The Top 5 Foods to Increase Insulin Sensitivity

It is possible to lessen or even reverse insulin resistance if you follow healthy lifestyle practices, including eating a balanced diet and exercising frequently.

When your body's cells don't react to insulin as well as they should, you develop insulin resistance. The pancreas secretes insulin, which facilitates the transfer of blood glucose into cells for use as an energy source. In order to help you maintain normal blood glucose levels, your pancreas must generate more insulin if you have insulin resistance.

Consuming meals that elevate your blood sugar causes the pancreas to release insulin, which allows the sugars to be absorbed. Eat a lot of meals that cause blood sugar levels to rise; this strains the pancreas. This additional stress may exacerbate your insulin resistance over time, putting you at risk for type 2 diabetes.

"Eating less refined or simple carbs can help your body better regulate sugar levels and may improve your insulin resistance," says registered dietitian and diabetes educator Shelby Hoskins, MS, RD, LMNT, CDCES of Nebraska Medicine.

Eating a more balanced diet that consists of a variety of foods from various food groups, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and legumes, as well as healthy dairy and fats, will help you achieve this. Hoskins says, "This will help you digest your food more slowly, which will result in a slower, steadier rise in blood sugar levels and more sustained energy levels."

As an additional tactic to reduce the increase in blood sugar, combine a source of carbohydrates with either protein or good fat. Try pairing an apple with peanut butter, cheese with whole-grain crackers, or almonds with bananas.

According to Hoskins, the secret is to understand how certain foods affect your blood sugar levels and know how to counteract them with other food choices, rather than completely cutting out any items from your diet.

In order to support insulin sensitivity and offer a more consistent energy source, Hoskins suggests eating the following foods:

Complex carbohydrates

These foods are rich in minerals and fibre. Read the label to find out if it's a whole grain, advises Hoskins. The word "whole," like in whole wheat or whole oats, should be first in the ingredient list.

Complex carbohydrates include:

• Whole wheat
• Oats
• Brown rice
• Quinoa
• Whole grain breads
• Whole grain pastas
• Whole barley
• Millet
• Bulgar wheat
• Buckwheat
• Whole rye
• Whole corn

Lean proteins

• Lean cuts of red meat
• Chicken
• Fish like salmon, tuna and trout
• Beans, lentils and legumes
• Nuts and seeds
• Nut butters

Fruits

While every fruit has a lot of fibre and nutrients, some, like bananas and grapes, have more sugar than others. According to Hoskins, you can have a cup of berries instead of half a banana for roughly the same amount of sugar if you'd like to eat a larger portion. In light of this, a few fruits with fewer carbohydrates are:

• Watermelon, cantaloupe and peaches
• Oranges, mangoes and pineapple
• Berries such as raspberries, strawberries and blueberries

Vegetables

Vegetables are usually a wonderful option, but be aware that some—like potatoes and sweet potatoes—are starchier and contain more carbohydrates than others. Some vegetables that have very little or no carbohydrates are:

• Broccoli
• Dark leafy greens
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Cucumbers
• Carrots

Dairy and healthy fats

• Peanut butter
• High-protein, low-carb yogurt (Example: Greek yogurt)
• Cheeses
• Nuts
• Hard-boiled eggs

Foods to limit:

Foods with a lot of added sugar should be consumed in moderation because they can cause the body to overproduce insulin.

These consist of:

• Sweetened drinks such as lemonade, ordinary fruit juices, soda, and sweet tea
• Foods heavy in saturated fats, such as red meat, coconut oil, whole milk, and butter
• Sugary treats like ice cream, cookies, cake, and candy
• Pasta, rice, white bread, and other meals made with wheat
• Packaged foods and snacks with a lot of processing
• Fruits in cans, which are frequently drenched in sweet syrup (seek out varieties without added sugar)
• Fried dishes
• Alcohol

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