What has insulin got to do with cholesterol numbers on my blood tests?
On your blood tests, you will see things such as HDL and Triglycerides (TG). If you have issues with insulin resistance, often the triglycerides will go up and the HDL will go down. This is not what you want. What actually is insulin resistance? It is when your cells (such as those in your liver, muscles and fat) don’t respond properly to insulin. Insulin is released to help glucose in your blood get into the cells, rather than leave it floating around in your blood – this is how it is supposed to work. But in insulin resistance, it doesn’t work properly. Glucose (sugar) constantly in excess in your blood can often lead to diabetes – and that is something we would rather avoid, obviously.
Other issues that can occur when you have insulin resistance are elevated blood pressure, craving for sugar and carbohydrate foods, issues with your skin, brain fog, fatigue, anxiety mood swings…. oh boy that is quite a list – and that is not everything unfortunately.
So, what can you actually do? Here are some tips for you.
- Resistance exercise and using weights are a really good start.
- Manage and reduce your carbohydrate and sugar intake.
- Eat more veg
- Berries – these are great, especially if you are a little on the heavy side. Frozen or fresh is fine.
Don’t really like them? Chuck a handful into a smoothie! - Turmeric – a great anti-inflammatory spice that helps improve insulin resistance.
- Add olive oil and coconut oil to your food – yep, I know they are fats, but good fats that actually help with insulin resistance…. And wait for it….. they actually help with weight management.
- Have more fibre – to help reduce insulin resistance and help get excess sugars out of your system.