Do you feel sluggish, do you have energy dips, are you unable to lose weight and do you have to eat something every few hours because otherwise you will feel nauseous? Chances are, you have insulin resistance. Read here what the causes and symptoms are. I also give you 8 tips that you can apply yourself to reduce insulin resistance. WHAT IS INSULIN RESISTANCE? Insulin is an important hormone that is made in the pancreas and ensures that blood sugar from your blood ends up in your body cells. There, the blood sugar is used as energy. Insulin is an important key here and ensures that your blood sugar level does not get too high. This is dangerous for your blood vessels. With insulin resistance, body cells have become insensitive to the hormone insulin. Insulin works less well and the sugar from your bloodstream can no longer go to the cell. This makes you feel tired and gives you an appetite for sweets, because your body seems to have a shortage of energy. This keeps blood sugar too high, which is unhealthy for your blood vessels. In addition, this excess cannot remain in the bloodstream and is stored as body fat. Insulin resistance is the basis of many chronic diseases, such as: - Type 2 diabetes - PCOS - High bloodpressure - high cholesterol - overweight - metabolic syndrome - Blood sugar and insulin The food we eat consists of three macronutrients, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. The body uses these nutrients as an energy source for the body. Carbohydrates are the easiest and fastest source of energy and are eventually converted to glucose. The brain and immune system are also one of the largest consumers of glucose. When you eat carbohydrates, the level of glucose in your blood, also known as the blood sugar level, rises. When blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas makes the hormone insulin. This hormone ensures that glucose can be absorbed from the blood and sent to the cells of the body. Glucose is our fastest source of energy and can be used directly or stored as a reserve in the form of glycogen (in the muscles and in the liver). Every food has a different effect on blood sugar. Some make the blood sugar level rise considerably and others have little effect. The rapid rise in blood sugar levels results in a large amount of insulin being produced. You get a big energy spike, which you might recognize if you eat a sandwich with jam, a biscuit or something else sweet. This is unfortunately short-lived. This energy peak also causes a significant energy dip. This is caused by the large amount of insulin, causing the blood sugar level to drop significantly. This blood sugar fluctuation causes an energy shortage, with the result that you feel the need to eat something again. Your body again asks for fast carbohydrates, such as fruit or a biscuit. Most people eat at least 6 times a day. As a result, your pancreas is continuously producing insulin and therefore does not get any rest. Over time, body cells can become insensitive to insulin. This is the beginning of insulin resistance. WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF INSULIN RESISTANCE? Insulin resistance does not arise out of nowhere, but develops over time. There is no single cause, but often it is the sum of several factors. These factors contribute to the cause of insulin resistance: - Overweight / increased waist circumference - unhealthy lifestyle - Irregular lifestyle - Intake of processed products and fast carbohydrates - To smoke - Low-grade inflammation - Too little exercise - Chronic stress - Insufficient and disrupted sleep pattern - Night shifts - Genetic predisposition - metabolic syndrome WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF INSULIN RESISTANCE? In a preliminary stage, you get many signals that arise gradually. The following symptoms indicate insulin resistance: - Good luck with sweet needs and sniffing - Weight gain and difficulty losing weight - Increase in waist size - Blood sugar dips and blood sugar swings - Tiredness after eating / drowsiness - Grumpy/moody if you don’t eat something - Headache - Acne and troubled skin - Pee a lot - hold moisture - High bloodpressure - Low-grade inflammation - Hormonal imbalance; PCOS The symptoms of insulin resistance differ from person to person. With increasing insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes can eventually develop (link) . 8 TIPS TO REDUCE INSULIN RESISTANCE There is no standard diet to reduce insulin resistance. As you have read, insulin resistance can arise from various causes. The main thing is to find out the causes. You can easily make a number of changes yourself to reduce insulin resistance, even if you do not know the cause (yet). In general practice it is increasingly recognized that insulin resistance can be treated, type 2 diabetes is reversible , and diabetes medications can be phased out. This means you have a choice! You can apply these 8 tips to reduce insulin resistance*: - Eat less carbohydrates - Eat as many vegetables as possible daily, at least 400 grams - Eat fresh and unprocessed ingredients - Eat more proteins and fats - Eat (oily) fish at least 2x/week (salmon / herring / mackerel / sardines / anchovies) - Eat 3 satiating main meals and stop snacking - Exercise before eating, for example walking - Fixed regularly *Do you have type 2 diabetes and are you on medication? Then it is not recommended to change your diet or exercise before eating without proper guidance. If medication is not adjusted, this can lead to a hypo (low blood sugar). DIABETES-FREE SECRET The above tips are a good start to get rid of your insulin resistance. But I saved the best tip for last. Recently, it has been discovered that it is possible to reverse type 2 diabetes. You can find everything you need in the supermarket. You turn it around with one powerful method. It’s what I call “The Diabetes-Free Secret.” About this secret, I wrote a few pages that will change your life forever. You will learn in it: - Why You Got Type 2 Diabetes - What mechanism can you use to reverse diabetes - The best tips to be diabetes-free in a few weeks Enter your best email address to get the Free E-Book, Click Here… Greetings, John Scott P.s: What do you think is the best way to reverse your insulin resistance? Leave a comment below