Type 1's: How Much Do You Allow Your Diabetes To Control What You Eat?

[NicHolzhauer]

Does your diabetes change what you eat? Have you completely changed your whole diet because of it? Or do you still eat a lot of the same things, and cover it with insulin? I'm sure there will be some of each reply.

Personally, I eat a lot of the same things, but not everything. I still eat my favorite breakfasts such as waffles, but use sugar free syrup. I still drink hot chocolate, but use diet. I still eat Jello and licorice and drink lemonade, but use sugar free versions. I still do eat pizza, fried chicken, french fries etc also. I am not going to let diabetes control everything in my life, I still need to enjoy it. I do bolus to cover them though. I also cave in and have candy, in small portions. It is these kinds of royalties that keep me going.

[Joeprep4820]

Hasn't changed my diet at all. I keep a fairly strict diet, especially during the week, because I don't want to get fat and keep my tone. On the weekend, I will often eat things a bit more unfriendly to the waistline, but only on Fridays and Saturdays, then on Sundays I am back to eating a healthy dinner and no snacks.

[sarahspins]

My biggest change is that I no longer drink regular soda or much juice (though I *do* drink some around the holidays.. I'm a sucker for sparkling grape juice.. otherwise I just drink water 99% of the time). There are some foods I now prefer not to deal with, but I would have no problem having some in moderation if I really wanted some. I think more about portion size than I did before I was diagnosed.. but there isn't much I really look at and say "I can't have that" - now I think "how much would be okay?" and "how can I manage that?"

I no longer eat cereal in the morning, but I did for a very long time as a T1 without too much trouble.. it just hasn't been part of my routine since I was in college... for no reason other than I no longer feel the need to "get up and eat something" before starting my day and heading out the door.. mostly becuase most of the time I am not going anywhere now :) My days usually start with a cup of coffee.. a light breakfast a little later after I've taken care of getting the kids something to eat (and my breakfast is often not even typical "breakfast" foods), then another cup of coffee... but I think part of that is just learning over time what my body "needs" vs what we're brainwashed to believe we need.

[strack350]

I eat and drink whatever I want, with the exeption of fruit juices, regular sodas, cereal, some fruits, and large amounts of candy. I bolus for whatever I eat and have had no problems so far "last A1C was 6.2" I do however drink the "diet" cranberry juice that ocean spray makes, it has like 2g of carb per serving so I don't even bolus for 1 serving of it. Having been type 1 since 4 years old, I really don't know what it's like to not have diabetes like some of you late diagnosis patients.:confused:

[Subby]

I have quite a large range of foods that are a problem with dealing with long and persistent spikes. It appears to be the luck of the draw that sub-q insulin works slow for me and carbs work fast, leaning me towards BG anarchy without quite a lot of modification from typical high carb/refined carb standards.

I don't see modifying diet in order to maintain respectable BG numbers and respectable A1c as "allowing diabetes" to control anything. We make our choices. As it seems that insulin effectiveness and how wide a variety of food will spike an individual appears to be quite broad, goals of BG control and choices of limiting foods to that aim are going to be different, sometimes markedly, between individuals.

[Grunch]

The only thing I changed was I stopped drinking stuff with sugar, and if I don't eat something it's mostly because I have no idea how many carbs it has and I don't think eating it's worth all the hassle of trying to figure it out.

Also, say I want to eat popcorn or something but I don't feel like taking an extra shot just for that so I don't eat it.

[GeishaGirl]

I haven't changed much... except my attitude. There are some foods that I just shouldn't eat because I don't like pumping 25u of insulin at one time :P I really need to start cutting down portion sizes if I want something -- ie, 1/2 bagel instead of a whole one, or a register-checkout-sized bag of M&Ms instead of a big bag. I have real real problems with serving sizes -- always have. I can't rest easy if there's an open bag of something in the house -- I HAVE TO EAT IT. So I wind up having to get portion-controlled sizes of everything :(

I never drank full-sugar soda or juice anyway... I guess the only thing that's changed is that I'm more concious of my carb intake now.

