The food we eat effects how our body functions.  When we eat a high carbohydrate or high sugar meal, our pancreas secretes insulin to tell the different parts of our body what to do with the sugar.  Insulin works to lower the sugar in our blood and balance our body.  Our goal is to reduce the insulin secreted in our bodies.

Insulin regulates

• lifespan -  Lower insulin levels equate to a longer life.

• blood sugar

• blood lipids

• excess nutrients (from glucose, carbs and calories) and converts them to fat

• and builds muscle

• and stores protein

• magnesium levels in our body

• calcium levels in the body

• and retains sodium levels

• cell division

• growth hormone

• most liver functions

• sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone

• cholesterol in the body

• fat in our body

What we eat and how we live primarily affect whether we become insulin resistant.  Our goal is to decrease the insulin in our bodies.  The more insulin released upon our cells over time, the more resistant the cells in our body will become to insulin.  Insulin resistance means the body is not using insulin properly or is no longer insulin sensitive.  That leads to excessive blood sugar (blood glucose, blood fructose or blood galactose) in the body.  That can lead to diabetes and disease.  The short answer is to avoid foods, like grains and sugar, that spike our insulin.

Insulin resistance may be determined by what our mother ate.  If she ate a high carb diet where insulin was secreted at high levels while we were in utero, we have a higher likelihood of being sensitive to insulin.  (In fact, with girl babies, future generations have a higher chance of this; the baby girl's eggs are affected.) 

Blood sugar goes up when we eat a high carb or high sugar meal that has no fiber (the fiber helps balance out the sugars and slows digestion).  As a way to protect themselves against the toxic effects of so much insulin or blood sugar, some of the cells ignore the insulin, don't use it, and therefore don't function properly. 

The Pancreas secretes insulin in response to foods to compensate and balance out our body from the influx of carbs and/or sugars.  The liver is the first part of the body to ignore insulin.  If the liver becomes resistant to insulin, it makes a lot of sugar in our blood.  Next to ignore insulin is muscle.  If muscle ignores insulin, we can't burn off the sugar made by the liver.  This further raises our blood sugar.  Finally the fat cells become insulin resistant.    These cells turns the sugar into fat.  In this final stage of insulin resistance, first we will gain weight (a lot!) and then the fat cells will ignore the insulin and stop storing the fat.  Since all the cells are slowly ignoring the insulin put out by the pancreas, the pancreas steps it up and secretes even more insulin so there is constantly sugar in our blood.  All this sugar, being ignored by the three major groups, are sticking to and clogging the lining of our arteries.  This restricts blood flow in our bodies and to certain parts of our body.

When our pancreas lowers the sugar in our blood, other things in our body work to increase the insulin.  Epinephrine is then released which stimulates our nerves and brain to, you guessed it, crave sugar and carbs.  A vicious cycle indeed!

With high levels on insulin in our body, we don't burn the fat, our bodies don't function the way they are supposed to work.  Instead our bodies burn sugar from our muscles since we don't store sugar.  High levels of insulin make our body incapable of functioning properly.  We burn sugar instead of fat.

Insulin resistance is a vicious cycle.  Our bodies can't store magnesium when insulin resistant and magnesium is necessary for insulin production.  Lack of magnesium causes blood vessels to constrict so insulin can't get where it needs to go to keep our bodies healthy which causes our body to become even more insulin resistant.  The retention of fluid, from retaining sodium, causes high blood pressure and can lead to congestive heart failure.  Insulin resistance causes higher LDL (bad) cholesterol.

Insulin resistance or high levels of insulin in our body can lead to:

• Diabetes

• High Blood Pressure

• Congestive Heart Failure

• Cardiovascular Disease

• Aging

• Tumors

• Cancer

Diabetics do not produce enough insulin.  To be safe, diabetics should not eat anything sweet, including fruit, and should be cautious of carbohydrates which also require insulin. Carbohydrates drive up blood sugar.  Watching the GI of foods is a helpful way for diabetics to know what is safest to eat.

But remember that just because things are higher on the glycemic index, that doesn't make them bad in and of themselves.  Unless we are diabetic or have been told not to eat certain foods by our doctor, a varied diet rich in all kinds of fruits and vegetables adds vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and variety.

As a general rule, foods low on the GI include multi-grain breads, whole wheat pasta, legumes, milk, yogurt, oats, and most fruits.  Intermediate foods include white durum wheat pasta In addition, dried fruit, Basmati and Arborio rice.  High GI include sugar, white bread, white potatoes, short grain white and Jasmine rice, and traditional sports drinks. GI cannot be looked at for each product individually, however, since eating them with other foods will raise or lower the GI.

Foods low on the GI are less than 50.  Foods high on the GI are 100 or more.  The glycemic load (GL) is a new way to evaluate carbohydrates by indicating how the effect once consumed over the food itself.  Foods that are high on the GL are 20 or more; low on the GL is 10 or less.  It indicates how quickly the carb turns into sugar instead of how much is in that food you are consuming.  Knowing the GI and the GL help us understand the food's effect on our blood sugar levels.

The GI of fructose, like agave, which is usually low on the glycemic index, after a large meal, will change the way our body metabolizes it.  It will actually become high on the GI after a high GI meal.  Best to enjoy fructose and desserts on an empty stomach instead of after a rich meal.

We can increase insulin sensitivity, add healthy years to our lives, lower our insulin levels by:

• eating a diet rich in vegetables

• eating fish high in omega 3s

• balancing that out with Vitamin E

• eating monounsaturated fats like nuts and olive oil

• getting the right amount and right kinds of protein

• doing resistance training

Exercise is important because we increase blood flow in our body.  Resistance training creates insulin sensitivity to that muscle.

As a general rule, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and brown rice are low on the glycemic index and help stabilize blood sugar.  Cut out the white stuff - sugar, white flour, white potatoes and even white rice. 

Caution regarding food considered low on the glycemic index and desserts:

Fructose, for example, is low on the glycemic index.  However, if eaten with a heavy meal that is high on the index, fructose will work to raise insulin levels in our body.  Experts suggest when we eat desserts with fructose, to eat them on an empty stomach and not after a big meal. 

• Dr. Rosedale, Designs for Health Institute's BoulderFest August 1999 Seminar on Insulin
• Learn Why High Insulin is the Largest Physical Factor for Most Diseases
• Glycemic Index
• Healthy 101
• Weight, Diet, and Fitness
• Nutrition Australia
• Healing Matters

Books:

Releasing Fat M.D. Ray D. Strand

The Glucose Revolution Thomas M.S. Woleve