Keto diet and type 1 diabetes

kberenson17

Hi!
I plan to start the Keto diet but wanted to know if anyone in this group has any knowledge or experience about how the ketogenic diet affects type 1 diabetes since it’s so low carb? I’ve looked on a few sites about it but would love to hear from anyone with first hand experience.

kpk54

@midwesterner85

T1DCarnivoreRunner

Thanks for the tag.

I'm a type 1 and eat very low carb. If you haven't heard of Dr. Bernstein, he is a pioneer in the therapeutic benefits of low carb diets for type 1 diabetics. He is a type 1 himself and an endocrinologist whose patients maintain non-diabetic A1C's. He boasts keeping BG's at 83 mg/dl +/- 10 mg/dl, but his system is more than just diet. I don't follow everything he suggests and my BG's are not as good as his, but there are some things that don't work with my lifestyle... that is a bit off topic. Anyway, he has books and a YouTube channel with loads of information.

Are you on a pump or MDI? I suggest basal testing and correction as a first step, but the application is different depending on how insulin is delivered. Once your BG's are stable 24/7 while fasting, then you can start keto and work on ensuring I:C ratios are right.

Eventually, you will need to start managing insulin for protein. For now, don't worry about it as this topic is a bit complex when you are just starting.

As with any diet as a type 1, make sure to measure food and obtain an accurate quantity of net carbs.

There is a Facebook group for Keto for Type 1 diabetics and quite a few of us follow this WOE because it minimizes or eliminates post-prandial spikes. That means around 25% of the day (estimated 2 hrs. x 3 meals / day) is spent with better BG's.