Cheers! Let’s be honest, ever since prohibition, alcohol has been marketed as sexy and the “cool kids” are doing it.

Think about the famous quote from the movie Can’t Hardly  Wait, “Nobody drink the beer. The beer has gone bad!” Enjoying alcohol for many is a learned practice and few, if anyone, says they like the taste of wine, beer or liquor the first time they have it.

If we didn’t have the advertisements, events and few studies “saying” alcohol is beneficial for our health, would we drink or drink as often? I mean, hemp/CBD was coined as bad for so long, and now, when I talk to clients about the uses and benefits of using hemp, I get the impression they think I am a drug dealer.

As for alcohol, every few months, I take a booze break to experiment with how much better I can feel, and where I can repurpose my time, money and energy. Have you ever experimented with such?

When I delve into these breaks, I inspire myself by reviewing why it’s a good idea for my health, my work and my family (I am a way cooler mom when I am not sleep deprived). I’ve organized these stats for you below. Who wants to do a dry month with me?

Why Do We Drink Alcohol?

Uncovering why we drink alcohol is the first step in decreasing the occasions. Is it comfort in holding a wine glass when out to dinner or mingling with friends? Is it the placebo effect that it helps us socialize? Is it a thing to do when we are trying to avoid thinking about something else on our plate? Knowing why we drink can be helpful in knowing what to fill that space with while cutting it back or out, yet, still enjoy ourselves.

Alcohol numbs you at the moment, yes, but it will only exacerbate stress by disrupting your sleep, depleting your micronutrients, impairing your gut, and firing up your immune system hours and days following. Alcohol can more so contribute to depression and anxiety rather than help mental health. Yet, we still reach it to solve worries, stress and for a reward. I am immediately thinking about the times I snowboarded in CO and after a fun day on the mountain, I’d reach for a drink.

Tip: To explore the thinking around why we drink, I recommend any of Anne Grace’s books on the subject of alcohol. Her books are entertaining, empowering and no doubt, insightful.

Alcohol & Health

…or lack of. I am not here to be the food police or party pooper, but sometimes we don’t know what we don’t know. Once we understand the influence of how things we consume have on our health, we learn to tweak our lifestyle to have a higher quality of life.

When I search “alcohol and health,” on a research database called Pubmed, there are over 130,000 studies that come up, and a micro amount of those studies are talking about any benefits of alcohol.

Some of the common impacts alcohol has on our health include an increased risk of high blood pressure, cancer, liver damage, depression, anxiety, and addiction. Long-term exposure to alcohol can also cause the brain to shrink.

Alcohol & Sleep

• Alcohol robs you of REM sleep (keeping you in lighter stages of sleep), may contribute to impaired breathing at night, and can wake you up in the middle of the night.
• Because of impaired sleep, or how alcohol depletes nutrients in the body, it can lead to fatigue.
• Tips on better sleep

Alcohol & Weight Loss

• More than 2 alcoholic drinks reduce fat metabolism by 73%. Alcohol also increases estrogen by 300%.

• Alcohol also influxes sex hormones, including estrogen, which can increase hunger and metabolic syndrome.

• Booze lowers barriers and increases our chances of eating more food and processed foods.

• Alcohol can negatively impact gut bacteria, which can change the way you store calories (or that you store more calories). When our gut health is out of balance it throws off our hunger signals, it can increase cravings and fuel inflammation.

Alcohol & Diabetes

• Alcohol can be a slippery slope for diabetes because our body views alcohol as a poison and halts everything to process it out of our system, which goes back to the risk of low blood sugar levels.

• In simple terms, the liver produces a constant drip of glucose, hence why we need basal insulin, but when we drink, it stops this job and focuses on metabolizing the alcohol. Wine, liquor, and beer increase the risk of having a low blood sugar even hours after eating and drinking. This is the most common occurrence, yet, we are all individualized. We just need to know how we respond to alcohol and how to manage it. I tend to go high overnight and have learned to slightly increase my basal after dinner or evening of drinks.

• Important Note On Glucagon: alcohol in the system makes an injection of emergency glucagon less effective as usual, according to research. This doesn’t mean to forgo it if you are in an emergency, but keep in mind that your blood sugar will not rise as quickly.

Takeaways

By doing a dry month, research shows 67% of people will cut back on alcohol over the year. Think of the money saved and energy that’s repurposed!

