Insulin Resistance: The Details
If you have had a hard time losing weight (body fat) you might be insulin resistant. It is estimated that one-third of Americans are insulin resistant (a condition also called metabolic syndrome). Aside from a difficulty losing weight, the consequences of insulin resistance include: increased body fat around the middle; physical and/or mental fatigue; sleepiness after meals; bloating and depression. Author Jim Caras's eating plans are excellent for people who have become insulin resistant and are state-of-the-art in dietary therapy. The most important goal of any dietary program or strategy should be improving insulin sensitivity and supporting healthy blood sugar within levels.
The foods (and the carbohydrates they contain) you consume trigger the amount of insulin released by your pancreas. High levels of sugar in the bloodstream from carbohydrate foods eaten, forces the pancreas to release large amounts of insulin. Insulin resistance occurs over time when our body is exposed to repeated high levels of blood sugar. Eventually, the cells in our body become accustomed to these high levels and they no longer "hear" the signal that insulin gives the cell to absorb the sugar in the bloodstream. At the same time, the body is forced to store sugars as fat.
Here's the net effect on weight loss: two negative dynamics occur as we become insulin reistant. First, our cells become starved for sugar they need to make energy. Second, we become fatter! Now this is where things get really ugly. Our body feels hungry all the time because our cells are not responding to insulin's command to absorb the sugar in the blood, so they become energy deprived. And since we feel hungry, we eat more food (often more of the carbohydrate foods we start to crave). This leads to the formation of more body fat. This downward spiral ends in a disease state called Type II Diabetes, a condition that increases our risk of heart attacks and virtually every known chronic disease.
Eating an overabundance of carbohydrate foods, especially highly processed ones and high-glycemic ones (covered next) common in most American's diets, can lead to chronically elevated insulin levels and insulin resistance. High insulin levels can cause many other health problems including:
The best way to improve insulin sensitivity and thereby stop your body frm converting sugar to fat is by controlling your carbohydrate intake. Different ways of affecting this are: eating low-glycemic foods (covered next); eating alkaline vegetables; eating protein with carbohydrates; increasing fiber intake; eating smaller, more frequesnt meals; and blending proteins and healthy fats with carbohydrates for more balanced meals - all of which are incorporated in Jim's eating plans.
For many people, it is particularly helpful to take supplements that help promote healthy blood sugar balance, like 24/7 or Ready Fiber. Also, new cutting-edge research has shown that Omega-3 fish oil supplements improve insulin sensitivity by exerting positive effects on insulin resistance in overweight individuals.
Also, exercise promotes insulin sensitivity by using calories for energy, whereas not exercising (not using the energy you get from your food) encourages insulin resistance and the storage of calories in fat cells.
Taken from Health Direct, Optimal Food Choices.
The foods (and the carbohydrates they contain) you consume trigger the amount of insulin released by your pancreas. High levels of sugar in the bloodstream from carbohydrate foods eaten, forces the pancreas to release large amounts of insulin. Insulin resistance occurs over time when our body is exposed to repeated high levels of blood sugar. Eventually, the cells in our body become accustomed to these high levels and they no longer "hear" the signal that insulin gives the cell to absorb the sugar in the bloodstream. At the same time, the body is forced to store sugars as fat.
Here's the net effect on weight loss: two negative dynamics occur as we become insulin reistant. First, our cells become starved for sugar they need to make energy. Second, we become fatter! Now this is where things get really ugly. Our body feels hungry all the time because our cells are not responding to insulin's command to absorb the sugar in the blood, so they become energy deprived. And since we feel hungry, we eat more food (often more of the carbohydrate foods we start to crave). This leads to the formation of more body fat. This downward spiral ends in a disease state called Type II Diabetes, a condition that increases our risk of heart attacks and virtually every known chronic disease.
Eating an overabundance of carbohydrate foods, especially highly processed ones and high-glycemic ones (covered next) common in most American's diets, can lead to chronically elevated insulin levels and insulin resistance. High insulin levels can cause many other health problems including:
- Obesity
- Inflammatory conditions
- Premature aging
- Increased bodily stiffness
- Weak joint
- Poor memory and cognition
- Poor immune function
The best way to improve insulin sensitivity and thereby stop your body frm converting sugar to fat is by controlling your carbohydrate intake. Different ways of affecting this are: eating low-glycemic foods (covered next); eating alkaline vegetables; eating protein with carbohydrates; increasing fiber intake; eating smaller, more frequesnt meals; and blending proteins and healthy fats with carbohydrates for more balanced meals - all of which are incorporated in Jim's eating plans.
For many people, it is particularly helpful to take supplements that help promote healthy blood sugar balance, like 24/7 or Ready Fiber. Also, new cutting-edge research has shown that Omega-3 fish oil supplements improve insulin sensitivity by exerting positive effects on insulin resistance in overweight individuals.
Also, exercise promotes insulin sensitivity by using calories for energy, whereas not exercising (not using the energy you get from your food) encourages insulin resistance and the storage of calories in fat cells.
Taken from Health Direct, Optimal Food Choices.
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