Are you looking for insulin resistance recipes because you’ve been diagnosed with insulin resistance (IR) or suspect you are experiencing IR? You are not alone. IR is a precursor to diabetes type 2, as well as a common concern for women with PCOS.
What is Insulin Resistance?
Let’s back up and talk about what IR really is. When we eat, our blood glucose (sugar) starts to rise. Our body recognizes this, and produces insulin. Insulin is a hormone that is involved in our body’s cells taking up the glucose to then use for energy.
Insulin essentially works as a key to “open the doors” to the cell and allow the glucose to move into the cell. With IR, insulin is knocking at the door but the cell does not respond. The body then has to respond by producing more insulin to force the cells to respond.
While IR is a precursor to blood sugar concerns (pre diabetes), it is also possible to have IR while maintaining normal blood sugars.
How does diet impact IR?
Before you start over analyzing your food intake and hitting Dr Google for how to address IR, I highly suggest working with an expert to determine if it is something you are truly experiencing.
Addressing IR is similar to addressing blood sugar concerns. We want to set our body up for success by supplying it with balanced meals to avoid big swings in blood sugar and needing more insulin. Choose more complex carbs and balance them with protein, fat, and fiber.
I’m also a big fan of additive nutrition meaning it’s perfectly fine to use the foods that you enjoy or are culturally significant, and then try to add nutrients to support your body’s needs.
For example, if eating white rice is important to you, that’s ok! Experiment with ways to add fiber in other ways. Add beans, avocado, non starchy vegetables, etc to up the fiber.
If you are looking for recipe ideas to support your body while addressing insulin resistance, look no further!
Insulin Resistance Recipes
The goals of all of these recipes is keeping fiber and/or protein in mind for better balance.
You can add fiber using non-starchy vegetables, chia or ground flaxseed, avocado, whole grains, beans/legumes, or nut products.
We also want to incorporate protein through eggs, meats/poultry, tofu/soy products, dairy, nuts/seeds, protein powder, etc.
Photo by Kaitlin Eckstein
Breakfast
- Pumpkin overnight oats
- Savory Oats
- Tofu Scramble
- Mediterranean Egg Muffins
- Chia Seed Pudding
- Baked Oatmeal
- Blueberry Cacao Smoothie
- Blueberry Almond Flour Waffles
Lunch/Dinner Entrees
- Broccoli Cheddar Mac & Cheese with Chicken Sausage
- Cava Falafel Bowl
- Grilled Vegetable Lasagna
- One Pan Roasted Chicken and Potatoes
- Refried Bean and Avocado Quesadillas
- Sausage and Kale Soup
- Veggie Chicken Nuggets
- Whole Grain Spaghetti with Zucchini and Ragu Sauce
- Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas
- Lentil Noodle Veggie Lasagna
- Hummus Crusted Chicken
- Chicken Pitas with Peanut Sauce
- Air Fried Cod Nuggets
One Pot Mexican Quinoa
Sides
- Slow Cooker Black Beans
- Low Carb Stuffing
- Buffalo Cauliflower with Greek Yogurt Ranch
- Black Bean and Corn Salsa
- Cucumber Noodle Greek Salad
- One Pot Mexican Quinoa
More Resources and Nutrition Tips for IR
As mentioned early, managing insulin resistance is similar to managing blood sugars, like with diabetes management. We have tons of blogs about how to better manage blood sugars and specific food and meal ideas that could be helpful! Check out our diabetes blogs for more ideas!
Work with an Expert: Meet with a Diabetes Dietitian
An award winning recipe developer, Dietitian Kaitlin’s mission is to empower others to reach their health goals by encouraging them to get back into the kitchen. Co-author of Nourished: 10 Ingredients to Happy, Healthy Eating and Cooking with Diabetes.
