Has your doctor ever told you that your sugar intake is a bit on the borderline, so be careful? Or do you feel more tired than before and have gained a little weight? The main reason behind these things could be insulin resistance , or a condition called `` Insulin Resistance''. But don't worry, this is something that can be completely controlled if you understand it properly and make some changes to your diet.
Simply put, what is insulin resistance?
Think of the cells in our bodies as little houses. These houses need energy to work. This energy comes from the sugar, or glucose, that we eat, especially from carbohydrates . But this glucose can't go directly into the houses called cells. It needs a key to open the door. That key is the hormone insulin . This is made by our pancreas.
So, when the key called insulin arrives and fits into the cell's door (receptor), the door opens and glucose enters and is converted into energy.
But in the case of `Insulin Resistance`, here's what happens. The keys on the doors of those houses called cells become rusty. That is, even if the key called insulin comes, it cannot open the door properly. So, glucose cannot enter the cells, and it starts accumulating in the blood. This is the reason why the blood sugar level remains high. This is what we call `Prediabetes` and ` Type 2 Diabetes` .
This means that even though your body makes insulin, it can't use it properly. But the good news is that if we prepare our food properly, we can remove this 'rust' and make our cells respond well to insulin again.
So what are the best things we should add to our plates?
This doesn't require any special ingredients. These are things that we have in our kitchen and can easily find. Let's see what these are.
| Food type | What's good? / Important points |
|---|---|
| Vegetables | Starting today, fill half of your plate with vegetables. Especially dark green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, collard greens), broccoli, cabbage, beans, and bitter melon are great. These are low in calories and carbohydrates, but full of nutrients and fiber. However, you should eat starchy vegetables like potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, and corn in moderation. |
| Fruits | When you feel like eating sugar, eat fruit instead. But since fruit also contains natural sugar, limit it to one or two per day. Definitely stay away from canned or sugary fruits. Fresh fruit is best. |
| High-Fiber Foods | Fiber is like our friend. It controls the rate at which sugar is added to the blood. You can get a lot of fiber from things like whole grains like oats, brown rice, buckwheat, and barley, legumes like lentils, chickpeas, peas, and mung beans, broccoli, and almonds. |
| Lean Protein | Protein is essential for our bodies. But instead of fatty meats (beef, pork, goat), choose plant-based proteins like skinless chicken, fish like salmon, mackerel, and herring, egg whites, low-fat cheese, chickpeas, lentils, and soy. |
| Healthy Fats | Instead of unhealthy saturated fats, use healthy oils like olive oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, avocado, almonds, and cashews. These help reduce insulin resistance. |
What foods and drinks should be avoided or reduced as much as possible?
It's important to eat the good stuff, but it's also important to stay away from the bad stuff. Here are your 'enemies'.
| What to reduce | Examples and reason |
|---|---|
| Processed Foods | Everything that comes in packets, cans, and boxes. Biscuits, cakes, sausages, noodles, and things like that. These are full of hidden sugar, salt, and bad oils. |
| Sugary Drinks | Bottled drinks, sweetened drinks sold as fruit drinks, and iced teas are just empty calories. They directly raise blood sugar levels. |
| Refined Carbohydrates | White bread, white rice, foods made from bread flour (cakes, biscuits, pastries), and low-fiber breakfast cereals. These are digested very quickly and add sugar to the blood. |
| Unhealthy Fats | Deep-fried foods, margarine, and foods high in animal fat. These make insulin resistance worse. |
| Alcohol | Excessive alcohol consumption, especially over the long term, increases the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. |
How can we adapt this diet to our lives?
When you see this list, you might think, "Oh, we can't do all this at once." That's true. This isn't an overnight revolution. It's something that will become familiar little by little.
This is not a crash diet, it's a lifestyle!
This is not a `crash diet` to lose weight in two weeks. This is a good habit to build into your life. So start now. Maybe you can reduce the number of cups of sugary tea you drink a day by one. Or, you can give up sugary drinks one day a week. Start with small changes.
Don't miss meals!
Some people think that skipping meals will help you lose weight and cut down on calories. That's a big mistake. Doing so will cause your blood sugar and insulin levels to spike and fall. This will further increase insulin resistance. Therefore, it's best to eat three main meals and two healthy snacks in between .
Quantity is as important as quality.
While it's important to consider the total number of calories you're eating, it's also important to consider where those calories are coming from. For example, a bowl of white rice and a bowl of brown rice may have roughly the same number of calories. However, brown rice has more fiber and nutrients, which means it raises blood sugar much more slowly. So choose the quality option .
If you're having trouble figuring out this diet and need help adapting it to your tastes, talk to your doctor . He or she can help you create a meal plan that's right for you.
Take-Home Message
- Insulin resistance is a precursor to diabetes. Identifying and controlling it early is the biggest investment you can make in your future health.
- Reduce processed foods, sugar, sweetened beverages, and unhealthy oils from your life as much as possible.
- Fill your plate with colorful vegetables, fruits, fibrous whole grains, lean protein (fish, chicken), and nuts.
- This is not an overnight change. Don't panic, build good habits little by little. When one habit is successful, move on to the next.
- If you have any questions or concerns about this, definitely talk to your doctor . It's important to seek medical advice before trying anything you see on the internet.
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