This is a unique opportunity to remember how to enjoy your life without alcohol and while the health benefits of alcohol are low, there is a balance and joy that comes with the occasions we choose to drink.

Before You Go!

When you have drinks at dinner or out with friends, opt for a lower carb me and something higher in protein and fat. Examples could be fajitas without rice or tortillas, or a bun-less burger with a side of vegetables. A meal higher in fat and protein will take longer to digest, and therefore the alcohol with or after this meal will take longer to digest and therefore more ADH (alcohol dehydrogenase) can break down up to 20% more alcohol, which reduces the load on your liver.

This is part of a 4-part series on “Personalized Nutrition.” Be sure to click through all the topics on this subject, which I’ve hyperlinked below.

• Importance of Hydration
• Startling Stats on Sugar
• Alcohol and Your Health
• Dangers of Food-Dye

New research just came out showing that as someone with type 1 diabetes, I, on average, make 180 extra decisions a day compared to the average person.

November marks National Diabetes Awareness Month and because of this disease I am at risk of burnout, but along the way, I am mentally tougher for it.

Happy Diabadass month my friends!

Tell us more about you!
My name is Leah. The usuals: I was born and raised in Minnesota, USA, but live in Germany now; I’m 26 years old; I LOVE to travel, and I wish I was still actively playing hockey and softball! How did I get to Germany? I studied abroad when I was in college and ended up meeting a super amazing German guy. We hit if off, did over a year of long distance, and I moved to Germany to be an Au Pair. We ended up getting married after and I stayed in Germany and here I am.

How long have you had diabetes?
I was diagnosed at the age of 14, so I’ve had T1D for 11.5 years. I always have to rewrite that last sentence, I am T1D or I have T1D. The biggest dilema.

What eating regime have you found to be most helpful in managing blood sugars? What hasn’t worked?
The last three months I have been eating low carb, high protein LCHP, Dr. Bernstein style of 30g carbs or less per day. I find that when I eat LCHP, my blood sugars are predictable and steady. I do not see big swings in blood sugar because I don’t consume very many carbs. It’s the law of small numbers: fewer carbs, less insulin, less blood sugar fluctuation. I’m really passionate about the LCHP lifestyle. I don’t mean I don’t get to eat delicious things. There are LC alternatives to literally anything you can imagine!
Prior to that, I was on a path of self-destruction. I was eating whatever I wanted and just taking insulin, you know like they told me I could do. But my blood sugars were incredibly unpredictable and the ups and downs made me feel horrible. I was moody, angry, and was so upset that I couldn’t just get it right. I was always told that I can eat anything, but the results speak for themselves. Of course, I can eat anything, but I will pay a price. I suppose all of our prices are different.

What type insulin do you use and what insulin dosage method works best for you and your lifestyle?
I currently use Novolog (Novorapid) in my Medtronic 640G insulin pump. For a time I tried Fiasp, but it does not fit a LCHP diet, so I quickly switched back. However, I did save a few vials and will use it for the
oddball high blood sugar.

How do you treat a low blood sugar?
Glucose only. I recently found chocolate flavored glucose tabs, and it has changed my life. But really, I only use glucose tabs. They work the fastest. Also, it is a slippery slope to bad habits, an unhealthy food relationship, and overeating if I choose to “treat” myself while low.

Do you exercise? What do you like to do for exercise? How do you handle activity with controlling your blood sugar?
I ride my bike to work nearly every day, weather permitting. So I get 7km in each way, a total of 40+ minutes.
Morning blood sugars behave nicely while riding bike. I don’t eat breakfast before, so I have no active insulin. However, afternoons are another story. I need to eat a few gummy bears, 8g carbs, before I leave so that my blood sugar doesn’t drop. Lunchtime active insulin will drop me if I don’t. Thankfully this works really well for me. I do not see a spike or drop when I use this method. But it was all about trial and error for me. It took me months to find this sweet spot. Other than riding bike, I do wish I would run more.

What tips would you rattle off for someone who is trying to improve their blood sugar control? Or even for someone who is newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes?
Eat fewer carbs. Period. To be honest, I am quite angry I wasn’t told this before. It’s common sense. Why consume the one thing that our bodies are incapable of breaking down? Also, my second favorite Dr. Bernstein quote is this, “there are essential amino acids and essential fatty acids, but there is no such thing as an essential carbohydrate”.

