THE BEST FOODS TO REDUCE INSULIN RESISTANCE
TRANSCRIPT
Today I am going to share the best foods to eat to reverse insulin resistance.
Insulin resistance is a common condition that happens when the cells of your body become resistant to insulin.
When our cells are sensitive to insulin and responding the way they should, our blood sugar stays nice and steady throughout the day. We get hungry when it’s time to eat, but it’s not overwhelming and all-consuming, and our mood and energy stay even without ups and downs.
When our cells stop responding as they should, that is when we become insulin resistant and we are bombarded with cravings, intense hunger, mood swings, and brain fog. Other physical symptoms we might experience are weight gain, skin tags, dark patches of skin, frequent urination, and excessive thirst.
Insulin resistance is not something you want to mess around with as it leads to things such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, PCOS, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.
There is a ton of information out there about how to reverse this condition, and sadly a lot of it is terrible. So that is what I’m talking about today, what foods to eat to begin reversing your insulin resistance today.
Hi there! My name is Ginger, and I am a holistic nutrition coach and I share videos on how to improve metabolic health using a high fat, nutrient-dense, whole food way of eating. Be sure and subscribe, like and share this video.
Ok, so this might sound really basic, but insulin resistance is caused by too much insulin. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to insulin resistance, but diet is hands down the biggest culprit.
When we think about the different foods we eat, carbs have the biggest impact, protein has a moderate impact, and fat has very little impact. But to complicate things just a little bit, the type of diet that you’re eating will impact the response. For instance, when we eat a carb-heavy diet, which is what most people eat, protein has a bigger impact on blood sugar and insulin, than when we’re eating a low carb diet. When we eat a diet such as keto or carnivore, protein tends to have very little impact on blood sugar and insulin.
So, here’s how it works, every one of our cells responds to insulin which means all our organs respond to insulin. Our organs have few options to defend themselves in the presence of too much insulin, so they do the only thing they can, and that is to alter the way they respond, basically, they just stop responding. As this happens throughout our entire body, to all our cells, and to all our organs, the entire body becomes insulin resistant.
Ok, let’s get into it. Let’s talk about which foods will have the least impact on your blood sugar and your insulin levels.
Let’s start with fats, as they already have the lowest impact.
Good fats to consume, to reduce insulin levels are ghee, avocado oil, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, lard, and tallow. If you’re not sensitive to dairy, butter, sour cream, and heavy cream can be good options.
Other fatty foods to consider are olives, avocados, and once again if you tolerate dairy cheddar, blue cheese, parmesan, full-fat Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and cottage cheese are good choices.
Animal proteins in general are going to be good choices. Get the best quality you can, grass-fed, pastured, and organic is always best.
Eggs are fantastic, I would recommend eating either the whole egg or the yolk. The egg white alone has almost no nutritional value and alone has a bigger impact on insulin.
Beef, lamb, pork, and poultry are all great choices.
Wild-caught fish and seafood are great. Avoid farmed fish if you can. Best choices are
Good vegetable choices are going to be leafy greens, avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, Brussels sprouts, snap peas, celery, cucumber, radishes, Jicama, Bok choy, asparagus, artichoke hearts, onions, olives, and leeks. And though they’re not technically a vegetable, mushrooms are good as well.
All herbs and spices are ok!
The best fruits are going to be lemons, limes, and all the berries.
Fermented foods are not only good because of their low impact on insulin, but they’re great for gut health in general. Feel free to include sauerkraut, kimchi, pickles, and yogurts, just watch out for added sugar. Apple cider vinegar is a great choice! It has been shown to lower blood sugar and insulin response to meals if taken prior to eating. Drink 1-2 teaspoons in a small amount of water prior to eating your meal.
Nut and seeds are good options as well, though you do want to be careful with these as it’s really easy to overdo it. So be sure and count out how many you want and then put the package away. The best nut and seed options are almonds, flaxseed, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts. Nut butters are ok as well.
Your best drink options will be black coffee, heavy cream is ok if not sensitive, unsweetened nut and seed milks are ok. Sparkling water, tea, and kombucha are other good options.
If you’re going to use sweeteners your best options will be allulose, erythritol, stevia, monk fruit, and xylitol. Go gently if these are new to you, especially with the xylitol as it can be very hard on the stomach.
The last thing I’ll mention, as I get asked about this one a lot, and that is alcohol. There is sadly not anything that is really healthy about alcohol, no matter what you’ve heard, But it is true that some have less of a negative effect than others. My recommendation if you’re going to drink would be dry wines, clear alcohols, and low-carb beer like Michelob Ultra.
Ok, that was a lot of information! I’ve created a quick handout with this list for easy reference. I’ll link it in the notes below if you’d like to download and keep it on hand.
I hope this list is handy. Thank you again for watching. Be sure and subscribe and like, and I will see you next time!