4 Steps to Reduce Insulin Resistance [Practical Things to Do Today]

insulin is an important hormone for regulating the movement of nutrients into and out of your cells if your cells resist its effects insulin cannot do its job creating inflammation and making it hard to lose weight insulin resistance is a common condition but you can do things to make yourselves more sensitive instead of just telling you to sleep better eat better and move better this video will share practical things you can start doing today to reduce insulin resistance and the best thing is it won't cost you a dime you may have come to this video because you were told that you had insulin resistance pre-diabetes metabolic syndrome or you have trouble losing weight and suspect that insulin resistance may be a root cause this video will show you how to reduce the condition if you need some background information i will point you to two of my previous videos the first provides a four minute explanation of insulin resistance the second shares the signs to look for the first was filmed way back in 2016 when i was still trying to figure out if there was anything to this whole youtube thing so the information is good but the video quality shows that we've come a long way since then anyway we know that insulin resistance increases with increasing fat mass especially when there is a lot of visceral or belly fat that's because visceral fat is more metabolically active than subcutaneous fat that you can pinch under your skin as a result belly fat releases more free fatty acids into the bloodstream promoting insulin resistance so of the strategies for reducing this condition improving your diet will have the biggest payoff and that involves changing your food choices not just the amount you eat when your body is insulin resistant blood insulin levels run high which is a state that encourages fat storage therefore if you are insulin resistant just eating less of the same foods will lead to frustration because that internal fat storing state is still in place to work toward insulin sensitivity you want to focus your food choices on those that naturally keep your blood sugar low because less sugar in the blood means less insulin is needed carbohydrates cause blood sugar levels to rise the most and fats cause the least impact therefore low carb high fat diets like the keto diet naturally stabilize blood sugar which is an effect that has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity not all carbs however are created equal a cupcake and romaine lettuce are both classified as carbohydrates however only the cupcake will spike your blood sugar so while you want to go low carb to reduce insulin resistance you do not need to go no carb also not all fats are created equal for instance mass-produced vegetable and seed oils like soybean oil create inflammation in the body worsening insulin resistance healthy fats are a hallmark of the mediterranean diet and as with low carb diets the mediterranean diet has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity when you marry these two eating styles you give insulin resistance a one-two punch because you reduce inflammation and lose weight with a mediterranean-style keto diet your main source of calories come from fish and seafood low-carb vegetables and extra virgin oils poultry and eggs provide additional sources of protein meat cheese yogurt nuts seeds and low-carb fruits are also a part of the diet in moderation to follow a mediterranean keto diet think salad for lunch and lean protein with cooked vegetables for dinner you can start eating this way tonight i put recipes for my low-carb high-fat salad baked salmon with dill sauce and garlic green beans with pine nuts in a blog post that goes with this video you can download them for free by going to drbeckyfitness.com forward slash reduce insulin resistance and i will add that if you find that you enjoy eating this way i also have a cookbook with more than 45 mediterranean keto recipes organized into two weekly meal plans available on my website as for breakfast you have options including eggs full fat yogurt or skipping it to utilize intermittent fasting intermittent fasting is a valuable and easy to implement tool in your strategy to reduce insulin resistance during your fasting hours when there's no food coming in there's no rise in blood sugar or insulin making your body more insulin sensitive over time and reducing your risk of obesity and diabetes intermittent fasting will meet you where you are at if you have never fasted before i encourage you to start with an overnight fast of 12 hours and work up to a 16 8 fast meaning that you fast for 16 hours and consume calories during an eight hour eating window for instance you can skip breakfast have lunch at 11am and finish dinner by 7pm and you don't have to skip breakfast to perform intermittent fasting in fact once you are comfortable with 16 8 fasting consider moving your eating window to earlier in the day for instance start eating by 7am and finish eating for the day by 3 p.m this form of fasting referred to as early time restricted eating has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and improve the function of the pancreas which is the organ that produces insulin getting regular exercise makes it easier for your cells to take in glucose essentially reversing the resistance they once had what type of exercise is best well as it turns out the best one is the one that you are willing to do it has been found that all forms of exercise help so whether you enjoy aerobic style exercises like walking or riding a bike or prefer lifting weights at the gym you will benefit improvements in the way you eat and exercise will improve insulin sensitivity you can further your progress with better sleep and stress control these two pieces of advice are often handed out but rarely linked to a practical tool that makes a difference i have found that an overactive mind ramps up stress and makes it hard to sleep there are apps out there geared toward calming your thoughts one that i've found useful is libby the nice thing is that it is free because it's an app that allows you to download audio books from your local library all you need is a library card which you can get online simply find libby in the app store of your phone attach your library card number and search for audiobooks i will list a few of the books i've enjoyed in the video description in my opinion the distraction of a good book is a thing from our past that we need to revive the app also has a sleep timer so your story automatically pauses as you fall asleep here's what your plan for reducing insulin resistance looks like you'll start by focusing your food choices on foods that stabilize your blood sugar this can be accomplished by eating a salad topped with healthy fats for lunch and fish with cooked vegetables for dinner for free recipes or my mediterranean keto cookbook see the links in the description area below this video to further improve insulin sensitivity eat within a shortened eating window working up to an early time restricted eating pattern where you finish eating for the day by 3 p.m make a concerted effort to move more as any form of exercise helps your cells take in glucose also let technology help you control stress and improve sleep utilize the free libby app and decompress with a good audio book you'll find links to all the materials in the video description below this video thanks for watching please share this video with your community and join my community by clicking the subscribe button have a great rest of your day

Channel: Dr. Becky Gillaspy

Views: 242,643

Keywords: 4 steps to reduce insulin resistance, insulin, insulin resistance, insulin resistance diet, keto diet, low carb high fat, mediterranean diet, mediterranean diet recipes, dr eric berg, dr berg, dr ken berry, weight loss coach, intermittent fasting diet, dr becky, dr becky gillaspy, dr becky fitness, insulin resistance explained, insulin resistance symptoms, keto, insulin sensitivity

Id: Zk1-l_8nZLM

Length: 7min 50sec (470 seconds)

Published: Tue Sep 20 2022