Category Archives: Insulin

For many women with PCOS, managing symptoms often leads to exploring supplements as a solution. It’s easy to be drawn in by promises of quick fixes, and common supplements like magnesium, vitamin D, and inositol are often touted as must-haves. But while supplements can provide short-term relief, they’re not always addressing the underlying problem.

In fact, most of the nutrient deficiencies seen in PCOS are actually symptoms of a deeper issue—insulin resistance and chronic inflammation. So, before spending money on another bottle of pills, let’s explore why tackling the root cause, rather than just masking the symptoms, is the true way to regain your health.

The Real Reason Behind Nutrient Deficiencies in PCOS: Insulin Resistance

It’s no secret that women with PCOS often experience deficiencies in key nutrients like magnesium, vitamin D, and others. What’s less commonly known is why these deficiencies occur in the first place.
The answer often lies in insulin resistance, a condition that affects up to 70% of women with PCOS. When your body becomes resistant to insulin, your pancreas pumps out more insulin to compensate. This leads to chronically elevated insulin levels, which set off a cascade of problems, including nutrient depletion. Here’s how:

• Magnesium Deficiency: High insulin levels cause your kidneys to excrete more magnesium, leading to lower levels in your body. This can worsen insulin resistance and contribute to symptoms like fatigue and muscle cramps.
• Vitamin D Deficiency: In women with PCOS, insulin resistance often leads to weight gain, which causes vitamin D to be stored in fat cells rather than circulating in the blood where it can be used. This further contributes to hormonal imbalances and metabolic dysfunction, worsening the overall effects of PCOS.

The key takeaway? These deficiencies are not isolated problems. They’re often symptoms of a deeper metabolic issue—insulin resistance—that must be addressed to truly resolve them.

Supplements Are a Band-Aid, Not a Cure

When you take magnesium or vitamin D supplements, you’re temporarily boosting your nutrient levels, but you’re not fixing the root problem—your insulin resistance. It’s like putting a band-aid on a wound without addressing what caused the injury in the first place. Sure, you might feel better for a while, but the underlying issues remain unresolved.

This is why supplements often don’t deliver the long-term benefits people expect. You’re treating the symptom, not the cause, and in many cases, the deficiencies will persist or return.

The Truth About Inositol: Not a Magic Pill

Inositol is one of the few supplements with solid data supporting its use for PCOS, particularly for improving insulin sensitivity and restoring ovulation. It’s often recommended as part of a comprehensive management plan for PCOS. However, even inositol is not a cure-all. It’s only as effective as the lifestyle changes that accompany it.
If you’re still consuming a high-starch, high-dairy, high-sugar diet, inositol will only have limited success in helping your body process insulin. In other words, you can’t out-supplement a poor diet. While inositol can play a supportive role, it works best in tandem with a lifestyle that addresses insulin resistance at its core.

A Low Insulin Lifestyle: The Key to Reversing Nutrient Deficiencies

If supplements aren’t the long-term answer, what is? The key lies in adopting a Low Insulin Lifestyle, which focuses on lowering insulin levels and reversing insulin resistance through dietary and lifestyle changes.

Here’s why it works:

• Lowers Insulin Levels: By reducing high-starch, high-sugar foods and focusing on nutrient-dense, whole foods, a Low Insulin Lifestyle helps lower insulin levels naturally. This reduces the body’s need to overproduce insulin, addressing the root of the problem.
• Reduces Chronic Inflammation: As insulin levels drop, the inflammation that has been depleting your vitamin D and other nutrients also decreases. This helps your body absorb and utilize nutrients more effectively.
• Prevents Nutrient Depletion: With better insulin sensitivity, your body no longer wastes magnesium and other nutrients through excess excretion, which stabilizes your nutrient levels in the long term.

By addressing insulin resistance at its core, a Low Insulin Lifestyle doesn’t just patch up deficiencies—it helps prevent them from occurring in the first place. This holistic approach leads to sustainable improvements in energy levels, hormonal balance, and overall health, without the need for a long list of supplements.

The Bottom Line

While supplements like magnesium, vitamin D, and inositol can have a place in managing PCOS, they aren’t the ultimate solution. These deficiencies are often the result of insulin resistance and chronic inflammation—issues that supplements can’t fully resolve. To truly tackle PCOS and its associated nutrient deficiencies, focusing on a Low Insulin Lifestyle is key.

By lowering insulin levels and addressing the root causes of your symptoms, you can naturally restore your nutrient balance and improve your overall health—without relying on a handful of pills.

We’ve all been taught to read nutrition labels carefully, checking calories, fats, and sugars. But when you’re following a Low Insulin Lifestyle, the most important thing isn’t the Nutrition Facts label itself—it’s the ingredient list. If you’ve been stuck in the habit of focusing on the numbers, I’m here to show you a better way. By mastering my Rule of 5, you’ll become the expert of your grocery store trips, picking up only the best products for your health.

Why Ignore the Nutrition Facts Label?

When you look at the Nutrition Facts label, it gives you the breakdown of calories, protein, carbs, and fats. But these numbers don’t tell you the whole story. What matters more is what’s actually in the product. Ingredients directly impact how the food affects your insulin levels and your overall health. That’s why the ingredient list should be your primary focus.

