Low-carbohydrate diet for type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus

Many patients with diabetes notice that eating foods with a low glycemic index has a positive effect and significantly improves their condition. Indeed, a low-carbohydrate diet for diabetes helps to avoid a sharp increase in blood glucose levels. This can be easily verified if you regularly measure this level before eating, and again an hour and a half after it. A particularly pronounced effect is observed if the patient does not take insulin therapy, adjusting the sugar level with proper nutrition. [ 1 ]

Indications

A low-carbohydrate diet is especially recommended for patients with severe diabetes (with glucose levels over 15 mmol/liter) or severe obesity. Limiting carbohydrate intake promotes rapid weight loss, a reduction in the amount of fat deposits, and stabilization of the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. [ 2 ]

The use of a low-carbohydrate diet in most cases makes the treatment of diabetes more successful, and is often used to get rid of excess body weight.

Changes in nutrition consist of a strict limitation of the amount of carbohydrates, compared to a normal diet: no more than 30 g (better - less) per day. Pasta, bakery products, potatoes are strictly prohibited. We will tell you more about prohibited and permitted products in a low-carb diet below. [ 3 ]

• A low-carbohydrate diet for type 1 diabetes is prescribed against the background of insulin therapy, but only under the supervision of a doctor. Improper nutrition can lead to a deterioration in the patient's condition. It is important to eat foods that do not cause a sharp increase in sugar in the bloodstream, and also to take into account the amount of carbohydrates consumed with each meal. The bread unit accounting table offered to patients helps to easily choose suitable carbohydrate products, avoiding fluctuations in blood sugar.
• A low-carbohydrate diet for type 2 diabetes at an early stage of development can replace drug therapy: if you normalize your body weight and adjust your diet, you can do without taking sugar-lowering drugs. Moderate and severe stages of type 2 diabetes also require dietary adjustments, but already against the background of additional intake of appropriate medications.
• A low-carb diet for gestational diabetes is prescribed individually, since changes in nutrition largely depend on the woman's current diet. The main thing is to regularly monitor the amount of carbohydrate foods and the level of sugar in the bloodstream. It is necessary to reduce the percentage of carbohydrates in the diet, and evenly distribute the remaining amount over several meals throughout the day. This approach will help keep glucose levels under control, preventing sudden changes. Experts advise giving up the following products for gestational diabetes:
  • raw eggs, semi-raw eggs (soft-boiled);
  • sweets, baked goods, sugar and dishes containing it;
  • liver;
  • whole milk.

With gestational diabetes, it is important to take steps to prevent the development of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, dietary changes should be maintained after the baby is born.

General information of a low-carbohydrate diet for diabetes

From the name of the diet it becomes clear that its main goal is to reduce the amount of carbohydrates consumed and, accordingly, prevent fluctuations in glucose levels in the bloodstream. However, these are not all the factors on which the low-carb regime is based:

• Most patients with diabetes are overweight, which in itself causes the development of various glycemic disorders. Therefore, one of the goals of a low-carbohydrate diet is to reduce body weight to normal levels.
• In addition to reducing the amount of fast carbohydrates, you should also pay attention to reducing the percentage of saturated fatty acids in your diet. It is advisable to sharply reduce the consumption of animal products, eliminate trans fats, get rid of your addiction to fast food, and not buy processed foods.
• When consuming meat and dairy products, it is necessary to choose less fatty options. But the body needs polyunsaturated fatty acids: they help prevent inflammation and prevent the development of atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels.
• The basis of a low-carb diet for diabetes should be food with a low glycemic index. It is especially good to include fresh vegetables, cereals, legumes, greens, unsweetened berries and fruits, vegetable oils, cheese, kefir and natural yogurts, egg whites in the menu.

