Eating A Type 1 Diabetes Diet
For someone with diabetes, the foods they choose to eat can have a huge impact on their overall health.
Monitoring intake of macronutrients – fat, protein, and carbohydrates – is incredibly important for people with this condition, alongside other ways of managing this disease, including insulin therapy and exercise.
I’m Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND a naturopathic doctor in Manotick Ottawa and I can help you find ways to manage your diabetes, naturally.
Today, let’s talk about eating a type 1 diabetes diet and how it can help you manage your condition.
Keep reading to learn more.
What Is Type 1 Diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes, also called insulin dependent diabetes or juvenile diabetes is both a hormonal imbalance condition and an autoimmune disorder where the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin.
Insulin is a hormone which plays an important role in metabolism and managing blood sugar.
It’s what helps your body convert the sugar in the foods you eat into energy.
Without insulin to help break down sugar from the foods you eat, the body will start to break down fat and muscle for energy, and blood sugar levels will rise.
Symptoms Of Type 1 Diabetes
Some symptoms of type 1 diabetes include:
- Having to pee a lot
- Increased hunger
- Increased thirst
- Weight loss not linked to intentional changes in diet or exercise
- Blurred vision
- Tiredness
- Weakness
- In children – bedwetting where this was not previously an issue
Causes Of Type 1 Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is caused by your immune system mistaking your pancreas for a pathogen and attacking it.
The reason why this happens is unclear.
However, there are a few risk factors which can increase the chance someone will develop it.
Risk factors include:
- Family history – having a sibling or parent with type 1 diabetes means there is a greater chance of developing it
- Age – most cases of type 1 diabetes occur either between the ages of four and seven, or ten and fourteen.
- Genetics – certain genes are linked to a higher incidence of developing type 1 diabetes
- Location – the further away from the equator one lives, the greater their chance of developing type 1 diabetes
Eating A Type 1 Diabetes Diet
Because diabetes is symptoms are so closely related to blood sugar and insulin levels, it’s important for those with this disease to be careful about what they eat.
Without proper management, some complications which are linked to type 1 diabetes include:
- Nerve damage
- Kidney damage
- Vision issues
- Heart disease, especially hypertension
- Skin sores which can result in infection
One way to manage type 1 diabetes and help to prevent these complications is to eat a type 1 diabetes diet.
What Does A Type 1 Diabetes Diet Do?
There is no one single diet plan that someone with type 1 diabetes should follow.
The goal of the diet is to ensure you always have nutritious, healthy, unprocessed whole foods to reach for which are high in vitamins and minerals.
Limiting excessive carbohydrates, sodium, sugar and fat is an important part of managing diabetes.
What To Watch For In Your Type 1 Diabetes Diet?
When planning your type 1 diabetes diet, here are some factors you’ll want to take into consideration:
1. Consistency
The timing of your meals as someone with type 1 diabetes is extremely important.
While your friends and colleagues may go hours without taking a break to have a bite to eat, this can be very dangerous for people with diabetes.
Snacking throughout the day and eating smaller meals can help prevent potentially catastrophic spikes and drops in blood sugar.
2. Monitor Your Carbohydrate Intake
Managing carbohydrate intake is incredibly important for people with diabetes, because they cause your blood sugar to rise.
Generally, you’ll want to focus on complete carbohydrates which don’t raise blood sugar quickly, such as brown rice, beans, and lentils.
Fast absorbing carbohydrates such as fruit juice or honey are critical when your blood sugar levels drop too low.
3. Monitor Your Fruit Intake
Although fruits are packed with vitamins and generally considered healthy, it’s important to remember they are also a source of sugar.
You don’t need to forego fruit entirely, as it does have its benefits, but you will need to be mindful of how much you eat.
A few examples of fruit servings which contain 15 grams of carbohydrates include:
- 1 cup of berries
- ¼ cup of dried fruit
- ½ cup of fruit juice
4. Monitor Your Vegetable Intake
When considering which vegetables to eat, you’ll want to look at whether they are starchy or not.
Vegetables which are starchy are higher in carbohydrates and should be limited.
However those which aren’t starchy can be eaten in higher amounts without having to worry about how they will impact blood sugar.
Some great non-starchy vegetables include:
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Cucumber
- Sprouts
- Beets
- Carrots
- Leafy green vegetables
5. Eat Whole Grains
Bran cereal, brown rice, and breads baked with whole grains are great to include in your diet.
Whole grains are higher in fibre, and don’t cause blood sugar to spike the same way the same products made without whole grains do (such as white rice or white bread).
6. Limit Processed and Fatty Meats
Getting enough protein and “good” fats are important for building muscle, repairing wounds and the functioning of the heart and brain.
While foods like eggs, lean meats, nuts, and avocados are an important part of your diet, overly processed meats can have a detrimental effect on your overall health and lead to heart disease.
Goals Of Naturopathic Treatment For Type 1 Diabetes
When working with patients with type 1 diabetes, as a naturopathic doctor my goal is to help you learn how to maintain your blood sugar in a healthy range.
Through learning how diet and exercise, alongside insulin therapy, work together we will aim to prevent the side effects of diabetes so you can continue to enjoy the activities you love.
I will help you to understand your diagnosis, and look at environmental, behavioural, and lifestyle factors which can play a role in how you manage your diabetes.
Book Appointment With Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND
Are you living with type 1 diabetes?
Or has your child recently received this diagnosis, and you’re wondering “what next”?
I’m Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND, serving the Ottawa and Manotick area.
I can work with you, or your child, to help create a plan to manage type 1 diabetes.
Contact me today to set up an appointment.
Yours in Health,
Dr. Kimberly Dawdy, ND
Dawdy Naturopathic Clinic
6899 Sunset Blvd,
Greely, ON K4P 1C5
-https://g.page/dawdynaturopathicclinic
Dawdy Naturopathic Clinic offers a variety of naturopathic health solutions for individuals and families in Ottawa and the surrounding area.