[It Ain't Over]

As some of you know I have taken on the Bernstein low carb diet, have been on that since Feb 1st of this year.
Before the diet I was doing ok, A1c running 6.5- 6.7. Still I was not at all satisfied with my control. Have 31 years now as a type 1 and although no neuropothy or any of the varied ailments have shown up yet, I was afraid they would sooner of later. So I read the doctors book and took it to heart. As a 31 year type 1 I started at the very end of the dark ages of treatment he writes about so well. I recall taking the industrial doses of insulin and the extremes of hi's and lo's everyday. Of course in the 80's I secured health insurance and a tester, which my insurer would not pay for. At least I was beginning to see what was going on. Lowered my A1c to 7.5. Would not budge from there. Moved onto an Endo and he started me on a pump. Lowered my A1c to 6.5- 6.7. No matter what I did it stayed in that range. Biggest issue was the sustained hi's I was seeing at times. Sort of a regular occurance. Was testing more and more. I could make out a pattern there. Would run lo's for a few days, then after a week would go high and stay there for three or four days. Endo thought it was liver or hormones releases and had many tests done with little to show. That pattern stayed with me for many years. Still continued to show fair A1c's. But I had to raise my basal three or four times normal rate to get the highs under control, and then they would fry up quickly leaving me at times stumbling around with endless lows.
So last year I started to take in less food. A lot less. That seemed to shorten the highs and thier duration, but did not quite stop that from happening. Then I got Dr Bernsteins book. Was looking for him to address what I was seeing. He didn't hit on it exactly but his discussions hit home with me. Take in less carbs and take in less insulin, the famous Rule of Small Numbers. So I started in next day. Removed all starches, fruits, and any sugars from my diet. Within a few days started lowering my basal rates. I was not using that much insulin at the time, about 30-35 units per day. That was down from prior usage of over 45/day with the high carbo diets.
I can report no all day highs since going low carb, none. Have not had a sick day either, that will be interesting to see what happens. I don't understand the mechanism that was driving those high sessions, but I don't miss them at all.
My A1c 6 weeks after the new diet was 5.7, 3 months after that was 5.4. Just started with the CGMS. Hope to keep the A1c in that range from now on.
Like I said last time I interjected on this issue. This diet is not for everyone. That depends on what you want to do, what you are able to do, and what season of life you are in.

[lark 27]

I've gone the majority of my time with D by not changing what I ate too much. I would just bolus for it. To clarify I would say I didn't change types of food too much, but I definitely did change quantities and frequency. As you mentioned candy would be much less frequent than pre-D. I'd try to not eat huge amounts of carby stuff.

However, I would say that that method only worked marginally. A1C's for years in the 7's and occassional 6's so I'd get a general pep talk from my doc (when I could afford to go to one or was forced to afford it because my prescriptions had run out) that I was doing OK, but I could do better. However, I know that much of that control over the years was really roller-coaster style control with lots of highs and lots of lows that somehow all averaged out to reasonable A1C's.

Over the last several years I've really made some changes with looking at the glycemic index of the carbs I eat and trying to avoid the foods that spike me fast. Then over this last year I'm gradually getting to the point of consistently reducing the carbs, but still definitely not going low-carb. Maybe that will come farther along on my D journey.

All the best and keep up the good work you're doing.

[zoelula]

"How much do I let diabetes control my diet?" To me that is a bit of a loaded question and says more about attitude than diet. I make choices, we all do. I choose to eat in a way that I find satisfying AND keeps my blood sugar down. I don't believe they are mutually exclusive! For me, as a person who lived with an eating disorder for many years I learned that I have to enjoy what I eat. But enjoying doesn't mean it's bad for my blood sugar.

