A GUIDE TO LOW CARB EATING WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES

Do you have type 2 diabetes or you are at risk of diabetes?

Diabetes is a chronic disease that has reached in every part of the world and has become an epidemic.

Diabetes currently affects over 463 million people worldwide.

There are lots of people who improved their diabetes or prediabetes with little dietary changes.

Let us see if that works for you.

WHAT IS DIABETES?

In simple language, diabetes is a disorder of blood sugar (glucose) and insulin. A diabetic person has a hard time processing carbs effectively.

When you eat carbs, they got broken down into glucose which ends up as blood sugar.

When blood sugar level rises, the pancreas responds by producing hormones insulin which allows blood sugar to enter cells.

In type 2 diabetes there are defects in both productions of insulin by the pancreas and the use of insulin by the body. When damage to the pancreas insulin-producing cells progresses to the point where the pancreas can no longer spontaneously release enough insulin to overcome the body’s resistance to it, blood sugar levels rise.

Symptoms of diabetes can include thirst, increased toilet trips, and tiredness. 

Diabetes is known to increase the risks of heart attack and stroke.

Diabetes can also cause vision loss among adults ages 20 to 74 in the U.S.

Irreversible nerve damage, blindness, and kidney disease are signs of long-term diabetes. 

HOW LOW CARB DIET HELPS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES?

Now even scientist claims that low carb diet is good for type 2 diabetes and there are several studies which claim low carb/keto diet is best for a person with type 2 diabetes.

Before the discovery of insulin in 1921, doctors tried numerous types of diet, including a diet with less than 10 grams of carbohydrate/day, to try to manage blood glucose levels in their patients with diabetes. They found that a diet that low in carbohydrates and high in fat and calories could result in reasonably good health. Before 1921 low carb diets were considered standard treatment for people with diabetes.

A study found that people who follow a low carb diet for at least 6 months were able to manage their diabetes for more than 3 years if they follow a proper lifestyle.

Low carbohydrate diet may help lower HbA1c, glycemic excursions, insulin resistance, liver enzymes associated with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, the need for insulin or diabetes medications, and cardiovascular risk while simultaneously increasing insulin sensitivity.

In April 2019, the American Diabetes Association published a statement explaining that carbohydrate restriction is not only a safe and sustainable option for diabetes but also the most effective dietary intervention for lowering blood sugar.

BENEFITS OF LOW CARB DIET

Prolongs pancreatic function in type 2 diabetes

Promotes healthy weight

Reduces need for insulin

Reduces the need for oral hypoglycemic drugs

Promotes high HDL and low triglycerides

Reduces the development of glucose intolerance to type two diabetes

Other than this there are various other health benefits of low carb diet:

Your body becomes a fat-burning machine

In a carb-based diet, your body burns carbohydrates for energy instead of body fat.

But in a low carb diet, it reverses the process. After around 15 days your body enters the metabolic state of ketosis, which means that it burns your fat-stores to produce energy.

Boosts Energy

As fat is the body’s preferred fuel because fats are the best macro-nutrient for energy, it gives you a boost that can sustain throughout a day.

Improves Skin Health

As higher insulin levels result in acne High Fat Diet lowers insulin level and prevents acne and skin. High oil (Ghee, Butter, Olive Oil, Coconut oil) content may also glow your skin because it releases more oil is released onto the skin by oil glands.

When oil glands release more oil due to high oil (Ghee, Butter, olive oil, Coconut oil, Cheese, etc.) content in the diet it glows your skin.

Lower LDL Levels

Our diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates its increases your HDL levels and lower LDL Levels (Bad Cholesterol). A better cholesterol balance and few triglycerides help in preventing Plaque deposition in arteries.

You Feel Less Bloated

Carbohydrates cause your body to retain water, so the more carbs you eat, the more bloated you’ll feel.

Once you started following a low carb diet, you take in a high amount of fat and protein than you did before, and both help your body shed excess water more readily. As a result of this, you should start to feel less bloated within a week or two.

You Don’t Count Calories

Today most of the nutritionist or dietitian focuses on a strict or heavily-reduced amount of calories, the fewer you consume, the more quickly you start to lose weight but does this precisely works for your health. It is one of the worst and most unsustainable ways of lifestyle because your body is not getting the nourishment it required daily.

What happens in a low carb diet you start focusing on what you eat. It is about eating when you are hungry and eat until you are full. Yeah, there is such this as too many calories but not all calories are equal 2000 calories of mostly carbs has different impact on your body than 2000 calories of mostly protein and fat.

Your Exercise Has More of an Impact

It’s a common myth that you need carbs to fuel your exercise. You don’t.

Your body contains thousands of calories that can be burned for energy during exercise, and this is what will happen if you follow a low-carb diet. This approach leads to rapid and efficient weight loss, but it also means that you are less likely to suffer from mid-exercise burnout.

FOODS TO EAT

You have a variety of options and good ones with a lot of nutrients.

Meat: Lamb, poultry, etc.

Fish and Seafood: Fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, or herring are great.

Eggs

Natural Fats

Vegetables: Cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, kale, spinach, asparagus, zucchini, eggplant, olives, mushrooms, cucumber, avocado, onions, peppers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

Dairy Products: Choose full-fat options like real butter, cream, sour cream, high-fat cheeses, etc.

Nuts

Berries

Be careful about “low-carb” products in the market, because in many cases this product has prevented weight loss. Please read labels and try to find a hidden source of carbs or sugar.

Many companies use deceptive advertising to entice you into buying their “low carb” product that is full of starch, flour, sugar, and other sweeteners and strange additives.

BOTTOM LINE

There are hundreds of studies confirmed that a low carbohydrate diet could be beneficial for the management of type 2 diabetes. 

In many cases, it even helped to discontinue or reduce their medication.

What you eat affects your whole life so eat right, eat healthily, and be cautious about what you eat.

The information on this article has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other medical body. We do not aim to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any illness or disease. Information is shared for educational purposes only. You must consult your Dietitian or Nutritionist before acting on any content on this website, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.