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Here’s the best insulin resistance diet to follow if you have some degree of insulin resistance, are a type 2 diabetic, or suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This diet plan will help you reverse insulin resistance relatively quickly and normalise your blood sugar levels.
Insulin resistance (also known as pre-diabetes) is a condition whereby body cell becomes resistant to the action of insulin. This means that glucose remains high in the blood stream and can potentially damage blood vessels and nerves. This is why people who suffer from diabetes have a much greater incidence of heart disease and stroke compared to people who don’t have the condition. It is also why it is so important to find ways to overcome insulin resistance and normalise the body cells’ sensitivity to insulin.
Since there are several areas where insulin’s function can be affected it is easy to see how insulin resistance can become a problem for many people. Also, there are a variety of potential causes of insulin resistance and these are discussed in more detail in the article titled,
If you would like to find out if you have insulin resistance, you can start by seeing if you have of of these . If you do suffer with some of the symptoms then you may want to have more comprehensive testing done. This is covered in more detail in: .
Throughout this website we will cover various ways to improve insulin’s functioning in the body so that you can overcome insulin resistance quickly, safely, and effectively. By doing so you will be able to reduce your risk of getting any of the diseases associated with this common condition.
Even though we will focus on nutrition, since it is the most important aspect of reversing insulin resistance, we will also cover various other aspects that can be enormously helpful in reversing the condition. These include: exercise, supplements, and various other lifestyle factors. Of course, the more aspects you choose to incorporate into your lifestyle, in conjunction with an insulin resistance diet, the faster your results will come.
Not sustainable for most people It is important to note that an insulin resistance diet isn’t something that is considered to be a long-term, sustainable approach to nutrition for most people simply because following a nutritional plan that excludes so many foods, particularly those containing carbohydrates, is very difficult to do for a long period of time.
Must be followed until your blood sugar levels are stable Nevertheless, if overcoming insulin resistance is important to you, then you must follow this approach until you’re able to maintain relatively stable blood sugar levels. After that, you will be able to re-introduce more carbohydrate-based foods into your diet and will still be able to maintain healthy blood sugar levels if you incorporate various other principles (i.e. regular exercise and supplements) into your lifestyle.
Monitor your blood sugar levels regularly The easiest way to determine whether or not you have insulin resistance and therefore if you need to follow an insulin resistance diet is by having a blood test. If your results indicate that your fasting blood glucose level is 6.0 mmol/L (108 mg/dl) or higher then you have some degree of insulin resistance and should follow an insulin resistance diet until you achieve a level consistently less than 6.0 mmol/L.
Use as many strategies as possible in conjunction with the insulin resistance diet By following the insulin resistance diet outlined below, incorporating foods, spices and herbs for insulin resistance into your everyday diet, in addition to the exercise and supplementation strategies covered on this site you will be able to quickly and easily reverse insulin resistance and normalising your blood sugar levels again.
Take responsibility for your health It is imperative that you take personal responsibility for your health. Do not rely on doctors or other health professionals to tell you what to do. You must become educated about what needs to be done in order to optimise your body’s functioning and ensure you maintain good health for your entire life.
If there are any slight variations in the results that indicate that you’re heading in a certain direction then you must take steps immediately! Do not wait until you’re in the ‘clinical’ range.
Oftentimes, people will have their blood work done and the results show that they have a mildly elevated fasting blood sugar level. Let’s say it’s 6.5 mmol/L. Many doctors will tell them that it is fine, slightly elevated, but nothing to worry about. It’s not in the critical range yet (above 7.0 mmol/L), which indicates a diabetic condition.
Then they might say, ‘We will wait and see what happens’ instead of saying, ‘you must take action right now!’
An insulin resistance diet is the first step you must take if you notice any elevation in your fasting blood sugar level. It will help to increase your insulin sensitivity, lower your fasting blood sugar level, help to keep your blood sugar level stable throughout the day, and most importantly, reduce the negative consequence of having high blood sugar.
Most people generally find that an insulin resistance diet improves their blood lipid profiles as well.
There are several points to keep in mind when it comes to successfully structuring an insulin resistance diet:
We will address each of these points individually and see how they are beneficial in formulating the ideal diet to help you overcome insulin resistance.
