Insulin Resistance Treatment: 10 Natural Science-Backed Remedies That Work

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Written By

Rhea Dali

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Expert Reviewed By

Dr. Lauryn Lax, OTD, MS

Dr. Lauryn, OTD, MS is a doctor of occupational therapy, clinical nutritionists and functional medicine expert with 25 years of clinical and personal experience in healing from complex chronic health issues and helping others do the same.

Looking for natural insulin resistance treatment options? Look no further than these science backed insulin resistance treatment options that work! 

ARE YOU METABOLICALLY HEALTHY? 

88% of all Americans are metabolically unhealthy. Meaning: insulin resistance is rampant!

Poor “metabolic health”  includes tons of conditions, including: pre-diabetes, hypoglycemia and diabetes as well as  thyroid issues (like hypothyroidism), weight struggles(like instantly gaining 5 pounds when you just LOOK at one piece of pizza!).

The struggle is real!

INSULIN RESISTANCE 101: WHAT THE HECK IS “INSULIN RESISTANCE?

Insulin Resistance Treatment - A Sick Woman Struggling

If the term “insulin resistance” sounds like a 9th grade science text book to you, it basically just means that your body has lots of inflammation, sugar and cortisol (stress hormones) inside, and your cells and body processes are UNABLE to use glucose (energy) from all the foods you eat appropriately. 

The hormone insulin helps control the amount of sugar (glucose) in the blood.

If insulin CANNOT enter your cells (because it’s blocked) 

OR

If you have an UNHEALTHY GUT that CANNOT absorb all the energy from your food to properly signal the release of insulin

OR

If your stress levels are off the charts so they are steeling your nutrients to function…then…

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!

Instead of glucose (energy) entering the cells of your body, it gets stuck, circulating in your bloodstream, or gets EASILY zapped up by your cortisol and your gut microbiome, sending your “blood sugar” and “insulin levels” on a ROLLER COASTER! Sometimes your blood sugar is super HIGH, other times super LOW—just like you’re riding Space Mountain at Disney World, UP and DOWN, UP and DOWN!

 Insulin resistance is the number one driver of poor metabolic health

INSULIN RESISTANCE SYMPTOMS

How do you know if you have insulin resistance? There are several symptoms that act like an “insulin resistance test” to give you a clue. They include:

  • Low energy during the day (even despite sleeping)
  • Feeling nausea or morning sickness (especially in the morning)
  • Lack of appetite in the morning
  • Brain fog
  • Needing coffee, sugar or snacks to function
  • Cravings for fruit, carbs or sweets (especially when you feel like you’re dragging) 
  • Feeling “hangry” between meals
  • Needing to eat every 2-3 hours
  • Waking up in the middle of the night
  • Hair loss (even eyebrow hair loss)
  • Frequent urination 
  • Frequent bloating
  • Weight loss or gain issues (can’t lose or gain weight easily)
  • Histamine ‘flares’ (like skin breakouts, tingling or numbness feeling, shortness of breath)—often relieved or lessened after you eat
  • Feeling more energetic after food
  • Thinking about food frequently during the day
  • Binging or overeating (later in the day)

Just to name a few things!

INSULIN RESISTANCE TREATMENT

Insulin Resistance Treatment - A Woman Consulting A Doctor About Her Health

So what do you do about insulin resistance!?

Typical insulin resistance treatment generally includes: 

  • Medications and pharmaceutical prescriptions, like Metformin
  • Exercise 
  • Eating less sugar and gar
  • Following the “My Plate” (Standard American Diet)

And…that’s about it!

However, given the fact that 88% of people are STILL metabolically unhealthy (and diabetes is projected to continue to rise)…something is NOT working. 

In fact, the cost spent on insulin resistance treatment, diabetes and pre-diabietes alone every year is enough to cure world hunger!

Sooo…what do you REALLY do about insulin resistance treatment?

Look no further than these 10 Natural Science-Backed Remedies That Work for Insulin Resistance Treatment. 

