What is Insulin Resistance?
Insulin is a hormone that facilitates the transport of blood sugar (glucose) from the blood into the cells for use as fuel. The pancreas secrets insulin into the blood. When you are insulin resistant IR, the normal amount of insulin is not sufficient to move glucose into the cells. To compromise, the pancreas secrets insulin in ever-increasing amounts to maintain adequate blood sugar into the cells. Genetic factors usually contribute to Insulin resistance. But the foods we eat are directly responsible. Weight loss and exercise are the best cures for IR.
Why is it important to understand IR? It can lead to diabetes, heart disease and weight gain.
Understanding the glycemic Index is one of the best tools for weight loss. It measures how quickly foods break down into sugar in your bloodstream. High glycemic foods turn into blood sugar very quickly. Starchy food like potatoes are a good example, it is processed like pure sugar
The glycemic index (GI) is a numerical system of measuring how much of a rise in circulating blood sugar a carbohydrate triggers–the higher the number, the greater the blood sugar response. So a low GI food will cause a small rise, while a high GI food will trigger a dramatic spike.
The glycemic load (GL) is a relatively new way to assess the impact of carbohydrate consumption that takes the glycemic index into account, but gives a fuller picture than does glycemic index alone. A GI value tells you only how rapidly a particular carbohydrate turns into sugar. It doesn’t tell you how much of that carbohydrate is in a serving of a particular food. You need to know both things to understand a food’s effect on blood sugar.
Keeping it under 10 is the best choice. No more than 10-20 “Loads” per item, anything over a 20 could cause a blood sugar insulin spike.
Understanding your Burn Rate and Metabolic Type is also very important. Did you know you can determine your MT by understanding your Personality and Genetic Body Type and the way you respond to certain foods etc.