What does a typical day of food look like to you?
Breakfast: coffee with heavy cream, if it’s the weekend: eggs, LC pancakes, LC biscuits, bacon, etc.
Lunch and Dinner are usually very similar. I eat a lot of cauliflower, broccoli, radishes, brussels sprouts, chicken, beef, turkey, avocado, etc. and in all variations. There are SO many low carb recipes and alternatives out there. I would encourage everyone to google their favorite meal, plus low carb. There WILL be an alternative and it WILL be delicious.

What is the hardest part of being diabetic? What is the best part?
For me, the hardest part is not seeing the results of the hard work that has been put into managing the disease. Sometimes things just don’t work the way the should, but that never means giving up. And I suppose the best part is that I will always know the impact of the food I am putting in my body. That is a beautiful thing.

Any closing thoughts?
To anyone who thinks eating low carb means giving up favorite foods, don’t think that! The beginning is not always easy when adjusting to this LIFESTYLE, but it is worth it. I’ve had a few setbacks along the way, but each day when my blood sugar line gets flatter, I know I am doing the best thing for my health. That’s invigorating. And I encourage all of you to explore and find that flat line.

As a type 1 diabetic, I think of myself as a walking, human pancreas. The role is no joke, but one I can’t disown.

Every time I eat, as do my fellow type 1 diabadasses, we need to review, assess and time what foods, in what quantity we want to eat, without rocking our blood sugars. It has gotten easier with time, but when eating foods we don’t prepare, it can be more challenging.

I get through this hurdle with the following steps:

1. I choose a meal that includes what I call PFF: 1) animal/egg/fish protein, 2) fat, including olive oil. butter, avocado, nuts or a bundle this with choosing a fattier protein source, and 3) a food high in fiber, including vegetables, beans, lentils.
2. When ordering drinks, I politely and try to casually mention to the waiter/waitress I need a gluten-free meal. About 1 in 100 people have celiac disease, but about 10% of people with type 1 diabetes also have celiac disease, according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA). This doesn’t include the high number of gluten sensitivity.
3. Adjust your order to your needs. I will see something on the menu I like, for example, a grilled salmon, and I will adjust what comes with it to make it lower carb. Often salmon will come with potatoes of some sort, and I will ask for broccoli instead.
4. Know that most restaurant meals add salt, sugar and extra oils to a dish to make it taste better. This results in eating more and needing more insulin. Just being educated on this, I focus on eating just enough and taking a larger dose of insulin for the dish.
5. If ordering a salad, opt for olive oil and vinegar. Canola oil or vegetable-based oils are often the standard for many restaurant dressings and these fats are harmful to our health. As well, dressing can often have a lot of hidden sugar.
6. Review a menu before you go and ask questions to understand how much sugar/carb is in the meal you want so you can calculate your needs. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your server if an entree can be baked, grilled, or broiled instead of fried.
7. Don’t deny yourself, but also don’t overeat. Keep it simple and be present and mindful. 
8. If you are on an insulin pump – use the “Dual/Square or Extend” bolus options so you don’t take your insulin too late, nor bottom out before your meal arrives.
9. While sitting and talking with company, drink plenty of water and try avoiding alcohol while you eat. Make it the appetizer or dessert if you wish to drink.
10. For dessert – ask if you can have fresh berries and cream instead of the other dense options.

I just wrapped up a call with a client and she openly shared she had only consumed 4 ounces of water yesterday by dinner time. This quickly reminded me that we often overlook the importance of hydrating, and easily knock it off the priority list. But 4 ounces, that is wild, and so little. On average, I recommend about 75 ounces of water per day for my female clients (averaging 150 lbs), or a little shy of 10 cups. It’s a task, but well worth accomplishing. Why?

• it helps regulate body temperature,
• it cushions and lubricates joints and the brain,
• helps dispose of toxins in the body and nurtures kidney health,
• improves digestion, however, I recommend drinking most of water outside of meal time.
• aids in weight loss,
• optimizes health,
• reduce premature aging of skin,
• 2% dehydration can hinder your body’s ability to perform,
• mental clarity,
• energy and more.

Building on the conversation of endurance, last week I did a hot yoga class at Blue Spot Yoga in Bexley, OH. Shout out to Staci McCool; she is one of a kind and born to be an instructor and leader.

Yet as soon as I walked in the yoga room this one evening, I immediately regretted my efforts of hydrating early in the day, and honestly, the day before too. My dehydration can easily impair my performance and I generally appear to struggle during the class. I know I am not the best yogi on the block, but I am a better one when I drink enough water and fuel properly.