And, of course, if you want personalized support in insulin resistance treatment: Book a 20-minute complimentary health strategy call  and learn how we can help you with a personalized insulin resistance treatment plan. 

Insulin Resistance Treatment: 10 Natural Science-Backed Remedies That Work!

Habit #1: Start the Day with Protein

Eat 20 to 30 grams of protein within the first 2 hours of waking after drinking 2 cups of water with a pinch of sea salt (this can be with breakfast or a protein shake or bone broth prior). 

Habit #2: Save the Sweet for Last

At meal times, eat your protein and low starch veggies first. Save most of the starch for last. 

Habit #3: Nix Coffee OR Drink Coffee After a Meal

If you really want to dial in your blood sugar, nix coffee altogether. Sub in water, herbal tea, small amounts of fermented beverages (like kefir and kombcuha) and occasional green tea or Yerba mate. 

Or, at the very least, if you MUST-HAVE-COFFEE, stick to one quality cup per day (organic, mycotoxin free) and drink it after you eat a meal with protein in it. 

My top mycotoxin-free picks include: Kicking Horse, Purity Coffee, Danger Coffee and Kion Coffee. 

Habit #4: Balance Your Fruit Intake

Stick to 1 to 2 servings of fruit per day at most. Ideally in the morning—such as in a smoothie, or a small snack or dessert with a healthy fat or after a meal. 

Best blood sugar balancing fruits include:

  • Berries
  • Cooked fruits (such as stewed apples, pan seared peaches, etc.) 
  • Green tipped bananas (half=serving)

Habit #5: Sleep More Than 6 Hours Per Night (Through the Night)

Insulin Resistance Treatment - Young Woman Sleeping Cozily On A Bed

Can dramatically improve blood sugar by 40%. If you’re not sleeping, then focus some energy here. Some sleep hacks include:

  • Sleep with wifi off and phone in airplane mode
  • Use an eye mask or blackout curtains and sleep in a cooled room (68 or below)
  • Eat a small protein snack before bed (if you frequently wake up in the middle of the night)
  • Diffuse or smell essential oils like peppermint and lavender 
  • Supplement with ashwaganda, phosphotydlserine, holy basil and/or rhodiola—adrenal adaptogens that promote reduced cortisol for better sleep 
  • Supplement with magnesium or take a magnesium bath before sleep
  • Start each morning with sungazing—staring at sun within 1-2 hours of sunrise (sets the tone for melatonin for the day) 
  • Workout/move your body daily
  • Sauna or hot shower in the evenings before bed
  • Improve your gut health (gut microbes effect sleep) 
  • Rule out a deviated septum (impacts nasal breathing) and mold exposure 

Habit #6: Reach for a Protein-Based Snack if You Have a Dip

If you have a blood sugar dip, reach for a protein-based snack or a quick honey and sea salt ‘booster’ (if you’re planning to eat a meal soon after). 

Protein Snack Ideas

Perfect for in-between meals if you get a little hungry (or hangry)

  • Bone broth
  • Chia pudding (keto-inspired)
  • Chocolate avocado mousse with collagen (like this)
  • Chicken or turkey sausage
  • Coconut yogurt or kefir with collagen peptides
  • Collagen protein ‘balls’ (nutbutter, collagen, cacao nibs, coconut flour)
  • Grassfed Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (only if dairy is tolerated)
  • Jerky (grass-fed beef or turkey) 
  • Hardboiled eggs or scrambled eggs
  • Leftover protein (from lunch or dinner)
  • Meatballs or mini-sliders (turkey, bison, beef)
  • Organic turkey pepperoni 
  • Protein powder (bone broth protein powder, grass-fed whey if tolerated)- shake up in water or unsweetened almond milk
  • Tuna salad with paleo mayo
  • Turkey, ham or roast beef rollups
  • Turkey bacon wrapped green beans or asparagus

OR

Emergency Boosters

Perfect for a quick “pick-me-up” if you have an “emergency” blood sugar dip and you’re planning to eat a protein meal soon. 

