Insulin is a very important hormone that keeps your blood sugar levels in check.

It helps move sugar from your blood into your cells so that your body can store it. Cells that are insulin resistant can’t use insulin well, which makes your blood sugar stay high.
When your pancreas feels that your blood sugar is too high, it makes more insulin to raise your blood sugar and lower the resistance.
Over time, this can cause the pancreas to lose cells that make insulin, which happens a lot in people with type 2 diabetes. Also, having high blood sugar for a long time can hurt organs and nerves.
Diabetes is more likely to happen to you if you are overweight or fat, have prediabetes, or have a family history of type 2 diabetes.
The level of insulin sensitivity tells you how your cells take insulin in. You can lower your chance of many diseases, including diabetes, and insulin resistance by making it better.

 

You can make your body more sensitive to insulin in 14 natural ways that have been backed by science.

 

1. Get More Sleep

 

 

 

It’s good for you to get enough sleep.

On the other hand, not getting enough sleep can hurt you and make you more likely to get infections, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

A lack of sleep has also been linked to insulin resistance in several research.

One study with nine healthy adults found that getting only four hours of sleep one night made insulin less sensitive and made it harder to control blood sugar than getting eight and a half hours of sleep.

Luckily, getting more sleep can undo the damage that not getting enough sleep does to insulin resistance.

 

 

 

2. Exercise More

 

 

 

One great way to make insulin work better is to do a lot of exercise every day.

It helps move sugar into muscles so that it can be stored, and it makes insulin work better right away. This effect lasts for 2–48 hours, based on the type of exercise.

One study, for instance, found that healthy people who cycled on a machine for an hour at a moderate speed had better insulin sensitivity for 48 hours.

Also, resistance training makes the body more sensitive to insulin.

Many tests have shown that it made insulin work better in both men and women with and without diabetes.
For example, a study of overweight men with and without diabetes found that their insulin sensitivity went up when they did strength training for three months. This was true even if they lost weight.

Although both aerobic and strength training can make your body more sensitive to insulin, it seems that doing both together is best.

 

3. Reduce Stress

 

Stress makes it harder for your body to control your blood sugar.

The body is put into “fight-or-flight” mode, which makes stress hormones like cortisol and glucagon more productive.
When these hormones get into your body, they turn glycogen, which is stored sugar, into glucose. Your body can then use glucose as a quick source of energy.

Unfortunately, long-term worry raises your blood sugar and breaks down nutrients, keeping your stress hormone levels high.
Hormones that cause stress also make the body less sensitive to insulin. Because of this, nutrients aren’t kept and can be used for energy more quickly in the bloodstream.

In fact, many studies have shown that insulin sensitivity goes down when stress factors are high.

Our ancestors may have found this process useful because they needed extra energy to do things that kept them alive. But for people today who are stressed all the time, insulin sensitivity that is lower can be bad.

Meditation, exercise, and getting enough sleep are all great ways to lower stress and make insulin work better.

 

4. Lose a Few Pounds

 

Being overweight, especially around the middle, makes insulin less effective and raises the chance of getting type 2 diabetes.
There are many ways that belly fat can do this, such as by making hormones that make muscles and liver less sensitive to insulin.

A lot of studies show that having more belly fat and being less sensitive to insulin are linked.

Luckily, losing weight is a good way to get rid of belly fat and make insulin work better. You may also be less likely to get type 2 diabetes if you already have prediabetes.

One study at Johns Hopkins University found that people with prediabetes who lost 5–7% of their body weight over six months had a 54% lower chance of getting type 2 diabetes over the next three years.

Diet, exercise, and changes to your daily life can all help you lose weight.

 

 

5. Eat More Soluble Fiber

 

Soluble fiber and insoluble fiber are the two main types of fiber.

Most of the time, insoluble fiber helps stools move through the intestines by adding bulk.

On the other hand, soluble fiber is what makes fiber work its magic, like lowering cholesterol, curbing hunger, and making insulin more sensitive.

One study of 264 women found that those who ate more soluble fiber had much lower amounts of insulin resistance.

Fiber that dissolves in water also feeds the good bacteria in your gut. These bacteria have been linked to better insulin sensitivity.

Some foods that are high in soluble fiber are beans, oatmeal, flaxseeds, fruits like oranges, veggies like Brussels sprouts, and nuts.

 

 

6. Add More Colorful Fruit and Vegetables to Your Diet

 

Fruits and vegetables are not only good for you, but they also have strong health-boosting effects.

In particular, brightly colored fruits and veggies are full of plant chemicals that are good for you and fight free radicals.
Free radicals are molecules that can damage cells and cause inflammation all over the body. Antioxidants bind to and get rid of these molecules.

A diet high in plant chemicals has been linked to better insulin sensitivity in many studies.

If you want to eat fruit, make sure you stick to normal serving sizes and don’t eat more than two pieces at a time, or 2–5 meals per day.

 

 

7. Add Herbs and Spices to Your Cooking

 

Long before they were used in cooking, herbs and spices were used for their health benefits.
But it wasn’t until the last few decades that scientists started to look into how they could help people’s health.
Some herbs and spices, like fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, and garlic, have been shown to help the body respond better to insulin.