As I laid on my mat before class, I thought of chugging the bottle next to me before I heard the words, “Let’s begin,” but, no, it would perhaps do more harm than good. What? Yes. Why?!

• it takes about 45 minutes for water to absorb into our cells,
• it’s uncomfortable to drink a lot of water during aerobic activity and it takes away from the practice,
• drinks taken during class, should be paced about every 4 postures and should be considered as refreshers,

Take it from me, do your homework and hydrate 24 hours leading up to an activity like hot yoga, and I’ll summarize some good nutrition advice for the practice soon, but reach for hydrating foods such as produce, soups and smoothies, minimize processed foods including grains not in their pure, whole form, making quinoa, wild rice, whole gluten free oats, millet, buckwheat groats our best options.

For estimating water needs – take body weight in pounds and divide by 2. Going off the example above, a 150 lbs person would be 75 ounces of water minimum.

• This estimated water intake is to be exactly water. Coffee, sodas, even La Croix, tea do not count towards the tally.
• For exercise, to be exact, weigh in to assess hydration loss. Hydrate enough to get back to pre-exercise weight. If a scale is not handy, drink to comfort post workout and refresh with water during.
• Spring and mineral water are best, but you can spice things up by adding a few berries, cucumbers, or citrus (orange/lemon/lime) to your glass of water.

Stay tuned for more fueling advice, and lastly, if you do hot yoga daily, consider hydrating with mother nature’s electrolyte beverage such as coconut water and while striving for a whole food clean diet, don’t shy away from sea salt (avoid table salt!). Listen to your body salt to your in-tune desire.

Cheers to you and good health,

Kelly

Kelly Schmidt Wellness

In 2011 I was in an accident in Melbourne, Australia where I had to be taken under for a trauma surgery to my jaw. It may sound like blasphemy, but when I was in the OR bullpen (I am sure there is a more appropriate name!), the anesthesiologist was kindly telling me what they were going to do, and kept asking if I could remove my insulin pump and the entire site (a band-aid like adhesive where a hairlike need is inserted into my skin so insulin could flow into my body).

I obliged. I didn’t want to take it off because I knew for one, my backside is one of the best spots for my pump, and getting a good site that absorbs the insulin efficiently, for me then, was not a quick process. Above all, I was fasted for far too long, not thinking entirely clearly and was in severe pain despite the medication I was on and did not want to twist my body in the needed fashion to get a new site. Secondly, I assumed I had to manage to get a new site myself because this method of controlling my blood sugars was not common in Melbourne, a commonwealth country where the government funded the medical supplies. Thirdly, I didn’t see the need. He wanted to remove it to prevent a bed sore/bed wound, and I knew I was a healthy 20-something and the surgery was not anticipated to be an all-day event, or days event. So the anesthesiologist and I met in the middle. He took my pump, I left on my site.

While my blood sugars were tested throughout the 4-hour surgery, and I am guessing the range was flexible, I did not have insulin administered at all during that time. I have a vague memory post-op, which was late in the evening, of my Certified Diabetes Educator running into my room asking for my glucose reading because the pump removal was against her orders. Sure enough, I was loaded with ketones, which thankfully recovered, but I could easily say, I was scared for my life. How could this top-level trauma hospital in all of the country, let alone state, miss this? No doubt the doctor did call me after I was discharged acknowledging the mistake.

While this story has more details, and I will spare them, it is an example of a moment and not the only one in the decades I have had type 1 diabetes, that I felt alone, without a team that I fully trusted to care for me entirely.

As a newly diagnosed 8-year-old, a growing teen, a new college student transitioning to an insulin pump, a soon-to-be mom monitoring blood sugars throughout pregnancy (2x) like a hawk, I’ve met with many health care professionals shedding loads of advice on how to best manage my disease; and many tips are still with me, but also occasions when I thought, “I wish they knew how to do this 24/7, 365 and reconsider what they are asking of me.”

Where I am getting, and perhaps you can relate, I want to be your person, helping you on the journey of living with diabetes emotionally and therapeutically. It is far more than a game of counting carbs and drawing up a dose of insulin or medication or manipulating a diet to fit the need. If you are in need of building a team for your diabetes and the timing is right, let me be your coach.

Don’t hesitate to ask, and I wish you the best health, today and the many tomorrows.