Low Carb - explained in 60 seconds

Brilliant - thank you so much @Bluetit1802 !

 

Hello,

I am a new member and have diabetes for several years which i have been managing with tablets Gemer 1 mg and Insulin. I also could not eat any carbohydrate (wheat, oats, corn) as it resulted in high blood sugar. However, I was able to bring my sugar level under control using a low carb diet of protein, vegetables and fruit. Over the last few months this diet has failed and I have started taking a probiotic nutrolin B plus once a day. The probiotic seems to have helped bring my sugar levels down and i would like to know if any others have faced the same problem.

 

What kind of fruit have you been eating?..that can cause spikes for a lot of us.

 

Fruit I eat are apples and Guavas (sometimes oranges and mangoes mixed in a fruit salad) and could maintain a good HBA1C of around 5 -6 until last year. I also eat a lot of peanuts.Usually diabetics in India are recommended a diet with whole wheat, oats, low glycemic index vegetables and my mother who is a diabetic for over 25 years has been following this diet. However, I cannot eat any kind of bread, rice etc and it was the reason why I started the low carb diet several years ago.
The only spikes I noticed till last year was with any type of rice, wheat (whole wheat, mixed grains and low glycemic index) also oats, corn, cornflakes etc. After the low carb diet failing, I am now noticing an improvement after taking Nutrolin B Plus everyday and eating more vegetables. The doctors in India have never prescribed any probiotic supplements to me and I was wondering if anyone had more experience with probiotics and its connection to a low carb diet. I read that high protein intake can alter the intestinal flora and cause high blood sugar (mostly in pre-diabetics).

 

Thanks for replying to my question, if you do know anyone who has used probiotics as part of their prescribed medication or diet please let me know.

 

I'm afraid I have never used probiotics but do follow an ultra low carb diet with very little fruit (just a few raspberries sometimes). No meds, but I am a fairly heavy meat eater which makes it much easier for me to follow this way of eating although there are a number of vegetarian low carbers on the forum.

 

I take a prebiotic powder ( inulin) and probiotic capsules. I dont have any pre / post use data to be able to say if it is making a significant difference to control etc but found this interesting enought to introduce the inulin

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3638225/

 

Been using inulin for at least 18 months. Not made a blind bit of difference to anything to be honest like cholester or bloods. However my scan previoysly showed non alc fatty liver so hope it is helping that.

 

Those are some sugary fruits and as we know diabetes is always changing. Maybe you're not as low carb as you think you are? Are you counting them? Many of us have to continue to reduce them as the years go by.

I think @Winnie53 has found good results with a probiotic for her bs.
Inulin is a fiber so will slow bs but carbs are still carbs.

 

It might be the peanuts - I found that, as they are actually legumes, that they are not something I can eat even a small amount of, as they seem to pack more of a punch than would be thought from the carb count.
I can eat almonds and walnuts.

 

Peanuts do the same to me. Spike me far disproportionately as they should. I stick with macadamias and home toasted pecans for the most part.

 

I love fruit! After eating low carb for two and a half years, I have added fruit back into my diet. Prior to that, I only ate small amounts of berries. I should also add here there was a time when I was known for my fruit salads.

I think fruit is fine in small amounts - (no more fruit salad for me) - and can be equally satisfying with a meal that includes appropriate amounts of fat, protein, and non-starchy vegetables. For example, when oranges are in season, I slice an organic orange in half then eat 1/2 inch slices of it with the peel (for the nutrients and fiber). I've since learned that lime with peel cut in very small pieces is a nice addition to some recipes. Including the peel also reduces the sweetness. I also like the taste, though I had to eat it a few times before I began enjoying it. Now I can't imagine eating oranges any other way.

I no longer take a probiotic, but I agree with you that anything we can do to improve the health and balance of our gut flora is good for diabetes. I'm very much a "work in progress". To feed my gut flora, I eat 4 - 6 cups of vegetables a day, a mix of cooked and raw - (and a small portion of fruit, typically no more than an ounce). All vegetables are organic and hopefully pesticide and herbicide free. One of the things I've learned is that the RoundUp which contains glyphosate kills bacteria in our gut. Not good.

It's great that you're avoiding grains. They continue to be very problematic for me.

I also eat organic, pastured animal protein and fat from happy, healthy animals that are fed their traditional diet. In the US, conventionally raised animals are fed a diet that makes them sick, that is not organic, and antibiotics. That food is not healthy. I don't eat it. Toxins are partitioned off in the fat, and I eat animal fat, so organic is important.

My goal is to continue rebuilding my gut flora by eating fermented beverages and farm fresh vegetables. Pre-biotics (food) is very important to rebuilding the gut flora. And farm fresh, organic vegetables lightly rinsed and eaten raw daily provide soil based probiotics.

There is an interesting study in which they found that whether or not an obese person has diabetes or not has more to do with toxic load in the body than weight. Those obese people who have the most toxins, have the most diabetes. Those who have the least toxins have little to no diabetes. Lesson learned? Diabetes is driven in part by toxins (persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals).

Eating low carb is the first step. Eating plants, lots of plants grown locally and organically in my opinion is the next step. Other things that have helped me is taking digestive enzymes and alpha lipoic acid.

You have to be a member of Diet Doctor to view this recent interview with Ron Rosedale, M.D. but in it he discusses some interesting work he's doing in India. Perhaps this would interest you...

https://www.dietdoctor.com/member/interviews/rosedale#more-859660

Apologies for covering all this ground without providing links but I'm right in the middle of transitioning a fundraiser to a new non-profit and I'm just slammed right now with that process. Best of luck to you!

 

Great reply. I LOVE Rosedale.

 

I do too Kristin. I don't know how I stumbled upon his book a few years ago, but I learned so much from him, and am delighted that he has a new book coming out, though we don't know the title or publication date yet.

 

Ooohhhhh. I'm excited. I learned so much from him too. He was a key to getting better control. Still is. When I veere or sway and come back to homeostasis I realize I've veered and swayed from him.
Between him and Bernstein they made all the difference. The two books in the bazillion I own that I cherish most. Next is Primal body Primal mind.

I'll check out Rosedales website and see if there's anything there

Why did you stop probiotics? I thought they were doing you loads of good. They never made a difference for me but make things worse. However I believe I have sibo and they're contraindicated for that. Go figure....

 

It was the digestive enzymes combined with alpha lipoic acid that helped the most. Happily, my IBD remains in remission, and my gut seems happy these days so no need for probiotics. I'm still taking most of my other vitamins though... a multi*, B5, C*, D3*, K2, selenium, zinc, magnesium citrate, fish oil, and cod liver oil. I want to restart the CoQ10 but I keep forgetting to buy it.
*vitamins made from whole foods.

Kristin, let me know if you find anything out about the new book.

 

I sure will!! My error. I thought it was pbx. I started R ALA from Swanson Vitamins May first and OMG what a difference. I just take insulin of course, D3 and R ALA. Doing great. Or as great can be haha

I think I told you I emailed Rosedale about protein and he emailed me back regarding how much I should be eating. Ive stuck with his recommendations and it works.

 

How much protein did Rosedale recommend? I think I'm still to high.

 

I was amazed at how little protein I needed and how much it effected my bs.

theres a formula in the book but .8 g per kg LEAN body mass or 1g per kg LEAN body mass minus 10%.

http://www.drrosedale.com/healthplan#axzz4mRJfBWsh

Also states diabetics need to be very strict with protein. This was the missing piece of my puzzle to bringing my bs back into range when I was type 2. Worked like a charm.

 

Thanks Kristin. I clicked on the link then on "Protein Element". That is perfect for sharing!