Diabetic Diet

Are you diabetic?

I have diabetes and I eat 35%C/45%F/20%P. With these percentages I am able to keep my blood sugar stable.

You need more than 900 calories.

I love eating this way. I still eat potatoes, pasta, rice, bread, etc too.

Last night I enjoyed mashing about 6 ounces of russet potatoes with about 50 grams of full-fat sour cream. I also ate roasted pork tenderloin and green beans. For lunch I had a salad with romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, eggs, and full fat mozzarella. Yum!

I follow Dr Bernstein's Diabetes Solution. He is a T1D, an MD, basically invented home testing, and has a plan great for any diabetic wanting to reduce insulin and blood glucose levels.

Try aTDEE calculator to determine your macros and caloric intake. You probably want higher than what you've indicated. I was at 1500kcal and I lost 2-3 lbs per week (on a low carb diet) with only 40 lbs to lose.

This is a calculator with a lower carb slant (often beneficial to diabetics). http://keto-calculator.ankerl.com/

As to your macros, all carbs will raise your blood glucose and trigger an insulin response. Lower GI carbs (non starchy, non root veggies mainly) have a fair amount of fibre to slow it, and less sugars than fruits. Anything with flour and starches turns to sugar (glucose) in the blood very quickly and should be limited or avoided entirely.

Protein will also raise insulin and lead to higher blood glucose. Unless you are exercising hard, and/or lifting heavy weights, you won't need a lot of protein. A woman eating 60+ g of protein (about 240 kcal) will have her protein needs covered with some extra to spare. A diabetic may not want to go beyond a moderate protein diet (usually 15-25% of total calories) in order to avoid raised insulin and glucose levels.

For carbs, often the less the better. Many find if they lower carbs enough, their blood glucose normalizes even before they lose any weight. There is no minimum need for carbs, or sugar, so you can go as low as you wish. Many go ketogenic with lots of success, which is about 5% or around 20-30g of carbs per day, Few diabetics can control BG with a high carb diet. Some can do it with a moderate carb diet (above 150g) up to about 30-40% of their calories. Most can lower, and mostly control BG to normal levels (not just normal diabetic levels) with a low carb diet.

As for fat? Use it to fill in your calories. Fat has almos zero effect on BG, unless you are over eating by a large amount. Somewhere between 40-85% of all calories is a good spot for fat for diabetics. I go with 70-75%, but I eat very low carb.

Good luck.

I will say that if you are used to eating a large amount of carbs and cut them cold turkey, you're going to have about a week or so of adjustment. I went from 200+ to 50+/- and got REALLY dizzy if I spaced my meals too far. Keep a quest bar or something for a little pick-me-up if you start feeling gross and can't get to your next meal asap.