I thought this might help those of you with questions about the IR diet. It is from a low carb site (see the copyright at the bottom).
Linda
The Insulin Resistance Diet
Plan's name: The Insulin Resistance Diet
Book(s): The Insulin-Resistance Diet : How to Turn Off Your Body's Fat-Making Machine .
About the author: Cheryle R. Hart. M.D. is the founder of the Wellness Workshop, a medical weight-loss clinic in Washington. She was the associate clinical professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic and the University of Washington Medical School. She specializes in bariatrics. Her clinic address the four main aspects of what she considers to be successful weight management: medical, nutritional, fitness education and emotional support.
Mary kay Grossman, R.D She is the nutritional adviser for the Wellness Workshop. Discovered that she too suffered from Insulin Resistance when she began to formulate menus and plans for her patients. This plan enabled her to finally lose weight seven years after the birth of her child.
Basic Philosophy: According to the authors, it is not carbohydrates that cause weight gain, but lack of protein and an excess of carbohydrates consumed in one sitting. Therefore, the authors recommend that carbs and protein be consumed in the ratio of 15g:7g. The maximum amount of carbohydrate allowed per meal or snack is 30g, and this must be balanced with at least 14g of protein. This concept is referred to as "linking and balancing" in that all carbs are linked with protein and balanced in this specific ratio.
The authors endorse the low fat hypothesis, so the plan dictates that low fat protein such as poultry, fish and low fat dairy products be used mainly as protein sources. Red meat can only be consumed 2 or 3 times a week. The plan counts beans and milk as proteins.
All vegetables with the exception of corn and potatoes can be eaten freely on the diet. Avocados and olives must be limited however due to their high fat content. Apples, cherries, peaches, plums and grapefruit do not need to be linked and balanced with protein, but are confined to no more than a half cup serving every 2 to 3 hours.
No more than 32g of carbs may be consumed within 2 hours. If one consumes more than this then the excess is stored as fat. This concept is known as the 2 hour fat window. Protein, however can be eaten at any time
Exercise is strongly endorsed
Critical of ketogenic diets
By the numbers: : Fat:20-30%, Protein: 20-30% Carbohydrate: 40-60%. Fats and Oils: Keep fats to a minimum, include some good fats. High-Carbohydrate Foods :Eat no more than 2 servings at any one time. Eat at least 2 fruits servings daily. High-Protein Foods: Eat at least 8 servings a day. Include 2 to 5 servings of dairy foods. Vegetables: Consume Freely, but eat at least 3 servings a day
Method: N/A
Typical menu:
Breakfast :egg on toast, yogurt with cereal, milk with cereal
Lunch: Sandwich with meat and low fat cheese, grilled chicken salad , beef soup with a potato
Dinner: Lean meat with a potato and vegetables, lentil pilaf with low fat cheese, pasta with meatballs and a green salad
Emphasis: Emphasis on: Fat and Protein. Can be difficult to find low fat protein sources if you do not wish to include milk and beans as true protein sources.
Unique Fatures: Resembles a diabetic diet. No foods are banned which makes this plan very livable. Suitable for vegetarians. Treats are recommended up to 2 or 3 times a week. This may lead people down the slippery slop if they "treat" themselves to foods they are actually addicted to such as sugar.
May not work for those who are very sensitive to carbohydrates. Proscribes to the low fat theory, so is more likely to be accepted by the mainstream medical establishment.
Summarized by: Scarlet
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More info about the IR Diet:
-caffeine, artificial sweeteners and nicotine can all increase insulin. It will not raise blood glucose levels, but insulin levels will increase.
High Protein Foods and How Much to Eat - lean meat, fish, poultry, and eggs you may eat as much of this type of protein as necessary to satisfy your hunger. All choices should be low fat.
Legumes - as many as necessary to satisfy hunger
Dairy -milk (low fat or fat free) and no added sugar, cheeses (fat free) or low fat yogurt. As much to satisfy hunger.