Diabetes is a complex disease that initially proceeds without obvious painful symptoms. But it is at the initial stage that it is easiest to stop this disease, and the correct low-carbohydrate diet plays a decisive role in this. [ 4 ]

Detailed menu for every day

• On Monday, they have scrambled eggs with whole grain toast and a piece of hard cheese for breakfast. They have vegetable carrot soup and buckwheat casserole for lunch. They have baked fish fillet with stewed cauliflower for dinner. During the day, you can have a snack of natural yogurt, an apple or a vegetable salad.
• On Tuesday, breakfast is oatmeal on water with berries and pumpkin seeds, without sweeteners. Lunch is stewed beans with vegetable salad and a small amount of tuna. Dinner is vegetable goulash with a piece of lean beef. During the day, snacks include avocado, natural yogurt, and cottage cheese pudding.
• On Wednesday, breakfast is couscous with almonds, blueberries and pumpkin seeds. Lunch is vegetable stew with chicken cutlet. Dinner is meat casserole with Greek yogurt and carrot salad. Between meals, you can snack on buckwheat flatbread and an apple.
• On Thursday, they prepare a mushroom omelette with tomatoes for breakfast. They have buckwheat soup and a piece of steamed meat with raspberry sauce for lunch. For dinner, they prepare fish fillet with lettuce leaves and berry compote. For a snack on this day, pieces of hard cheese and grilled vegetables are suitable.
• On Friday, they have an omelet with whole grain bread and cucumber for breakfast. They have onion soup for lunch, a barley side dish with a piece of beef. They have a steamed chicken cutlet with brown rice and cauliflower for dinner. They eat some cottage cheese with berries and fermented baked milk throughout the day.
• On Saturday, you can have whole grain toast with mushrooms and cheese for breakfast. Lentils with chicken and green salad are prepared for lunch. Fish steak and sliced vegetables are served for dinner. Sunflower seeds, yogurt and cottage cheese are great for snacks.
• On Sunday, they have buckwheat with grated cheese and sesame for breakfast. They have celery soup and cucumber salad with chicken for lunch. They have stewed asparagus and steamed cutlets with yogurt for dinner. They have a few olives and kefir with berries for a snack.

Low Carb Diet Recipes for Diabetes

Meals when following a low-carb diet for diabetes have their own characteristics, but this does not mean that they will be tasteless and monotonous. For breakfast, lunch or dinner, you can even serve light versions of well-known traditional dishes, and even desserts with berries and cottage cheese.

• Onion omelette.

Chop the green onion feathers. Pour the eggs into a bowl and beat with the onion. Put the mixture on a frying pan heated with oil, cover with a lid, and sprinkle with grated cheese a few minutes before it is ready. No need to add salt: if you have diabetes, the salt from the cheese will be enough.

• Turkey steak.

Finely chop the turkey fillet with a knife. Add chopped greens and onions, beaten egg, salt and pepper, a little sour cream, a couple of tablespoons of semolina and flour to the resulting mass. Stir. Put the frying pan with oil on the fire. With wet hands, form steaks from the mass, place them on the frying pan, fry on each side until done.

• Millet porridge with pumpkin.

Cook millet porridge (for 3 cups of liquid take ½ cup of millet). Add finely chopped pumpkin pulp, continue cooking on low heat, stirring constantly. As soon as the porridge thickens, remove it from the heat, add a little butter, berries, and maybe some raisins. Wrap the pot with the porridge in a warm blanket and leave for a couple of hours to simmer. After such simmering, the dish becomes especially tasty.

The recipes offered for a low-calorie diet for diabetes should use both high-calorie and balanced ingredients. It is best to prepare dishes based on lentils, soy, vegetables and cereals. Most recipes do not require any serious culinary skills: you can easily cook them in a regular home kitchen. The dishes are suitable for both patients with diabetes and healthy people.

Benefits

A low-calorie diet for diabetes reduces the carbohydrate load on the body and allows you to control glucose levels without resorting to taking sugar-lowering medications. The basis of nutrition is the following:

1. enriching the diet with fiber;
2. consumption of omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids;
3. establishing a meal schedule, eliminating overeating and periods of fasting;
4. enriching dishes with vitamins and minerals.
5. What foods are most recommended for a low-calorie diet and why?