I stopped eating sugar 13 years before my diabetes diagnosis due to my eating disorder so that isn't an issue for me. However as a vegetarian I realized that I was eating much too many carbs to maintain my blood sugar so I've pretty much eliminated things like pasta, cut way down on bread, no more fruit smoothies, no rice, no cereal. Do I feel deprived? Nope, I've found things I love to cook and eat and I enjoy what I eat.

I'm not a low carber, (because for me I couldn't have that balance of happy and healthy and vegetarian if I was), but I eat moderate carbs and I very much agree with the philosophy of low numbers. I had a scary insulin low when I first started on the wrong regimen of insulin (my doctor assumed I was Type II not 1.5) and that has made me cautious with insulin doses. At my age I also don't want to gain weight or develop insulin resistance which imho is the result of the "eat everything and bolus for it" approach.

Yikes, I never thought I'd be advocating moderation, I didn't live most of my life that way! But I guess I am!

[DanG]

I still eat my favorite breakfasts such as waffles, but use sugar free syrup. I still drink hot chocolate, but use diet. I still eat Jello and licorice and drink lemonade, but use sugar free versions.

You are a student? - I think you have mentioned that in the past.

As a student - you really ought to do the research regarding sugarfree products. Sugarfree is not without consequences, and you have many too many years to live with problems - quit the sugarfree stuff. Sugar is not any good, but it is a biological product - not a chemical product like all the sugarfree stuff is. Sugarfree is not a food product - it is a chemical that is harmful to living organisms, such as your body and all the biological systems your body maintains.

Manage your use of sugar via portion size. Drink only 6 ounces of a 12 ounce pepsi, learn to enjoy waffles with half the syrup, etc. Then move on to the big time - use honey. We have not been using honey very long, but it is an eye opener. You eat a pie - small piece since I also need to use insulin - and I am done. No craving for larger piece of honey apple pie. Pie crust is home ground whole wheat and butter. Quite heavy carb-wise - but all of it food that sustains the biological systems my body maintains. Why waist carbs and food for stuff that can not nourish your body. Eating has one primary function throughout the history of man - to make the body grow, to maintain the body functions. Eat whole foods and you will satisfy the body desire to grow and maintain.

[howdysf]

I pretty much eat the same thing, but I used to drink OJ all the time, now I never do... I also stay away from rice, besides that, I pretty much eat the same as always...

[Grunch]

You are a student? - I think you have mentioned that in the past.

As a student - you really ought to do the research regarding sugarfree products. Sugarfree is not without consequences, and you have many too many years to live with problems - quit the sugarfree stuff. Sugar is not any good, but it is a biological product - not a chemical product like all the sugarfree stuff is. Sugarfree is not a food product - it is a chemical that is harmful to living organisms, such as your body and all the biological systems your body maintains.

Manage your use of sugar via portion size. Drink only 6 ounces of a 12 ounce pepsi, learn to enjoy waffles with half the syrup, etc. Then move on to the big time - use honey. We have not been using honey very long, but it is an eye opener. You eat a pie - small piece since I also need to use insulin - and I am done. No craving for larger piece of honey apple pie. Pie crust is home ground whole wheat and butter. Quite heavy carb-wise - but all of it food that sustains the biological systems my body maintains. Why waist carbs and food for stuff that can not nourish your body. Eating has one primary function throughout the history of man - to make the body grow, to maintain the body functions. Eat whole foods and you will satisfy the body desire to grow and maintain.

You're crazy. And the preaching is quite annoying.

[DanG]

You're crazy. And the preaching is quite annoying.

Be annoyed - show us where this is wrong?
I have been using insulin for 35 adult years and have never used sugarfree sweeteners and everything still works in this body. Crazy? - yep. Nothing wrong with that.

[cwathne]

I agree with DanG about the fake sugar chemicals...I avoid them. If I'm going to eat something sweet I will just take the appropriate amount of Insulin.

since my dx with Type 1 about 10 years ago I have made changes to my diet, however I would say that most of these changes are more due to growing up (12yrs old to 22 yrs old) than T1.

