Reverse Insulin Resistance With These 10 Foods

Hi friends. Most people think that having high blood sugars is about eating too much sugar. But what if I told you, you can eat carbohydrates and reduce blood sugars if you eat the right foods the right way to give your body the right signals. Now you've probably heard that you could avoid sugar spikes if you eat protein and fats with your carbohydrates, right? Guess what? I was told that too during my training. And that's actually a popular myth and the reason why you continue to have weight gain and high blood sugars even in the morning when you haven't eaten. Now that's because you're getting more insulin resistant. But if you watch this video until the end, you'll learn these 10 foods that actually get you insulin sensitive to truly lower your glucose spikes by reversing insulin resistance. Now better yet, if you combine all 10, they will help you lose weight and get sustained energy, reduce fatty liver and protect your brain and metabolism for longevity. And I'm going to show you how you can combine them into a very tasty meal. Now I don't think simply eating random fat and protein will do that. My name is Dr. Lu and I'm a double board certified physician practicing for over 25 plus years. And I see complications of sustained high blood sugars. That's not just fatty liver or obesity. The complications are not pretty folks. And in order for you to truly understand how to lower your blood sugars, you first have to understand why it's high in the first place, because obviously you weren't born that way. Now think about it. Was your diet perfect as a child or did you eat a ton of candies and cookies and yet no one worried about your blood sugars? Unfortunately, that's not the case with kids these days. So what has changed? Has a human race mutated or is it our food? It's really not the sugar spikes that's a problem. And do you know some of the healthiest people get super high sugar spikes too? And they don't even eat any food like professional soccer players who wore continuous glucose monitors to monitor what was happening to the blood sugars as they were working out. So why would they have super high sugar spikes when they're exercising? Now how do you think they get the energy to exercise? Yeah, that's your blood sugar. Their body has to make the sugar so that their muscles have the energy to make ATP and propel them across the field. Has anybody ever worried about their sugar spikes? No, because sugar spikes are not a problem. Unlike the myth that keeps getting propagated on the internet for people who don't understand the end stage of blood sugar problems. You can still be suffering the consequences of these big glucose spikes. Anytime you eat certain foods, especially carbohydrates, depending on the type of carbohydrate, the blood sugar is going to either go, you know, slightly up or really high. The problem is continuously high blood sugars when your body doesn't need it. And what are they blaming it on? Seriously? Fruit? That's another myth. Your body doesn't differentiate whether the sugar is in a fruit smoothie or the sugar is in a chocolate cake. But there are zero studies that show that fruit or fruit juice are harmful for humans. Fruit does not make your diabetes worse. It in fact improves your diabetes. Come on folks, less than 15 percent of Americans even eat the recommended amount of fruit or any produce. And yet we have skyrocketing rates of diabetes and obesity. 40 to 50 percent of Americans are obese. Are fruits releasing pheromones that can go across the meat and dairy aisles to make people diabetic and obese? Is it that powerful? Now people are insulin resistant because they're not eating the fruit. Focus on fruit and vegetables and you will thrive. And here's what happens when anyone absorbs sugar in a metabolic environment that can't handle any carbohydrates. You get high insulin and you get high blood sugars. And when your blood sugar spikes, that triggers insulin to spike. That actually triggers inflammation if it stays sustained over time. And that leads to insulin resistance. But certain foods can stop all that and not just slow absorption. It can actually improve insulin sensitivity and physically change your gut microbiome to reduce inflammation to address insulin resistance at its root cause. So let's break them down and I'll show you exactly how you can use them. By the way, if you find values in my videos, could you please check if you're subscribed. When you like, comment, and subscribe, it actually helps my videos reach other people. And if you are subscribed, thank you very much for joining me to change your world. So number one is mangoes. Yes, I know it tastes sweet and I know it's very surprising to you because mango is sweet. So most people assume it's going to spike their glucose. And yeah, you will have a little blip. That's normal, folks. But whole mango contains fiber, polyphenols, and compounds that actually slow carbohydrate absorption. Fiber slows digestion of your food so that the sugar enters your bloodstream more gradually at a steady state. Mango also contains polyphenols like mangoferrin, galactic acid, quercetin, and carotenoids, which are all studied for its effect on lowering inflammation, reducing oxidative stress, having better glucose metabolism, having insulin sensitivity. Fresh mango