Nuts and Seeds - also high in fat. May have 4 T. day
-Eat as much as necessary to satisfy hunger. When you think you may be satisfied, ask yourself, "Could I stop eating now?" If your answer is "yes", then you should stop. If your answer is, "Yes, but I'd like to have more", you should stop eating. Remind yourself you can have more in 2-3 hours. You can also have a snack. Do not gorge yourself or eat until you feel stuffed.
Linking works best if you eat protein by itself, before or with carbohydrates. Carbs w/ protein (ex.):
-an apple w/slice low fat cheese
-potatoes w/lean meat
-crackers w/low deli meat
-bread w/no sugar peanut butter with oil poured off
Balance Protein and Carbohydrates - Keeping your choices in the correct carbohydrate/protein balance is the key to sustaining a healthy weight and a healthy body.
- You must balance every one serving of a high carb food with one serving of a high protein food (foods, such as certain vegetables, do not need to be linked and balanced).
- You are limited to no more than two servings of high carb foods at any one meal or snack. This prevents excess carbs from being stored as fat.
- You may have more than two servings of protein if necessary to satisfy your true hunger.
High Carb Foods - bread and grain products, starchy vegetables, most fruits and foods that contain large amounts of sugar. One serving of high carb foods other than the sugary foods is aprox. 1/2 c.
Some fruits, such as raw apples and grapefruit, are not on this list. These are exceptions because they are primarily made up of fructose rather than glucose, so they do not raise your blood glucose and insulin levels. Processing changes their structure, so apple or grapefruit if not raw, must be linked with protein.
Vegetables and Fruits - vegetables contain both protein and carbs, so they are already balanced. They are mostly made up of water and fiber, so you can use them in large quantities if you desire. Vegetables that are fried in oil or served with butter or sauces are high in fat and should be eaten sparingly.
Apples, pears, peaches, plums, cherries and grapefruit do not need to be linked with protein; however, they are not unlimited like vegetables. Eat no more than 1/2 c. serving every 2-3 hrs.
Balancing Formula
One serving carb is 15 gm. You will need to link it with at least 7 gm protein.
ex.: aprox 1/2 c. most high carb foods or 1 slice of bread with one of the following: 1 oz. meat, poultry or fish, 1 slice cheese, 1 c. milk, 1 c. yogurt, unsweetened, 2 T. peanut butter, 1/3 c. legumes or 1 egg
You may choose to have less than 2 serving of carbs at your meal or snack. Do not exceed 2 servings (30 gm) at any one time. Always eat enough protein to balance your carb choices.
ex: - one slice toast (15 gm carb) links and balances with 1 scrambled egg (7 gm protein)
-two slices toast (30 gm carb) link and balance with 1 cooked egg and 1 c. low fat milk (14 gm protein). (the book has lists of different foods and their amounts).
-You can always have more protein if you desire. Try not to exceed 2 total fruit, starchy or sweet carb serving or a total of 30 gm carb at each meal or snack.
The Two Hour Fat Window - is the critical period in which your body decides if carbs are to be used for energy or stored as fat. In order to observe the critical 2-hour fat window, limit your total carbs to 30 gms in any 2 hour period. This is critical because your body can do only two things with carb: either use them up as energy or turn them into fat. Your body makes this decision with a two hour period. Eating more carbs than your body can use for energy during this interval will force your body to turn them into fat, so wait the two hours and then have more carb. If you are hungry within w hours, you can always have more protein. You can thus continue to enjoy any of your favorite high carb foods without overloading and getting fat on them.
Do eat frequent, small meals. Keep your blood sugar levels more constant by eating at 3-5 hour intervals. Going long periods of time without eating only encourages more fat storage. If you wait too long, your metabolism slows down and fat burning also slows down. Your body shifts into a starvation state. It will hang on to any food eventually eaten by turning most of it into fat. This is the main reason why people who only eat once or twice a day may still have problems losing weight. Studies on long term weight maitenance show that people who eat at least 5 times a day are the most successful.
IR Diet In A Nutshell 
