A few weeks ago my friend Michelle McNally tweeted a link to this interview with Dr. William Davis, author of Wheat Belly. I was impressed with Dr. Davis, so I put it on my hold list at the library and started discussing it with people I respect. Michelle had already made several dietary changes for her family after her daughter was diagnosed with multiple (17) food sensitivities, but she changed her own diet even when her daughter was not around after reading this interview. Beyond wheat free, Michelle’s daughter is also sensitive to yeast, which eliminates some wheat-free choices in addition.

Hazel Walker is an author, speaker, and personal mentor. She states, “at age 55 I am looking closely at the cause and effect that some foods are having on MY Body. I had already given thought to wheat being an issue, this just confirmed what I thought.” Hazel has committed to 31 days wheat free. She taught me that gluten free, does not always mean wheat-free.

What really caught my attention was the quote from Dr. Davis, “what you are being sold called “wheat” is really not wheat at all, at least nothing like the wheat of 1950 that our mothers and grandmothers had. Modern wheat is the product of extensive genetics experiments conducted during the 1960s and 1970s to increase yield.” Eliminating partially hydrogenated soybean oil and high fructose corn syrup were my first steps to purifying my diet, and I have made every effort to avoid genetically modified foods. The thought that there may not be non-genetically modified wheat available in the United States any longer is frightening to me. I normally promote a balanced diet, avoiding processed foods but not any foods in particular. Cutting out wheat sounds very drastic, but as Dr. Davis says, “I don’t think that modern wheat should even be considered food…Modern wheat is not a creation of nature. It is the creation of geneticists.”
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This week I read an article at Yahoo! Shine titled Demi Moore: Hospitalized: Can Divorce Make You Sick? Of course, divorce can make you sick! Stress plays a major role in our physical health, and divorce is the second most stressful life event one can experience after the death of a spouse, according to the Homes and Rahe Stress Scale. On the other hand, I have talked with many clients who find the stress from a break up longer lasting because it includes rejection and the possibility of running into that person again. Loss of appetite and not eating are common after any break up. Many find sleep evasive as well. The strong emotional reaction can be physically exhausting, too.

Any time that we are stressed our immune system takes a hit, our digestion takes a hit, and our body is flooded with adrenaline which can have a variety of dangerous results. It was when I learned how adrenaline impacts our veins and arteries and increases the risk for blockage and heart attack that I stubbornly determined to control my stress. Perhaps it is because I am a therapist, but it seems that many people focus on the mental and emotional impact of stress, more than the physical impact of stress, which can have long term consequences. When dealing with daily stressors, it is essential to recover from the adrenaline response because most of the time “fight or flight” is not a helpful option whether you have a deadline, a complaining customer, or an argument with a spouse.
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Setting goals that rely on lifestyle changes can be intimidating for many. While you may have wonderful intentions, making a change is difficult, especially when New Years Resolutions have a reputation for failing. It is possible to increase your chances of sticking with resolutions, or lifestyle changes at any point during the year, even difficult ones, by first proving to yourself that you can make a successful resolution. By undertaking a task at which you can succeed, you are reinforcing capability and encouraging yourself to take on bigger challenges in the future. What do you want to do in 2012 and beyond?

Here are eight changes you can work on now that will have a long reach in to other aspects of your life. Take your self improvement anywhere you can!

Read

I had a supervisor years ago who set aside 30 minutes per day to read and was thus always informed about new research and theories in the field. Whether you choose 15, 30, or 60 minutes every day, the pages and hours will quickly add up. Read technical writings to increase knowledge, fiction for relaxation, or even blogs. Listening to audio books instead of the top 40 is another way to increase what you are reading and will drastically change your commute.
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Gestational diabetes and low socioeconomic status seem to be risks for the development of attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) according to research published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine. Reearchers Yoko Nomura, PhD, MPH, David J. Marks, Ph, Bella Grossman, MA, Michelle Yoon, BS, BA, Holly Loudon, MD, MPH, Joanne Stone, MD, and Jeffrey M. Halperin, PhD analyzed data from an ongoing cohort study according to Med Page Today. While the original study included 212 children, only 10 percent of the mothers reported experiencing gestational diabetes.

The children who had mothers who had experienced gestational diabetes during pregnancy were more likely to demonstrate inattention, while the children who also came from families of lower socioeconomic status, were more likely to demonstrate both inattention and hyperactivity. Children from families of a lower socioeconomic status who were not exposed to gestational diabetes showed twice the risk for developing ADHD. When the researchers analyzed differences between children who were exposed to gestational diabetes to children who were exposed to lower socioeconomic status to children who were exposed to both and to those who were exposed to neither, there was an obvious statistically significant likelihood that children exposed to both would develop ADHD; however, there seemed to be no increased risk for children exposed to only one of the two variables.

I would like to see similar research done with a larger sample size. Information about maternal history of gestational diabetes came from maternal reports approximately four years after gestation, which could limit the accuracy of the data. Future research should pull that information from medical records. This research looked at children between the ages of four and six. While six is often a key age for such diagnoses, a more longitudinal study may provide us more accurate results.

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A size six is now being considered plus sized for models. As shocking as that may be to most of us, it may be more shocking when you consider that Christie Brinkley, Paulina Proizkova, and Cindy Crawford all wore a size six at the height of their super model careers in the 1990s, according to PLUS Model magazine’s January edition. It horrifies me to think that my younger cousins might look at Cindy Crawford and think she is plus sized!

The article in PLUS Model magazine also reports that half of today’s women wear a size 14 and above, but most retail stores carry only sizes 14 and smaller. In addition, while in the 1990s, “the average fashion model weighed eight percent less than the average woman. Today she weights 23 percent less” and “most runway models meet the Body Mass Index physical criteria for anorexia,” according to PLUS Model magazine.

It is no surprise that Judy Scheel, Ph.D., executive director of Cedar Associates is concerned that society is encouraging young girls towards the development of eating disorders in response to this article, most commonly binge eating disorder or bulimia. As parents, we need to realize that no matter what we are modeling for our children, the media is also modeling an ideal body that is unattainable by the majority of the population and making it seem as appealing as possible.

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