has a moderate glycemic index often reported around 41 to 60, meaning it usually does not spike blood sugar like candy or sugary water like soda. One cup has about 25 grams of carbs, 23 grams of natural sugar trapped in fiber, and that's the key. The three grams of fiber with your serving is the key. So eat the whole mango. I'm not asking you to eat mango juice or dried mango. Fresh mango has water, has intact fiber structure, and one study found that fresh mango lowered post-meal glucose more compared to dried mango and a controlled snack. A big bonus is when you eat mango first, you're going to eat less calories from worse foods that can keep your insulin high, even if those foods don't have carbs in them. I'll explain that science later. So number two are beans, which are the most powerful glucose stabilizer. Beans are one of the most effective foods for flattening glucose, not just for one meal, but for the next meal too. Why is that? It's high in soluble fiber, it's high in resistant starch, it's high in protein, it's packed with polyphenols that slow gastric emptying and feeds your gut microbiome to reduce inflammation. Now this creates a low steady glucose curve instead of your spikes that go up and then it stays high because of whatever else you're eating. Now beans don't just prevent big spikes, they literally get you more insulin sensitive so that your sugars are better in the next meal. Remember that. Now number three are cilantro. It's small but powerful. Cilantro is a fresh leaf of the coriander plant, Coriandrum sativum. The seed is usually called coriander while the leaf is called cilantro. Cilantro isn't just a garnish on Mexican or Asian dishes, they're compounds in cilantro that make it so beneficial that can help move your glucose out of your bloodstream and into your muscle cells more effectively. So this means that cilantro will support your food to create a better metabolic environment in your body to receive that food. It also slows the breakdown of carbohydrates. Now coriander leaf extracts have shown alpha glucosinodase inhibition lab studies. Now that's a fancy term to say it actually inhibits the enzymes that break down the starch to have you surge glucose rapidly and that's a benefit because if you can slow digestion then you slow the amount of glucose your body sees at any one given time and that is protective of your liver. Cilantro also aids in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant support. Literally you can combine both cilantro and coriander. They both contain polyphenols and other plant compounds that can help reduce oxidative stress, helps reduce inflammation, helps you actually detox, and this is closely all tied to being more insulin sensitive, to having less fatty liver, and to improve your metabolic function. Just remember these foods don't work by itself. They work best when you actually combine all of it to replace less healthy like creamy and salty sauces and dressings and flavorings because when you add flavor from natural foods you can actually skip the stuff that keeps making you insulin resistant. Now what do you think those sauces and flavorings and dressings all have in common to keep you insulin resistant? Think about that for a minute and I'll talk about the answer in a little bit. So number four is arugula. Now if you're not used to the taste of it, it may first taste a little bitter and spicy but once you start eating it you can't stop eating it. It will be like your favorite vegetable if you keep on repeat and they say it takes like 13 times to get used to something where you then enjoy it. That actually came true to my kids. I mean at one point they really hated it and then now they literally prefer arugula above any other green vegetable. Arugula stimulates digestive enzymes, blood flow, it helps your body process nutrients more efficiently, and it slows glucose entry into your bloodstream. But the biggest insulin connection is that it's packed with nitric oxide. Arugula is one of those leafy greens that naturally contains dietary nitrates and in that setting your body can convert the nitrate into nitric oxide which helps your blood vessels relax and improves blood flow. And that matters because insulin doesn't just push sugar down, insulin actually constricts your blood vessels and plus it has to reach your muscles and liver in through the bloodstream too. Better blood flow may help your glucose and insulin get to where they need to go. Dietary nitrates have been studied for vascular effects, for blood pressure effects, for endothelial function, and for possible glucose metabolism benefits. Now for the amount of volume you eat, it sure does have a lot of fiber. So it lets you actually eat a bigger plate with fewer calories. That will support weight loss and of course weight loss improves insulin sensitivity. And remember when you replace starches, oils, salty sauces, and processed foods, you basically give a huge boost. And don't forget arugula also contains other polyphenols and glucosinolates like sulforaphane, the same family of plant defense compounds found in all cruciferous vegetables. These compounds they help you reduce oxidative stress, reduce inflammation, which are strongly tied to staying insulin resistant, having fatty liver, and metabolic dysfunction. And many polyphenols have been studied for this