With obesity as a concern rising globally, it has contributed to a rapid increase in type 2 diabetes and all kinds of cardiovascular diseases. A common reason for the global increase in health concerns is insulin imbalance.
Insulin is a hormone that regulates the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats by promoting the absorption of glucose from the blood. Glucose is the component that fuels our brain and all the cells in the body. When the cells in your body are resistant to insulin, they cannot use the hormone to effectively take in glucose. This leads to a condition called insulin resistance, which means that instead of the insulin getting absorbed by the cells, the pancreas increases the production of insulin higher than it produces normally in an attempt to curb the rising levels of blood glucose. This leads to an increase in the blood sugar level as well as insulin, leaving you vulnerable to various health concerns such as acne, hypertension, tiredness, lack of concentration, obesity, type 2 diabetes, mood swings, and joint problems. This disturbance in your physiology commonly arises due to an unhealthy lifestyle, and to remedy this condition, you can follow a few simple tips every day.
1. Eat More Naturally Produced Foods
Trust Mother Nature when it comes to food. A balanced diet full of natural proteins, fats, and carbohydrates is highly beneficial for health. Always add more vegetables in your diet as they contain essential vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and a lot of fiber. Natural sugar found in fruits, vegetables, and cereals are released more slowly into the bloodstream than refined sugar and eliminates any sharp rise and fall in blood sugar levels.
Add vegetables in at least two meals every day. You can start the day with a green smoothie and have salad during lunch hours. This will also help you multiply the essential gut bacteria in your body.
2. Avoid Processed And Refined Foods
Malnutrition is a serious problem that has affected the entire world. This is the reason there is a high production of unnatural, refined foods that are produced in a large scale. However, these foods are devoid of vitamins and minerals that the body needs.
To keep insulin levels in check, we must avoid the consumption of processed and refined foods such as bread, biscuits, cookies, candy, pasta, soft drinks, packaged fruit juices, etc. These foods have a negative impact on our blood sugar and insulin levels. In fact, foods high in calories can cause neuroglycopenia–a situation when the body doesn’t get enough glucose and results in an urge to eat more often. Eating too many times a day disturbs the insulin levels readily.
3. Move More Often
Movement is necessary to maintain good health. While many of us prefer to walk in the park or go to the gym, many of us also pass our time idling around. Being idle can be as bad as smoking and obesity is for our health. Sitting means breaking down our structure, and our body is meant to sit for only six hours per day. So, be sure that you make some movement every half hour for at least 1 minute. Either hydrate yourself by drinking a glass of water, stretch a bit, walk around and speak with a colleague, a family member, or your pet, or just move your body any way you feel like.
Just remember that a sedentary lifestyle is not good for health, and to keep your insulin levels low, exercise is key.
4. Understand Stress
While there are different kinds of stress, remember that all kinds of stress are not bad for you. You must always learn to differentiate between the types of stress and find out whether they are beneficial or harmful for the body.
While chronic stress lasts for a long period of time and eventually harms our body, eustress is different and positively impacts us. Chronic stress is detrimental to our health and are often related to financial, marital, familial, and work-related problems. Chronic stress brings tiredness, mood swings, and sleep disorders, and it also leads to various health issues. Eustress, however, happens for a short period of time and is beneficial for your insulin level and overall health. Eustress is generally the stress taken when one buys one’s first home or it is related to attending a concert or sports event, getting promoted to work, finding a good job, preparing for a vacation, or reuniting with friends. This stress is beneficial as it is taken to bring about a balance, take regular breaks, or do things we love.
5. Stay True To Yourself
At last, just remain true to yourself. When you are comfortable about what you are doing, eating the right foods for your body, maintaining a good exercise routine, and setting the right goals for your action, you are nourishing your overall mental and physical health.
So, be in tune with your own energy levels and live your life fully. This way, you will also keep your insulin levels balanced and keep yourself happy.
