Insulin Resistance - 10 Tips to Improve Your Metabolism [Infographic]

Insulin Resistance - 10 Tips to Improve Your Metabolism
Infographic from Diagnosis: Diet

Can't Lose Weight?

Are you one of the millions of Americans who has tried just about every diet - Atkins, Best Type, Blood Type, Cabbage Soup, Fat Flush, Glycemic Index, Grapefruit, Hormone, Jenny Graig, Macrobiotic, Master Cleanse, Nutrisystem, Paleo, South Beach, Volumetrics, Weight Watchers, Zone and on and on -  and yet can't lose weight?

Or maybe you initially lose weight but can't keep it off.

Or maybe you are relatively slim yet struggle with central abdominal fat aka belly fat.


It Could Be Insulin Resistance

Insulin resistance (IR) is a condition in which certain cells of the body become resistant to insulin, a hormone that is released by the pancreas in response to elevated blood glucose (sugar) levels.  For example, after you eat, your blood sugar levels go up, and the insulin helps to shuttle the sugar into cells where it is used for energy.

When the insulin receptors on the cells become resistant to the effects of insulin, glucose can't get into the cells.  So, the excess glucose is instead shuttled into fat cells, especially the abdominal fat cells, because fat cells don't generally become insulin resistant.  This is how IR promotes fat storage.

It is currently thought that IR is caused by diet, stress, lack of exercise, inadequate sleep and genetics in a certain percent of the population.


Symptoms of IR

IR can be diagnosed with a combination of lab tests which include testing fasting glucose, insulin, HDL, triglycerides, Hemoglobin A1C and others.

Common symptoms of IR include:

🔹 Inability to lose weight
🔹 Belly fat
🔹 Fatigue, especially after meals
🔹 Constant hunger, even after a full meal
🔹 Sugar and starch cravings
🔹 Brain fog, difficulty focusing


Preventing and Treating IR

Preventing and treating IR usually involves addressing those lifestyle factors that are thought to cause it -i.e., diet, exercise, stress, and sleep.

Diet and nutrition play a particularly key role in the development, prevention and treatment of IR.   The general recommendation is to eat whole foods while avoiding added sugar, simple carbohydrates, processed and packaged foods, and common food allergens such as dairy and gluten.


Infographic

This infographic from Diagnosis: Diet contains 10 tips to improve metabolism.  Please go to How to Diagnose, Prevent and Treat Insulin Resistance - Diagnosis: Diet to read the in-depth article on what you need to know about insulin sensitivity and resistance, added sugar, naturally-occurring sugars and starches, refined carbohydrates, IR symptoms, medical tests, and what to do if you have IR.  The article also includes a link to a downloadable PDF of IR tests and target ranges.


Related

How Hormones Affect Weight Loss and Gain
25 Reasons Why Sugar is Bad for You
How Can You Burn Your Stored Fat?
17 Science-Backed Sleeping Hacks to Boost Health

How to Naturally Lower Triglycerides

Oranges - Health Benefits, Facts and Recipes [Infographic]

Oranges - Health Benefits, Facts and Recipes
Infographic from Just Add Good Stuff

Oranges:  Health Benefits

Sweet, juicy, organically grown, fresh oranges are a superfood that is rich in many important and essential naturally occurring vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytochemicals (phytonutrients) and many other nutrients, including anti-inflammatory agents, carotenoid compounds, vitamins B1 and C, folate, potassium, copper, pantothenic acid, calcium, pectin and dietary fiber.

Its no wonder then, that regular consumption of oranges (and certain other citrus fruits) are thought to confer a wide range of health benefits, some of which include:

✿ Helps to prevents certain types of cancer - notably liver, skin, lung, breast, stomach and colon cancer

✿ Promotes heart health

✿ Aids in lowering the risk for ischemic stroke

✿ Reduces the risk of kidney stones and helps to prevention of kidney disease

✿ Lowers cholesterol

✿ Regulates high blood pressure

✿ Protects against viral infections

✿ Aids in detoxification of harmful toxins

✿ Reduces fine lines and wrinkles, fights skin damage, and generally improves the overall texture of skin

✿ Alkalizes the body

✿ Relieves constipation

✿ Promotes weight loss including belly fat

Infographic

Along with describing some of the key health benefits of oranges, this infographic also contains nutrition data and some interesting facts about oranges.  The three recipes referenced in the infographic, together with other great information about health, nutrition, diets and fitness can be found at: Just Add Good Stuff - Just Add Oranges!

