Insulin resistance... leading to obesity and diabetes! Here's how to manage insulin with your diet.

Text / Reprinted from:Good Food Market

Insulin is a crucial hormone for regulating blood sugar levels. When insulin resistance occurs, it can lead to various health issues, making you susceptible to obesity, diabetes, polycystic ovary syndrome, gout, cardiovascular disease, fatty liver, and more. So, what can you do to manage your insulin effectively?

Lin Yachen, Nutritionist

Insulin, secreted by the pancreas, is an essential hormone for controlling blood glucose levels. It helps transport glucose from the blood into muscle, fat, and liver cells for storage. When cells become resistant to insulin, it cannot be used effectively, leading to elevated blood glucose levels. The pancreas then has to secrete more insulin to lower blood sugar, which can result in excessive strain on the pancreas over time. This can lead to glucose intolerance, diabetes, and damage to nerves and other organs.

Who is at high risk for insulin resistance?
Those with a family history of diabetes, and those who are overweight or obese (especially with abdominal obesity).

What are the benefits of improving insulin resistance?
Improving insulin resistance can lower the risk of various diseases, including acanthosis nigricans, high cholesterol and triglycerides, polycystic ovary syndrome, gout, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and colorectal cancer.

It is recommended to follow dietary practices used by diabetics for blood sugar control and to make appropriate adjustments to body weight and exercise to improve and prevent insulin resistance. A diabetic diet is essentially a healthy and balanced diet that anyone can adopt.

9 Secrets to Improving Insulin Resistance!

1. Smart Carbohydrate Choices
• Avoid refined sugars and sugary drinks
Refined sugars can easily cause high blood sugar and lead to insulin resistance. Avoid sugary drinks, including fruit juices, sports drinks, iced tea, and carbonated beverages, especially those containing sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, concentrated fruit juices, and other artificial sweeteners. When adding sweetness to drinks or foods, choose natural, healthy sweeteners in moderation (should be less than 10% of total caloric intake), such as honey, stevia, jujube, longan, pure maple syrup, black sugar, or malt syrup.

• Reduce carbohydrate intake
Carbohydrates contribute to elevated insulin levels in the blood. Reducing carbohydrate intake can help improve insulin sensitivity (the response of cells to insulin), decrease blood sugar spikes, and reduce the overwork of the pancreas.
Clinical research has found that a low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic diet can stabilize blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. However, if you have diabetes and are taking medications or insulin injections, you should consult a physician or nutritionist before starting a ketogenic diet. Doing so without professional guidance could risk complications such as ketoacidosis.

Distribute carbohydrate intake evenly across three meals.
Eating a small portion of carbohydrates at regular intervals each day helps stabilize insulin secretion, which is another way to improve insulin sensitivity.

• Choosing foods with a low glycemic index or glycemic load
Foods with a low glycemic index can slow down the rate at which sugar enters the bloodstream, reducing excessive insulin secretion and allowing it to work more effectively. Low glycemic carbohydrate sources include polysaccharide foods such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal, or meals that contain fats, proteins, and fiber.

Eat a variety of colored vegetables and a small amount of fruit.
A diet with over 50 grams of fiber daily can improve blood sugar levels in diabetes patients. Various colored vegetables and fruits, rich in phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals, help enhance insulin sensitivity and regulate insulin resistance.
Soluble fiber in vegetables can increase insulin sensitivity. Sources include oats, brown rice, legumes, konjac, apples, oranges, citrus fruits, broccoli, and carrots.

3. Eat Healthy Fats
Including a diet rich in monounsaturated fats can improve blood sugar control and lipid levels. It is recommended to reduce the intake of meats, full-fat dairy products, and butter, and increase the consumption of plant-based fats such as olive oil, avocados, nuts, and seeds.

4. Get enough protein
Protein helps preserve muscle and bone mass, reduces loss, and decreases insulin resistance. High-quality food sources include legumes, nuts, free-range chicken and eggs, and fish.

5. Add spices to your cooking.
Some studies have found that garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, and ginger may help improve insulin sensitivity. It is recommended to add these spices to your daily cooking and soups to enhance flavor.

6. Drink green tea
Studies have found that green tea contains a unique antioxidant not present in other teas—epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). This antioxidant can increase insulin sensitivity and lower blood glucose and fasting blood sugar levels.

7. Lose weight
Obesity or being overweight increases the risk of developing diabetes and related complications. The best way to lose weight is to reduce calorie intake combined with regular exercise. Losing just 5-7% of your body weight can lower health risks, help control blood sugar, and improve insulin resistance.

8. Regular exercise
Regular physical activity, such as 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, can help prevent diabetes by lowering blood sugar levels, reducing body fat, and aiding in weight loss. It also increases insulin sensitivity in cells.

9. Get Adequate Sleep

Lack of sleep increases the risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. It is recommended to get 6 to 8 hours of sleep daily, as it helps regulate hormones related to hunger and reduces the risk of glucose metabolism dysfunction.

Recently, the Institute of Population Health Sciences at the National Health Research Institutes, led by Dr. Wu Yi-Chien's research team, published a study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. They were the first to discover that the rate of physical function decline is related to the levels of glycated hemoglobin in the blood. Elevated or decreased levels of glycated hemoglobin in the blood, combined with increased indicators of specific inflammatory substances, may serve as early warning signs of age-related decline in physical function.

Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is a marker used to monitor short-term (three months) blood glucose control in diabetes patients. Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that helps carry oxygen. It can also bind with glucose in the blood to form glycated hemoglobin. Higher blood glucose levels result in higher levels of glycated hemoglobin, making it one of the key indicators for measuring diabetes.

Therefore, persistent instability in daily blood glucose levels not only increases the risk of developing diabetes but also impacts aging and inflammation. It is advisable to detect insulin resistance early and make changes through diet, weight reduction, and increased physical activity. These steps can help lower the risk of diabetes and associated health issues and complications.

Eat These 3 Meals to Overcome Insulin Resistance!

Total calories: 1614 kcal; Protein: 85 g (21%); Fat: 72.5 g (41%); Carbohydrates: 154 g (38%).

【Breakfast】
Sandwich: Two slices of toast, one slice of large tomato, one leaf of lettuce, 35 grams of cheese, half a boiled egg (crushed), and 1 teaspoon of peanut butter
Red Bean Matcha: One cup made with 1 teaspoon of matcha powder, 20 grams of red bean, and 150 cc of water

【Morning Snack】
1 kumquat

【Lunch】
3/4 bowl of brown rice (40 grams of brown rice, 20 grams of white rice)
Three-cup tofu stew (40 grams of tofu, 50 grams of edamame, 50 grams of king oyster mushrooms, 1.5 teaspoons of cold-pressed sesame oil)
Stir-fried three threads (50 grams of celery, 30 grams of shredded carrot, 40 grams of dried tofu, 30 grams of sliced meat, 1.5 teaspoons of cold-pressed oil)
Cold mixed turnip (50 grams of turnip)

【Midday Snack】
1/3 of a papaya

【Dinner】
Red adzuki bean rice, 3/4 bowl (20g red adzuki beans, 40g white rice)
Miso-grilled fish fillet (100g cod)
Stir-fried spinach (100g spinach, 1 tablespoon cold-pressed oil)
Stir-fried cabbage with tofu skin (30g tofu skin, 100g cabbage, 1.5 tablespoons cold-pressed oil)