Friday, May 18, 2012

why I eat a low carb diet



Celiac disease and diabetes are related illnesses.  Celiac disease attacks the part of the intestines that helps the body to know to release insulin.  It is now becoming a common practise for newly diagnosed diabetes patients to also be screened for Celiac disease because they are that closely linked. 

This is something I have intuitively know since I was in my 20's. Since then my blood sugar has been on on-going issue for me.  In fact, for a long time (before we figured out my issue was Celiac disease) I was tested for years for diabetes because my symptoms seemed like diabetes. 

Since going gluten free my blood sugar issues are much better.  But, they are not cured.  I still have to worry about what I eat and how it will effect me.  Too much caffeine, too much sugar or carbs, too little sleep, too much stress, etc will cause a blood sugar episode in me.  The biggest culprit has always been too much carbs/sugar.  If I eat a low carb diet, then stress, caffeine, sleep do not trigger these low blood sugar events.

This week a study came out of Sweden that confirmed what I have known all these years.  The study had people with type 2 diabetes complete both a low fat and low carb/high fat diet.  Both groups lost the same amount of weight.  But, those who did the low carb/high fat diet had better blood sugar control.  The article with the study information is at the bottom of the page.

Every time I have done a low fat diet I have gotten ill from blood sugar dips.  I get hungrier and can not keep my calories low.  On the low carb/high fat diet I can eat less and feel healthy.  And, my blood work always comes back very good.  My cholesterol is fine. 

Everyone has to decide for themselves what works best for them.  Hope this information helps.

http://www.medicaldaily.com/news/20120512/9856/diabetes-fat-carbohydrates-diet-insulin.htm

"A diet high in fat and low in carbohydrates is better for people with type-2 diabetes, new Swedish study published in the journal Diabetologia says.
In diabetes 2, the body produces insulin (a hormone that breaks down sugar) but the cells are unable to use it as opposed to diabetes 1 where the body does not produce insulin.
Generally, people with diabetes are advised to stay on low-fat diets.
This study group had 61 participants who had type-2 diabetes. These participants were randomly assigned in two groups. One group was kept on low fat diet while the other on low carbohydrate - high fat diet.
In the low fat diet, proteins accounted for only 10 to 15 percent of energy supply, while in the high fat diet nearly 30 percent of energy came from proteins.
Both groups recorded an average weight loss of 4kgs (about 9 pounds).
People who were on low carbohydrate (high fat) had better control over the blood sugar levels of the body. They also had considerable amount of “good fat”.
On the other hand, people on low-fat diet managed to lose the same amount of weight but had no difference in the levels of insulin in the body.
Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine says that replacing carbohydrates with fat, especially a diet high in monounsaturated fatty acids, is a better idea while trying to control the glucose level in people with type-2 diabetes.
"You could ask yourself if it really is good to recommend a low-fat diet to patients with diabetes, if despite their weight loss they get neither better lipoproteins nor blood glucose levels," Fredrik Nyström, professor of Internal Medicine and co-author of the study said.
It is believed that lifestyle changes like healthy diet and proper exercise delay, or in some cases, prevent the onset of diabetes 2.
Some studies say that higher intake of fruits and vegetables lowers risk of diabetes type-2.
The diets prescribed for participants in the present study were on par with the recommended intake by Swedish National Food Agency.
"In contrast to most other studies of this type, we lost no patients at all, which vouches for the good quality of our data,” Hans Guldbrand, general practitioner and co-author said.

5 comments:

  1. This is sooo helpful to me! I am borderline diabetic (Type 2) and control it with hoe downs from T-Tapp and eating every 2-3 hours. I balance my 3 meals with a protein, a slow carb (veggies) and a fast carb (fruit or rice). I also snack on whatever so long as it's under 200 calories. I learned about eating this way from that informercial on TV (Food Lovers), but I ordered it because it seemed to follow what I was taught in my diabetes classes. I've lost 3 sizes in just 8 weeks.

    What I'm curious about though, is the celiacs. I noticed this past week alot of bloating after meals, even if I haven't consumed bread or grains. Would love to hear more about it.

    And congrats on the baggy pants (read on T-Tapp forums!)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cindy, I am really glad this was helpful to you. People with Celiac disease can't tolerate the gluten from Wheat, Rye,and Barley. Some people with Celiac disease also have problem in the gluten from corn. I am in that catagory. If you are eating any kind of processed food from broth, salad dressing, certain mustard, etc. you can be ingesting gluten. Of course, stomach bloating can be caused by other reasons than gluten consumption. There are some great websites out there on the topic if you are interested. Many family doctors don't know a lot about Celiac Disease. Normally, one would go to a gastroenterologist to have this investigated. Let me know if I can help you in any other way. Be well!

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