Monday, February 17, 2014

Learning How To Reverse Insulin Resistance

By Serena Price


Many people could have a better quality of life if they understood the significance of the reverse insulin resistance lifestyle. Insulin resistance, in which the body cannot properly utilize glucose on a cellular level, makes people feel tired all the time, increases hunger, and can lead to serious health concerns. These include diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, major illnesses in the westernized world.

Insulin production is a natural response to glucose in the blood, which cells use as fuel for energy production, tissue repair, reproduction, and all other metabolic processes. However, if too much glucose and insulin is routinely in the bloodstream, cells can become resistant to the signals. A diet of fast foods and refined carbohydrates deprives the body of necessary nutrients and leads to high blood sugar levels.

Glucose is present in food and also is made by the body from carbohydrates. Whole foods contain carbohydrates along with fibers and proteins which slow down digestion and provide a steady supply of glucose, which the body can handle naturally. However, refined carbohydrates are digested rapidly, blood sugar rises quickly, and too much insulin is released by the pancreas. This causes a blood sugar drop, which is a 'hunger' signal. The person eats again, probably the wrong sort of food, and the process repeats. This eventually causes cellular malfunction.

The problem is that people eat too much, too often, and consume too many refined carbohydrates. At the same time, the average diet is deficient in essential nutrients. An overload of the wrong foods combined with a lack of fiber, healthy fats, and slow-digesting proteins creates an imbalance of hormonal secretions. This creates a feeling of hunger, which causes people to eat more (of the wrong things), and the cycle spins out of control.

Fortunately this condition sends out warning signals, the most common being fatigue. If you are more tired than your daily grind indicates, and if your meals no longer give you energy like they once did, you might suspect that your bloodstream is overloaded with glucose that your cells cannot absorb. Without enough glucose, your cells cannot make the energy they need for repair and for producing energy you need to live life to the fullest.

The subject is complex but the solution is simple. The problem is caused by improper diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Restrict refined carbohydrates (it's sometimes easier to eliminate them all together), boost fiber-rich vegetables and fruit, and supplement with nutrients known to help balance insulin and glucose levels. Get enough protein from good sources and exercise regularly. Control your weight.

Valuable supplements include chromium, a trace mineral usually deficient in foods grown for the mass market. Some people take a 100 milligram capsule with every meal or sugary snack and find that it helps. Vitamin K, citrus peel extract, cinnamon, and many other herbs, minerals, and vitamins have been shown to stabilize blood sugar levels in clinical trials. Omega-3 fatty acids should be supplemented.

This condition - not a disease but an imbalance - can be misdiagnosed as diabetes. It makes you tired, fuzzy-headed, depressed, and overweight. Losing weight, exercising regularly, and eating right are key ways to reverse insulin resistance. You owe it to yourself to address this problem.




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