Question for diabetics

I generally do best keeping my carb grams ~ 120 per day. I am a type I, insulin-dependent diabetic. I don't distriguish between sugar and other carbs because that is not what matters for my blood glucose. For instance, the things that will spike my glucose the worst are bagels and rice products, both of which are not considered 'sugar." Full-fat ice cream is much more manageable. I avoid low-fat food like the plague and I generally always eat fat and protein along with carbs to help slow their absorbtion. Food with fiber is better for me as well.

However, for a Type I, the key is getting the carb absorbtion to match the timing of injected insulin. Depending on your health condition, this may be completely different than your needs. If your condition is more like a type II diabetic, you may do better with a much lower carb goal. If you are insulin resistant, my #1 tip is to lift weights. it makes a huge difference in your insulin sensitivity. Good luck!

I'm insulin resistant, so I watch carbs (not just sugars). I personally keep them between 50-80 g per day (that's total, not net carbs). This generally means I end up eating 15% carbs, 30-35% protein (I aim for 130 g every day as I aim for 0.7 g per lb body weight) and 50-55% fat. And that works for me.

What is that medical condition?

It's not about sugar per se it's about the spike in blood glucose and it doesn't matter if it's sugary things like chocolate cake and fruit or potatoes and rice the body does not differentiate at all. One tastes sweet while the other doesn't and people believe that it's the sugar that's the problem but it isn't it's the body flooding the blood with glucose from all carb sources and the problems associated with that. Potatoes and rice for example are starch and starch isn't sweet at all and is composed of glucose while sugars and fruit are sucrose with half being glucose and the other half fructose and it's the fructose that actually gives fruit the sweet taste and like I said the body doesn't differentiate, at all.

If a person does a few things to help the body reduce these glucose spikes and keep the insulin response as low as possible this can help someone with diabetes or IR and that's really without changing much in regards to the diet they're on it's just being mindful in the order the foods are consumed, although lowering carbs will generate the best results simply because of the lack of carbohydrates and the lack of glucose, which should seem logical.

The first meal of the day is really really important because it sets how we respond to that meal and our behavior the rest of the day and having refined cereals, pastries, muffins, fruit juice just floods the body with glucose which triggers insulin to get it out of the blood asap and what happens a few hours later and especially if a person is diabetic It's a glucose/insulin rollercoaster with brain fog, irritability and just the feeling of being tired and fatigued and always looking and thinking about food and wanting to eat something, it's just not a good scenario. So instead of basically having dessert for breakfast you have a savory one and one that is based around protein like eggs, fish, meats, tofu, nuts, protein powder maybe then add healthy fats like olive oil, butter, avocado and then if you want for taste add a slice of your favorite bread or some potatoes, starches basically. This should keep a person satiated for at least 4 hours without the brain fog, confusion and steady energy without the fatigue. This basically can reduce the glucose/insulin response to almost negligible with a CGM.

Next would be to have a tbsp of vinegar in a glass of water a half hour before your biggest meal of the day, it's easy to do and it reduces the glucose/insulin response by about 30% and that's with pretty much no effort. Vinegar contains acidic acid which interacts with our digestive enzymes which basically slows down and delays gastric emptying which means it slows down how fast the food moves from the stomach to our small intestines.

Next, eat vegetables before a meal and culturally this has been done around the world for centuries, the French consume crudites and Italians antipasto. The reason for this is the fiber which coates our digestive tract with a protective barrier so any glucose that is then consume can't travel quickly and create a glucose spike and this shows up in any CGM, and it's again, a simple task.

Next, move your body and muscles for about for about 10-15 minutes after a meal, clean a room in your house, walk the dog, walk outside your work, etc. Our muscles are basically a dumping ground for glucose and the more we use those muscle the more glucose is immediately sucked up.

Hopefully this makes some sense and if a person didn't want to change much in the way or what they eat these few things will certainly help a person with IR or diabetes control their insulin responses to glucose which will help slow down or stop the damage glucose when allowed to run wild. Personally I'm low carb but I still make sure I'm eating enough protein and getting healthy fats and the right plant fiber.

The pancreas makes insulin. Insulin enables the cells to use sugar and carbs from the blood. When there is not enough insulin from the pancreas, the sugar is not getting used by the cells and it builds up in the blood. When too much sugar remains in the blood, it’s called hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia is when the blood sugar goes so low it can become as dangerous as extremely high sugar. Eating a heart healthy diet with low carbs (-100g) and low sugar (-25g) along with daily exercise is key. I like the vinegar suggestion. I have fresh lemon water before breakfast and before dinner. Also at night as it helps control snacking. Diabetes Self Management has a ton of articles and resources for us.

glassyo wrote: »

*stares at neanderthin*

When did you become the Glucose Goddess?

(I really need to try the vinegar hack for my big meal of the evening.)

Yeah, I've been following Jesse for a while, it's just common sense advice. Most of those hacks I've been doing for years and they're pretty well known if someone lives in that genre. I've gifted her book to 2 of my friends, both with sugar/diabetes issues.