An insulin resistance diet is often recommended to people with insulin resistance. But do you know if this diet works or not? Let us find out in this article.
Insulin is a hormone produced by beta cells of islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Insulin performs several functions inside the body, which include regulation of metabolism, digestion etc. However, the most important function of insulin comes in the form of regulation of glucose in the body. Insulin is responsible for providing body cells with glucose, which is a source of energy.
Glucose is synthesized from carbohydrates in the body. Insulin triggers the cellular response to absorb glucose and function properly. However, in a condition named insulin resistance, the cells do not response normally to insulin. Thus, your body produces more and more insulin until the cells produce desired response.
Insulin resistance is a precursor to type-2 diabetes. Many people maintain normal blood sugar levels for many years, after which they develop insulin resistance. Diabetes may take several years to develop after insulin resistance. Thus, if insulin resistance is identified and treated at an early age, one can avoid the possibility of diabetes.
Genetics, stress, obesity are some common causes of insulin resistance. It may also develop temporarily during pregnancy. While you cannot control the heredity factor in insulin resistance development, you can indeed keep a tab on your weight and eliminate stress from your life. An insulin resistance diet is often recommended in an attempt to treat insulin resistance.
Does the Insulin Resistance Diet Work?
Before answering this question, it might be helpful to understand what this diet is all about, in the first place. It has been proved that weight gain in the body is caused due to lack of proteins and not just due to carbohydrates. However, over intake of carbohydrates in a single sitting may adversely affect glucose regulation.
If you are not getting enough proteins through your diet, your body tends to convert the excess carbs into fat. Proteins are required to balance the amount of carbs in the body, so that it can function properly. As obesity is directly linked to insulin resistance, a loss in your body weight can easily curb insulin resistance.
Thus, it is a must that each of your meal should have a proper balance of carbohydrates and proteins. An insulin resistance diet emphasizes the need for balancing proteins and carbs in your body. Ideally, you should maintain carbohydrate protein ratio at 15:7 for every meal.
Thus, if you eat 30 gm carbohydrates, then you need to supplement it with 14 gm protein. Besides, one must never exceed the intake of carbs beyond 30 gm for a single meal. Also, one must supplement their diet with sufficient fats. However, these fats should come from healthy sources only. If you consistently follow this diet, your insulin levels may return to normal within 2 to 3 months.
Insulin Resistance Diet Food List
Although, proteins should form an integral part of your diet, make sure these proteins come from lean sources only. Chicken and turkey are excellent low fat sources of chicken. Similarly, low fat dairy products are also a good source of protein. Fat sources should preferably come from monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. A small amount of saturated fats may come from healthy sources such as coconut oil.
Given below is a detailed list of foods that are acceptable with insulin resistance diet.
- Avocados
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Cottage cheese
- Cucumber
- Fish
- Garlic
- Lean lamb
- Mushrooms
- Radish
- Peppers
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
- Turnips
Apart from this, one may include eggs for not more than 5 times a week and red meat just once or twice a week. Refined, processed foods must be avoided under all circumstances. Hope you found this article resourceful.