Beating Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes. We all know of it, but here’s a quick refresher: Diabetes, specifically type 2 diabetes, is a chronic condition where the body either doesn’t produce enough insulin, or doesn’t use insulin effectively. As discussed when we talked about PCOS, insulin is an important hormone that processes the glucose in your food to give you energy. This is why those with type 2 diabetes often find themselves being tired, as well as experiencing other symptoms such as increased urination and thirst, vision problems and numbness in the limbs from nerve damage.
With 1.3 million Australians living with type 2 diabetes and one person being diagnosed every five minutes, diabetes is no rare condition, which means you’ve probably heard of type 2 diabetes being managed with insulin injections. However, there are other methods of methods of treatment as well, such as glucose-lowering medications and changes to the diet, which is where we want to take your focus to.
Many studies, such as the one by Goldenberg et. al (2021), have shown that low-carb diets are effective in managing type 2 diabetes. But how do you put this into action?
1. Carbohydrates aren’t the devil
It might sound contradictory to tell you carbs aren’t all bad right after saying low-carb diets are useful, but the truth is the truth. Being on a low-carb diet doesn’t mean you need to completely cut out carbs from your life, and you shouldn’t. Vegetables are carbs, and they play an important role in having a healthy and balanced diet. A low-carb diet usually means removing all processed carbs like bread, pasta, white rice and especially added sugar from your diet.
2. Consider incorporating keto
A ketogenic diet, commonly abbreviated to keto, is a diet high in good fats, moderate in protein and low in carbs. In a keto diet, the body learns to convert fat into energy instead of glucose. This has often been linked to decreases in blood glucose levels, which is obviously great news to those of you with Type 2 Diabetes. Common foods you’ll find in the keto diet are those which are high in healthy fats like salmon, eggs, cheese, cream, avocadoes and nuts.
3. Swap out with alternatives
There are a lot of low-carb alternatives out there, so it’s a good idea to keep your eyes peeled for things you can swap out for. Cauliflower rice, or even broccoli rice, is one such alternative which is easy to make at home with a food processor. Spaghetti squash, zoodles (zucchini noodles) and carrot noodles are all great ways to enjoy pasta differently, and lettuce wraps bring a new texture to your everyday wraps. Capsicum sandwiches give every bite an extra crunch, and sweet potatoes are a great stand-in for any potato recipe. With so many alternatives to choose from, it’s guaranteed your meals will always be far from boring!
4. Know what to stay away from
Processed foods. As quick and easy as they might be, they’re a lot more than you’d bargain for. Vegetable oils, fructose-containing sugars and starchy carbohydrates are three things you’ll commonly find in processed foods that are incredibly damaging to your liver, and therefore dangerous for insulin resistance. By cutting out vegetable oils from your diet, you’ll be able to keep your liver healthy and stop your insulin resistance from getting worse.
5. Find your optimum
There isn’t a cure-all regimen to tell you what’s an acceptable amount of carbs to eat per day. In Taylor et. al’s (2021) study, 20-50 grams of carbohydrates per day produced drastic improvements to the blood sugar levels and weight loss of the participants. But this doesn’t necessarily mean 20-50 grams will be the ideal fit for you; those who have taken a more moderate approach on their restrictions have also found good results.
This is why it’s important to consult a degree-qualified healthcare professional so you can find your optimum together. In doing so, you’ll be able to approach a low-carb diet safely.
Book an appointment with Renee Bailey at Defining Health today so she can help you be the healthiest, happiest version of you!
