Blood Sugar & Insulin Control
Insulin Control
Type 2 diabetes and many other diseases are preventable and even reversible through sound and proper nutrition. I have personally helped and seen many people’s blood profiles change dramatically with my systems approach. After 15+ years of development I am proud of what I have to offer a person looking for a Healthy Lifestyle. One thing I try to teach my members and a major contributor to the success of my system is controlling your insulin level. Controlling your insulin will not only keep your weight under control and many related health ailments at bay, it will also keep your body running much more efficient and your energy level noticeable higher.
Blood Sugar & Insulin Control!!
You have approximately 5 liters of blood traveling around in your blood vessels and heart at any given moment. In these 5 liters of blood, you need only about one teaspoon of sugar for all of your regular activities. If you have more than a teaspoon of sugar floating through your blood vessels on a regular basis, the excess sugar will slow down your circulation and cause all of the problems you could expect to have if you had thick maple syrup clogging up your blood vessels. This is essentially what happens when a person becomes diabetic.
In order to keep the amount of sugar floating through your blood vessels at around a teaspoon, your body releases insulin whenever you eat foods that result in sugar entering your blood stream. Most carbohydrates fit this category. Sugar, most sweeteners, grains, cookies, pastries, cakes, pasta, and starchy vegetables like potatoes all lead to a release of sugar into your blood stream. Insulin works by stimulating your cells to sponge up this excess sugar out of your blood stream. Once inside your cells, sugar is used for energy, with any excess amount being converted to fat tissue.
If you eat sugary foods and too many processed carbohydrates for long enough, your body will have released so much insulin that it will begin to lose its sensitivity to insulin, which means that your cells won’t receive as strong as signal to sponge up excess sugar out of your blood. This will lead to excess sugar floating around your blood vessels and all the health problems that come with this scenario.
Insulin!
If you have too much sugar floating around in your blood vessels, it is likely that you also have too much insulin traveling through your system as well. Even if your fasting blood sugar level is in a healthy range, it is possible that you have too much insulin floating through your vessels, particularly if you have high triglycerides and/or are overweight. Normal blood sugar and high blood insulin can be the result of your cells losing some sensitivity to insulin, which necessitates that your body releases extra insulin into your blood circulation in an attempt to stimulate your desensitized cells into sponging up excess sugar out of your blood circulation
.
What's the problem with having too much insulin in your circulation?
Excess insulin is known to cause:
Ø Weight gain, since insulin promotes the storage of fat.
Ø Lower cellular levels of magnesium, a mineral that is essential for keeping your blood vessels relaxed and your blood circulation efficient.
Ø An increase in sodium retention, which leads to holding excess water in your system, which causes high blood pressure.
Ø Increased amounts of inflammatory compounds in your blood, which can cause direct physical damage to your blood vessel walls and encourage the development of blood clots which can lead to heart attacks and respiratory failure.
Ø A reduction in HDL cholesterol, an increase in undesirable small molecules of LDL cholesterol, and an increase in triglycerides, all of which increase your risk for heart disease.
Ø Possibly a higher risk for cancer due to insulin's ability to contribute to cell proliferation.
What can you do with your food and lifestyle choices to support healthy blood sugar and insulin levels?
Make non-starchy vegetables the foundation of your diet. Dark green leafy lettuce, Tomatoes, Celery, Cucumber, Cabbage, Kale, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and all unmentioned green vegetables are excellent choices.
Reduce or eliminate your intake of sugar and all foods that contain sugar. Some of the most concentrated sources of sugar are soda, cookies, chocolate bars, donuts, pastries, ice cream, and ketchup.
Reduce or eliminate your use of sweeteners like molasses, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, pasteurized/heated honey, and maple syrup.
Don't drink fruit juices. Even freshly squeezed fruit juice taken over the long term can lead to high blood sugar and insulin levels. If you want to taste fruit, eat whole fruit, not the juice. The fiber, vitamins, and minerals that come with whole fruit help to slow down the pace at which the natural sugars from fruit enter your blood stream.
Do activities and exercises that build or maintain your muscles. Muscle tissue acts as a storage site for extra sugar. The more muscle tissue you have, the better you can regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels.
An extra note: Read your labels when buying foods that are canned, boxed and processed. One of the main culprits hunting our society today is HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup, It is in many of the items I mention above and should be avoided because of its insulin spiking properties and excess weight gain.
Type 2 diabetes and many other diseases are preventable and even reversible through sound and proper nutrition. I have personally helped and seen many people’s blood profiles change dramatically with my systems approach. After 15+ years of development I am proud of what I have to offer a person looking for a Healthy Lifestyle. One thing I try to teach my members and a major contributor to the success of my system is controlling your insulin level. Controlling your insulin will not only keep your weight under control and many related health ailments at bay, it will also keep your body running much more efficient and your energy level noticeable higher.
Blood Sugar & Insulin Control!!
