Food Recommendations for Patients with Insulin Resistance
Insulin resistance will increase the risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. It is often said that diabetes begins with insulin resistance. When you are diagnosed with insulin resistance, it can be an early warning for type 2 diabetes. So how do you prevent the development of insulin resistance so it doesn’t develop into diabetes? The Healthy Gang can try a food diet for people with insulin resistance.
One of the pillars of diabetes prevention is living a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and maintaining a balanced diet for insulin resistance. Here are food consumption tips for insulin resistance!
Food for People with Insulin Resistance
In general, the recommended diet for people with insulin resistance or prediabetes is whole and natural food. Avoid consuming processed foods. Processed foods, such as white bread, pasta, rice, and soda, are digested quickly, so they can quickly raise blood sugar levels. Blood sugar spikes quickly will increase stress on the pancreas, the organ that produces the hormone insulin.
In addition to complex carbohydrates, saturated fat is also associated with insulin resistance. Unsaturated fats are a healthier dietary choice. Consumption of fiber-rich and balanced foods also helps digestion and reduces the work of the pancreas. Here are some foods for insulin resistance that you can consume!
Vegetables
Vegetables are low in calories and high in fiber, so they are recommended foods for insulin resistance to control blood sugar. The best vegetable choices are:
- Fresh
- Canned low sodium
- Frozen
Healthy vegetable choices are:
- Tomatoes
- Asparagus
- Peanut
- Carrot
- Colorful peppers
- Green vegetables like spinach and cabbage
- Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower
Vegetable juices may sound healthy, but they tend to be less filling and don’t contain as much fiber as fresh vegetables.
Fruits
As part of the diet for insulin resistance, the following fruit criteria are recommended:
- Rich in fiber
- Rich in vitamins
- Rich in minerals
Choose fresh and frozen fruits. Canned fruit that does not contain sugar can also be consumed, but generally does not contain as much fiber as fresh and frozen fruit.
Here are some choices of fruit that are rich in fiber:
- Apple
- Berries
- Banana
- Wine
- Plums
- Peach
Avoid fruit juices because they can increase blood sugar levels quickly, just like when we drink soda. In fact, even juices that do not contain sugar are also high in natural sugars.
Dairy Products
Dairy products meet the need for calcium for strong teeth and bones. So, dairy products also include foods for insulin resistance. Choose low-fat, unsweetened milk and yogurt.
Avoid consumption of fresh milk and yogurt that contain fat because they contain saturated fat that comes from animal fat. Saturated fat from animal fat is associated with insulin resistance.
If you are lactose intolerant, try consuming unsweetened milk, such as nutrient-fortified soy milk or lactose. Rice milk and almond milk are also good alternatives, but they are low in protein and nutrients.
Whole Grains
Whole-grain foods are also foods for insulin resistance. The reason is, whole grains are rich in vitamins, fiber, and minerals. Some people believe that avoiding all types of carbohydrates is important to prevent diabetes. However, healthy, whole, and unprocessed carbohydrates are a good source of energy for the body. Still, it’s important to control the portions to be healthier.
It’s important to focus on choosing healthy, unprocessed whole grains. It is also important to eat whole grains along with food sources of protein and healthy fats, in order to prevent a rise in blood sugar.
To get the nutritional intake needed, choose products whose labels contain whole-grain ingredients, here are examples:
- Whole-wheat
- Whole oats and oatmeal
- bulgur
- Whole-grain corn
- Red rice
- Wheat seeds
Nuts and Peas
Nuts are a good source of fiber. So, nuts including foods for insulin resistance, slowly increase blood sugar levels. Here are some good choices of beans, namely red beans and black beans.
Fish
Fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, thereby lowering the risk of heart disease. Heart disease is one of the risk complications of diabetes. So, fish is a portion of food for insulin resistance. Here are some fish that are rich in omega-3s: salmon, mackerel, sardines, and tuna.
For seafood other than fish you can consume lobster, clams, shrimp, oysters, and crabs. However, it is worth reminding that you limit your consumption of seafood that is breaded or fried. If you choose to consume fried fish, make sure it is fried using healthier oil.
Poultry
Poultry such as chicken breast and turkey can also be consumed as food for insulin resistance. To maintain healthy poultry consumption, make sure the skin is peeled and not consumed. Because the skin of poultry, including chicken, contains more fat than the meat. Other foods, such as mutton and beef are also good for consumption, as long as they contain lean protein.