My seven year old daughter was recently diagnosed as "insulin resistant". Any good dietary suggestions?

Question

She is not overweight (is 48 inches tall, 51 pounds), but has strong family history of diabetes & obesity. We do basics, eat well & exercise, but still have concerns & know we can't monitor what she eats all the time, esp. at school. Please & thank you for your help.

Answer 1

I am sorry about your daughter... Controlling diet is hard as an adult and must truly be a challenge with a child. The simplest things to to are to avoid most sugars and carbs and exercise often, but you say you already do that. I use a glycemic index chart to help decide what I can eat most often and what I should limit in my diet. It tells you which foods affect blood sugar levels the quickest. Anything over 55 turns into sugar the most quickly and will impact levels the fastest. Some examples of low GI items and their values are apples 38, cherries 22, peanuts 15, and carrots 49. To see a more complete list you can go to:

http://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes_food_diet/glycemic_index.php

I really hope this helps. Another thought is to send your daughter to school with prepacked lunches so you can control a little better what she is eating. It isn't fool proof, but it is a start. Also, discuss her issues with her teacher and the school nurse just so they are aware.

I truly hope you can prevent this from turning into full blown diabetes as long as possible. Best wishes to you and your daughter.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Reducing carbs, especially breads, muffins, and cakes can help. I also am insulin resistant. I try to walk for 1 hour at least 4-5 days a week to help with the insulin resistance. I'm also on Metformin ER to help so that the blood sugars don't go too high. You might want to try niacin bound chromium (Chromate) for your daughter. It's a supplement that helps insulin resistance. Some even say cinnamon helps.

Answer 4

Avoid foods that causes insulin instability, primarily carbohydrates. No matter how nutritious a food may be, if sugar is a major component it is unhealthy. For example, a banana is nutritious but it is quite high in sugar content. Fruit like strawberries, blackberries,blueberries, raspberries, cantalope are all nutritous fruits and they are low in sugar content. In addition to those fruits, avocados, red/yellow/orange and green bell peppers are higher in nutrients than apples, oranges, bananas etc.

Veggies such as brocolli, cauliflower,celery root,mustard greens, turnip greens collard greens, spinach, zuchini ( another fruit ) asparagus are examples of the numerous healthy low sugar vegetables. Stuff like potatoes, rice, flour and grain products will cause insulin to destabilize so avoid them also. Protein is very important to an insulin resistant diet because it is vital in keeping insulin stable. Protein, meaning meat, chicken, fish,eggs cheese in balanced portions. This is the beginning of reversing insulin resistance and its symptoms.

Answer 5

MOST NUTRITIONISTS will WRONGLY steer you to too many processed foods. The only beverages should be pure water or herbal teas, and meals and snacks should all be mostly fresh veggies with some fruit and a little of the other stuff like fish and beans, olive oil, NO CARB CRAP - YOU CAN GET PLENTY OF CARBS FROM THINGS LIKE CARROTS AND FLOURLESS BREAD (ezekiel 7 grain sprouted).

GREAT FOODS example
dark green veggies, olive oil, turkey, berries, asian pears

BAD FOODS example
processed foods, packaged foods, processed carbs

SUPER FOODS
avocado
berries
asian pear
green veggies
carrots and yellow/orange/red veggies
turkey or chicken with parasite herbs
spices - cinammon, garlic, cayenne, fenugreek, gymnema sylvestra, stevia, cumin, tumeric, ginger
pure water
non-mercury SALMON
get bible bread - FLOURLESS & NO SUGAR
olive oil, flax oil, grape seed oil
beans, beans & organic brown rice (together they make a complete protein)
very dark chocolate only

Answer 6

Diet Guidelines
http://www.diabetes911.net/readit/chapter10.shtml

Popsicles made from sugar-free jello is one treat.
http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/B000G32H3Y/ref=s9_asin_title_1/103-4336911-8289446

16-ounce bags of World Kitchens beef jerky are around $8.50 at Wal-Mart. Cut up into small pieces and weigh out 1-ounce portions, perhaps with 1-ounce of party peanuts and a 1-ounce string-cheese stick.
http://www.worldkitchens.net/Products.htm