Insulin Resistance, Friend or Foe?
Insulin Resistance, the summer basics
Insulin is a predictable animal that is amazingly unforgiving…even in the summer. In the summer we are blessed with an abundance of fresh fruits and fresh veggies. So, in theory it should make eating healthier easier…right? Unfortunately, not so much : (
Why? Because at the end of a hot muggy day, what could taste better than some ice cream or fruity cocktails? The part that sucks though is these kinds of foods wreck havoc with your blood sugar level (which is less then ideal if your goal is fat/weight loss). The few minutes of pleasure, assuming you make it a habit, can facilitate the path for decades of chronic illness.
Blood Sugar Basics
When we eat our awesome tasting sugary treats, our blood sugar levels rises, so surprise there right. This simply means that there is more sugar (glucose) in your bloodstream. If their is too much sugar (glucose) in our blood it is dangerous, so our bodies works hard to lower the levels. Our bodies do this by releasing a hormone called insulin, insulin helps our cells absorb the excess sugar.
The bad part comes when we continue to partake in too much sugary awesomeness. Why? Because our bodies respond by producing more and more insulin. This is the KEY POINT: Too much insulin trains your cells to become resistant to insulin, and this is called insulin resistance.
Once your body becomes resistance to insulin, your body has to produce even more insulin to remove lower levels of sugar (glucose) from your blood stream. Once this our bodies start this process, our blood sugar levels stay elevated, our insulin levels stay elevated and we develop pre-diabetes. Not good.
Still want that ice cream? Yep…me too. ;- )
Moderation is the Key
Ok, so that sounded super dismal, but don’t freak out. This doesn’t mean that we can never partake in a sweet treat again. It does mean is that we need to be smart about the amount we eat and how we eat it.
Have you ever heard of the glycemic index? It is a chart/method to categorize foods according to their effects on the level of sugar (glucose) in your blood. A food with a high glycemic index (lots of sugar) will cause more glucose to build up than will a food with a low glycemic index (low to no sugar).
In order to control your blood sugar levels, I recommend that you eat lots of foods with a low glycemic index (produce and protein). But…if you eat foods with a high glycemic index, be sure to try and pair them with low glycemic foods in order to slow the effect on your blood sugar.
High glycemic foods include:
white flour, white sugar, white rice, and even big, white potatoes.
Low glycemic foods include:
include beans, whole grains, lean proteins and nuts.
Here is the awesome part, simply being aware of the glycemic index will help you eat in a way that reduces the stress on your body. Plus, if you are following the 8 week meal plan or if you have my Busy Mom’s Plug & Play 12 Week Fat-Loss Guide and Cookbook this is all done for you.
Now, if you are going to have a sweet treat, try and make sure you eat it at the end of a meal that contains low glycemic foods (produce and protein). And, if possible, have it on a training day – that will help also!
Take away, enjoy the occasional treat, but be sure it is occasional. Your body will thank you!
Go be awesome!
KELLEN LAKE – Confession I had ice cream last night.