 It should be noted that because of the relative high content of sugar in orange and other fruit juice, especially commercially prepared juice, and the presence of certain banned or harmful substances in some imported juice, health experts generally advise to avoid drinking juice and instead to eat the whole fruit.

By eating the whole orange, you get the benefit of the natural dietary fiber generally present in whole plant foods.   Fiber slows down the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream.  Keeping blood sugar levels steady helps prevent insulin spikes.  Spikes in insulin can lead to insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, which are associated with diabetes, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure and other medical conditions. Insulin spikes can also lock fat into cells promoting weight gain (especially in the abdominal area) and preventing weight loss.




Related:

12 Healthy Reasons to Eat Fruit
15 Foods to Include in an Everyday Diet
15 Foods to Boost Metabolism

Healthy Fats - Cooking and Storing [Infographic - Poster]

Healthy Fats:  Achieving Wellness by Using Nourishing Fats
from NourishingMedicine.com

There is currently a huge divide in the weight loss and wellness community regarding fats in the diet.  This is creating a lot of confusion about which fats are healthy, which are unhealthy, which contribute to weight gain (and specifically belly fat) and which promote weight loss.

Regardless of which side of the argument you may be on, it is important to understand some basic characteristics of various types of fats and how to properly use and store each type.

For example, some type of oils (such as coconut oil) are ideal for high heat cooking, i.e., frying, broiling and grilling.  Other oils are suitable for medium heat cooking. These include avocado, macadamia nut, peanut, sesame, rice bran and olive oil.

Certain other oils, such as flax, hemp, grape and pumpkin seed oil, should never be exposed to heat but are ideal drizzled on salads or over already cooked food.

Proper storage of oils, including medicinal oils with may come in supplemental form in capsules, is just as important as proper use in order to maintain the nutritional integrity of each type of oil (or fat).

This "infographic" is actually a poster that is available for purchase from NourishingMedicine.com.  It is an easy reference and guide to cooking and storing various different types of fats and oils and includes a few basic facts about fats, including some of the key benefits of healthy fats and dangers of unhealthy fats.  Note:  regarding this poster, we are not sure how safe it is to store butter and other animal-derived fats on the counter top.

Related:

The Benefits of Vegetable Oil (Olive, Coconut, Flaxseed, Sesame, Avocado and Peanut Oils)
Healthy Oils

Benefits of Chia Seeds [Infographic]

Benefits of Chia [Infographic] from NaturalNews.com

Chia seeds are tiny black and white seeds that come from a flowering desert plant (herb) in the mint family and are native to Central America.

"Chia" means strength and historic evidence shows that it was cultivated as an important food crop by the Aztecs.

Today we regard Chia seeds as a superfood because of its high concentrations of healthy omega-3 fatty acids, protein, complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, antioxidants, iron, calcium, potassium, and other important vitamins and minerals.

These tiny, nutrient dense seeds are thought to have many health benefits, including:

Combating diabetes by slowing digestion and improving blood sugar levels

Improving heart health by
increasing healthy cholesterol while decreasing bad LDL and triglyceride cholesterol

Supporting digestive health and intestinal regularity (high fiber content)

Improving brain health (high omega-3 fatty acids content)

Aiding in weight loss by helping to regulate appetite (Tryptophan content)

Fighting belly fat by helping to stabilize blood sugar and fighting insulin resistance

Helping to build and maintain strong bones and teeth (calcium, phosphorus and manganese content)

Providing energy (plant-based complex carbohydrate content)

Boosting strength and endurance (plant-based protein content)

Related:
Health Benefits of Seeds
Chia Seeds vs. Flax Seeds
Top 10 Flax Seed Health Benefits

Infographic Source:
Natural News - Chia

Lose Weight with a Modern Bed of Nails

Endorsed by Dr. Mehmet Oz (host of The Dr. Oz Show) as one of the best products for getting and staying healthy, a modern "bed of nails" can help you lose weight and stay slim.

The modern "bed of nails" is a soft mat with thousands of tiny plastic spikes. It is also known as a massage, acupressure or acupuncture mat. When you lay down on the mat,