Have you been diagnosed with insulin resistance? Are you trying to get your blood sugar under control before it turns into a bigger problem? Then you’re among the 40% of adults in the US who also have this condition.
When you have insulin resistance, your body doesn’t respond normally to insulin and you’ll experience weight gain. The good news is that an insulin resistance diet can get you back to where you need to be.
If you’re wondering how an insulin resistance diet can help you with your weight loss goals and lower your blood sugar, then you’re in the right place.
Keep reading to learn all about insulin resistance and which foods can help you reach your ideal weight.
What Is Insulin Resistance?
To better manage your insulin resistance, it’s first important to understand how it occurs in the first place. When you have insulin resistance, the cells in your fat, muscles, and liver don’t respond normally to insulin.
They also aren’t able to use the glucose that’s in your blood for energy. As a result, your pancreas makes more insulin and over time your blood sugar levels start to rise.
Insulin resistance and weight gain are a problem for many people. When excess insulin builds up in your cells, sugar can’t get into your cells to be used for energy and your body instead stores it as fat. Insulin resistance also slows your metabolism down, making it difficult to lose weight.
Signs of Insulin Resistance
It’s difficult to tell if you have insulin resistance by how you’re feeling. You’ll need to have a blood test to check your blood sugar levels. A fasting glucose level of over 100 mg/dl can indicate insulin resistance.
Signs of insulin resistance include:
- Blood pressure of 130/80 or higher
- A waistline of over 35 inches in women and over 40 inches in men
- Skin tags
- Patches of dark skin (acanthosis nigricans)
Often times your triglyceride and cholesterol levels will also be elevated when you have insulin resistance.
Complications
If you don’t change your diet and let your insulin resistance go untreated, you’ll be at risk for complications such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and problems with your eyes.
Insulin Resistance Diet Plan
By modifying your diet, you can prevent the onset of diabetes and lose excess body weight at the same time. Diet choices are one of the most important things when it comes to the management of insulin resistance.
Losing even a small percentage of weight can improve your insulin resistance and eating the right foods can eventually help you to reverse it.
The most important thing about an insulin resistance diet plan is recognizing which foods increase your insulin levels and which foods keep your insulin levels stable.
Foods That Spike Insulin
In general, you’ll want to avoid or reduce any foods that will increase your blood sugar, which ultimately spikes your insulin levels. It’s important to remember that regular consumption of foods that contain high amounts of sugar is basically the fuel that drives your insulin resistance.
It’s important to realize you don’t have to give up your favorite foods altogether, and creating a healthy diet plan will help you achieve the balance you need.
You should eliminate or greatly reduce your consumption of these foods:
- Deserts like cookies or ice cream
- White bread or refined grains with a low fiber content like crackers and chips
- Processed foods and snacks such as frozen meals and granola bars
- Fried foods
- Foods high in saturated fat
- Milk and high-fat dairy products
- Processed meats like hot dogs or bologna
Alcohol, especially grain alcohol and beer, can also worsen insulin resistance. It’s also a source of high calories which can negatively affect your weight loss.
Foods That Don’t Spike Insulin
When you’re looking for foods that are ideal for an insulin resistance diet, you’ll need to choose foods that have a low glycemic index. When food has a low glycemic index, it slowly increases your blood sugar levels after you eat it. This results in your insulin levels spiking less overall.
Foods to add to your diet plan include:
Fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, oranges, and blueberries. You can also look at watermelon, plums, and grapes.
Nonstarchy vegetables like asparagus, cucumber, mushrooms, and broccoli are a fantastic place to start. You’ll also want to add starchy vegetables like beets, potatoes, lima beans, and squash to your shopping list.
Next is whole grains found in brown rice, oats, quinoa, and whole-grain bread. Also, try lean meats such as lean beef or pork loin and poultry which includes skinless chicken, turkey, and eggs.
Low-fat dairy like milk, yogurt, and cheese are a great way to add some dairy to your diet.
Nuts and seeds are a wonderful source of nutrition. Try hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, and pumpkin seeds. Don’t forget the beans and peas! You can choose from black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans.
For beverages, try to stick to black coffee, water, and unsweetened tea.
Weight Loss Programs for Insulin Resistance
You can also look at a weight loss program like ChiroThin that’s specifically tailored to help people with insulin resistance. ChiroThin is a natural dietary supplement that contains nutritional ingredients that help stabilize your blood sugar and increase your metabolism.
When you combine ChiroThin with healthy foods that don’t increase your blood sugar, your body will become more efficient in using energy and metabolizing fat.
You’ll also get guidance with behavioral modification and have weekly visits with a medical doctor to check to see how you are doing with the program.
Start Your Insulin Resistance Diet Today
Remember, you don’t have to let your insulin resistance get the best of you. An insulin resistance diet not only decreases your risk of developing diabetes, but also makes you more energized too.
It’s not easy to change your eating habits, but over time you’ll find it becomes much easier to make it a natural part of your life.
Make sure to look at ChiroThin to get you started in the right direction. We have a proprietary formula and create high-quality nutritional supplements using high-grade ingredients.
Are you ready to get started on the path to a healthier you? Click here to find a ChiroThin doctor in your area.