Rule #1: Stick to a Short Ingredient List

The golden rule for choosing healthy products is to look for those with as few ingredients as possible. A shorter ingredient list means fewer processed additives, preservatives, and hidden sugars. The goal is to choose foods as close to their natural state as possible, so look for items with a simple, clean ingredient list—the fewer, the better.

Rule #2: Watch the First Five Ingredients

The ingredients in a product are listed in order of quantity, with the first ingredient being what the product contains the most of. To stick to a Low Insulin Lifestyle, you want to make sure the first five ingredients are not starch, milk, whey, or sugar. These ingredients spike insulin levels and derail your health goals, so keeping them out of the top five ensures you’re choosing something more balanced.

Here’s what to avoid in the first five ingredients:

• Starch – grains, beans, lentils, potatoes, and processed starch including cornstarch, tapioca starch, or potato starch
• Milk – whole, skim, or any form of dairy milk
• Whey – protein concentrate or isolate
• Sugar – all forms: cane sugar, corn syrup, honey, etc.

Become a Master of the Rule of 5

Once you get the hang of reading ingredient lists, this becomes second nature. By sticking to products where the first five ingredients are free of insulin-spiking foods, you’ll become a master of the grocery store, quickly sorting the good from the bad and sticking to your health goals.

An Exceptions to the Rule of 5

There are some instances where the Rule of 5 doesn’t apply so strictly. Let’s look at an exception:

Dressings and Sauces

It’s tough to find a great dressing or sauce that’s entirely free of sugar. In these cases, if sugar appears in the first five ingredients, don’t panic! Here’s what to do next:

Check the Nutrition Facts label for Added Sugars.

If the amount of added sugar is less than 2g per serving, then it’s likely a small enough amount that it’s still okay to consume in moderation. This would make the product Lilli-approved.

Why Ingredients Matter More Than the Numbers

By focusing on the ingredient list rather than obsessing over calories or carbs, you’re making sure that you’re eating real food—foods that don’t spike your insulin levels unnecessarily. In contrast, processed foods with long ingredient lists and hidden sugars can derail even the best dietary efforts.

The Rule of 5 is a simple, effective way to choose the best foods for your health, without getting overwhelmed by the numbers on a label.

Conclusion: Master the Grocery Store with the Rule of 5

By focusing on the ingredient list and sticking to the Rule of 5, you’ll have a clear, effective strategy to make better choices at the grocery store. You’ll avoid insulin-spiking foods, keep your nutrient levels balanced, and maintain better control over your health. With practice, this becomes second nature—and you’ll quickly become the master of the grocery store.

When you hear the word “insulin,” your mind might immediately think of diabetes. After all, insulin is often associated with people managing type 1 or type 2 diabetes. But here’s the surprising truth: everyone should be paying attention to their insulin levels, not just diabetics.

Insulin: What It Is and Why It Matters

Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps your body use glucose (sugar) from carbohydrates for energy or store it for future use. It’s essential for regulating your blood sugar levels and keeping them from getting too high or too low. Sounds simple, right?

The issue arises when your body produces too much insulin. Over time, consistently elevated insulin levels—also known as hyperinsulinemia—can wreak havoc on your health, even if your blood glucose levels remain normal. This is why high insulin is often referred to as a “silent threat” because you can have it without any immediate symptoms.

The Hidden Danger: 9 Out of 10 Adults Have High Insulin Levels

A staggering 9 out of 10 U.S. adults have elevated insulin levels, even if they’re unaware of it. This is because most standard blood tests focus on glucose levels rather than insulin. So, you could be told your blood sugar is “normal” while your insulin is quietly climbing.

This matters because high insulin is the strongest predictor of future disease development. It’s not just about diabetes—it’s about your long-term health.

Diseases Linked to High Insulin Levels

If left unchecked, high insulin levels can lead to a host of serious health problems, including:

• Type 2 Diabetes: Over time, high insulin levels can lead to insulin resistance, a condition where your body’s cells stop responding to insulin properly. This eventually causes blood sugar levels to rise, leading to type 2 diabetes.
• Heart Disease: High insulin levels are linked to increased inflammation, high blood pressure, and cholesterol imbalances, all of which raise your risk of heart disease.
• Reproductive Cancers: Elevated insulin has been associated with a higher risk of certain cancers, including breast and ovarian cancer, particularly in women.
• Cognitive Decline: Studies have shown that high insulin levels can contribute to brain aging and increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Why You Need to Know Your Numbers

Even if you’re feeling healthy, it’s crucial to know your insulin levels. Catching high insulin early gives you the chance to make lifestyle changes that can prevent future health issues.

The good news is that it’s never too late to take control. Monitoring your insulin and making dietary adjustments—like following a low insulin lifestyle—can help you reverse insulin resistance and improve your overall health. At Lilli Health, we offer insulin testing kits and comprehensive guidance to help you manage your insulin levels effectively.

Take Action Today

Don’t wait for a diagnosis. What are your numbers? If you don’t know, it’s time to find out. Understanding your insulin levels now could save you from serious health issues down the road.

Check your insulin levels with Lilli Health’s at-home testing kit and take the first step towards a healthier future. Your health, longevity, and quality of life depend on it.