The Insulin Factor: Can’t Lose Weight? Can’t Concentrate? Can’t Resist Sugar? Could Syndrome X Be Your Problem?. Antony Haynes

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СКАЧАТЬ problem persists it may be due to a lack of digestive enzymes and you may need to either avoid them altogether or reduce the volume of legumes eaten and instead consume more starchy vegetables.

      In some countries legumes are a staple; however, in the West they are not as common – with the exception of tinned baked beans. So, instead of opting for de-natured, often sugar-loaded, baked beans why not try some of the following:

Aduki beans	Butter beans
Black beans	Chickpeas
French green beans	Mung beans
Haricot beans	Navy beans
Lentils/Split peas	Pinto beans

      Grains

      Starchy vegetables, legumes and grains are the three main foods groups from which we derive the bulk of our carbohydrates. Fruit is also a high carbohydrate food. Of these groups it is grains that are most often refined and processed – and it is food processing that is largely to blame for the huge increase in refined, high Glycemic Index foods. The main staple foods around the world are wheat and rice. However, there is more to grains than just the big two. Below is a list of grains and, where appropriate, the sorts of foods that are made from them. Where possible, opt for the unrefined product – wholemeal breads, whole-wheat pasta, unrefined breakfast cereals, brown rice, quinoa, millet grains and so on.

Grains	Food
Wheat (white & brown)	Bread, pasta, breakfast cereals, cakes, biscuits, couscous
Rice (white & brown)	Pasta, bread, biscuits, crackers, rice cakes
Oats	Porridge, flapjacks, biscuits
Rye	Bread, pasta, crackers (Ryvita)
Barley	Bread, pasta, cereals
Millet	Bread, pasta
Buckwheat	Pasta, noodles
Bulghur	Tabouleh
Corn*	Tortilla chips, pasta, popcorn
Quinoa	Cereals
Polenta
*Generally, corn is processed and refined

      Fruit

      While fruit contains many beneficial nutrients, such as antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fibre and water, as a food group, fruit is higher in carbohydrates and lower in protein and fat than any other. Fructose is the main carbohydrate in fruit, which is absorbed more slowly than glucose but still more quickly than complex carbs found in whole grains and legumes. For this reason you should be careful about how much fruit you eat. For the archetypal fit and lean individual, fruit will not be an issue, but the more insulin resistant you are, the more likely it is that you need to limit your fruit intake. If you have full-blown Insulin Resistance, you should only eat the lowest Glycemic Index fruits.

Higher GI fruits	Lower GI fruits
Banana	Blackberries
Dates	Blueberries
Figs	Cherries
Grapes	Grapefruit
Prunes	Raspberries
Raisins	Strawberries
Watermelon

      Limit carbohydrates, don’t avoid them

      If you have Insulin Resistance you should limit all carbohydrates, but not avoid them. However, you should avoid all high Glycemic Index foods. You can eat moderate to low Glycemic Index foods, such as many of the above grains in their whole form and in small amounts, although the more insulin resistant you are the fewer you should eat. Some people consider grains to be a primary cause of the Insulin Resistance phenomenon, and recommend an avoidance of all grains, both whole and refined. However, this is not practical for most people and can also cause health problems in the longer term. Instead of cutting out carbs altogether, concentrate on cutting out refined carbs from your diet and choose instead starchy vegetables and legumes as your main source of carbohydrate and whole grains as a limited source – this cannot be emphasized enough.

      Main sources of carbohydrate

      Try to limit your carb intake to 40 per cent of your diet, and within this 40 per cent the following proportions:

Starchy vegetables	35%
Legumes (beans/pulses)	35%
Fruits	15%
Cereals/grains	15%

      Why shouldn’t I cut out carbs altogether?

      Don’t make the mistake of thinking that if low GI is good, no GI (i.e. eating no carbs at all) is better. Whatever degree of Insulin Resistance you have, it’s made worse if you eat no carbs at all. Eating a very low carb diet for more than a couple of weeks can reduce the activity of your thyroid hormones, in particular the most active thyroid hormone, T3, or tri-iodo-thyronine. A low level of T3 can lead to fatigue, weight gain and poor circulation. What’s more, a low carb diet will also cause your blood glucose to drop and, when this happens, your brain stimulates the adrenals to raise blood glucose with cortisol, resulting in high cortisol levels. Independently of eating a low carb diet, high cortisol levels will actually reduce the thyroid hormone T3 and also increase Insulin Resistance (see chapter 9

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