Justine Altman joins us today as we’re digging into why blood sugar matters if you are TTC.
If you were anything like me when I missed a meal or didn’t eat on my schedule I got “hangry”. Yep, hangry is a real thing – it was recently added to the Oxford dictionary and is defined as “bad-tempered or irritable as a result of hunger.”
For me, it was not pretty! I literally had to eat immediately or I became nauseous, irritable, and shaky – and my husband knew to get out of my way!
Now that I’ve balanced my blood sugar – I don’t suffer from this roller coaster of blood sugar spikes anymore and my moods are more stable. Whew!
We see this regularly with our clients.
Whether it's getting hangry, waking up in the middle of the night (this could be a clue that your blood sugar has dropped) or dealing with chronic stress (stress impact blood sugar) and more – balancing our blood sugar is KEY in order to optimize your body for a baby.
Today I'm welcoming Justine Altman back to the podcast.
Justine is part of my team here at Fab Fertile. She is an integral part of our Couples Coaching program - which uses functional lab testing, diet, and lifestyle changes to dramatically improve conception. If you are struggling with infertility...your body is desperately trying to tell you something...focusing on your health will either help you get pregnant naturally or if you do need to go to the fertility clinic it will improve your chances of success.
Justine is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner. She was diagnosed with POCS and struggled with infertility but after taking a functional approach was able to have both her children naturally.
In this episode you'll learn:
1) What is insulin resistance and why does it matter if we are trying to conceive.
2) How to test blood sugar and how often to test (simple strategies to help).
3) What it means for our fertility when we get hangry.
4) How stress and sleep are impacted/impact blood sugar
5) What high and low blood sugar means for fertility and health
6 How to balance blood sugar and what is the best diet to regulate our blood sugar.
TIMESTAMPS:
06:23- JUSTINE'S BIO
07:12- INTRO TO TODAY'S TOPIC
07:53- WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO LOOK AT OUR BLOOD SUGAR WHEN WE ARE TRYING TO CONCEIVE?
Why looking at stress on the body is important and how blood sugar has a major role in this Is there a difference between men or women and their blood sugar issues?
10:45- WHAT EXACTLY IS INSOLENCE RESISTANCE?
The blood is the delivery system for the body How the body converts protein and fat to sugar What foods spike blood sugar and why How stress effects insolence and what happens when we have insolence resistance What being "hangry" means about your blood sugar
17:00- GESTATIONAL DIABETES
Making sure we manage stress (and why it's important to infertility) Why genetics matter BUT why we have more power than we think. "Genetics loads the gun but our behaviors pull the trigger." "You can be predisposed to diabetes but you still have control over how it affects you."
20:23- HOW DO WE TEST BLOOD SUGAR?
The most common tests and what they do Testing routines that will give you valuable information When to test and what we can learn about our meals Making adjustments and refinements for what our body can tolerate What ideal levels we would be looking for when testing "If you have issues it is fixable."
27:30 FUNCTIONAL LEVELS VS. CONVENTIONAL LEVELS
Why in functional medicine we consider what is HEALTHY and optimal How big the gap is between western medicine and functional testing (and why it matters for your fertility) Why our body is telling us a story and why we need to listen "Know the numbers, know the data" The importance of both the left and right side of the brain when you are trying to get pregnant.
35:05- COMPLICATIONS & SYMPTOMS OF HIGH OR LOW BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS
36:30- WHAT IS BEING "HANGRY" TRYING TO TELL US?
"We have to think of our bodies as primitive objects."
38:13- HOW STRESS AFFECTS OUR BLOOD SUGAR
The blood sugar rollercoaster and how it puts stress on the body When the body is in stress it does not want to make a baby
40:50- HOW IRREGULAR SLEEP CAN IMPACT BLOOD SUGAR
The liver's role in blood sugar How exposure to light can have an effect on your blood sugar "The name of the game is we want to eliminate stress if we want to have a baby."
43:20- WHAT WE CAN DO TO BALANCE OUR BLOOD SUGAR
Focusing on our diet (and tips on what to eat and what not to eat) "Keeping carbs low is the most important thing." A glucose meter (where we can buy one and how to use it) Recap of recommendations
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Book your Free Supercharge Your Fertility Discovery Call here: https://intakeq.com/booking/cZ7XW6
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Text For US residents text FERTILE to 55444 to access your free fertility yoga video.
Message & data rates may apply. Terms & Privacy: https://txtf.co/consumer-terms.
For non-US residents go to www.yogafreebie.com to access your free fertility yoga video. In this 20-minute intro video, we focus on a calming and peaceful practice to connect back to our hearts. These simple yoga poses can help quiet negative thoughts and make you feel more in control.
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Connect with Sarah on social media and learn more about functional fertility solutions that will help you have your baby.
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Functional Medicine 101: https://fabfertile.com/blog/functional-medicine-101-and-your-fertility/
How to Optimize Sleep To Improve Fertility: https://fabfertile.com/blog/how-to-optimize-sleep-to-improve-your-fertility/
How To Identify The Stressors That Impact Fertility: https://fabfertile.com/blog/how-to-identify-the-stressors-that-impact-your-fertility/
