How To Help Insulin Resistance, Diabetes, and Balance Blood Sugar Naturally

One in three Americans are experiencing a silent blood sugar problem known as insulin resistance. While most people get a diabetes diagnosis and think that this happened suddenly, the reality is that insulin resistance was brewing beneath the surface for many years prior to the body’s complete breakdown into type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance increases the risk of a host of other serious health problems, including heart attacks, strokes and cancer. It falls in a category of diseases referred to as metabolic disease which affects literally every element of your health. A collection of these disease risk factors for heart disease, stroke and diabetes is called Syndrome X.

What is Insulin Resistance/Syndrome X?
Insulins’ job is to take glucose (sugar) from the blood and put it into cells. Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, body fat and liver start resisting or ignoring the signal that the hormone insulin is trying to send out.
This causes more insulin to be needed, and chronically elevated insulin leads to chronically elevated blood sugar because it can’t get into the cells. You’ll feel tired, cranky, and crave sugar all the time because, despite that morning pastry and sugar-filled coffee, NONE of that energy is getting into the places it should be. Your CELLS. This leads to weight gain, constant tiredness, and again, endless complex health issues as time goes on.

Balancing your blood sugar, therefore reducing insulin resistance and the health risks that come with it is a vital part of your health picture. The unfortunate thing is that a lot of well meaning people who are eating “healthy” are still at risk if they are not consciously monitoring, balancing, and paying careful attention to not only macronutrient balance (carbs, proteins, fats), but micronutrient as well (vitamins, minerals, enzymes etc). In fact, many health foods, and “diet” products make matters even worse for some people.

I could write all day about the in-depth science behind what really happens when insulin resistance starts to take hold in your body, and there are some incredible books on the topic if you care to dive deeper. I have lots of great books in my Amazon lists as well. https://www.amazon.com/shop/influencer-908ca2f2

However, as usual, I know people are short on time and generally thinking “just tell me what to do to avoid it” so that’s what I’ll keep this blog focused on.

Here are a few things to add to your diet to help balance your blood sugar:

Greens:
For the best blood sugar benefits, go for nutrient-dense, low-carb greens like spinach, kale, and broccoli. These greens are also very rich in protein and calcium, which help your body in multiple areas. You can toss these greens in salads with olive oil and chunks of salmon. Studies have shown that these three vegetables contribute to a dramatic improvement in patients who are constantly battling with their blood sugar. Try not to overdo any one green, as spinach and kale are high in oxalates, and over doing these can cause other issues. Basically don’t eat 10 cups of spinach each day and you’ll be fine. Shooting for 25-35 grams of fiber from fruits and veggies is the goal.

Low fructose fruits:
In-season fruit can be a great addition to your diet, but for blood sugar-specific management, choose fruits that are low fructose, such as cantaloupe, raspberries, blueberries, kiwi, and blackberries. You can snack on them throughout the day, or toss them in your salad, or use in a protein-based smoothie. Things like acai bowls of pure fruit, with granola and honey on top are a blood sugar nightmare.

Protein:
Protein is essential for slowing down glucose absorption in your body, which helps regulate your blood sugar levels. In my 15 years of health and fitness training, I’ve never once had a client come to me who was eating enough protein. They simply have to work a little to get their protein up to par because the majority of foods are fat and carb-heavy with very little protein. Add protein to every meal or snack, and shoot for 15-30 grams per meal. Using spices and herbs on your food can boost benefits for balancing your blood sugar levels as well. They not only add flavor to your dishes but some spices, like turmeric, contain anti-inflammatory properties, which help in balancing out your sugar.

Low-calorie drinks:
Cut out sugary, high-calorie drinks from your diet. And yes that means ANYTHING that says “diet” as they contain artificial sweeteners that wreck your body’s natural response to sugar and insulin. Add drinks like cinnamon tea, lemon water, and cucumber juice in your daily routine.

Beans:
Beans are a good source of protein, low carb, and rich in fiber, all important factors in balancing your blood sugar. Hummus, lentils and garbanzo beans are good examples and great dietary choices. Remember to soak them the night before to promote easier digestion or use a pressure cooker like an InstaPot. This also helps remove and destroy lectins.

Nuts:
Nuts like almonds and walnuts contain healthy amounts of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, and are a low carb snack idea.

7. Supportive supplements and CBD!
Quality food, stress management, exercise, and great sleep are the natural foundations for a healthy lifestyle and imperative for managing insulin resistance. Those should be the obvious first steps and biggest focus. However, supplements that fill in the gaps can offer enormous benefits for blood sugar regulation. Cbd oil is one.
As mentioned before, people diagnosed with diabetes — specifically, type two diabetes — often have insulin resistance and high fasting insulin levels for quite some time leading up to diagnosis. They also have low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
The results of a five-year study showed that people who used cannabis or hemp on a regular basis had fasting insulin levels that were 16 percent lower than participants who had never used cannabis.
These people also had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, as well as insulin resistance levels that were 17 percent lower than those who had never used cannabis.
Additionally, and interestingly, people who had previously used cannabis or hemp but were not current users also had better fasting insulin, cholesterol, and insulin resistance levels compared to those who had never used it. But, their results were not as good as those of current users. Taking CBD daily manages various systems and organs in your body for optimal health.
If you are diabetic or pre-diabetic already, there are many additional benefits of CBD as well. You can check my other blogs about CBD’s role in weight management and other aspects of health that can be connected to insulin and blood sugar if you’d like to dive deeper. Best CBD for the job? Click HERE!

Magnesium also plays a tremendous role in blood sugar regulation (among hundreds of other functions in the body). According to various studies, including one study published in Pharmacological Research, researchers have demonstrated that magnesium supplementation significantly improves HOMA-IR index and fasting glucose.
Nearly everyone is chronically Deficient in minerals especially magnesium as stress and our toxin-filled lives dramatically deplete these from our body. Magnesium alone is responsible for over 600 different functions within your body so it’s pretty easy to see how important having an adequate amount would be. Since our food quality is so poor a supplement is absolutely vital for this. A great starting dose is 3 to 500 mg bioavailable magnesium such as 300 Zens,. take it at night for great sleep, another important factor for optimal blood sugar regulation.
Try these tips and implement these suggestions to improve your health through stabilized blood sugar. You’ll likely see many other aspects of your well-being improve as well. If you need more in-depth help with your health challenges, visit the work with me page and set up a call to discuss how we can change your health for the better with a customized program and support.