Insulin resistance puts you in danger of developing Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. If you're overweight, older than 45 and either your blood pressure or cholesterol measures at above-normal levels, you face additional risk. If you make changes in your diet and lifestyle, you may protect yourself against developing diabetes. Losing as little as 5 to 7 percent of your body weight and getting regular exercise can help you reverse insulin resistance and pre-diabetes, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.
Healthy Diet
If you follow a diabetes diet, basically a healthy eating plan that adds fiber and cuts back on fat and sugar, you can lose weight and bring your glucose levels under control. If you're resistant to insulin, your body does not properly use the insulin it makes. When your body digests food, it breaks it down into glucose. Your body seeks insulin to make use of the insulin. If your muscle, fat and liver cells don't respond to the insulin in your body, your glucose levels may rise to unhealthy levels, making you vulnerable to diabetes. If you follow a balance of foods that don't contribute to spikes in your glucose levels, you'll help offset your body's resistance to insulin.
Food Combinations
Adopt a diet that includes a balance of protein, starchy and non-starchy foods at each meal. The American Diabetes Association recommends this balance for controlling blood sugar levels: at breakfast, fill half your plate with starchy foods, one-quarter with fruit and one-quarter with protein. At lunch and dinner, create a balance of half non-starchy vegetables, one-quarter starchy foods and one-quarter protein. Include 1 cup of non-fat milk and half a cup of fruit with lunch and dinner.
Breakfast Ideas
Examples of properly balanced breakfast menus include oatmeal cooked in low-fat milk and topped with apple slices and almonds, french toast made with whole-grain bread and topped with cooked cinnamon apples, a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter and an orange on the side and a bowl of mixed berries tossed with non-fat plain yogurt and served with whole wheat toast. Keep portions small, don't add sugar to cereal and avoid processed meats such as bacon. If you like meat at breakfast, choose lean ham.
Lunch and Dinner Options
For lunch and dinner, resist foods high in saturated fat such as hamburgers and pizza. Some healthy lunch and dinner options include black beans and brown rice topped with tomatoes, a turkey sandwich on rye bread topped with vegetables, a salad of mixed greens topped with berries and nuts and tossed with balsamic vinegar, grilled salmon served with wild rice and broccoli, beef sirloin with a baked sweet potato and green beans and a stir-fry with vegetables and skinless chicken.
References
- National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, Insulin Resistance; October 2008
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Create Your Plate
- American Dietetic Association, Eat Right: Diabetes and Diet
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Fruits
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Breakfast On The Go
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Non-Starchy Vegetables