• Legumes are an excellent source of protein and fiber at the same time. For example, beans are very filling and at the same time stabilize sugar levels. Just one hundred grams of dark beans contain 8 g of fiber and protein, and no unnecessary fats. Legumes can be successfully used to prepare soups, salads, and side dishes.
• Fermented milk products are the main supplier of calcium and vitamin D to the body. According to scientists, 1200 mg of calcium in combination with 800 IU of vitamin D daily reduces the likelihood of developing diabetes by more than 30%. Experts advise eating oatmeal with kefir or fermented baked milk in the morning, and instead of dessert, eat yogurt or some cottage cheese.
• Fish is a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids that protect against vascular diseases, strengthen the immune system, and increase insulin sensitivity. Fish dishes are recommended to be included in the diet for diabetes up to twice a week. You can add fish pulp to salad, make an omelet or casserole from it.
• Cereals contain fiber, vitamins and useful microelements, as well as so-called slow carbohydrates, which do not cause a sharp drop in glucose levels in the bloodstream. Therefore, you cannot ignore their use. A serving of porridge reduces cholesterol levels, slows down the absorption of carbohydrates, and improves insulin resistance. Cereals are an ideal option for breakfast, as they give the body energy and saturate perfectly.
• Berries, greens and vegetables are rich in fiber, polyphenols, mineral and vitamin components. Regular consumption of them improves the functioning of the digestive tract, prevents cardiac dysfunction, reduces the content of sugar and bad cholesterol in the bloodstream.

In diabetes, it is very important to take into account all carbohydrates entering the body. To simplify the composition of a low-carbohydrate diet, a special unit measuring the carbohydrate content in products was defined for diabetics - we are talking about the bread unit (BU). This indicator reflects the amount of carbohydrates in 25 g of bread (approximately 12 g of sugar). It was found that one BU increases the glucose level by 2.8 mmol / liter. Therefore, specialists have determined the daily norm of BU consumption: it is calculated separately for each patient, and this norm should be adhered to. Usually it fluctuates between 7 and 28. [ 5 ]

In addition, the total amount of carbohydrates that the patient receives daily must match the amount of insulin entering the blood.

What can and what can not?

What can you eat?

A low-carb diet for diabetes involves eating the following foods and products:

• lean and low-fat meats, white chicken meat without skin;
• fresh or frozen fish in low-fat varieties (carp, hake, pollock, cod, trout);
• egg whites (chicken, quail);
• dietary hard cheese, fermented milk products;
• beans, cereals (optimally buckwheat and oatmeal, barley and wheat groats, lentils, bulgur, couscous);
• vegetables;
• tea, tomato juice, light berry compotes without sweeteners;
• vegetable oils.

First courses should be prepared with vegetable broths, but it is better to avoid bread - for example, in favor of whole grain croutons or crispbreads.

What shouldn't you eat?

With diabetes of any type, it is better to “forget” about such dishes and products: [ 6 ]

• sugar, sweets, chocolate;
• baked goods, including cakes and pastries, cookies and even bread;
• alcohol, soda, fruit juices;
• sweet fruits, dried fruits;
• corn, potatoes;
• hot seasonings and spices, mustard, adjika, chili pepper, wasabi, etc.;
• lard, fatty meat parts;
• fresh milk, butter, cream, heavy cream, processed and smoked cheese;
• marinades, sour and salty snacks and appetizers.

Contraindications

Diabetes is a complex and dangerous disease, and an incorrectly chosen diet can cause significant damage to health and worsen the course of the pathology. Fasting, unbalanced and excessively limited nutrition, the so-called "monodiets" are contraindicated for diabetics. If a doctor prescribes a low-carbohydrate diet to a patient, it should be developed by specialists specifically for this disease.

