Curing Insulin Resistance with Diet: Top Tips

If you have diabetes and need to manage your blood sugar levels, learning the ins and outs of the insulin resistance diet, also called the glycemic-index diet, might help you better assess which foods are right for you.

In this guide, we’ll explain what the insulin resistance diet is and how to follow it. You’ll get a 7-day meal plan along with suggested foods to eat and avoid. Plus, you’ll learn about potential benefits and risks with this diet.

The insulin resistance diet is an approach to eating that takes its primary cues from the glycemic index, developed by nutrition professor David Jenkins in the early 1980s.

Essentially, the glycemic index is a scale that tells you how quickly a food – namely its carbs – will be converted into glucose, a simple sugar, once it’s in your body. (The body then creates insulin in response to that energy-providing glucose.) The glycemic index ranks foods from 0 to 100 by how much a 50-gram portion raises blood sugar for two hours after consumption.

Generally, the lower the glycemic-index number, the “better” the food item.

“Foods with a lower GI increase blood glucose more slowly,” explains Dr. Richard L. Seidman, former chief medical officer of L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest publicly operated health plan in the U.S. “The lower GI foods are usually high in fiber or may have some fat or protein in them too, thus making their digestion more gradual.”

On the other hand, eating high glycemic-index carbs can cause a spike in blood sugar levels. Over time, those high levels can weaken the body’s insulin response and prevent it from using glucose for energy.

“It’s very important to be mindful of the quality of carbohydrates that you are eating to help keep balanced blood sugar levels,” notes Gaby Vaca-Flores, a registered dietitian and education specialist at HUM Nutrition in Los Angeles.

In short, maybe. When you can slow down the rate at which your stomach digests food, you may feel fuller longer. That can translate to eating less food less often, thus potentially leading to weight loss. A gradual release of sugars into the bloodstream, rather than a sudden dump, also means your body will be better able to manage blood sugar levels and diabetes. What’s key is aiming for foods on the lower end of the glycemic index.

Black beans, for instance, have a GI of 30. Beans are rich in fiber and protein and contain a type of fiber called resistant starch. This means that the starch resists digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the large intestine instead.

“This not only helps slow down the rise of blood sugar but acts as a prebiotic, which is what probiotics (“good” bacteria) live on,” Seidman says.

White bread, on the other hand, has a GI score of 75.

“Breads, bagels, rice, (sugar-sweetened) soda, potatoes and popcorn are considered high on the GI,” says Brenda Bennett, a nutritional therapy practitioner and author. “These carbohydrates are rapidly absorbed and turned to glucose in the body, raising blood sugar levels.”

While the glycemic index can help you understand how foods compare to one another and how they might impact your blood sugar levels, it doesn’t tell the full story.

“A food’s GI number can be misleading because in most cases, when we sit down for a meal or snack, we’re combining fats and proteins with carbohydrates,” Bennett says.

In fact, it’s rare for people to consume only carbs. Consuming fats and proteins along with carbs can help stabilize blood glucose levels.

Plus, not all bodies process carbs in the same way. For instance, a 2015 study published in the journal Cell demonstrated that individual responses to foods can vary widely. One person might eat a cookie and see a minimal rise in blood sugar, while another could eat a banana and experience a significant spike, which deviates from glycemic index predictions.

“It’s not always predictable,” says Shawn Wells, a registered dietitian and certified sports nutritionist based in Dallas-Fort Worth.

Different people metabolize foods differently. So, he says, it’s important to remember that the glycemic index is “just a scale, and it’s not the most accurate thing.”

The glycemic load– the volume of food you eat – is even more important than the index number because the GI number doesn’t look at the quality of the food, just how it will impact blood sugar.

For example, even though raw carrots have a similar GI (39) to milk chocolate (about 40), the carrots are going to be a better option because they provide a lot more fiber, vitamins and minerals.

You can calculate the glycemic load of any food by multiplying the grams of carbohydrate in the food by the food’s glycemic index and dividing by 100:

The Glycemic Index Foundation reports that for optimal health, you should try to keep your daily total glycemic load under 100.

The glycemic index is not a diet plan in itself; rather, it’s a tool to guide food choices. It has, however, been leveraged to develop the insulin resistance diet, which emphasizes foods that have less of an impact on blood sugar.

The insulin resistance diet doesn’t dictate portion sizes or direct dieters to count calories or fat intake. Instead, it relies on the GI scale to help you pick foods for weight loss or to aid in weight maintenance, in addition to managing blood sugars.

On the insulin resistance diet, carbohydrates are classified into “good” and “bad” categories. Good carbs, which have a lower GI number, have less impact on blood sugar levels and take longer to digest, which helps you feel fuller longer. Think proteins, high-fiber whole grains, vegetables and some low-carb fruits.

