Insulin Resistance: Are You at Risk?

By Blair Doucette, MScN

It’s estimated that within the next 25 years the number of people in the world with diabetes will double to about 320 million. 320 Million! However, as high as that number is, simple lifestyle changes we can all put into effect could help curtail and reverse this trend. Following an insulin resistant diet can help you not only regulate insulin and blood sugar levels but can also help you lose weight and avoid or reverse type 2 diabetes.

What is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas in order to allow your body’s cells to absorb glucose to make energy. It sort of acts like a key to allow glucose into those cells. When there’s too much glucose (sugar) in the blood your body, in effect, gets tired and can no longer produce the proper amount of insulin, resulting in a buildup of sugar in the blood system. This can lead to type 2 diabetes and further complications.

What Can We Do

There are many factors that contribute to insulin resistance, with the majority of them being lifestyle considerations. We can see direct links between excess body weight, increased carbohydrate intake, sedentary lifestyles, and genetics and how they may lead to insulin resistance.

One of the first steps we can take to help improve our body’s level of insulin sensitivity is to limit the amount of glucose, or better known as carbohydrates, we consume. However, simple carb counting may not suffice. It’s important to look at the source of the carbohydrates. Whole food, plant-based sources of carbohydrates have been shown to be less inflammatory to the body and therefore should be given priority when attempting to keep track of carbohydrates. And of those, the highest priority should be given to locally-grown, organic sources.

Local Food Sources Can Help in the Fight Against Insulin Resistance

It’s been shown that certain fungicides (primarily tolylfluanid, if your science brain needs to know more) used in conventional agriculture across the globe have led to increased insulin resistance. Along with the added nutritional benefits and the decreased levels of environmental pollution, this is just another reason why it’s so important to find a local food source and to know your farmer.

Want to learn how to recognize good carbohydrates from bad ones? How to decrease food cravings, improve insulin sensitivity, and get into the fat burning zone to lose belly fat? What about what the symptoms are in each stage of Insulin resistance, what pre-diabetes means and how to reverse it? Join us this Tuesday, August 6, for a fun and informational class at the Barn at Woodside Farms. Class will be taught by Registered Nurse and author Julie Moon. For more information and to register, click here.

Blair Doucette, MScN is a Holistic Nutritionist and Farm Hand at Woodside Farms. She holds a masters degree in Nutrition and a bachelors degree in Environmental Policy and Anthropology. She is passionate about community development, sustainable agriculture, and nutrition.