Insulin resistance means that the cells of your body are unable to respond to insulin due to certain reasons that leads to high levels of insulin in blood.
Now as you may know that women who have pcos mostly have insulin resistance.It is the major cause of obesity in pcos.It is not just a symptom of pcos but also major drive behind many problems caused by pcos.
How it happens
It happens due to intake of large amounts of sugar and refined carbs in your diet for a long period of time.Let me tell you how it works.
1- Now what happens is whenever we take in any food or meal it leads to rise in our blood glucose levels.
2- Our body cells utilize this glucose and convert it into energy.
3- In response to high levels of glucose a signal is produced in our body that causes release of insulin in blood.
4- Insulin then acts as a vehicle and carry glucose with it inside the cell and cell utilizes it.
Now if you keep on indulging refined carbs and sugar all the time the insulin levels in your level will never decline,they will always be at peak till a point reaches where the cells of your body stop to respond to insulin in blood and this condition is called as insulin resistance.
How to improve it
Simply by changing your eating habits you can easily improve this situation.Following are certain steps you should follow to see positive results.
1-Eat low glycemic index food.
Foods having low GI means they do not spike your blood glucose levels instantly.They are absorbed slowly by your body and hence gradually increase glucose thus not increase insulin drastically.
2-High fiber food
High fiber food such as
Oats
Quinoa
Buckwheat
Certain fruits such as berries,bananas
Vegetables etc.
High fiber food take time to be digested in our body and hence slow down the absorption of glucose thus decreasing your blood sugar levels.Also high fiber food helps to lower down the LDL which bad cholesterol in the body.
3-Adopt a low carb, high protein diet
Refined Carbs and sugar spike your insulin levels like no other food so try to incorporate less sugars and try to add more protein in your diet.
Now this should be lean protein or protein from other healthy sources such as fish,eggs etc.Avoid highly processed meat.
4-Exercise
Exercise at least for 30 min per day.Its extremely important because studies have shown that exercise improves insulin resistance and make the cells of your body more sensitized to insulin.
Try to do cardio for 1-2 days and the rest of 2-3 days do resistance training that is also extremely good as it helps you lose fat in pcos that leads to weight loss and improves this condition.But if you are too busy then atleast take a walk for 30-45 min per day.
5-Choose healthy unsaturated fat food
Avoid unhealthy fats in your diet and try add heathy fats such as
• coconut oil
• olive oil
• seeds such as flaxseeds,chia seeds,basil seeds,sunflower seeds etc
• nuts like almonds,walnuts,cashews etc
• Avocado
• Nut butters or seed butters
These healthy fat sources such as nuts and seeds contain omega 3 fatty acids which are extremely good for heart.
Fats have almost no effect on your insulim spike but that does not mean that you go on to indulge a lot of it as carbs and fat taken together leads to weight gain.So make sure to add in just suitable amount of healthy fats in your diet.
6-Do Intermittent fasting and avoid snacking
It is a very common habit of people to keep on munching in between the meals which is extremely bad for insulin resistance because everytime you snack on something your body produces more insulin which is already too high in the case of insulin resistance.
So try to avoid snacking as it will help with insulin resistance and try to do "intermittent fasting" which is proved to be extremely helpful in improving insulin resistance.
If you are a beginner try to do a 16:8 fast it means you have to take your all day calories within 8 hours with 2 or 3 meals that depends on you and the remaining 16 hours you will eat nothing and similarly as you get used to it you can increase it to 18:6 and continue with this.
Believe me it works wonders,it not only reduces your habit of snacking but also improves insulin resistance.
Conclusion
Follow these few things and you will also observe many positive changes in pcos.
Always consult your physician before doing anything new with your diet.
