Controlling blood sugar levels through diet is among the many challenges surrounding Type 1 diabetes.
The disease can be defined as the autoimmune destruction of the pancreatic beta cells in insulin secretion. This implies a thorough understanding of the influence of diet on blood glucose levels.
Having the right dietary practices will confer several benefits: better blood sugar control, reduced chances for complications, and overall enhancement of well-being.
While discussing nutritional management in this blog, we will examine the major ways in which blood sugar can be controlled.
Practical dietary suggestions for managing Type 1 diabetes
How can a person suffering from Type 1 diabetes improve his or her diet substantially? Let us first consider five things.
1. Counting and Timing Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate counting is the traditional method of effecting dietary change. With this, the client can balance their insulin administration with their carbohydrate intake.
It is concerned with finding out and counting the carbohydrate content in something for all meals or snacks. Carb counting promotes the stability of blood glucose levels in eating foods for direct carb counting and helps further in avoiding the episodes of hyper- or hypoglycemia.
As for the type of diet, this method empowers a diabetic person to accurately adjust his or her insulin amounts and plan meals while giving the patient more freedom in dietary choices.
Diabetes Education Online says the total grams or amount of carbohydrates you require daily is affected by your degree of activity, calorie aims, and personal preferences.
In general, carbohydrates should make uP anywhere between 45% and 65% of total daily calories, meaning150-250 grams would be ideal for most Type 1 diabetics.
Another thing to consider is when you are taking this carbohydrate in during the day; that will interfere with your blood sugar through the day.
2. Stressing Foods with Low Glycemic Index
For individuals with Type 1 diabetes, the glycemic index (GI) is a very helpful benchmark by which one can assess how different diets influence blood sugar levels. Different ranking foods’ influence on blood sugar levels.
Low-GI foods raise blood sugars slowly and gradually compared to high-GI foods. Including such low-GI foods is particularly beneficial since they help to maintain steadier blood glucose levels throughout the day.
Lower levels of high blood sugar or hyperglycemia and low blood sugar or hypoglycemia result when blood sugars are kept steady, thereby reducing the need to make more frequent adjustments on insulin dosages.
Diabetes Australia states that ”Low-GI carbohydrate foods exert less impact on blood glucose levels, enter the bloodstream slowly, and take longer to break down to glucose.” In fact, they are satisfying for longer.
“The importance of low-GI foods.”
3. The value of dietary fiber
Dietary fiber has a critical role in blood sugar control and digestion; hence, it forms an essential part in Type 1 nutritional management.
High fibers content are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. A meal rich in fiber can make its entry into the bloodstream slower with sugar levels rising more gradually.
This slower process prevents blood sugars from going too high too fast. There are some other benefits of a high fiber diet aside from blood sugar control, such as contributing to fullness and aiding weight maintenance because it reduces the chances of overeating.
“Applying the right amount of fiber in a meal plan for a diabetic applies to managing diabetes and may reduce the risk of complications,” reports CDC. Consult a nutritionist or educator on diabetes for a diet plan catering to your diabetic needs. It may take effort to learn how to meet an increased fiber diet but eventually o you will learn how to eat it well.
4. Eat healthy fats moderately
Most of these have been shown to be of great benefits to individuals with this type of diabetes. They provide sustained energy and promote heart healthy living.
Good fatty acids come from dietary sources such as avocados, almonds, seeds, and olive oil. These fats are important for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. They may also be associated with reduced risk for heart disease because, in diabetes, LDL goes down and HDL goes up, thus making heart disease less likely.
Healthy fats provide energy as a gradual rather than sudden stream, and they will not raise blood sugar levels or trigger sudden energy spikes like carbohydrates do. So the energy released from healthy fats is gradually released, which is an important factor in regulating blood sugar levels in routine work and exercise.
The University of Florida Diabetes Institute found evidence that the ketogenic diet controls diabetes. It is high in healthy fats while very low in carbohydrates (less than 50g daily).The aim is to cause the metabolism to enter a state called ketosis, wherein the body uses fat storage as the chief energy source.
A survey on low-carb diets reported better sugar control and fewer complications among type 1 diabetics.
5. Diabetes care and hydration
Hydration is important for everyone, but those with Type 1 diabetes must be even more careful. Staying hydrated helps bring blood sugar down.
Water is the best choice for fluids because it will not raise blood glucose levels like fruit drinks and other fluids do. With sufficient water, kidneys are better able to expel excess glucose from the body through urine and thus assist in lowering blood glucose.
Pursuing this is necessary because blood sugar can increase when one is dehydrated, worsening their problems. Insufficient water intake makes the cells operate abnormally and makes insulin performance difficult for the body.
As Gaby McPherson, an M.S., RDN, LDN, points out in an article posted in Eating Well, proper hydration is important because it could moderate blood glucose levels and prevent diabetes-related complications.
However, since the needs for waters differ from person to person, the most suitable approach to knowing how much water needs to be taken is by consulting a medical practitioner. Generally, if your doctor hasn’t asked you to restrict fluid intake, that is around 13 cups of water daily for men and 9 for women.