Seeds of fennel: They have a lot of soluble fiber, which helps insulin work better. They may help control blood sugar and make insulin work better if eaten whole, as an extract, or even baked into bread.

Turmeric has an active ingredient called curcumin that is very good at fighting inflammation and free radicals. By lowering sugar and free fatty acids in the blood, it seems to make insulin work better.

Ginger is a famous spice that has been linked to making insulin work better. Studies show that the main ingredient gingerol makes sugar receptors on muscle cells more accessible, which makes it easier for the cells to take in sugar.

Garlic: Studies on animals have shown that garlic seems to make insulin work better and has antioxidant qualities that make insulin more sensitive.

These results are good news for herbs and spices. But most of the study in this area is new and was done on animals. To find out if herbs and spices really do make insulin work better, tests with real people are needed.

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It’s bad for your body to eat too much sugar.
Many illnesses, like cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, are more likely to happen if you smoke.
A lot of people are trying to cut down on their sugar diet, but it’s simple to forget how much you’re actually eating.
One reason is that many foods, even ones you wouldn’t normally think of as sweet, have sugars that you wouldn’t even know about.
Even foods that are advertised as “light” or “low fat” often have more sugar than their regular versions.
The American Heart Association (AHA) says that women should not eat more than 6 teaspoons (25 grams) of extra sugar per day and men should not eat more than 9 teaspoons (37.5 grams).
These 18 drinks and foods have a lot more sugar than you might think.

 

 

1. Low fat yogurt

 

Yogurt can be very good for you. However, not all yogurt is the same.
Low-fat yogurts, like many other low-fat foods, have sugar added to them to make them taste better.
Like, a single cup (245 grams) of low-fat yogurt might have more than 45 grams of sugar, which is about 11 teaspoons. Men and women should not have more than this in a single cup of “healthy” yogurt every day.
It also doesn’t look like low-fat yogurt is as good for you as full-fat yogurt.
Real, Greek, or full-fat yogurt is the best choice. Do not eat yogurt that has been put in sugar.

 

 

 

2. Barbecue (BBQ) sauce

 

BBQ sauce is great for meats and can also be used as a dip.
But about 9 grams of sugar can be found in 2 tablespoons (28 grams) of sauce. This is more than two teaspoons.
In fact, BBQ sauce may be mostly sugar, making up about 33% of its weight.
This can make it easy to eat a lot of sugar without trying to if you take a lot at once.
Check the labels and pick the sauce with the least amount of extra sugar to make sure you don’t get too much. Do not forget to watch your amounts either.

 

 

3. Ketchup

 

Like BBQ sauce, ketchup is a very famous condiment around the world, but it often has a lot of sugar in it.
Be careful about how much ketchup you use, and keep in mind that a tablespoon of ketchup has almost a teaspoon of sugar.

4. Fruit juice

 

Fruit juice has some vitamins and minerals in it, just like whole fruit.
But even though these vitamins and minerals seem like a good choice, they have a lot of sugar and not much fiber.
A lot of fruit is needed to make one glass of fruit juice, so drinking juice has a lot more sugar than eating whole fruit. It’s easy to eat a lot of sugar very quickly because of this.
Fruit juice can have as much sugar as a sweet drink like Coke. It’s likely that the bad health effects strongly connected to sugary soda may also be connected to fruit drinks.
It’s better to eat whole fruits and vegetables instead of fruit drinks.

 

 

5. Spaghetti sauce

 

Added sugars are often hidden in foods like spaghetti sauce that we don’t even think of as sweet.
Since tomato sauces are naturally sweet, all spaghetti sauces will have some sugar in them.
But a lot of spaghetti sauces also have sugar added to them.
Making your own pasta sauce is the best way to be sure it doesn’t have any extra sugar in it.
You should look for spaghetti sauce that doesn’t have sugar on the label or has it very close to the bottom of the list if you have to buy it already made. This means it’s not a very important ingredient.

 

6. Sports drinks

 

People who work out often mistake sports drinks for something healthy.
Sports drinks, on the other hand, are made to keep trained players hydrated and fuel them during long, hard workouts.
Because of this, they have a lot of added sugars that are quickly taken and used as fuel.
There are 198 calories and 37.9 grams of added sugar in a normal 20-ounce (591 mL) bottle of a sports drink. This is the same amount of sugar as 9.5 teaspoons.
Because of this, sports drinks are sugary drinks. For the same reason as pop and fruit juice, they may make you fat and cause metabolic disease.
If you’re not a marathon runner or other top athlete, you should probably just drink water while you work out. For most of us, it’s by far the best choice.

7. Chocolate milk

 

Chocolate milk is milk that has sugar added to it and cocoa powder added to it.
Milk is a very healthy drink on its own. Calcium and protein are just two of the many foods that are good for bone health here.
Even though chocolate milk has all the health benefits of milk, an 8-ounce (230 mL) glass has an extra 11.4 grams (2.9 teaspoons) of sugar added to it.