  • Bone broth
  • Coconut water 
  • Half banana or handful of berries
  • Pure juice (carrot, celery, beet, or green juice with apple) 
  • Protein powder—shake up in water
  • Raw honey/manuka honey (Bonus: 1 tsp Manuka or raw honey + pinch of sea salt + optional 1 tsp coconut oil)
  • Smart Sweets” paleo gummies

Habit #7: Cook or Cool Your Starches

Insulin Resistance Treatment - A Young Woman Cooking

Cooking and cooling your starches (like sweet potatoes or rice) creates a prebiotic-like “resistance starch” that aids in a lower glucose spike (blood sugar spike) when you eat it AND it also nourishes your gut bugs. Great starch ideas to cook and cool include: cooked and cooled winter squash, cooked and cooked red potatoes/fingerling w sea salt, cooked and cooked white jasmine rice, cooked and cooled gluten free oats, cooked and cooled legumes.  

Habit #8: Properly Prepared Beans & Grains

“Properly prepared” beans and grains aid in digestion and remove the pesticides, mycotoxins and herbicides (like glyphosate—Round Up) that inhibit proper digestion and send blood sugar all over the map (due to inflammation in your body). 

If you eat beans or gluten free grains, like rice or gluten-free oats, soak them in filtered water and add 1 to 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar to the bowel. Let it sit overnight for 8 hours, then drain and prepare them as usual. 

Gluten-rich grains are not recommended. 

Habit #9: Add Sea Salt & Lemon or Apple Cider Vinegar to Your Water

Sea salt is a natural mineral that helps balance out cortisol (stress hormone) levels that drive blood sugar up and down, and lemon or apple cider vinegar boost stomach acid, digestive enzyme production and liver and gallbladder filtration that help with managing glucose and glycogen levels in the body to maximize your digestion.

  • Eat sweet potato at night or swap out altogether for a few days 
  • Bump up protein / veg/ fat at breakfast if your body misses calories from sweet potato 
  • Protein based snack mid morning (pure paleo in water, bone broth w sea salt, jerky, leftover protein -2-3 oz, 2 hard boiled eggs)
  • Afternoon snack- fat or protein like plantain chips w guacamole, macadamia nuts, same protein snacks as earlier 
  • Other starch ideas for nighttime: winter squash, cooked and cooked red potatoes/fingerling w sea salt, cooked and cooked white jasmine rice 

Habit #10: Swap Out Toxic Food, Hygiene & Cleaning Products

Toxins are known as “diabesogens”, “obesogens” and “xenoestrogens” that disrupt insulin and hormone balance. 

Unfortunately, we live in a toxic world—with over 80,000 UNREGULATED toxic chemicals in circulation that are WORSE than sugar for blood sugar and driving insulin resistance!

In fact, avoiding and swapping out toxic products and foods that you use every day for non-toxic versions is one of the simplest, bug biggest game changing things you can do to improve your blood sugar!

Some simple swaps include:

  • Drink pure filtered water versus tap water or bottled water 
  • Avoid plastic water bottles, Tupperware and plastic wrap (BPA like products are the worst!)
  • Use fluoride-free toothpaste
  • Avoid sulfates and paragons in shampoos, body wash and conditioners
  • Opt for non-toxic beauty and makeup brands (like W3LL People and Ilia) 
  • Buy organic, pasture raised and wild caught meats
  • Buy organic produce (at least the dirty dozen) 
  • Avoid plastic cooking utensils
  • Avoid antibiotics as much as possible 

Bonus: Boost Digestion!

Aside from foods and lifestyle hacks, blood sugar imbalances often times stem from lack of nutrient absorption in the gut. Boost digestion at meal times with digestive enzymes, HCL capsules and a quality probiotic oncer per day.

(P.S. You can check out my favorite digestive aids mentioned above on the Fullscript store and get a 10% discount! Win! Sign in here). 

Treatment for Insulin Resistance Made Possible!

How’s that for a list?!

Need support in insulin resistance treatment? Book a 20-minute complimentary health strategy call  and learn how we can help you with a personalized insulin resistance treatment plan. 

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