Hello!
I have always been in ballet, ever since I remember myself. My mother used to say that I danced first and then walked. As you can imagine, being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes was a complete shock as it instantly meant that I would not be able to dance again…
Because of my ballet training, I always followed a very careful diet. Even a minor change in weight could burden my toes, my ankles, my knees, hips and waist.
Therefore, diabetes did not change anything with regards to my diet. Athletes and dancers already eat like a diabetics.
I can tell you what I do and, hopefully, this will help you.
Firstly, I am at around 30 grams of carbohydrates per meal. This means an overall of 90 grams of carbohydrates per day. (I do not know if this is considered a high or a low carbohydrate diet.)
My carbohydrates come from fruits and unprocessed rye bread (I have found that the "Schneider Brot Veggie Rye Bread" at Waitrose has the lowest glycemic index, so far). My diet is raw semi-vegan in the sense that I do not even touch dairy (milk, cheese, butter) and eggs. I avoid eggs as they spike my blood sugar.
I also avoid animal protein whenever I can and I substitute with protein from tofu. (But, I aspire to go completely vegan at some point).
I prefer a spoonful of olive oil in meals but, I am very careful with oil as it can add a lot of calories.
I allow myself treat of 1 digestive biscuit every 2-3 days or ideally, every Sunday as a reward for doing well during the week.
I do not even touch potatoes, rice, pasta, cakes and any kind of desserts, any kind of sauce and condiments, breaded foods and meals like pizza or takeaways are completely out of my diet. But, this is not a new adjustment for me; I always avoided these types of foods.
Meat/fish/poultry and protein in general does not exceed 90-100 grams per meal (which means that if you decide to have poultry and cheese, these combined, should not exceed 100 grams.) I have lots and lots of fresh salads and I do not bolus for them.
Mind your portions! I have come to notice that people don't really realize how much they eat! Nowadays portions in restaurants are huge! Cake slices and muffins at cafes or even home made food come in really big portions.
Alternatives also include pulses, seeds and grains but, I avoid nuts as they are very calorific (although wonderfully nutritious).
I think that the idea is to work with correct combinations, for example do not choose to have a banana and a biscuit or bread and olive oil in your meal. (go easy on cheese as it has great fat content).
I have come to notice that, with insulin, my body absorbs calories like a sponge!! Even a bit of extra olive oil in my salad can create a difference on the scale next morning.
When it comes to being hungry unfortunately, I tend to deal with this as an athlete/dancer and reply to you ‘So what?”
Unless you have a hypoglycemia and you are feeling hungry because of it.
Felling hungry is not the end of the world and, honestly, you will feel hungry in the beginning until your body adjusts to your new diet and portions. You will be hungry for a month or so and then you will get used to it.
I do not want to sound strict but, hunger is an over-estimated feeling… Athletes/dancers/artists/models, spend their life feeling hungry… You get used to it after a while. (Obviously, I am not referring to neuroses and anorexia)
I hope this helped a little...
Regards
Josephine.
