Reduce insulin spikes
Insulin is the body’s fat storage hormone, so avoid refined grains and added sugar which lead to the release of the hormone insulin and thus the food being stored as fat. Check food labels for sugar, corn syrup, corn starch, potato starch, fructose, fructose corn syrup, glucose, sucrose and malto dextrin, which are all refined sugars and to be avoided as they will be stored as fat. Fructose syrups are particularly bad as can only be stored in the liver, excessive amounts can lead to non alcoholic fatty liver disease associated with type 2 diabetes.
Having longer gaps between meals and eating meals higher in carbohydrate after exercise will help reduce insulin levels as the sugars are more likely to be stored in the muscles, brain and liver. Avoiding snacking will help reduce spikes in insulin. Having a breakfast high in fat and protein will help reduce the sugar crash and snacking mid morning. Make it your goal to eat 3 good meals per day and try and have as long an overnight fast as possible. Avoid snacking with the exception of something like a banana before exercise and keep carbohydrate levels topped up with 40-60 grams of carbohydrate if performing aerobic exercise for over one hour per hour, until the deficit is restored, great sources of carbohydrate are all vegetables and fruit. Please get in touch if you need help planning your daily food intake, as it is not always easy to find good sources of food from convenience stores, so if you need to eat away from your home this can take a little planning.
