What can I eat with type 1?

[Oldvatr]

It's only the OPs first post. His second describes what he prescribes.
Usually when a newbie comes in with sweeping statements they already have an agenda or a soapbox.
I wonder what this one will be?

Vegetarian who supports the high carb low fat diet. Correctly following the pathway that insulin users can do this. Where I differ is the statement that a low carb diet is not suitable for insulin users. It may offer some benefits as described in the studies I linked to and is being used by others on the forum.

As has been pointed out there is difficulty in handling protein which has been shown to have significant effect when using ketogenic diet and consequently has to also have a bolus correction, especially if the meal has a high fat content since that delays the peak. Some users here use a correction factor of 1.25 of the carb count (i,e 25% increase) if its a high protein meal, and some use a split dose to cover the pizza effect.
https://www.diabetesnet.com/diabetes-tools/insulin-dose-guide/how-to-bolus-fat-protein/
https://diatribe.org/pizza-and-blood-sugar-control-not-quite-easy-pie
Horses for courses.

 

[In Response]

@Oldvatr have you ever had to dose insulin according to what you eat and take into consideration exercise and stress?

Do you know that different proteins have different insulin to protein ratios?
Do you know that protein affects blood sugars at different rates to carbs (regardless of fat also in meal)?
Do you know different proteins convert to blood sugar at different rates?
Have you tried using an insulin pump and working with combo and extended bolus?

As to whether my doctor or consultant has Type 1 diabetes, I have had multiple endocrinologist since my diagnosis. Some have had Type 1 diabetes. Some have not. But all have studied it, continue studying it, have qualifications relating to it and learn from the experience of people with Type 1 diabetes every day they are working, In addition, unlike an armchair podcast listener, I have Type 1 and tried different diets and lifestyles and know the effect they have.

 

[Jaylee]

With the best will in the world. This generic cut & paste advise by the OP don’t apply or work for me.
I’m of the mindset when diagnosed, carry on regardless with your new diagnosis & med regime. Eat as you were. Then when adjusted, go figure out whatever isn’t working..

Different strokes for folks.
The “world don’t move to the beat of just one drum. “

No more bickering please.

 

[Oldvatr]

Going to someone who knows about these things
https://jdrf.org.uk/about-us/positi...tement-on-low-carb-diets-and-type-1-diabetes/

https://www.endocrinology.org/endoc...w-carb-diet-shows-promise-in-type-1-diabetes/

 

[Marie 2]

The original post was in regards for type 1's. I am a firm believer that several ways of eating work. You just have to learn how to dose for what you want to eat. There are some that might not do as well with high carb, some might be not do as well with high protein, some might not do as well with high fat, or any other combo. But I think for most of us it's a choice of how you want to eat and then you make it work. Personally I believe that lots of vegetables, fruits, grains, beans are very healthy. I am a vegan of 37 years and a vegetarian of 54 years and a type 1 for 19 years. I have no complications, knock on wood it stays that way. I am more worried about heart issues which are a huge issue in my family and I am the only one that has completely escaped any problems............so far at least. I like to think that how I eat has helped with that.

I do not follow low carb, low fat etc........just vegan. If I eat 120 carbs at a meal, I dose for it. It's not too much insulin if it's what I need for that meal. It's what I need. My A1c is usually 32/33, my last was 30. I am TIR of 96-98% of between 3.6-8.9. Obviously I have great control. I do have to add a pump, a Dexcom and retirement have played a major part to have that control.

 

[EllieM]

In one word... anything. It may come as a surprise, but all kinds of food are fine for people with type 1 diabetes to eat.

Well, I agree with the first sentence. I can eat anything I like, but I may not like what that does to my blood sugar. (or how hard it is to bolus for, hello pizza. )

Indeed, when I was younger I was a lot freer with what I ate. It's only now, with some extra weight and insulin resistance (thanks T2 dad) that I find I am usually a bit more restrictive about what I eat..

Sometimes balancing insulin against food (and activity and a multitude of other things) feels more like an art than a science. It certainly seems very individual to me and I think is something better learnt from personal experience than listening to a prescriptive diet approach delivered from someone who doesn't live with my metabolism.

After 52 years of T1 I've lived with quite varied advice from dieticians and though I'm always happy to listen I've become a lot more skeptical in my old age and I don't think there is one magic dietary solution for all T1s. It's always interesting to listen to and learn from what works for others though.