Since carbohydrates convert into glucose in the blood stream and glucose in the blood stream has the greatest impact on insulin release from the pancreas, it is absolutely imperative that your carbohydrate intake is kept low.
If more insulin does get produced it will result in even more insulin resistance and this seems to be the major problem with conventional diets for people with insulin resistance; they are simply too high in carbohydrates!
So often when people consult with a dietitian they are recommended to follow the standard low-fat, high carbohydrate approach! Of course, their condition becomes worse by doing so!
Then, when they follow a low carbohydrate diet, just for a limited period of time, their insulin resistance reverses very quickly depending on the severity of their condition. It simply makes sense to follow a low-carbohydrate diet until you cure the insulin resistance.
Of course, a low carbohydrate diet doesn’t mean your carbohydrate intake goes to zero, it simply means that you reduce it to about 50 grams of total carbs per day. This equates to about 10 grams of carbs per meal if you’re having 5 meals/ snacks a day or slightly less than 20 grams of carbs per meal if you’re having 3 meals a day.
It is absolutely essential that an insulin resistance diet contains small meals. This is simply because larger meals will induce a greater insulin response from the pancreas because more nutrients from the meal need to be stored in the body. A greater insulin response will of course lead to becoming more insulin resistant. Therefore, small meals are the only option.
If you currently have 3 meals a day then you may want to increase your meal frequency to perhaps 5 small meals a day in order to be able to reduce your portion sizes and therefore the insulin response.
Having ‘complete’ meals is a standard weight-loss recommendation. However, it becomes even more important when preparing an insulin resistance diet plan.
As we briefly covered earlier, a complete meal will help to slow down the absorption rate of the carbohydrates from the meal. This will therefore keep your blood sugar level stable and insulin low. Obviously, by keeping insulin low, you can help to cure insulin resistance.
All you need to do is ensure that all of your meals and snacks contain a portion of all 3 macronutrients: carbohydrate, protein, and fat. There are plenty of macronutrient lists available online that can provide you with the information you need.
There are many , , and that you should include in your insulin resistance diet to improve your body’s ability to dispose of glucose effectively and therefore reverse insulin resistance. Some of these foods have been included in the insulin resistance diet outlined below.
Not only can some of these foods, spices and herbs help to reverse insulin resistance, but many of them have been shown to improve blood lipid profiles as well as offer a range of additional health benefits. The health benefits come from the high levels of phytonutrients (nutrients from plants) they contain.
It is strongly recommended to include as many of them in your diet as you possibly can.
Consuming frequent meals is another standard weight-loss recommendation. However, the main reason why it is beneficial as a part of an insulin resistance diet is because it helps to keep the meals small, the blood sugar level stable, and insulin levels low.
However, one could argue that it is probably beneficial to reduce meal frequency because if you don’t eat anything insulin doesn’t get produced. However, if you reduce the meal frequency the likelihood of your appetite increasing which results in having larger meals is far more likely. Therefore, small, frequent meals that induce a minimal insulin response are best.
assist your body in disposing of glucose from the blood stream more effectively. A good example of a powerful GDA is cinnamon. You can simply add it to your tea or coffee to obtain the benefits it offers or better still take it as a supplement with your main meals.
To find out more about how cinnamon can improve blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, please read, .
A good example of a supplement that contains cinnamon as well as another glucose disposal agent, chromium, is .
To find out more about how chromium can help to reverse insulin resistance, please read, .
Also, there are many other glucose disposal agents that can assist your body in disposing of glucose more effectively. These are discussed in more detail in the article titled, .
Omelette made with:
1 cup of coffee (with milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon, no sugar) 100mls of
12-15 almonds 1 (including the peel if you can eat it)
Chicken salad, made with:
100mls of
1 small tin of salmon or tuna (good sources of ) 12-15 almonds
150g of lean red meat or 200g of salmon with, 50g pumpkin 50g sweet corn 50g peas 100g broccoli 50g carrots 2-3 garlic cloves 50g of onion (the vegetables can be steamed or roasted) 2 tablespoons of 50mls of
100mls of grapefruit juice
This insulin resistance diet only provides one option per meal and is very strict. However, it will help you overcome insulin resistance very quickly as well as help you lose weight fast and feel great!
If you would like to get a complete plan to help you overcome insulin resistance fast, please get a copy of .
Also, if you would like more information about insulin resistance, then please watch this informative video:
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