Foods that are considered low on the GI scale are typically under 55. Some of the best foods to eat when looking to control your blood sugar, with their GI score, include:

Meat contains no carbohydrates, so it does not impact blood sugar levels. Plant-based proteins, such as tofu and tempeh above, do contain some carbohydrates, so they have a higher GI score than meat.

Any foods that score above 70 are considered high GI foods, explains Cathy Leman, a registered dietitian and nutrition therapist based in Chicago. Foods in the 55 to 70 range are considered medium glycemic-index foods, and should be used in moderation.

Higher glycemic index foods are classified as “bad carbs” in the insulin resistance world because they are digested more quickly and release glucose into the bloodstream faster, which can spike your blood sugar and make you feel hungry sooner. Examples of bad carbs include:

In general, ultra-processed foods are also ones to limit or avoid on this diet, as they often contain hidden sugars that can raise your blood sugar.

Many foods that come in a bag or a box tend to rank higher on the glycemic index, Wells says.

It’s important to note that the GI index only considers the carbohydrates in foods and ranks these foods in isolation. However, we don’t always consume single foods in isolation. The impact on blood sugar can be influenced by protein, fat, fiber and other compounds, such as antioxidants, Leman points out.

“It’s not a balanced approach to choosing foods,” Leman says.

When adhering to any diet, it’s wise to plan ahead, ensuring you know what and when you’ll eat.

Here are some meal planning and prep tips to make adherence to the insulin resistance diet easier:

The following meal plan can help you ease into the insulin resistant diet and experiment for the long term.

Keep the following guidelines in mind when building out the rest of your meal plans:

This diet is designed for those looking to better manage their blood sugar, says Sara Riehm, a specialty dietitian and certified specialist in obesity and weight management with Orlando Health in Florida.

“Most of the time, my recommendations for patients with Type 2 diabetes and patients with prediabetes closely align with the recommendations for someone struggling with insulin resistance,” she explains.

Dr. Joseph Barrera, an endocrinologist and associate medical director with Providence Mission Hospital in Southern California, adds that this diet may be particularly helpful for those with metabolic syndrome, a condition that has three or more of the following five symptoms:

“But even if you have just one of these conditions, an insulin resistance diet may help,” he notes.

Seidman says that people with prediabetes can use the glycemic index to plan meals that don’t promote blood sugar spikes. Similarly, he adds, “people with diabetes may be able to choose foods that help them keep blood glucose more controlled.”

As mentioned, the glycemic-index diet may help you manage your weight. There is also some limited evidence that it could help reduce cholesterol levels. In addition, “there is some research that suggests an association between a low GI diet and reduced risk for breast cancer,” Leman says.

Barrera adds that this approach to eating may be helpful for those with other medical conditions because of the connection between insulin resistance and some chronic conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and heart disease.

Barrera notes that the insulin resistance diet is an extremely healthy approach to eating, particularly given the epidemic of obesity in the United States.

“In addition to weight loss, an insulin resistant diet can help in the treatment and prevention of diabetes, reduce blood pressure and cardiovascular risk, have positive effects on cholesterol profiles and help mitigate fatty liver disease,” Barrera adds.

However, he notes that you should talk with a health care professional before starting this diet, especially if you’re taking medication for hypertension and diabetes.

“Often, if patients have success with the diet, with reductions in blood pressure and blood sugar, they may need adjustments to their medications to avoid potential low blood pressures and low blood sugars,” he says.

Those with Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome or food sensitivities who are identifying trigger foods should also work with a dietitian to find the right approach, says Kathy Moore, an integrative and functional nutritionist and diabetes educator with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus.

Because this diet is predicated on consuming fewer carbs – and thus the body has less glucose – it can carry some risks for those who are already at a healthy weight, Moore points out.

“Over-restricting carbohydrates is harmful for those with normal weight and blood glucose control,” she explains. “In addition, recent research indicates that very low (less than 10% calories from carbohydrate) and low carbohydrate (less than 26% calories from carbohydrate) activate insulin resistance in healthy individuals with normal weight.”

Although the glycemic index can offer guidance on food choices, recent studies suggest it might not be a reliable measure of blood sugar responses, even in controlled settings, Lehman says.

Instead of solely focusing on low GI foods, take a more holistic approach that involves consuming a varied diet of whole grains, nonfat and low-fat dairy products, fish, dried beans, peas and a generous amount of fresh produce. The Mediterranean diet, often endorsed by dietitians and doctors, embodies this balanced and nutrition-focused eating style.

While diet plays a crucial role in addressing insulin resistance, it’s not the only factor. Exercise and adequate sleep, Barrera points out, can go a long way as well. Aim for at least eight hours of sleep each night and 150 minutes of exercise per week.

“Generally, a lifestyle that encourages slow and steady weight loss, moderate exercise, stress management and slow and mindful eating has a positive effect on insulin resistance,” Moore says.