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Insulin Resistance Diet

Description:

The Insulin-Resistance Diet is something like the more famous Zone Diet in that you eat a combination of carbohydrates and proteins every few hours. The authors’ reasoning is:

 All carbohydrates turn into glucose, the simplest sugar;
 Insulin regulates glucose;
 Keeping insulin more or less at an even level, without allowing this hormone to “spike,” is the key to weight loss.

People with abnormally high levels of insulin overreact to carbohydrates. This occurrence is called “insulin resistance” and results in “metabolic syndrome.” Dr. Charles Neaven first identified metabolic syndrome in 1998 as a combination of health disorders caused by insulin resistance that include coronary artery disease, hypertension, Type II diabetes, obesity, and risk for stroke. The Insulin Resistance Diet keeps your body’s glucose at an even level, and thus helps you overcome metabolic syndrome.

The authors advise that you eat seven grams of protein for every 14 grams of carbohydrates.  You should think of each meal as a seesaw that must balance proteins and carbohydrates on either end. In the middle (at the neutral position) are vegetables which do not need to be linked to other foods. You must have at least five small meals a day, eating every two to three hours.

The Insulin Resistance Diet allows you to link two to five servings of dairy and at least three servings of meat to your six servings of grains. You also link your two servings of fruit (one citrus) to proteins. You consume at least three servings of vegetables per day without linking them, except for corn and potatoes, which count as carbohydrates.

Some protein/carbohydrate links are classic combinations, such as meat and potato, hamburger and bun, chicken and noodles, peanut butter and bread, spaghetti and meatballs, apple and cheese, toast and egg, or cereal and milk. Certain prepared foods, including some frozen dinners, canned chili, and soups, are already perfectly linked.

The authors provide recipes and suggest an exercise regime.

See: Hart, Cheryle (MD) and Mary Kay Grossman, R.D. The Insulin Resistance Diet (Chicago: Contemporary Books) 2001.

 

Created:

Categories: Glycemic Index, Six Meals or More

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Meetings: No

Books: Yes

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Sample Menu:

The Insulin Resistance Diet has a “mix and match” breakfast plan. You choose one food from a high-protein list and another from the carbohydrate list:

BREAKFAST MIX AND MATCH

High-Protein Foods (partial list)

1 T. soy nuts
One egg cooked without fat
1 cup light yogurt
1 oz. string cheese
1 oz. reduced-fat cheese
2 T. peanut butter
1 oz. low-fat bacon

Carbohydrate Foods (partial list)

One mini-bagel
Cereal with 15 grams carbohydrate
½ cup fruit (no berries or melon)
1 cup berries
½ English muffin
One slice bread

LUNCH AND DINNER SUGGESTIONS (partial list)

                        1
Pasta Primavera with Italian Sausage*
Green salad with fat-free dressing
Low-fat garlic bread
½ cup sugarless ice cream or yogurt

                       2
2 oz. low-fat turkey
Fat-free mashed potatoes
Low-sugar cranberry salad
Vegetables in Herb Sauce**
Dinner roll with fat-free margarine

                    3
London Broil
Vegetable kabobs grilled or broiled with onion, zucchini, peppers
No-sugar ice cream bar

SNACK SUGGESTIONS (partial list)

Tuna and crackers
Lentil soup
Chicken noodle soup
Beef jerky and pretzel
Apple and cheese
Cottage cheese and pineapple
Hard-boiled egg and crackers

*Pasta Primavera with Sausage
6 oz. spaghetti
6 Italian turkey sausage links
16 oz. frozen broccoli, carrot, and cauliflower blend
½ cup sliced zucchini
½ cup sliced yellow squash
1 can (16 oz.) tomatoes, drained
2 T. white cooking wine
2 T. chopped parsley
1½  tsp. fresh basil
5 oz. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside. Brown sausages in non-stick skillet, add frozen vegetables, sliced vegetables, tomatoes, and wine. Cook around 20 minutes. Toss pasta with sausage mixture, parsley, basil, and cheese. Serve immediately.

**Vegetables in Herb Sauce (6 servings)
1½ pounds fresh carrots, zucchini, or green beans, sliced
¼ cup fat-free liquid margarine
½ tsp. seasoned salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 T. chopped onion
¼ tsp. dried dill weed, basil, or tarragon

Cook vegetables until barely tender, drain them, and return to pan. Add margarine, onion, and spices, heat through.
 

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