Dealing with Insulin Resistance

There are some things you can do to help yourself when you are found to have insulin resistance. In this article, I'd like to share with you, some of those things.

If you are overweight or obese, one of the best things you can do is to lose some weight. When you carry too much weight, this makes the pancreas and everything else have to work much harder. As a result, insulin can't reach the cells where it needs to go in order to lower blood glucose. Including plenty of whole grain sources, fruits and vegetables will help you with insulin sensitivity. You need to eat lean meats, and at least 5-6 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. You should cut out a lot of the refined sugars, high calorie and fatty foods in your diet. These will not only add to your waistline, but will also make your diabetic condition worse.

There are some vitamins and supplements that can also help insulin resistance. One of the vitamins is chromium. Chromium is classified as a trace mineral that helps to regulate glucose metabolism. This mineral was first found to have an effect on glucose sometime in the decade of the 1960s. What chromium appears to do is to help your own insulin's actions. Though it is NOT an insulin replacement, it can help you if you already are making your own insulin. Natural sources of getting chromium are found in whole grains, dried beans, broccoli, and wheat germ.

Another trace element known as Vanadium is also known to initiate the insulin receptors in the body by duplicating the actions of insulin. Vanadium has been known to decrease the glucose put out by the liver so that the blood sugars don't rise as high. You can get vanadium by eating oats or buckwheat which are the two richest sources.

Magnesium is another essential mineral that people with insulin resistance should have enough of in their body. Lacking magnesium in the body can cause a person to not only have insulin resistance, but high blood pressure and lack of glucose intolerance as well. You should have right around 400 milligrams of magnesium daily to help manage your blood sugar levels. Your best food sources for getting this mineral are whole grains, nuts, peanut butter, fish, and leafy green vegetables.

Another important factor that can help insulin resistance is walking. Walking not only helps to burn off calories and fat, but it also helps insulin to get into cells, making them more sensitive to their own insulin. Walking for at least 15 minutes every day can do wonders for both your weight and insulin sensitivity.

These things I've talked about can help you with insulin resistance provided you are faithful about doing them. There often comes a point when medications are required and even insulin injections. But you can prolong this for quite some time by slimming down, eating right, and exercise.