Episode Details

Jennifer Smith is a Registered (and Licensed) Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, and Certified Trainer on all the diabetes tech systems, Jennifer specializes in the management of pregnancy with diabetes, women's health and specialized diet and exercise. Jennifer has had type 1 diabetes for 36 years and is the Director of Lifestyle, Nutrition and Women's health at Integrated Diabetes Services.

She is the co-author of "Pregnancy with Type 1 Diabetes", is a speaker for many national diabetes conferences, and a regular guest on the Think Like a Pancreas and Juicebox podcasts. In depth experience as a dietitian, diabetes educator, athlete, mother, and woman with diabetes, has provided Jennifer with first-hand knowledge of the day-to-day variables that affect diabetes management, allowing her to assist others in learning personalized management to live their best life.

Take a Free Assessment and Escape the Weight Gain Trainwreck with T1D

In this episode, I sit down with Jennifer Smith, a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator, and tech expert who's lived with type 1 diabetes for 36 years. We explore how hormonal changes, from menstrual cycles to menopause, affect diabetes management.

Jennifer shares her journey, insights into managing blood sugar through diet, exercise, and tech, plus her experience with intermittent fasting and hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Tune in for practical tips on navigating diabetes through life's stages and find out how to stay empowered as you age.

In this episode you will learn:

Family's Role in Diabetes Management

• Jennifer talks about how her family helped, including her mom's meal prep and dad's focus on activity.
• This early support helped Jennifer transition to managing diabetes on her own.

Aging and Hormonal Changes (3:00)

• Discussion about how medical education lacks focus on hormones' role in diabetes.
• Jennifer highlights the importance of good habits and managing structure in daily life as one ages.

Hormonal Cycles and Blood Sugar (8:19)

• Jennifer explains how hormonal cycles affect blood sugar and insulin needs.
• She stresses the importance of tracking signals and using CGMs to manage diabetes effectively.

Perimenopause and Menopause (11:56)

• Jennifer explains how perimenopause impacts blood sugar and the variability of symptoms.
• They discuss the importance of body awareness and making adjustments during this life stage.

Diet and Lifestyle for Aging (21:45)

• Sleep is critical for diabetes management, along with hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

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