How we as individuals respond to foods will determine how restrictive we have to be. That depends largely on how insulin sensitive we are—that is, how well our bodies process the carbohydrates in our diets . And our insulin sensitivity can vary based on how much we’ve been sitting around, how intensely we have exercised, and how much sleep we have gotten, along with other factors.

By “how we as individuals respond to foods,” I mean this:

• How it affects our blood sugar
• Does it trigger cravings and cause us to eat things we shouldn’t (or more than we need to feel full).
• Does it cause our waistlines to expand (or prevent weight loss if that is our goal)
• Does it make our key lab markers worse (HDL, triglycerides,A1C, fasting insulin)
• Does it make us feel worse

Based on those responses, these are the ways we may need to restrict our diets in order to maintain our metabolic health:

• Very insulin sensitive people may be able to maintain their metabolic health by simply cutting back on these processed foods. (By processed foods I mean those containing added sugar, refined carbohydrates such as flour or cornmeal, and those containing unnatural oils and fats.)
• Others may need to eliminate processed foods entirely, but have no need for further restrictions and can eat real foods with substantial starch (e.g., potatoes, oatmeal).
• Some among us will need to go further and eliminate starchy vegetables and grains (e.g., potatoes, oatmeal).
• Others will need to eliminate high-sugar fruits like apples and bananas.
• Some will need to eliminate virtually all carbohydrates from the diet to attain metabolic health (known as a ketogenic diet, or “keto” for short).