5 top tips to prevent and reverse insulin resistance


 

1. Blood sugar control


One of the most important steps towards reversing insulin resistance and preventing future complications is to normalise blood sugar. When blood sugar is normalised, our cells start their own healing process and begin to regain proper function, this has a knock-on effect on our vital organs and the reversal can start.

To achieve this, we need to look at what we eat, how we move, consider our mental health and be focused on the end goal of reversing insulin resistance.






2. Carbohydrates

Every type of carbohydrate will increase blood glucose and insulin levels and this is what we need to focus on and maintain. It is important to reduce the amount of carbohydrate (sugar and starch) in the diet. This is because all carbohydrates cause the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood to rise and also cause the release of insulin into the bloodstream. Reducing carbohydrates, therefore, helps directly by keeping the blood glucose level stable and avoids high insulin levels. In time, as insulin levels reduce, it will result in the loss of fat from the liver. Insulin can again work more efficiently in controlling sugar levels, which in turn means the body does not release so much of it into the bloodstream.

In order to achieve optimal blood sugar control, normalise blood glucose and insulin levels, one of the most crucial steps is to consistently follow a “whole food diet”, my definition of whole food is simply “food that hasn’t changed from its original state, is non-processed, non-refined, free from additive or artificial substances”.


 



3. Movement

Our body is designed to move, frequently and consistently throughout the day. Lack of movement and inactivity has devastating consequences, it has an equal health risk as smoking, being overweight and becoming obese.

Why movement is so important: typically, we have about 2400 calories worth of readily available sugar in our bodies own warehouse. This is in the form of stored sugar in our muscles and liver (aka glycogen), approximately 4 grams (1 tsp) of glucose in the bloodstream, 100 grams in the liver and 500 grams in our muscles.

When we eat and drink, our blood sugar and insulin levels rise and the body stores glucose in the liver and muscles. However, if our warehouse is already full because it hasn’t been used, the body starts covering that extra glucose that we don’t have room for in our warehouse into fat instead. By not using our warehouse stock of sugar, our body never empties its warehouse or able to create space for new storage, by default, the excess sugar is stored as fat and we have already discussed the impact this can have. 

Movement is essential in burning the glycogen stored in our body’s warehouse. When we do this, warehouse stock of sugar is replaced with the sugar in our bloodstream and therefore blood glucose levels will reduce. This is an automatic regulation system the body does in non-insulin resistant people and is imperative in blood glucose control. 





4. Sleep hygiene 

Sleep deprivation is an often overlooked but significant risk factor. There are multiple studies that show a direct correlation between poor sleep quality and insulin resistance. The primary reason that lack of sleep can increase our risk is because our hormone system function stops working optimally and this leads to hormone imbalance of leptin, ghrelin, thyroid hormone, cortisol (cortisol is a stress hormone, and keeps you awake), and insulin, when this happens it leads to more fat storage, hunger pans and blood sugar problems.

Sleeping less than six hours per night decreases our ability of a “deep sleep”, which is thought to be the most restorative stage of sleep and plays a major role in maintaining proper insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control.


In addition, sleep deprivation can increase appetite and reduce satiety levels, causing carbohydrates craving. Improving sleep quality is majorly important for achieving optimum health and metabolic function.


 

 

 

5. Switch from a sugar burner to a fat burner

A sugar-burner is just what it sounds like: your body runs on glucose for fuel and will mostly ignore fat molecules even if stored or circulating in the blood. They tend to get hungry between meals, can feel “hangry” or irritable when skipping meals, and tend to have higher levels of blood sugar, triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood. Sugar burners are typically people with an excessive percentage of body fat, live a sedentary lifestyle and constantly eating throughout the day and evening.

A fat burner literally means your body shifts from sugar (glucose) as its primary fuel source to fat, it's more efficient than sugar, as much as twice as much energy is produced from the same amounts of fat as from sugar. Fat-burners can go long periods without eating, have steady, sustained energy, and tend to have lower triglycerides in the blood, thus providing optimal metabolic health and function, as well as good blood sugar control.
It takes time and isn’t easy, but when becoming a “fat-burner”, insulin levels normalise, and this helps optimise blood sugar control – something we are keen to do!


Know that you only need the strength to sacrifice Carbs and sugar. Once you’ve chosen to let it go, you will transform into the best and sexiest version of you. You can do it! 

 

Marilette Barbara van Heerden 

 

Michele Reynolds 

 

“Insulin resistance is the basis of all chronic diseases of aging, because the disease itself is actually aging.” – Ron Rosedale 





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