Climb4aCure

 My Doctor Says I am Pre-Diabetic!

Insulin Resistance, sometimes referred to as pre-Diabetes is a condition that occurs when your muscles and organs are not responding to insulin’s signaling function and your body becomes unable to balance blood glucose levels properly.  Unfortunately, Insulin Resistance is also a precursor for Cardiovascular Disease so it is very important to take steps early and make some small life changes.  If you are lucky enough to get diagnosed while still in this pre-phase there is wonderful news!    It is possible to stop the progression of Type 2 Diabetes in its tracks, and restore your cardiovascular health at the same time.  While it can be difficult to change you’re eating and activity habits, the rewards will be well worth the effort. 

Eating patterns are often one of the major causes for Insulin Resistance. We live in a society that has easy access to large quantities of food, and we do not always make the best food choices.  In a perfect world we would always eat a balanced diet full of slow processing carbohydrates, lots of fiber, and low fat proteins.  We would only eat healthy fats and forget entirely about those blood sugar spiking processed white flour and sugar goodies.  Let’s look at a few small and practical changes that will start you on the path to regaining your health.

Buy yourself a journal, studies have shown that we generally have no idea how much we eat in a day until we actually write it all down.  Make this journal an absolute have to do item on your list.  Make sure that for a full week at least you write every taste and nibble in that book so you can see what you are currently doing. You can’t fix an engine if you don’t first take a look under the hood.  Based on the amount of calories you consume in an average day and the composition of your nutritional breakdown it is easy to see where changes need to be made.

Understanding carbohydrates and meal composition can go a long way to helping balance blood glucose levels and reduce insulin overshoot problems.  When you eat a meal that is high in sugar, High Glycemic index carbohydrates or lacks the addition of fiber and proteins to slow the process ,your body floods with insulin, the blood glucose is partially absorbed into the cells for energy and sometimes is even left unprocessed and excreted through the urine. The quick processing of this meal leaves you feeling hungry and weak very quickly as your body senses the lack of blood glucose and you feel famished, dizzy and reach for another high sugar fix so you can feel better.  The problem here is the foods that make you “feel” better are the foods you really need to avoid!

So what do you do to stop this cycle of highs and lows?  Believe it or not there are some very simple steps to balancing things out. 

1)      Add a fiber supplement such as Metamucil just before eating a meal or make sure the meal includes high fiber foods.

2)      Choose foods that are low on the Glycemic Index list, these are slower processing foods.

3)      Eat protein with every meal, this helps to slow down the digestive process.

4)      Avoid highly sugary foods and beverages these are sure to cause spikes in blood glucose.

5)      Add 30-60 minutes of physical activity to your day. Exercise helps your cells become more insulin responsive and will help your process blood glucose correctly.

Please be sure to take your health seriously, this diagnosis is reversible. You still have the ability to correct the damage that has been done to your body.  If the changes that need to be made are too difficult for you to make now, it will not get any easier when your condition progresses to Type 2 Diabetes, Cardio Vascular Disease or the many other complications that go hand in hand with these conditions.  Take a stand now to protect not only the quality of your life but also the longevity.  You are worth it!