effects on glucose absorption, insulin signaling, and blood sugar control. So eat more arugula. It's not just a salad filler, it is one of those greens that helps your body open up blood vessels and regulates blood flow and improves blood sugar control. And that totally matters for insulin resistance because sugar does not just need less sugar coming in, it actually needs healthier muscles and better insulin signaling so that you get more metabolically healthy when you eat carbohydrates. And that's why when you add arugula to your beans and lentils, potatoes, or whole grains, you're not just lowering calories to your meal, you're adding nitrates, fiber, plant compounds, and polyphenols that help your metabolism excel. Now number five are heirloom tomatoes. They are my favorite because they taste super sweet, but they're mostly water, fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and a colorful plant compound called lycopene, or another one called beta carotene. That sweetness comes from a very low calorie package, so instead of adding a lot of sugar to your bloodstream, they actually help you fill up, it fills your plate up, it stretches your meal, and you feel satisfied with fewer calories. So that really matters for weight loss because most people, they don't get weight from eating tomatoes, they gain weight from the other stuff that tomato is on. You know, stuff like the oils, the heavy dressing, the creamy sauces, and maybe you're going to eat cheese and chips and bread and processed meals. But when you use heirloom tomatoes, you can actually replace some of those heavier foods because you're getting volume and flavor and hydration and fiber without those big calories. And that's why if you're on a quest to get insulin sensitive, you should make it a goal to switch creamy sauces to fruit-based sauces like tomato sauces. Tomatoes make weight loss so much easier, more pleasant because it gives you sweetness and color and fullness without the caloric density of those creams and desserts and oily sauces. And simply when your meals are satisfying and lower in calorie density, your body will just feel better. It'll have its opportunity to lose weight without feeling like you're starving. And remember, they work very differently from refined sugar. Sugar is a chemical and with sugar you just get something dried powder, but tomatoes, again, you get water, lycopene, potassium, vitamin C, polyphenols that all support your glucose and weight loss goals. And in clinical studies, eating tomatoes has shown to reduce people's body fat, body weight, waist size, and fasting glucose. So when you add tomatoes to a meal, you're not just adding flavor, you're adding a low calorie, high nutrient food that helps you get metabolically healthy. Now the best time to eat tomatoes is actually right before you eat the rest of your meal. And it's not just young people who will benefit. If you're postmenopausal, tomatoes are for you. It still works. If you're struggling with converting your sauces to a fruity tomato sauce, how about just drinking it? Hi friends, I am so thrilled that you want to take charge of your health and take charge of your food. Now I know nutrition can be complex, but it doesn't have to be. And I'm here to support you in this lifelong journey. So if you point your camera app to this QR code, it'll take you to a link for a free handout that I created just for you. And if you like it, if you want to see other handouts, please go to the link in my show notes, and then you can leave me your feedback on what I could do to help you in your journey. Okay, back to the video now. Now I've talked about several foods, but it's really important that you understand the most important hormone when it comes to weight gain and blood sugar regulation, insulin. And when you understand what makes insulin go up or what makes insulin stay down, you're going to look at food so differently that there is no point of return. Everything you eat will either make your insulin go up and down. And it's not just because they have sugar, but anything that makes your insulin go up, it's going to worsen your insulin resistance. So without insulin, you can't get blood sugar into your cells. Insulin is an essential hormone. Nobody can live without it. You won't gain any weight without it, but you'll be peeing excessively whether you eat or not, because there's always going to be blood sugars in your body. And eventually your body will be destroyed by the high blood sugars if you don't get it out of your bloodstream. You can't pee it out fast enough. So the goal in life is not to have more insulin to take care of that sugar. It's just like water. You need to drink water every day, maybe about eight glasses a day, but if you drink too much water, you're going to drown. So there's a fine balance of water, and so there needs to be fine balance of insulin. So if you're finding yourself injecting more insulin to control your blood sugars, you're on a path of serious inflammation that's going to do permanent damage. You're actually reacting to the symptoms instead of addressing the root cause. And until you change your way of being and decide that you don't want to just be reactionary, but you actually want to be healthy and you want your sugars under control, you're going to have higher, higher blood sugars with higher, higher