7-Day No-Sugar Meal Plan for Insulin Resistance, Created by a Dietitian

Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H, RD, is a Chinese and Jewish chef and dietitian who has worked in all facets of the food world. She is a recipe developer, culinary nutritionist and marketing specialist with more than 15 years of experience creating editorial and digital content for top food and kitchen brands.

Maria Laura is EatingWell's senior nutrition & news editor. As part of the nutrition team, she edits and assigns nutrition-related content and provides nutrition reviews for articles. Maria Laura is a trained dietitian, almond butter lover and food enthusiast with over seven years of experience in nutrition counseling.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, insulin resistance occurs when your body doesn't respond to insulin as it should. While insulin resistance is not the same as diabetes, it can be a precursor to type 2 diabetes, so it's important to address it early on.

Normally, food is digested into glucose (sugar), then the glucose in your blood stimulates the pancreas to release insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose from your blood absorb into your muscle, fat and liver cells for later use. But if your body cells don't respond properly to insulin, your cells won't take up glucose from the blood. As a result, your pancreas produces more insulin to try to continue moving glucose into your cells, per the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. And that's when insulin resistance may occur. Without insulin shuttling the glucose into your cells, your blood sugar will stay high, increasing your risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

However, prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are not the only conditions associated with insulin resistance. According to StatPearls, having insulin resistance may also increase your risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, metabolic syndrome and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

But there is good news. According to the NIDDK, research has shown that there are several things you can do to reduce insulin resistance, including weight loss, increased exercise and dietary changes.

How We Create Meal Plans

Registered dietitians thoughtfully create EatingWell’s meal plans to be easy-to-follow and delicious. Each meal plan meets specific parameters depending on the health condition and/or lifestyle goal it is targeting and is analyzed for accuracy using the nutrition database, ESHA Food Processor. As nutritional needs differ from person to person, we encourage you to use these plans as inspiration and adjust as you see fit.

Why This Meal Plan Is Great for You

In this meal plan for insulin resistance, we focus on incorporating lean proteins and complex carbohydrates while limiting the saturated fat and sodium intake. Additionally, since consuming added sugar in excess has been shown to increase the risk of insulin resistance, we're skipping them in this meal plan. Added sugars are sugars that are not naturally occurring, such as those found in fruit and dairy, and instead are added to food. These include but are not limited to, high-fructose corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, granulated sugar and brown sugar.

We've set the calorie level at 1,500 per day, a level where most people lose weight since, according to a 2022 study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, weight loss may help improve blood sugar levels.

This 1,500-calorie meal plan has modifications for 2,000 calories to support those with different calorie needs. While we previously included meal plans and modifications for 1,200 calories, we no longer do. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that limiting your calories to 1,200 per day is too low for most people to meet their nutritional needs, plus it’s unsustainable for long-term health and well-being.

Frequently Asked Questions

We no longer provide modifications for 1,200-calorie days in our meal plans. The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests that limiting calories to 1,200 per day is too low for most people to meet their nutritional needs, plus it’s unsustainable for long-term health and well-being.

Insulin-Resistance-Friendly Foods to Focus On

• Vegetables, especially those higher in fiber, such as Brussels sprouts, beets, collards and artichokes
• Starchy vegetables, such as winter squash, corn, sweet potatoes and potatoes
• Lean protein, such as fish, chicken, turkey, beef and pork
• Fatty fish rich in omega-3s, such as salmon, mackerel and tuna
• Fruits, especially fruits with skin (higher in fiber) like berries, apples and pears
• Whole grains like oatmeal, quinoa, fonio and farro
• Lentils and beans
• Nuts and seeds
• Plant-based oils like olive and avocado
• Probiotic-rich dairy products, such as Greek-style yogurt

How to Meal-Prep Your Week of Meals

Meal prepping at the beginning of the plan makes it easier for you to follow the meal plan throughout the week.

1. Make Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup for lunch on Days 1 through 3.
2. Prepare Homemade Trail Mix for snacks on Days 1, 5 and 6.
3. Whip up Dill Pickle Dip for snacks on Days 2 through 4.

Day 1

Breakfast (280 Calories)

• 1 serving 2-Ingredient Banana Pancakes
• 3/4 cup raspberries
• 1/4 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds

A.M. Snack (200 calories)

• 1 medium apple
• 1 Tbsp. peanut butter

Lunch (345 calories)

• 1 serving Vegetable Weight-Loss Soup
• 1 slice whole-wheat baguette

P.M. Snack (150 calories)

• 1 serving Homemade Trail Mix