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August 13, 2024
How to Lower Insulin Levels Like A Pro
Dr. Livingood
Insulin is a hormone that plays a crucial role in regulating your metabolism, blood sugar levels, and even your risk for chronic diseases. Managing insulin levels effectively can have a significant impact on your health, helping to reduce inflammation, maintain a healthy weight, and prevent serious conditions. In this blog, I will walk you through three powerful strategies for lowering insulin levels that I like to call the three F's: fats, fasting, and fermented foods.
Why Insulin Matters
Before we dive into these strategies, it’s important to understand why insulin is such a big deal. Insulin is the hormone that allows your body to use carbohydrates for energy. Whenever you eat something with carbohydrates, insulin is released to help process those carbs into usable energy. However, if you’re consuming more carbohydrates than your body can use, they get stored as fat.
Over time, excessive consumption of carbs and sugar causes insulin resistance—your cells become less responsive to insulin, forcing your body to produce more of it. This cycle leads to elevated insulin levels, which can contribute to weight gain, increased BMI (Body Mass Index), and higher levels of inflammation. Since inflammation is linked to numerous chronic diseases, controlling insulin becomes critical for overall health.
Now that we understand the importance of insulin, let’s dive into the three Fs that can help you take control of this hormone and improve your health.
1. Fat: The Fuel That Doesn’t Spike Insulin
The first F in lowering insulin levels is fat—not the fat around your waistline, but the healthy fats you eat. Fat is unique because it doesn’t cause your body to release insulin. While carbohydrates and proteins stimulate insulin production to varying degrees, fat has no direct impact on insulin levels. This means that by incorporating more healthy fats into your diet, you can keep insulin in check.
Healthy fats include avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, coconut oil, and fatty fish like salmon. These fats are packed with nutrients and provide your body with a steady source of energy without causing insulin spikes. While it’s important to maintain a balanced diet that includes carbohydrates and proteins, many people can benefit from increasing their intake of healthy fats to keep insulin levels stable.
If your goal is to lower insulin and avoid the pitfalls of high-carb diets, focus on increasing your fat intake. This shift will not only help with insulin management but also support weight loss and reduce inflammation.
2. Fasting: Give Your Insulin a Break
The second F is fasting, which simply means going without food for a set period. One of the most effective ways to lower insulin levels is through intermittent fasting. When you’re not eating, your body doesn’t need to produce insulin, allowing your cells to rest and become more sensitive to insulin when it’s released again. Fasting also allows your body to focus on healing and repair rather than constantly processing food.
You don’t need to fast every day to see benefits. Even skipping breakfast and eating your first meal around lunchtime can give your body the break it needs. During this fasting window, insulin levels remain low, which helps reduce inflammation and improve metabolism. Many people worry that fasting will leave them feeling fatigued or hungry, but the opposite is often true. Most people experience increased energy and mental clarity after adjusting to fasting.
Fasting can also help supercharge your metabolism and support weight loss, especially when paired with a healthy diet. It’s a simple yet powerful strategy to keep insulin under control.
3. Fermented Foods: Naturally Lower Blood Sugar
The third and final F for managing insulin is fermented foods. Fermented foods, like apple cider vinegar, sauerkraut, kimchi, and kombucha, contain acetic acid, which has been shown to help lower blood sugar levels and, consequently, insulin response. Apple cider vinegar, in particular, has gained a lot of attention for its ability to mimic the effects of insulin-regulating medications like metformin.
Studies show that taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in the morning and again at night can significantly reduce blood sugar levels, helping to lower insulin and keep it balanced. This makes it an excellent natural alternative for those looking to manage their blood sugar without medication.
If you’re looking to incorporate fermented foods into your diet, start with apple cider vinegar. You can add it to water, salad dressings, or other recipes to make it more palatable. Over time, incorporating fermented foods will not only help regulate insulin but also support gut health, digestion, and overall well-being.
The Role of Insulin in Chronic Disease
We’ve established that insulin plays a pivotal role in managing your body’s energy and weight, but it goes even further than that. High insulin levels contribute to chronic inflammation, which is a root cause of many diseases. Insulin resistance is also a key player in the development of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and obesity.
Because insulin is such a crucial hormone for overall health, it’s essential to monitor your carbohydrate intake, manage your insulin levels, and adopt lifestyle habits that keep inflammation at bay. The good news is that you can control your insulin levels through the choices you make every day, especially when it comes to your diet.
Conclusion: Take Control of Your Insulin Levels
Insulin might be the "bully on the playground" when it comes to your hormones, but the good news is that you can take back control. By focusing on healthy fats, practicing intermittent fasting, and incorporating fermented foods like apple cider vinegar into your routine, you can naturally lower your insulin levels, reduce inflammation, and improve your overall health.
If you’re looking for more ways to improve your health and manage your hormones, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for weekly health tips, live Q&As, and additional resources. Remember, your health is in your hands, and controlling insulin is a powerful step toward achieving real health.
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