insulin requirements. And that means you're just getting more insulin resistant. Both type 1, type 2 diabetes, and prediabetes, they all have that in common. They all can have insulin resistance. But if you have prediabetes, you don't realize you're insulin resistant because you don't see the high blood sugars yet. And when you get so severe that you can't control your blood sugars, that's when you become from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes. And do you know what causes a body to be insulin resistant? Well, there are two really important factors. Number one is a type of specific fat called saturated fat that your body makes even if you don't eat anything. As long as you're overweight and saturated fat is around, you won't be able to process the sugar. Your body was designed to do that so you don't like overuse energy. And when you see fat, the sugar will just tell the fat cells, hey, store it for me. And that's why you're insulin resistant because all that insulin is talking to the fat cells. And you can speed this process up by eating more saturated fat because when you eat more saturated fat, you're basically telling your body to store more sugar. And that's why if you're going to do a ketogenic diet, you can't eat sugar and carbs. And yes, meats, eggs, and fats can all do this as long as it has saturated fat. But if you want to slow down that process, what do you think you have to do? You got to reduce your saturated fat. You reduce your own fat so that you're not spilling so much saturated fat in your bloodstream. And you start reading labels and learning about nutrition and food. And this is not new science. I didn't make any of this up. It's been around for about 100 years, about as long as insulin was available. Now, in the beginning, insulin was for people with type 1 diabetes because there really wasn't type 2 diabetes. And people used to control them in a calorie-restricted ketogenic diet. They felt horrible. Then all of a sudden, insulin came along. They could eat normal food. And they found out that the people who ate the least amount of saturated fat required the least amount of insulin. And the ones who were eating a high-carbohydrate diet were the ones eating the least amount of saturated fat. And yet, they were requiring less insulin. But the problem is, it's just one biomarker. It doesn't mean you're going to have longevity or health. Because the people who ate like that, requiring low insulin but a really highly refined pure sugar diet, well, that doesn't sound healthy, does it? Yeah, it's not, folks. Those people got premature heart disease. And I've concluded that there are basically three ways to get yourself insulin sensitive. But only one of those ways actually prevents premature heart disease. So, number one, you eat a lot of refined sugar and carbohydrates in a diet, you will get insulin sensitive if you keep your fat low. That doesn't mean you're going to live longer. You're just, again, going to like prematurely age your cardiovascular system. Number two, avoid all carbohydrates and eat a high-fat or high-protein diet. And that will keep your insulin lower. But you will still succumb to getting premature heart disease. And nobody wants to do that, right? We want longevity. Number three is to eat a diversity of predominantly whole food plant-based that's low in saturated fat, where you achieve normal insulin and you reverse and slow down heart disease. Think about it. You pick the road you want to travel. It's your life. Now, there's a second mechanism to lowering insulin that far too many people ignore no matter what diet camp you're in. And I'm sure you've heard that when you walk around and move a couple of minutes after you eat, you can lower your blood sugars, not just for those two minutes, but for that entire duration of the meal. That's super powerful, folks. Now, why do you think that's so? What happens when you're moving or when you're dancing or when you're walking? Yeah, you're moving your muscles. Now, do you know the largest organ in your body that your insulin and sugars talk to? Those are your muscles. You got 650 of them and you're probably not using most of them on a regular basis. Do you know what happens when you don't use them? They go dormant. They actually atrophy and they shrink. So imagine each muscle is like a bag that you can stuff with candy. Which one, if you were a kid, would you take to a candy shop? A or a snack bag, right? Then if your name in the game is to fill as many candies as possible, you would bring the garbage bag, right? And if you had that choice, I would do that too. Your muscles job to hold as much blood sugar as possible in your body. And it's not just there to make you physically strong. The job of your muscles is suck up all the candy in your blood because all that sugar is going to rot your body. And when you grow older, your muscles go from a garbage bag at your peak to shrinking sizes to maybe quarter bag. And if you really don't use it and it's atrophying to this little snack bag, okay, it just gets smaller and smaller, especially after 30. You start losing 1% of muscle mass every decade. So how much sugar is this kind of stuff, folks? Not as much as this garbage bag, right? And the problem with muscle atrophy is that you're losing the most important body part to prevent you from getting sugar