Did you know that there are 60 million people with diabetes in the European region and that the prevalence of diabetes in increasing? Diabetes in on the rise mostly due to obesity, unhealthy diets, and a lack of physical activity. The good news is that by taking control of your health now, and identify the symptoms associated with insulin resistance (Which often leads to diabetes) you may be able to prevent diabetes in the first place.
Insulin resistance often leads to diabetes because your cells start to become desensitized to insulin which means that your cells are not responding to insulin’s signals to open up and accept glucose. To compensate, your body will continue to produce more and more insulin even though your cells are not responding. Too much insulin can cause rapid weight gain, early aging, high blood pressure, heart disease, increase your risk of cancer, and eventually lead to diabetes.
The good news is that insulin resistance doesn’t always have to lead to Type II Diabetes. Maintaining a healthy weight, enjoying a healthy diet, and exercise can all prevent this from turning into diabetes.
Here are 3 tips on how to reverse and prevent insulin resistance:
Tip #1: Watch What You Eat
The foods you put into your body are going to directly correlate to your chances of developing insulin resistance and diabetes. Focus on getting enough fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber into your diet. Kicking the sweets, and processed foods curbside is also going to help drastically reduce your chances of developing insulin resistance.
Tip #2: Get Moving
Did you know that exercise can actually prevent insulin resistance and diabetes? It does so by lowering blood sugar and helping you maintain a healthy weight. Focus on exercise that you enjoy so that you know you will stay committed! Remember that any type of movement counts, even things like gardening, yard work, and walking count!
Tip #3: Start Early
Prevention is better than cure! It’s much better to reverse insulin resistance or prevent it in the first place before it has the chance to turn into diabetes. Focus on diet, exercise, and remember to relax and reduce stress! If you start early, you are much less likely to develop insulin resistance or diabetes in the first place.
Ready to kick it up a notch? Try this week’s challenge!
For this week’s challenge, I encourage you to focus on foods that prevent or help to reverse insulin resistance and eliminate the foods that cause insulin resistance. Diet is a huge component in preventing insulin resistance from occurring and is your first line of defence against it. Here are some foods and some tips to help get your diet on track.
- 5 or more servings of non-starchy vegetables per day
- Enjoy 1-2 servings of low glycemic fruits per day: Cherries, grapefruits, apricots, apples
- Cold water fish such as Alaskan salmon
- Eat small but frequent meals to keep blood sugar levels stable
- Cinnamon
Eliminate These Foods:
- Refined carbohydrates
- Sugar
- Damaged fats
- Processed foods