Diet plays an important role in preventing diabetes. If you already have the disease, changing your diet can help to better manage it.
A sensible mix of foods always keeps insulin and blood sugar within manageable limits. But when insulin resistance develops, this balance is upset. The body has a harder time getting energy from consuming food. When too much sugar builds up in the blood, you can move toward developing pretype 2 diabetes or diabetes.
Then it may be time to switch to an insulin-resistant diet.
Overall goal
Choosing an insulin-resistant diet does not require eating special foods. In short, you should eat less unhealthy, fatty, sugary, meaty, and processed starchy foods and more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, and poultry. But changing habits is hard. So, before you start, keep some easy-to-follow tips in mind.
- Create healthy habits: There is no benefit to losing weight in a sudden manner. Eating habits should be changed. Take it step by step and develop new habits that will last. Perhaps drink fewer sugary sodas or quit them all together.
- Try to fit in with your habits: It’s okay to enjoy foods that are different from what other people like. It’s important to eat to satisfy your taste buds, but also to balance the way you’ve always lived. Most people need support in this process, so a good nutritionist can be a very helpful ally.
- Don’t skip meals: Some people may think that missing a meal means less calories and thus more weight loss for the body. Unbeknownst to them, doing so can cause insulin and blood sugar levels to ebb and flow, and it can lead to more belly fat accumulation, making it more likely that the body will become insulin resistant.
- Focus on food calories and quality: The best combination of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats is debated and there are no clear answers. The best option is to look at total calories and really make them work. So, stop eating white rice and choose whole grains.
- Eat with it: There’s no magic food that solves all your problems, so vary it. If you have to make a choice, go for foods that have more vitamins, minerals and fiber.
What to eat?
Here are some goals to follow when determining meals and snacks.
- Eat more vegetables: Doing so is less likely to go wrong. Eat more dark green vegetables, such as spinach. These vegetables are low in carbohydrates and calories and high in nutrients, so you can eat as many as possible. Fresh vegetables are the best choice. If consuming frozen or canned foods, make sure there is no added fat, salt or sugar in the food. Be more careful with starch-rich vegetables such as potatoes, peas and corn. These vegetables are high in carbohydrates, so treat them like grains and don’t overindulge.
- Eat more fruit: Fruit is rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, making it another excellent choice. Satisfy sugar cravings with fruit instead of candy. Add berries to nonfat plain yogurt and make it into a dessert. Again, fresh fruit is the best choice. Be careful not to consume canned fruit with added syrup. Remember, fruit counts as a carbohydrate.
- High-fiber diet: Eating more than 50 grams of fiber a day helps keep your blood sugar balanced. Almonds, black beans, broccoli, lentils and oats are all fiber-rich foods.
- Limited carbohydrate intake: It is possible to consume carbohydrates, but it is wise to reduce the amount you consume. Also, consume carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes and low-fat dairy products, and avoid refined flour pasta and macaroni. Whole grains that are not ground into flour work better. Therefore, please choose oats for breakfast instead of toast bread.
- Eat more plant protein: Make sure you get enough protein, but don’t eat it if those proteins are full of fat. Consume beef, lamb, and pork in small amounts and often.
- Chicken without skin;
- Fish, such as fin tuna, sardines and salmon;
- Low-fat cheeses and egg whites;
- Plant (e.g., beans, lentils, and nut butter) proteins.
- Healthy fats that are good for you: Replacing saturated and trans fats with healthy fats can reduce insulin resistance. This means consuming less meat, full-fat dairy products and butter and more olive, sunflower and sesame oils.
- Low-fat dairy products: Consume low-fat milk and nonfat plain yogurt to consume calcium and protein and reduce caloric intake. In addition, some studies have shown that low-fat dairy products can reduce insulin resistance.
If you are already used to full-fat foods, you can slowly reduce the amount you consume. So, before switching to skim milk, perhaps try consuming milk with 1% to 2% fat.
What to limit or avoid
Try to stay away from the following foods.
Try to stay away from the following foods.
- Processed foods: Often with added sugar, fat, and salt. If the food is canned, boxed, in wrappers and other packaging, it may be a processed food.
- Saturated trans fats: can enhance insulin resistance. This type of fat comes primarily from animals, such as meats and cheeses, and foods fried in partially hydrogenated oils.
- Sweetened beverages: such as soda, juice drinks, iced tea, and vitamin water, can contribute to weight gain.