DR PATEL’s 4 PILLARS OF INSULIN RESISTANCE REVERSAL AND HYPERTENSION MANAGEMENT WORKSHEET Pillar 1: Nutrition: Cardinal question - Does the food you are eating have natural fiber in it? If the answer is yes, you eat that and if not then you avoid it. 4 food groups to focus on 1. 2. 3. 4.
Vegetables - Starchy/Non-starchy/Dark Leafy Greens Fresh Seasonal fruits (no juices or smoothies) Beans/lentils- the legumes family Whole unprocessed version of grains
Pillar 2: Insulin Sensitizers: Vitamin D: You need to have Vitamin D levels circulating in your blood above 60 ng/ml. For this you will need a lab check. Exposure from sunlight is not enough so it is necessary to take vit D daily. Combine Vitamin D3 with Vitamin K2 for optimal absorption. Exercise: Any activity is better than none. Important to enjoy the activity that you do (Examples: Running, yoga, sports, cycling) Good sleep: Work on a healthy sleep routine. Avoid blue light exposure for at least an hour before bedtime. Quality of sleep is more significant than quantity of sleep. Bedtime around 10pm is better than bedtime after 11pm. Intermittent Fasting: Your gut, and especially your liver needs a break from digestion so it can focus on detox daily. At least 12 hours daily and if possible, work towards 16 hours of fasting daily.
Pillar 3: Stress Management: Uncontrolled chronic stress can undo the benefits of good nutrition and activity. Start practicing Deep Breathing/Yoga/Meditation/Tai Chi/Chi Gong (whichever modality you like) in your daily routine to help combat chronic stress and mitigate its effects on health.
Pillar 4: “The Why” The last but equally important pillar that can solidify your success for a disease-free lifestyle isfinding your “why”. Find a reason that is so strong that even on a day when you don’t feel like making the changes, that strong “why” will keep you motivated to strive ahead.
Labs to check for insulin resistance: Get following fasting (10 hours fasting) labs checked to identify early stages of insulin resistance.
1) Fas&ng plasma glucose (ideally should be under 85 mg/dl) 2) Fas&ng serum insulin (ideally should be under 5 μIU/mL) 3) Fas&ng serum lipid panel (triglycerides should be under 150mg/dl) If any of the above results are higher than ideal, then you are likely having insulin resistance and it would be prudent to work on lifestyle changes as discussed above to address that.