Surprising Insulin Triggers (It’s Not Just What You Eat!)

When you eat, your body releases insulin. Right? 

That’s easy enough to understand. And it’s why fasting works for weight loss. 

But did you know there are other things besides food that can spike insulin?

Here we talk about insulin triggers and how to manage them.

Refresher on insulin 

Just in case you need a little refresher, or you didn’t know, insulin is a hormone that tells your body to store fat.

It’s not possible to lose fat when insulin is always high. 

So insulin is an important factor in the weight loss discussion. 

When you’re trying to lose body fat, it’s vital that you work on keeping insulin levels low. 

Things like Intermittent Fasting and a Ketogenic diet are a great start. 

But let’s look at some other things that can potentially spike insulin and take you out of fat burning mode. 

Sweeteners (and flavours)

Whether artificial (aspartame, sucralose) or natural (stevia), anything with a sweet taste can spike insulin. 

This is because the sweet taste makes the body think that food is incoming. This is called a cephalic phase insulin release. 

This means diet sodas, Keto treats, and even some electrolyte brands can be a problem. 

Note that our Fasting Salts do not contain any sweeteners that will spike insulin and break your fast. 

Even a sweet flavor that doesn’t have a sweetener (flavoured waters, for example), can still bump insulin. 

Chewing

The mere act of chewing, whether you are actually eating food or not, can make the body start preparing for digestion. 

Again, it’s linked to the cephalic phase insulin release activity. 

Which means insulin is going to be released. 

So chewing gums and even chewing on ice can be a problem.

Smelling food 

Ever been cooking something and suddenly your tummy starts growling, even if you weren’t really hungry before? 

That’s because those smells can make your body start preparing for a feast. 

Obviously it’s not always possible to avoid smelling food. 

Family meals (especially if you’re the cook), and social engagements are a part of life. 

If you live in the city where there is a restaurant on every corner, the air always smells like food. 

But if you’re actively trying to lose weight, avoiding food smells as much as you can might help. 

If you’re the cook in the family and no one else can take over the job, here’s a little tip: try putting some Vicks VapoRub or similar under your nose, it will drown out the food smells. 

Food pictures 

Another one that’s nearly impossible to avoid, but even the sight of food can trigger an insulin response. 

With advertisements and commercials, and social media, pictures of food are literally everywhere. 

If you have to look at them, at least move on as quickly as you can, don’t sit and salivate over the pretty food pics. 

If you’re salivating, insulin is incoming. 

Medications

Some medications could potentially trigger insulin. 

Please note: Never stop taking a medication without speaking to your doctor first. 

Poor sleep

The body doesn’t function at its best if you’re deprived of sleep. 

This can have an effect on insulin, as well. 

Dehydration 

If you’re dehydrated, your blood sugars can become more concentrated, and can cause the body to release more insulin to deal with it. 

Here’s the thing … 

We all have to live our lives and dealing with insulin triggers is a daily occurrence. 

We can’t possibly avoid all food smells and food pictures. That would be extremely hard to do. 

And we don’t want anyone to feel overwhelmed or discouraged. 

If you’re working on weight loss and everything is going great, don’t worry about it. 

But if weight loss is not happening and you are doing all the things you’re supposed to do, maybe take a look at some of these and see if insulin is sneaking in. 

Consider this your fine-tuning guide. 

Do the best you can 

Consistency is more important than perfection.

Control what you can, when you can, and don’t stress over the rest.