Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance are big deals, affecting millions worldwide. It’s easy to feel like these conditions are just something you’re stuck with, maybe even genetic. But here’s the good news: they’re not. This article will explain how these conditions develop and, more importantly, how simple changes to your eating habits can make a huge difference, even putting type 2 diabetes into remission. It’s about understanding your body and making smart choices, not about strict diets or cutting out everything you love.
Understanding Diabetes and Insulin Resistance
It’s a bit scary to think about, but over a billion people globally are living with either type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes. These numbers keep going up every year. A big reason for this is our modern food environment, which often pushes us toward foods that aren’t great for our health. But here’s the thing: these conditions aren’t genetic. You’re not born with them, and you’re not stuck with them forever. The way we eat and live plays a huge part.
Think about it: type 2 diabetes used to be called “adult-onset diabetes” because only adults got it. Now, even young kids are getting it. Our genes haven’t changed that fast, but what we eat certainly has. Also, studies with identical twins show that if one twin has type 2 diabetes, the other might not. This really shows that lifestyle, especially diet, is a major factor.
And the best part? Lots of studies have shown that changing how you eat can actually put type 2 diabetes into remission. This means that if you’ve been diagnosed, medication isn’t your only option. You have the power to make changes that can turn things around.
Insulin Resistance: A Spectrum
Insulin resistance is a key idea here. It’s not an on-or-off switch; it’s more like a dimmer switch. You can be more or less insulin resistant at any time. When you’re not very insulin resistant, you’re considered healthy. As you become more resistant, you might be called pre-diabetic. And if it gets really high, that’s when you get a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. So, insulin resistance is the underlying issue for both pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
What is Insulin?
To get this, we need to talk about glucose first. Glucose is like the main fuel for your body. Every part of you, from your brain to your fingers, uses glucose for energy. You get glucose from the foods you eat, especially starches (like bread, pasta, rice, potatoes) and sugars (anything sweet, from an apple to a chocolate cake). When you eat these foods, they break down into glucose, which raises your blood glucose levels.
If you eat a lot of these foods in one meal, you get what’s called a “glucose spike.” These spikes aren’t good. They can make you tired, cause cravings, and create inflammation in your body. Most importantly, they make your body release insulin. Your body knows that big glucose spikes are a problem, so it sends out insulin to bring those levels down. Insulin’s job is to grab the extra glucose and store it away in your liver, muscles, and fat cells.
Now, you might wonder, if glucose is so good for energy, how can you have too much? Think of it like watering a plant. A plant needs water to live, but if you give it too much, it will drown. Your body is similar: some glucose is good, but too much causes problems, especially those glucose spikes.
The Coffee Analogy for Insulin Resistance
Let me tell you a story about coffee. When I first started drinking coffee, just one cup would keep me awake for ages. But after a few months, I needed three cups just to feel awake. My body got used to the coffee; it became resistant to it. I needed more and more coffee to get the same effect.
Insulin works the same way. If you have a lot of insulin in your body for a long time, your body slowly becomes resistant to it. It needs more and more insulin to do its job of moving glucose out of your bloodstream. So, your body starts making more insulin, but it’s a bit of a cycle. The more insulin your body makes, the more resistant it becomes. Over time, you need a lot more insulin to get glucose out of circulation and into your cells. That’s insulin resistance.
How Doctors Measure Diabetes
If insulin isn’t working well because of resistance, your glucose levels in your blood start to rise. This is what doctors check for. Once a year, your doctor probably measures your “fasting glucose level” – how much glucose is in your blood first thing in the morning before you’ve eaten. Here’s what those numbers mean:
- Under 100 mg/dL (or 5.5 mmol/L): Healthy
- Between 100 and 126 mg/dL (or 5.5 and 7 mmol/L): Pre-diabetic
- Above 126 mg/dL (or 7 mmol/L): Type 2 diabetes
These numbers show how insulin resistant you are. High glucose levels go hand-in-hand with high insulin resistance.
Why High Glucose Matters
It might seem like a small difference. A healthy person has about one sugar cube’s worth of glucose circulating in their blood. Someone with type 2 diabetes might have one and a half. It doesn’t sound like much, but that tiny increase has big consequences. It can hurt your cells, cause inflammation, affect your brain, and lead to serious long-term problems like nerve damage or even amputations. We want to get that glucose level down to avoid these issues.
Early Detection and What to Do
While fasting glucose is common, a better test to catch insulin resistance early is to measure your fasting insulin level. Insulin levels start to rise years before glucose levels do. So, checking your fasting insulin can give you an earlier heads-up.
If you have insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes, or related conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) or fatty liver disease, the main goal is to get your insulin levels down. This means giving your body less glucose so it doesn’t need to produce so much insulin.
Key Takeaways:
- Focus on Carbs: Carbs are what turn into glucose when you digest them. Look at your diet. Are you eating a lot of starches and sugars like bread, pasta, sodas, and fruit juices? These give your body a lot of glucose.
- Eat More Protein, Fat, and Fiber: These don’t raise your glucose levels much. They are your friends. For example, instead of toast with jam and orange juice for breakfast (mostly carbs), try soft-boiled eggs with sea salt. Even a ham sandwich might have fewer carbs than a sugary breakfast.
Simple Hacks to Flatten Glucose Curves
It’s totally possible to do something about insulin resistance and diabetes. It’s not a life sentence. A 2021 review showed that the best way to reverse type 2 diabetes is to flatten your glucose curves and avoid those big spikes. This means changing how you eat to keep your glucose levels steady.
I’ve put together 10 core principles, or “glucose hacks,” based on science. In a study with 3,000 people, just by adding four simple hacks for four weeks, 41% of people with diabetes saw an improvement. These hacks are easy:
- Have a savory breakfast instead of a sweet one.
- Add vinegar once a day before a meal.
- Add a veggie starter to one of your meals (lunch or dinner).
- Go for a 10-minute walk after one meal a day.
We’re not talking about counting calories or super strict diets. The goal is to find easy solutions that fit into your life and let you still enjoy the carbs you like, but with less impact on your glucose levels.
Real-Life Success Stories
Many people have seen amazing results using these hacks. Here are a couple of examples:
- One person with type 2 diabetes and celiac disease was told it would be incredibly hard to change their metabolism. But they saw results within just four days! After four months, their HbA1c (another measure of diabetes) dropped from 9.6 to 4.7, and they were no longer diabetic. They also lost 25 kilos.
- Another person with type 2 diabetes felt much more motivated and had more energy. Their blood sugar wasn’t climbing as high after meals, and they were able to reduce the amount of insulin they needed. This also improved their mood, making them less irritable.
These stories show that change can happen fast, and you have control. The hacks don’t ask you to cut out carbs or sugar forever. They just show you how to eat them in a way that helps put type 2 diabetes into remission.
A Call for Change
This diabetes epidemic is also a bigger issue related to our food system. Food companies often push addictive, carb-heavy, ultra-processed foods. We need to be educated to make better choices, but we also need changes in the industry. We need regulations to stop advertising unhealthy foods to kids, for example, so that young children don’t get type 2 diabetes. Both personal education and industry changes are important.
It’s possible to improve your health, whether you’ve just been diagnosed or have had diabetes for a while. You have control, and it doesn’t have to be overly complicated. There are resources and a community to support you. You’re not alone in this journey. Good luck, and let me know how it goes!
Source: Jessie Inchauspé