How to reverse insulin resistance?
In order to reverse insulin resistance, you need to understand what insulin resistance actually means.
For most, the term insulin resistance doesn’t mean anything, some think of blood sugar issues, and others might think of Diabetes and that there is no return! Just to clarify, we are not going to talk about Diabetes type 1, when your pancreas stops producing insulin altogether.
Signs and symptoms of insulin resistance:
Fatigue
Brain Fog
Sugar cravings
Headaches
Weight Gain
Mood Imbalances
Frequent urination
Let me put it on the table right away:
Insulin Resistance is a CELL PROBLEM.
It has nothing much to do with Sugar or Carbohydrates. As a matter of fact, my last 10 Keto or Carnivore clients have/had Insulin Resistance. With vegan clients I see a similar clinical picture.
Let that sink in for a moment. If a person who eats very low carbs or even zero carbs develops insulin resistance then how can we blame sugar or carbohydrates?
It’s truly not the sugar's fault! You can have your cake and eat it too ;-)
Insulin resistance can be diagnosed when these markers are elevated or high:
Fasting Glucose levels
A1C level (Hemoglobin A1 C – blood sugar levels over 3 month)
Fasting Insulin levels
What is insulin?
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that lowers blood sugar. It transports glucose (sugar) from your blood stream into your cells. In your cells, glucose is used to create energy. Your body runs off of sugar. If you eat a keto diet of mostly fat and protein, your liver will switch from metabolizing carbohydrates to metabolizing fatty-acids to produce the glucose needed to function, it all becomes sugar eventually.
Insulin is secreted when the glucose levels in your blood increase after eating food. Once insulin has reduced the levels of glucose in our blood, secretion of insulin ceases, and the liver releases glucose as needed to maintain optimal blood levels.
Normally functioning cells are highly sensitive to insulin, but various stressors and imbalances in the body can lead your body to become less effective at absorbing and regulating blood sugar (imagine a concrete wall built around your cells not letting in hormones, sugar, nutrients and enzymes). At this point your body will start making extra insulin in an attempt to compensate and send the needed signals. This situation will get worse and worse over time when the underlying issues are not resolved.
MORE FUN FACTS
Protein also stimulates insulin release.
AND
Fructose from fruits does not need insulin to get into your cells.
How to reverse insulin resistance naturally?
So again, we need our cells to respond to insulin. We want them to be SENSITIVE, and respond promptly.
Insulin resistance is an imbalance of multiple different body functions that I will detail below:
Eating too many carbohydrates OR protein in one sitting will impact your insulin output. The amount of fat per meal also affects your insulin balance.
Since it’s not just about the food let me show you all the other factors that play a role in insulin resistance:
What was the trickiest question on a Diabetes website?
It asked if I would accept the cookies.
How to reverse insulin resistance naturally?
Cell problems can be caused by all these imbalances, and when addressed properly you will be able to reverse blood sugar issues:
Low Magnesium
Low Potassium
Poor Sleep/Lack of Sleep
Hypothyroidism
High PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) diet
Not enough Protein
Not enough Carbohydrates
Lack of Light
Elevated Cortisol / Long-term Stress
Estrogen Dominance including Xenoestrogens from plastic etc
Iron Overload (Copper Deficiency)
Burdened Liver
Poor Gut Health (SIBO/SIFO bacterial or fungal overgrowth)
The main take away here is that you not ONLY want to focus on getting your blood sugar down, you want to REGAIN your sensitivity to insulin.
How long to reverse insulin resistance depends on your unique biology, genetic background, age, resilience, trauma history, and level of depletion as well as length of the imbalance on hand.
The order in which you heal matters too.
For example, if you are extremely exhausted, have insulin resistance, don’t exercise and then go run daily to burn up your sugar, it might set you back on your healing journey even further if there isn't enough energy to start out with.
In addition, in today’s world a lot of babies are born deficient, and I would not be surprised if Diabetes climbs to an all time high over the next couple decades.
So let me go into some major steps you need to address bit by bit to reverse insulin resistance.
And you CAN absolutely reverse it. Believe in your body's ability to heal and adapt.
Step 1: Do not demonize carbohydrates! Do not cover up symptoms.
Step 2. Finding the proper balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat that works for you. In the beginning a ratio of 50% carbs to 35% protein and 15% fat might be a good start. Overtime, as your body regains the ability to regulate glucose again, these ratios can be adjusted to a higher carbohydrate level. Some people need more carbs, others need more protein.
Having regular meals every 4 hours and starting with breakfast upon rising can be very helpful here.
Note: Some people’s bowel movements do better on more fat, others on more carbs, more fiber, or less veggies. There is no rule. Make adjustments slowly. I often see people diagnosed with diabetes who immediately cut out all carbs, sugar, fruits and not long after they crash even harder, creating more bodily stress and accompanying symptoms.
Step 3. Stress and elevated cortisol. You can’t underestimate the power of stress. It feels good until it doesn’t. In combination with estrogen dominance and hypothyroidism this is a recipe for disaster. It creates inflammation and then ultimately insulin resistance.
Reduce estrogen dominance by supporting your liver with real nutrients
Increase your thyroid function and metabolic rate
Balance your meals to balance blood sugar
Step 4. Minerals and Nutrients. These are huge players to power up your organs so that they can work well. They are of utter importance in thyroid health and insulin sensitivity. Minerals like Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, Potassium and Copper help the body use energy better. Check out my posts on the importance/function of potassium, copper and iron, and beef liver for more information.
Steps 5. Fat soluble vitamins. Again, you will not get these in abundance or even in the right form from plant nutrients. Vitamin A (retinol), D, K and E are all bountifully available in animal protein.
Step 6. Sleep, Light, and Movement are crucial. So many people don’t move, and sit under artificial light all day. Their sleep is bad, but they do not realize why.
Take a walk in the sunshine and slowly work up to 3 miles per day. If you currently overexercise for your body’s condition, reduce the time or form of exercise.
Start a good sleep routine. Work with snacks before and during the night when you wake up to support your blood sugar's equilibrium.
How long it takes to reverse insulin resistance depends.
Insulin resistance doesn’t appear overnight. For a lot of people it has been building up from a decade of constant nutrient deficiency, shitty sleep, tons of stress, and no time for fun and joy. So please allow yourself a realistic healing time of 3-12 month and for some it may be even longer.
Hit me up to get your blood sugar, thyroid and hormones tested. Prevention is key!
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