rot. And the rot is real, folks. You literally get gangrene if you have excessive sugar. Gangrene doesn't just happen on the outside. You know, when it's on your toes and fingers, you know, you can see that. That's black. And when gangrene happens to your kidneys, well, you get renal failure. And when gangrene happens to your heart, you get a heart attack. And when it happens to your brain, you get a stroke. That's some intense inflammation, folks. And that's why each of us, we need to stand up and move around because that will develop your muscles. So number seven is turmeric. It is anti-inflammatory control. Turmeric contains curcumin, which reduces inflammation and improves insulin signaling. Inflammation makes your cells resistant to insulin. But turmeric, it can help reverse that, making glucose easier to manage. Now, turmeric, it's not just a spice, folks, for color. Even though many people, like, they add it to tofu, like make a tofu scramble, which looks like vegan eggs. It has an active compound called curcumin. Actually, it's the most well-studied spice in the world, but it's been studied in people with prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome. And clinical studies show that curcumin can improve fasting glucose, insulin resistance, improve hemoglobin A1C and inflammation, body weight, body mass index, and waist size. Now, that matters because insulin resistance, it's not just about sugar. It is also about inflamed fat cells, fatty liver, stressed blood vessels, and muscles that are just not responding well to insulin. Turmeric helps bring anti-inflammatory and antioxidant support into any meal, which will help the body handle sugar better and support weight loss over time. But this is eating food grade turmeric. Now, if you're going to be mega dosing with a supplement like curcumin, then you got to be very careful because some supplements have just way too much curcumin, which can interact with your blood thinners. They can actually contract your gallbladder, interact with some medications, and rarely has there been liver injury reported with high-dose curcumin supplements. By the way, that's one of the reasons why I chose to use turmeric extract and not curcumin in my Nacro Plus, which I take every day. Now, the next one is called black cumin, which actually is a biblical spice. It's named Mangelia sativa. Some people call it black seed. It's very different from regular cumin. It tastes very different, and it also has different compounds. The main active compound in black cumin is thymoquinone, but the whole seed also contains fibers, minerals, fatty acids, and other polyphenols. Now, for insulin and blood sugar, there are studies that suggest black cumin can improve several markers, including fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c, fasting insulin, and HOMO-IR, which is a marker of insulin resistance. There's also been meta-analysis and reviews in people with prediabetes, as well as type 2 diabetes, and have found that supplementation with black cumin have improved cardiometabolic indicators, including glycemic markers. And it's also been shown in randomized controlled trials to have a moderate effect on reducing body weight, body mass index, and waist circumference. Now, there are several ways in which black cumin can help, and of course, number one is it improves insulin sensitivity, but number two, it's also reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, and it just supports a healthy lipid profile. And in addition, it may even be communicating with your fat cells. Now, both the black seed powder and black seed oils and extracts have been shown to have biological effects. Now, keep in mind, because it actually can reduce your blood sugar, if you're taking medications, you really should talk to your medical provider before you do any of these supplements because they can interact with blood thinners, blood pressure medications. If you're pregnant, always check with your clinician before you change or add anything. Now, number nine are bell peppers, especially red bell peppers, which can help with insulin sensitivity and weight loss. They are sweet, they're crunchy, they're high in volume, low in calorie, rich in vitamin C, carotenoids, and polyphenols. So, they give you the sweetness without turning the meal into a dessert or a giant sugar load. For blood sugar, red bell peppers are helpful because they have very little carbohydrate for the amount of food that you get. They're adding water, fiber, and crunch, which all will help to slow the meal down and help you feel full. They also bring antioxidants like vitamin C, beta carotene, lutein, zeaxanthin, which all may help reduce oxidative stress. And if you're concerned about weight loss, the biggest advantage is caloric density. Red bell peppers are not calorically dense, but it makes you feel as if it was because it's satisfying without adding that many calories. Simply put, weight loss is so much easier when your stomach is full and your calorie count is low. Bell peppers help with weight by doing that, filling you up and crowding out other foods that are highly caloric. And if you can eat these, it actually improves the quality of your meals because then you get less processed foods, lower caloric density, more antioxidants, and more fiber. Be sure to pair your red bell peppers