Insulin sensitivity refers to how your cells respond to insulin, and symptoms develop when your cells become resistant to it. Why is it dangerous in the long run? It can result in chronically high blood sugar levels, which increase your risk of many diseases, including diabetes and heart disease.
On May 22, Dr Cleo Tetzloff, AP, functional medicine, shared an Instagram video highlighting ways to combat insulin resistance and reduce body fat within three months. Her guide suggests several strategic lifestyle adjustments, including eliminating frequent snacking, prioritising three structured meals, using cold exposure, and more.
If you had to eliminate the insulin resistance and fluffy belly in 90 days, here’s exactly what you need to do!
Here are the 5 actionable habits Dr Cleo suggests:
1. No snacks
“I’m throwing out all your snacks, all of them, even the healthy ones,” Dr Cleo says strongly. According to her, every time you eat, your insulin will spike. If you’re grazing every two hours – be it the chicken nuggets or a bit of cookie – your insulin will never come back down, because your receptors can only resensitise in the absence of insulin. She suggests having three meals a day, maybe one snack, and letting your cells hear that signal again.
2. Apple cider vinegar and water
Next, Dr Cleo suggests having apple cider vinegar and water before your biggest meal. “One tablespoon diluted. It blunts your glucose spike up to 30 percent. Not because of some ‘woo-woo detox,’ but because acetic acid literally slows gastric emptying and blocks that carbohydrate absorption. It’s boring. It’s cheap. It works better than half the supplements you’re probably taking,” she suggests.
3. No coffee before breakfast
Dr Cleo also noted that your morning coffee should always come after breakfast. Coffee on an empty stomach tells your liver to dump glucose, spiking your blood sugar and cortisol before you’ve eaten anything. She warned that when you have coffee first, you start every day with insulin resistance by 7:00 am and blame it on dinner.
4. Cold exposure
A weird one, but Dr Cleo recommends cold exposure on the upper back for 30 seconds at the end of the shower because that’s where your brown fat lives. She explained, “Brown fat pulls glucose out of your blood and burns it for heat. No insulin needed. It’s a back door. Most women are completely dormant because we’re never cold.”
5. Fasting insulin
While experts check fasting glucose, nobody tests fasting insulin. According to Dr Cleo, your glucose can be perfect for a decade while insulin is working 10 times over time to keep it there. She warns, “By the time glucose goes high, it’s over. I want fasting insulin under six. If no one’s looking at this, you’re flying blind.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
