17. Insulin Resistance Is the Final Piece of the Puzzle
After exercise and stress, insulin resistance is one more aspect of your physiology which may be causing you to create more belly fat and hold onto it for longer. While most evidence suggests that the majority of insulin resistance is caused by belly fat, it would be unwise to ignore the role all of us play in the formation of the belly fat and insulin resistance itself.
[quote align=”left” color=”#999999″]Fat is not the enemy; Healthy sugar is not the enemy; Overconsumption of fat and sugar is the problem![/quote]
The most important thing to change with insulin resistance is the diet. Diets high in fat and refined sugars can cause insulin resistance even in healthy individuals with no belly fat, so when trying to reduce belly fat and insulin resistance, your diet’s focus should change to foods which are lower in fat and you should preferably completely eliminate refined sugars.
Fat itself is not the enemy, nor is sugar when it is consumed in a healthy form such as berries or oranges (for most people). Instead, it is overconsumption of either of these nutrients which causes a severe rise in blood concentrations of free fatty acids, which then causes insulin resistance. In moderation, our body knows how to handle fat and sugar–insulin resistance is a product of the high-fat, high-sugar foods we’ve processed.
Ideally, your diet should be around 25-30% protein, 40-55% carbohydrates, and 20-30% fat. The protein and the fat help slow the digestion of the carbs and make you feel satisfied. The carbohydrates provide a slow stream of glucose to supply your brain and muscles with sufficient fuel. Eating a diet with these proportions will do a lot to balance your blood sugar (provided you don’t eat too much!) and reduce the evolution of insulin resistance.
As with stress, there is also a chemical part of the equation which you can address with supplements. Insulin resistance cannot be reduced to one factor–there are many factors which may contribute to it, and fixing those factors may help reduce the risk.
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