 

[Zhnyaka]

interestingly, I eat everything I want and inject insulin for it. Sometimes it happens that I inject not enough or too much. It is worth saying that sometimes it is more difficult for me with low-carb food, because when I eat something high-carb, I check my bg more often and try to keep it normal, but with low-carb food I think everything will be fine and this sometimes leads to bad results

 

[Mr Doggy]

From my understanding it's following a healthy diet but the trouble is most of the population don't, we're bombarded with temptation and adverts. So, when we meet a diabetic nutritionist they label a healthy diet as a diabetic one like it something different. This for me just complicates stuff and then once confident in eating semi healthy you're given a new word game and led into doubt. For me, it is un-necessary and complicated and tries to address the lowest possible point of comprehension of approaching healthy eating. Finally, the food offerings and diets given to diabetics just seem tempting like a bad airline meal.

To make it easier they give us a Thali like dish to measure meat (protein) and veg. So now it's portion based too I personally don't go with ultra processed foods nor sugar dense (simply creating a hypo with absorption rates is doable but harder to calculate). A lot of weight gain is more associated with ultra processed vs. processed and natural products and high carb low exercise isn't the best way But let's say that's common sense. If you can't exercise etc, then cut the carbs

Many have said there's no-one diet to fit them all. Indeed this rings true for me. With insulin resistance and planning a diet to fit metabolism changes, I can eat the same thing three times a day and inject less or more depending.

Another interesting thing is diet studies over a long period. There's only been 1 or 2 studies over 8 years ever published (I'll get the source later it's a recentish book I've not got to hand). Most have been 4.

So where does that leave diabetics if so called normal diets haven't been fleshed out as 'healthy for life'. Then there's the fatty French food diet which flies in the face of all other diets. So from what point of authority are nutritionists speaking from, or even us

Another thing is that with a lot of diets, after people relapse they end up putting on more weight and having more fat than when they started the diet. (I'll get the source and study)

Finally, the last factor is diet is one of happiness. Most forced diets fail with this factor, hence relapses and mortality and happiness seem to be more intrinsic to longer life than an un-happy one

All in all, there's a lot more unknowns than knowns for a long term diabetic diet as there's no study over the time I've had diabetes. I know for sure it's more of a personal rather than a holistic diet we'll be pursuing and also, more studies need to be done!

 

[Oldvatr]

From my understanding it's following a healthy diet but the trouble is most of the population don't, we're bombarded with temptation and adverts. So, when we meet a diabetic nutritionist they label a healthy diet as a diabetic one like it something different. This for me just complicates stuff and then once confident in eating semi healthy you're given a new word game and led into doubt. For me, it is un-necessary and complicated and tries to address the lowest possible point of comprehension of approaching healthy eating. Finally, the food offerings and diets given to diabetics just seem tempting like a bad airline meal.

To make it easier they give us a Thali like dish to measure meat (protein) and veg. So now it's portion based too I personally don't go with ultra processed foods nor sugar dense (simply creating a hypo with absorption rates is doable but harder to calculate). A lot of weight gain is more associated with ultra processed vs. processed and natural products and high carb low exercise isn't the best way But let's say that's common sense. If you can't exercise etc, then cut the carbs

Many have said there's no-one diet to fit them all. Indeed this rings true for me. With insulin resistance and planning a diet to fit metabolism changes, I can eat the same thing three times a day and inject less or more depending.

Another interesting thing is diet studies over a long period. There's only been 1 or 2 studies over 8 years ever published (I'll get the source later it's a recentish book I've not got to hand). Most have been 4.

So where does that leave diabetics if so called normal diets haven't been fleshed out as 'healthy for life'. Then there's the fatty French food diet which flies in the face of all other diets. So from what point of authority are nutritionists speaking from, or even us

Another thing is that with a lot of diets, after people relapse they end up putting on more weight and having more fat than when they started the diet. (I'll get the source and study)

Finally, the last factor is diet is one of happiness. Most forced diets fail with this factor, hence relapses and mortality and happiness seem to be more intrinsic to longer life than an un-happy one

All in all, there's a lot more unknowns than knowns for a long term diabetic diet as there's no study over the time I've had diabetes. I know for sure it's more of a personal rather than a holistic diet we'll be pursuing and also, more studies need to be done!

I believe the Harvard Nurses study is long term and is still in progress. The problem with food studies is that usually they are food questionaire based, and are not fully monitored. So since it is not proscribed, and participants are able to change course at any time in the time period, and it relies on memory, then the data is not very high quality or that reliable. So these studies are epidemiological since the observed results are not fully traceable to any particular aspects of nutrition.

They are therefore just vague associations not causual and thus of poor merit at the best of times. For instance, I am a low carber of 7 years now. So according to my consultant, the arterial plaque I suffer from is not caused by my current diet but by my previous lifestyle of wine women and song for some 6o years prior. But if I enlist in a trial on low carbing, and pass from a heart attack or stroke, then it will probably be counted as a black mark against LC diet, not Eatwell /drinkwell/live it up well from before. I blame the fags myself, but I have been an ex-smoker for 15 years at least.