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What do T1's eat

  • Thread starter Thread starter AnnieC
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AnnieC

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I was just wondering if it is true that T1's don't have to control their diet by not eating certain things like T2's do or do any follow the LCHF or other diets
I ask because my son is a late onset T1 diagnosed at age 47 seven years ago. He eats all the same foods that he always did including quite a lot of takeaways. He is not overweight in fact he is quite skinny and he says he does not have to cut out any foods as he is on insulin. He lives on his own works 12 hour shifts most days and I am sure he does not take care of himself as he should. The last time we saw him he said his doctor had said he has started to produce insulin again so he did not need to inject so much so some days he does not use any at all. We live quite far away from him so only see him 2 or 3 times a year
 
Hi AnnieC, It is true to a degree that type 1s can eat whatever they like, within reason, and take the necessary amount of insulin. But it is a lot easier to have good BS levels if you restrict carbs and have regular exercise. Without knowing his BS levels or his HbA1c, it's impossible to tell if he has it under control or not.
 
No, for me doesnt mean I can eat "anything", though my diet hasn't changed that much since my diagnosis. Yes, I eat carbs and inject to cover them but, I'm simply injecting what my body would of given me had it been producing it itself. However, the insulin does need to be matched to the digestion period of the food eaten. Some type 1s do have a little resistance also due to weight or genes so they would be injecting extra insulin on top of what they would need. Also, as I'm quite active, that also helps utilise the insulin better, again needing less. If I was less active I would not eat/need what I currently eat so that would again reduce insulin dosage.
As for food choices, takeaways are few and far between, very large quantity carbs and high fat meals doesn't work well with the insulin action period as well as more guesswork needed to dose for. Much like lasagne and pizza, though I would not recommend those things to eat for a non diabetic other than occasional treats. With your son being in the honeymoon period things may be easier as his body will make up any shortfall. But, how long this will last ???
Obviously there are those that low carb but, whatever the diet chosen, regular testing, good numbers,other health checks wil give a good picture of control.


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AnnieC said:
I was just wondering if it is true that T1's don't have to control their diet by not eating certain things like T2's do or do any follow the LCHF or other diets
I ask because my son is a late onset T1 diagnosed at age 47 seven years ago. He eats all the same foods that he always did including quite a lot of takeaways. He is not overweight in fact he is quite skinny and he says he does not have to cut out any foods as he is on insulin. He lives on his own works 12 hour shifts most days and I am sure he does not take care of himself as he should. The last time we saw him he said his doctor had said he has started to produce insulin again so he did not need to inject so much so some days he does not use any at all. We live quite far away from him so only see him 2 or 3 times a year
Click to expand...
well im type 1 and eat normally
 
AnnieC said:
I was just wondering if it is true that T1's don't have to control their diet by not eating certain things like T2's do or do any follow the LCHF or other diets
I ask because my son is a late onset T1 diagnosed at age 47 seven years ago. He eats all the same foods that he always did including quite a lot of takeaways. He is not overweight in fact he is quite skinny and he says he does not have to cut out any foods as he is on insulin. He lives on his own works 12 hour shifts most days and I am sure he does not take care of himself as he should. The last time we saw him he said his doctor had said he has started to produce insulin again so he did not need to inject so much so some days he does not use any at all. We live quite far away from him so only see him 2 or 3 times a year
Click to expand...


I con't think eating a lot of takeaways is very healthy whether you have diabetes or not, you can still be skinny but could be storing up other health problems inside.

I have tried going quite low-carb but it wasn't for me so I gradually increased my carb intake whilst closely monitoring my bg levels, I now eat around 180g of carbs a day so it's not low-carb but neither is it a high-carb diet, I do think it makes a difference when you don't have a sweet tooth as I never really bother with cakes, biscuits and deserts except on special occasions.

So Annie, if your son just changed a few things in his diet he would see some benefits, there's no reason whatsoever to go down the LCHF route if he's diabetes is well controlled but eating a bit healthier is a must for longevity and to stay well.
 
Hi. If you are T1 and aren't gaining weight on your current diet and also maintaining good blood sugar levels then the diet is OK. I do keep the carbs down as weight gain is very likely if you don't maintain some control; also you will have higher sugar swings with higher insulin doses risking hypos, so keeping the carbs under control is always advisable
 
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