel for the body.
- I will stay hydrated and avoid drinks with calories.
- I will continue taking supplements including omega-3, Vitamin D, and B-complex.