with like beans, lentils, your cilantro, salsa, salads. It doesn't just add color, it adds texture and flavor. And it makes your whole meal more insulin friendly. Now number 10 is nutritional yeast. And this is a fun one because it can actually replace cheese because it tastes a little bit like cheese except it's high in fiber and beta-glucans and protein and B vitamins without the saturated fat load in cheese. Nutritional yeast can support weight loss and insulin sensitivity because it gives that savory flavor without actually giving you all those calories that you find in dairy. And remember the biggest problem is saturated fat. And that matters because insulin resistance is not just about giving up sugar, it's about eating excess calories, getting more saturated fat, inflaming your fat cells, packing on fatty liver, and letting your muscles atrophy and overworking your liver cells. So nutritional yeast contains proteins, beta-glucans, and fiber compounds in those yeast walls that actually improves all those parameters. Now don't get this confused with brewer's yeast, which by the way has also shown improvements in glycemic markers. It's likely related to the similar compounds that all these yeast have. It just helps you get more glucose tolerance. Brewer's yeast and nutritional yeast, they come from the same yeast family but they're not the same food. Brewer's yeast is usually tied to beer production and they can taste a little bitter. Nutritional yeast is grown for food, it's actually cooked, and it's used for its cheesy savory flavor. Now here's where most people kind of get stuck. They understand everything that I've said and all these foods separately, but they don't actually know how to put them together so that they can eat them. So let me tell you how to make a simple dish with everything that I just talked about. Now I'm going to call this a sweet and savory metabolic mango tomato bowl. So combine all the ingredients above, cut up the mango, the cilantro, and arugula, heirloom tomatoes, get your turmeric, black cumin, cut up your red bell peppers, and don't forget your nutritional yeast. So let's start with the base, and then you chop your tomatoes and put that on top of your arugula, and then you chop your red bell peppers and you put that on too, as well as your mango. Then you're going to add cilantro in this dressing. So you're going to add about a cup of cilantro, you're going to mix that with a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice, one or two tablespoons of water, you may need more if your cilantro is a little drier, a quarter teaspoon of turmeric, a quarter teaspoon of black cumin, make sure it's powder, add a quarter teaspoon of cumin, and then a couple tablespoons of nutritional yeast. Oh, don't forget a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar and a teaspoon of mustard. Then you can add a pinch of salt if you don't have any salt issues. So you're going to whisk up, you're going to blend that all until it's creamy. If you want it sweeter, soak a date and you mix it all together. If you want a binder, you may need a little bit of fat. So you either soak cashew or what you do is that you can put a little bit of olive oil. There's nothing wrong with that, like a teaspoon or two of olive oil or even a tablespoon. First, what I would do is I would put all the wet ingredients on the bottom, blend that first, and then you add your cilantro and then you blend it together and the cilantro will give out some juice as well. And then you can pour that dressing over your salad, toss it all together, let it sit for about five to ten minutes. You can always add the tomatoes and blend that together. I personally would like it separate but you can always do that. But then if you want to make the salad hardier, add some beans, your chickpeas, black beans, lentil, quinoa, and you can even roast some potatoes. Now my best choice would be to use all of that because your mouth would then have all these different flavors. However, you can experiment and be creative. You know, I aim for diversity so I love to put everything together so that one bite is packed with lots of different foods. That dish will be powerfully fragrant, it'll be sweet, it'll be tangy, it'll be really delicious. And you'll make it without any added chemicals, sugars, or fats. Well, except for a little bit of olive oil and that is okay. That'll actually help you absorb the lycopene in the tomato and the carotenoids even better. And you won't realize how anti-inflammatory that meal is. That will begin to reverse your insulin resistance, improve your blood flow, and your weight control. But if you really want to get your sugars down, you really have to keep that fat to minimum, like that olive oil to the minimum, because it will contribute to making your insulin resistance, right? So we don't want to overdo that. And you can replace it with adding some nuts. So you can soak some cashews and blend that up together with some soaked cashews. That can give you a creamy flavor with less calories than the equivalent just straight oil. And remember, this is not just a little salad. Eat a big plate. It's designed to help get you full, support your blood sugars, and make weight loss not such a chore. And if you want to know the other more powerful greens to add with that salad, watch the next video.