Diet therapy is an important point in the overall treatment of diabetes, regardless of whether the patient takes insulin or hypoglycemic drugs. In addition to improving well-being, a low-calorie diet helps maintain normal weight. In case of excess body weight, it is recommended to reduce it by about 6% over ½-1 year. A low-calorie diet helps to lose weight slowly but steadily, creating a calorie deficit of 500 to 1000 kcal/day. The total daily calorie intake of women with diabetes should not be less than 1200 kcal, and for men - not less than 1500 kcal. Fasting is strictly prohibited for patients suffering from diabetes.

Possible risks

Can a low-carb diet for diabetes solve all the problems associated with the disease? Unfortunately, it cannot. The benefits of such a diet can only be discussed if the patient carefully maintains a balanced combination of proteins and fats with low carbohydrate consumption. But the carbohydrates in the diabetic diet must be slow - for example, cereals. What are the risks of not maintaining this balance?

Firstly, a percentage decrease in muscle tissue may be observed. However, this risk can be mitigated if an adequate balance of "proteins-fats-carbohydrates" is restored in a timely manner. This often happens when there is a lack of protein food in the menu.

A much more serious complication of diabetes can be ketoacidosis. Fat utilization for energy metabolism in the body is called ketosis. This condition cannot be called dangerous. But the formation of numerous ketone bodies and acetone compounds in diabetes is a very serious condition. It is more often found in patients with type 1 diabetes, but sometimes occurs in type 2 diabetes. It is classified as an emergency, so if vomiting, abdominal pain, dehydration, unusual odor from the mouth, loss of consciousness occur, you should immediately contact a doctor.

Complications

Despite its effectiveness in weight correction and stabilization of blood glucose levels, a low-carb diet for diabetes can result in a number of complications. Indeed, a sharp restriction of carbohydrates in the diet cannot be associated with the development of ketoacidosis, digestion disorders. Patients often experience constipation or diarrhea, bad breath, headaches and a constant feeling of fatigue. With an incorrect ratio of protein components, the protein load on the kidneys can increase, the acid balance can be disrupted, which can cause the leaching of minerals from bone tissue, weakening of the bones.

However, a low-carb diet for diabetes is one of the ways to quickly and effectively normalize weight and sugar levels. Complications will not arise if you choose your diet wisely, paying attention to the correct balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. In general, the safety of a correctly composed low-carb diet is confirmed by a huge number of patients who did not notice any deterioration in their condition, provided that all principles of therapeutic nutrition are followed.

Low Carb Diet Reviews for Diabetes

If you analyze the existing reviews, then a low-carb diet for diabetes is tolerated by patients without any particular difficulties. Such nutrition completely excludes starvation and sharp changes in blood glucose levels, and as a result, the body does not have to additionally fight stress. A minor drawback is that the brain may lack energy. This can manifest itself as drowsiness, impaired mental activity, headaches.

Low-carb diet for diabetes is not a diet, but rather a simple change in diet. This regime should be followed at least until weight is normalized and blood sugar levels stabilize. Many patients with diabetes have accepted the diet as the only correct principle of nutrition, based on limiting certain (mainly carbohydrate) foods. However, the question of the duration of such dietary changes should be asked to your doctor: some patients are recommended to follow the diet for a two-three-week period, while for others it can become a permanent way of life. Consulting a doctor on this matter will help to avoid adverse effects on the body.

Results

One of the features of diabetes is that the disease progresses "silently", without any attacks or exacerbations. Unfortunately, this often leads to patients not taking the disease too seriously, believing that nothing needs to be changed in lifestyle and nutrition. But we should not forget that if diabetic complications appear, it will be too late to change anything.

In diabetes, it is very important for the patient to take responsibility for his own health, and not rely only on the doctor. Even the best doctor will not be able to monitor the patient's lifestyle and diet around the clock. But the results of treatment largely depend on what a person eats or drinks, within what limits his weight is maintained, etc. Each patient must understand: a low-carbohydrate diet for diabetes will really help improve well-being and normalize the amount of sugar in the blood. However, this issue must be taken seriously and responsibly, relying on yourself and your own strength.