Insulin resistance
My daughter, Emily, is 7 and has a condition called insulin resistance. Thank you for allowing me to share the details of our experience with you and your readers. We noticed at the beginning of last year that she was putting on more weight than was appropriate for her age despite eating, what we thought, a largely healthy diet. At the time she ate three meals a day with healthy snacks in between. Her diet included fruits, raw vegetables, dairy products, regular amounts of protein, very little bread, pasta, etc. Her intake of sweets, sugary drinks and confectionary was limited due to our concern about her inappropriate weight gain. However, she continued to gain weight.
Around June 2005, emotional changes started to occur and the she became very temperamental with her moods being very extreme. This was abnormal behaviour for her. My husband and I discussed Emily’s behaviour at length and did not believe her behaviour was the result of psychological issues. We involved Emily’s teacher in our discussions to a large degree and through experiences of her own she suggested that we have her insulin levels checked.
I must point out here that we had previously had a blood test done on her to check her fasting glucose levels, as my mother-in-law is a very bad diabetic. Due to this family background we were aware of the fact that incorrect blood sugar levels can cause weight changes, (some losing weight [insulin dependant] and some gaining weight [insulin independent]). That is why our first thought had been that sugar imbalances were involved with her weight gain.
At this test her blood sugar levels were normal. The paediatrician who did the tests did not advise us to test her insulin levels.
So when her teacher suggested we have her insulin levels checked we had no idea that such a test even existed. We duly did this next blood test and discovered that her insulin levels were above the normal levels. We had discovered one of the biochemical reasons for her explosive weight gain - Insulin Resistance. We believed that this was the cause of her weight gain and her dreadful mood swings, causing a major instability in blood sugar levels.
My general practitioner advised me to seek advice from a dietician to control my daughter’s condition. I took my daughter to see Sally Tarlton, a registered dietician who had come highly recommended to me by a friend.
Sally’s advice was for our daughter to lose some weight in order to reduce her insulin levels, and to then maintain a ”normal” weight through healthy eating and wise food choices. The initial part of the programme was strict so as to speed up metabolic changes. We cut out all extra sugar from her diet – including strictly limiting the amount of fruit she ate, we also limited certain vegetables which contain sugar. She only drinks water now – we had to cut out all cold drinks / juice including fruit juice. Processed foods were curtailed and processed meats omitted. More protein was introduced, i.e. eggs, meat (very lean), chicken, fish, etc; more importantly we introduced more legumes and wholegrains into her diet – we learnt that these low GI carbohydrates are broken down more slowly in the body and this helps to stabilise blood sugar levels and prevent peaking and dipping.
Sally also recommended a couple of supplements, which she has developed after many years of research, and these have helped Emily tremendously.
We have been seeing Sally since August last year and my daughter has lost 7 kilograms, she no longer has those dreadful mood swings, her confidence has grown in leaps and bounds and these positive improvements in her temperament reflect in all areas of her life. My husband and I have realised how very easy it is to make our child, and for that matter, ourselves, feel so much better by making healthy food choices. We have realised how terribly important it is to eat correctly and in such a way as to keep our blood sugar levels stable.
It wasn’t always easy, especially in the beginning. Not allowing our Emily the types of food she was used to and in the habit of eating and replacing these foods with foods she hadn’t eaten before was and still sometimes is difficult. But the improvement in her as a “whole” person was really worth the effort! The difference this change in eating has made to Emily and to our whole family has been so huge. It made such an impact on us all that I really wanted to share our story with you and your readers. Perhaps there is someone out there who is experiencing the same and / or similar kind of things we were going through. I want to offer hope and to let them know that changes can be made even if sometimes you feel completely overwhelmed! Because that was our family situation – overwhelmed initially about the strange changes in my daughter and then secondly by having to implement these food changes.
The only advice I can offer to other parents out there is to be very aware what you are feeding your child and to be very aware of keeping blood sugar levels stable because even if your child does not suffer from Insulin Resistance or any other sugar related condition, it is really important to every aspect of their lives to ensure they are eating correctly. If you would like to contact me, please click on the following Email link
Kind regards, Cary-anne
Some Words From Sally Tarlton, registered dietician, Rivonia, Johannesburg
When I started in this line of work cases of blood sugar problems in children were very rare. Now I am seeing more and more children with blood sugar related illnesses in my practice, it is becoming a bit of an epidemic! Parents need to take back their control of the food choices in the home – too many children are demanding what to be fed and for many reasons, parents are giving in to these demands. The children can be moulded and will learn to like what we teach them to like! Perhaps we are giving our children too many choices?
These are some of the symptoms that may indicate a blood sugar imbalance:
· Tiredness
· Mood swings
· Irritability
· Dizziness
· Headaches
· Weepiness
· Poor concentration
· Aggression
· Poor memory
· Blurred vision
· Temper tantrums
· Food cravings
· Resistant weight loss
If you think someone in your family may have a sugar related illness I would recommend you visit a dietician who specialises in this area. Sally Tarlton, Nutrition and Diet Clinic, Telephone 011 803- 7299/8302
