Hello! This is such a nice topic!
I think that, a low carb diet, for a type 2/lada/mody/honeymoon diabetic who is not on insulin, is a fantastic way to keep his/her blood sugar levels within target. Having said that, I believe that a low carb diet for a diabetic who is on a basal/bolus scheme, can prove to be a tricky thing to master.
A low carb diet has several benefits including weight loss. But, first, you need to establish what “low carb diet” actually refers to. For example, I am at 30 grams of carbs per meal (90 grams of carbs overall per day) and that does not include carbs from vegetables and protein. For some, this is considered a low carb diet while for others it is just a normal carb intake (as there are diabetics who are on much lower carb intake levels).
A low carb diet has several difficulties, in my view:
1. You still need to take insulin. It will be less but, you still need to take it as your body will convert protein and fat into energy.
2. Finding the exact amount of insulin which corresponds to protein and fat can be a challenging thing. When it comes to carbs, most of us start with the rule of 1 rapid acting insulin unit per 10 grams of carbs and work our way from there. With protein and fat, things are not so straight forward particularly because these foods turn into energy at a much lower speed (which brings me to my third point).
3. Every time I tried a low carb diet while on a basal/bolus scheme, protein was converting into sugar after (around) 5 hours. (sometimes more... I felt that lamb, for example, takes a whole eternity and a day to break down to sugar.) Therefore, I had an insulin peak 1.5-2.5 hours after my meal, was led to a hypoglycemia, was treating it and then 4-5 hours later my blood sugar went sky high when protein started to break into sugar (and sometimes kept going high 8 - 10 hours later when it was time for my next meal.) So, unless you have a pump (and can adjust your insulin accordingly) or, unless you can master multiple Novorapid injections (and I don’t know how to) achieving the “strike” can be a difficult thing.
Another concern which I have is if a low carbs diet depletes our sugar storage/the liver. I wonder, because of the low sugar intake, in case of a hypo, if the liver does have enough sugar to react successfully to a hypo.
There are people in this Forum who have mastered the low carbs diets and are brilliant doing it. I admire them because they make it seem so easy. For them it is a walk in the park, literally! But, for myself, I am not confident yet that I can do it. I did try and I realized I am not ready for it yet.
As an alternative, I find that I can manage my weight through a very controlled diet and moderate portions. I take my carbs mostly from fruits and wholemeal bread and I avoid sweets, condiments, alcohol, pasta, rice, potatoes, sauces and dips of any kind. I allow myself 1 digestive biscuit 2-3 times a week (this is the only treat that I allow myself to have). I don’t use butter and I have a spoonful of raw virgin olive oil in my salad. It is a strict diet (for some) but, I am used to it and it works for me…
It is the nature of our condition, I think. We need to sacrifice something in order to gain something else.
I hope this helps.
Regards
Josephine.
however I need advice about carbs. When I was first diagnosed 5 years ago, my nurse put me on a diet where i needed to eat 70g carb per meal. Needless to say I become quite chubby as I wasnt used to this!
however I need advice about carbs. When I was first diagnosed 5 years ago, my nurse put me on a diet where i needed to eat 70g carb per meal. Needless to say I become quite chubby as I wasnt used to this!