 

8. Granola

 

 

Granola is often sold as a healthy food that is low in fat, even though it has a lot of calories and sugar.
Oats are the main thing that go into granola. Plain rolled oats are a healthy breakfast because they have fiber, protein, fat, and carbs.
Granola, on the other hand, has oats that have been mixed with nuts and honey or other sweets, which makes it higher in sugar and calories.
In fact, 100 grams of granola has about 500 calories and 5 to 7 teaspoons of sugar.
If you like cereal, make your own or choose one with less sugar added. You don’t have to pour a whole bowl; you can just sprinkle it on top of fruit or yogurt.

 

 

9. Flavored coffees

 

 

A lot of people like flavored coffee, but these drinks can have a shocking amount of sugar that you might not even know about.
A large sweetened coffee or coffee drink at some coffee shop chains can have at least 45 grams of sugar. That means each dish has about 11 teaspoons of added sugar.
Because sugary drinks are strongly linked to poor health, it’s most likely best to stick to plain coffee without any syrups or extra sugar.

 

 

10. Iced tea

 

Most of the time, sugar or syrup is used to sweeten or taste iced tea.
Because it’s popular all over the world in many shapes and flavors, the amount of sugar can change a little.
Most iced teas bought in stores have about 35 grams of sugar in a 12-ounce (340 mL) amount. It costs about the same as a Coke glass.

Pick plain tea or iced tea that doesn’t have any extra sugar if you like tea.

 

 

11. Protein bars

 

People like to snack on protein bars.
Protein-rich foods have been linked to making you feel fuller, which can help you lose weight.
Because of this, some people think protein bars are a good snack.
There are some protein bars on the market that are better for you, but most of them have around 20 grams of extra sugar, which means they have about the same amount of nutrients as a candy bar.
Read the label on the protein bar you want to buy and stay away from ones that have a lot of sugar. You could also eat something high in protein, like yogurt.

 

12. Vitaminwater

 

Vitaminwater is sold as a healthy drink because it has extra minerals and vitamins in it.
Some “health drinks,” like Vitaminwater, do have a lot of extra sugar, though.
In fact, an average bottle of Vitaminwater has about 100 calories and 30 grams of sugar (35, 36).
So, even though Vitaminwater is said to be good for you, it’s best to stay away from it as much as possible.
You could choose Vitaminwater zero, which doesn’t have any sugar in it. Instead, artificial sugars are used to make it.
Still, if you’re thirsty, regular or sparkling water is a much better choice.

 

13. Premade soup

 

People don’t usually think of soup as a food that has sugar in it.
It’s a healthy choice when made with fresh, whole ingredients, and it can be an easy way to eat more vegetables.
There are naturally occurring sugars in vegetables that are found in soups. These sugars are safe to eat because they are generally present in small amounts and with many other healthy nutrients.
But a lot of freshly made soups have a lot of extra stuff in them, like sugar.
Take a look at the list of ingredients in your soup to see if it has any added sugars. You can find things like sucrose, barley malt, dextrose, maltose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and other syrups there.

The more of an item there is in a product, the higher up on the list it is. Keep an eye out for products that show small amounts of different sugars. This is another sign that the product might have a lot of sugar in it.

 

 

14. Breakfast cereal

 

A lot of people like cereal for breakfast because it’s quick and easy.
But if you eat the same cereal every day, it could have a big effect on how much sugar you eat.
A lot of sugar is added to some breakfast foods, especially ones that are made for kids. Some have 12 grams of sugar, which is 3 teaspoons, in a small 34-gram (1.2-ounce) amount.
Make sure the cereal you buy has a lot of fiber and no extra sugar by reading the label.
Even better, get up a few minutes earlier and quickly make an egg-based, healthy breakfast. It can help you lose weight to eat protein for breakfast.

15. Cereal bars

 

Cereal bars may seem like a healthy and quick way to eat breakfast on the go.
But, like other “health bars,” cereal bars are often really just candy bars that look like healthy foods. A lot of them are high in sugar and have very little fiber or protein.
16. Fruit in a can

Fruits all have sugars in them naturally. Some bottled fruit, on the other hand, is peeled and kept fresh in sugary syrup. This process takes away the fiber from the fruit and adds a lot of sugar to a snack that should be healthy.
Most nutrients are kept well during the canning process, but heat-sensitive vitamin C can be lost.
Fresh fruit that is whole is best. If you’re going to eat canned fruit, make sure it was kept in juice instead of syrup. There is a little less sugar in juice.

 

17. Canned baked beans

 

Another tasty food that is often very high in sugar is baked beans.
About 5 teaspoons of sugar are in a cup (254 grams) of standard baked beans.
You can get baked beans with less sugar if you like them. Some of them have about half as much sugar as standard baked beans.

 

18. Premade smoothies

 

In the morning, making a smoothie with milk or yogurt and veggies can be a great way to start the day.
But not every drink is good for you.
A lot of smoothies sold in stores come in big amounts and can be made sweeter with fruit juice, ice cream, or syrup. This makes them have more sugar in them.
Some of them have ridiculously high amounts of sugar and calories. A 16- or 20-ounce dose has over 54 grams (13.5 teaspoons) of sugar.
If you want a healthy shake, check the list of ingredients and watch how much you drink.