You have approximately 5 liters of blood traveling around in your blood vessels and heart at any given moment. In these 5 liters of blood, you need only about one teaspoon of sugar for all of your regular activities. If you have more than a teaspoon of sugar floating through your blood vessels on a regular basis, the excess sugar will slow down your circulation and cause all of the problems you could expect to have if you had thick maple syrup clogging up your blood vessels. This is essentially what happens when a person becomes diabetic.
In order to keep the amount of sugar floating through your blood vessels at around a teaspoon, your body releases insulin whenever you eat foods that result in sugar entering your blood stream. Most carbohydrates fit this category. Sugar, most sweeteners, grains, cookies, pastries, cakes, pasta, and starchy vegetables like potatoes all lead to a release of sugar into your blood stream. Insulin works by stimulating your cells to sponge up this excess sugar out of your blood stream. Once inside your cells, sugar is used for energy, with any excess amount being converted to fat tissue.
If you eat sugary foods and too many processed carbohydrates for long enough, your body will have released so much insulin that it will begin to lose its sensitivity to insulin, which means that your cells won’t receive as strong as signal to sponge up excess sugar out of your blood. This will lead to excess sugar floating around your blood vessels and all the health problems that come with this scenario.
Insulin!
If you have too much sugar floating around in your blood vessels, it is likely that you also have too much insulin traveling through your system as well. Even if your fasting blood sugar level is in a healthy range, it is possible that you have too much insulin floating through your vessels, particularly if you have high triglycerides and/or are overweight. Normal blood sugar and high blood insulin can be the result of your cells losing some sensitivity to insulin, which necessitates that your body releases extra insulin into your blood circulation in an attempt to stimulate your desensitized cells into sponging up excess sugar out of your blood circulation
.
What's the problem with having too much insulin in your circulation?
Excess insulin is known to cause:
Ø Weight gain, since insulin promotes the storage of fat.
Ø Lower cellular levels of magnesium, a mineral that is essential for keeping your blood vessels relaxed and your blood circulation efficient.
Ø An increase in sodium retention, which leads to holding excess water in your system, which causes high blood pressure.
Ø Increased amounts of inflammatory compounds in your blood, which can cause direct physical damage to your blood vessel walls and encourage the development of blood clots which can lead to heart attacks and respiratory failure.
Ø A reduction in HDL cholesterol, an increase in undesirable small molecules of LDL cholesterol, and an increase in triglycerides, all of which increase your risk for heart disease.
Ø Possibly a higher risk for cancer due to insulin's ability to contribute to cell proliferation.
What can you do with your food and lifestyle choices to support healthy blood sugar and insulin levels?
Make non-starchy vegetables the foundation of your diet. Dark green leafy lettuce, Tomatoes, Celery, Cucumber, Cabbage, Kale, Swiss Chard, Bok Choy, Zucchini, Broccoli, Cauliflower, and all unmentioned green vegetables are excellent choices.
Reduce or eliminate your intake of sugar and all foods that contain sugar. Some of the most concentrated sources of sugar are soda, cookies, chocolate bars, donuts, pastries, ice cream, and ketchup.
Reduce or eliminate your use of sweeteners like molasses, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, pasteurized/heated honey, and maple syrup.
Don't drink fruit juices. Even freshly squeezed fruit juice taken over the long term can lead to high blood sugar and insulin levels. If you want to taste fruit, eat whole fruit, not the juice. The fiber, vitamins, and minerals that come with whole fruit help to slow down the pace at which the natural sugars from fruit enter your blood stream.
Do activities and exercises that build or maintain your muscles. Muscle tissue acts as a storage site for extra sugar. The more muscle tissue you have, the better you can regulate your blood sugar and insulin levels.
An extra note: Read your labels when buying foods that are canned, boxed and processed. One of the main culprits hunting our society today is HFCS or High Fructose Corn Syrup, It is in many of the items I mention above and should be avoided because of its insulin spiking properties and excess weight gain.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ellen S on -
Hi Tony,
I'm especially interested in your point that magnesium is lowered in those with excess insulin in their systems. Can you elaborate a bit more on this?
How does it happen?
What can we do to find low magnesium levels, and how can we fix them in our already stressed bodies?
I understand that exercise helps your cells to actually utilize the insulin and sugar in your system differently, not just better. I'm wondering though, what do you tell chronically ill patients who may be unable to exercise?
Migraineurs are especially prone to have insufficient magnesium levels on the cellular (not necessarily in blood tests) level, and exercise often helps us if done properly and at the right time. As one who is also very insulin resistant, I can't help but wonder at the connections here. I'd love more information to try to help connect the dots a little better.
As a leader in the fitness communities, can you help other Health Activists by telling us, what are people saying about this in your communities? How do you approach those who are looking for ideas to help themselves but have other health issues to keep in mind as well?
Thanks Tony, I think your ideas are great!
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