I think I've had fast food twice in the last 5 years and I dont drink any soda (including diet) except on the VERY rare occasion. About a month ago I grabbed a can of soda (pepsi) from the employee refrigerator at work and almost threw up --- to me that stuff is disgusting now.

I eat relatively (to a non diabetic person) low carb, but I still have rice/potatoes/pasta/bread with most of my dinners. I also eat a large amount of fruits and vegetables. I largely avoid processed foods.

[inkvisitor]

For the first few years I didn't cut back on breads and the like, but definitely on anything deemed "sweet" (it was 1990 and my doc wasn't in to any reduction in "normal" carbs).

Fast forward almost twenty years, and now I am. I'm seriously counting carbs for the first time ever. I seriously reduced my carb intake for the first time ever.

And it shows - best control ever.

[Gangrel]

Having D for almost 27 years, I've lived through the "meal planning " era, the rigid insulin dose era, and heck even the "testing for ketones by putting urine in a test tube" era.

It's been in the past 5 years or so that I found out about carb counting, and MDI. It's been a revelation for me.

All this to say, I pretty much eat what I want. I skip sugar sodas, and stuff along those lines, but I occasionaly break down and get a chocolate bar, or eat dessert with dinner.

In Canada all food is labelled, so it's easy to tell how many carbs are in things, at least from the store.

[strack350]

Be annoyed - show us where this is wrong?
Seriously, what is so wrong with fake sweeteners? Unless a person eats tablespoon after tablespoon of the stuff I don't think It will cause any real harm. I have been type 1 for 26 years now and have no problems associated with the stuff. If I ate honey, it would be much harder to dial things in. Like was said before, if your afraid of chemicals, you may as well live in a cave, and grow your own food. But then your seeds have probably been treated somehow:eek: I type this as I drink my DIET coke:D

[TommyC1]

I cut way back on carbs.
Most stuff I don't miss. Never liked starchy veggies. A little bread goes a long way. I've always enjoyed meat, eggs and cheese. Prefer Diet Coke to regular. Bud Select ain't bad if it's cold. Jim Beam is good too.

BUT I DO MISS FRUIT!

Yeah, I was shouting.
Sorry 'bout that.

[Grunch]

Be annoyed - show us where this is wrong?
I have been using insulin for 35 adult years and have never used sugarfree sweeteners and everything still works in this body. Crazy? - yep. Nothing wrong with that.

Oh, I didn't realize you based your scientific study on such a huge sample size of one person. Billions of people eat food with "chemical" substances and don't suffer any adverse effect from that. Millions of people eat sugar and lose limbs, kidneys, vision, etc. But if you know ONE diabetic that eats sugar and doesn't have problems then it makes perfect logical sense to demonize sugar substitutes.

[foxl]

Oh, I didn't realize you based your scientific study on such a huge sample size of one person. Billions of people eat food with "chemical" substances and don't suffer any adverse effect from that. Millions of people eat sugar and lose limbs, kidneys, vision, etc. But if you know ONE diabetic that eats sugar and doesn't have problems then it makes perfect logical sense to demonize sugar substitutes.

UH HUH. Kinda like demonizing stimulant meds for ADHD (sorry it is a near and dear issue in my house, too!). Bad for kids ... addictive ... might derange their mental development ... but just might prevent criminal career?!? You be the judge! :D I think, not.

[jenb]

I guess I would say that I control the type and quantity of carb I eat so I can take a minimal amount of insulin. Didn't have to make too many changes after diagnosis since I had been following the Zone plan for a couple of years already.

I still indulge my yen for bread and tortilla chips occasionally and bolus for the extra carbs, but consider these things treats so they're not regular meal components.

On the sweetener topic, I use Splenda sometimes, but when I cook or bake I generally substitute agave nectar for sugar because I really can't stand the taste of artificial sweeteners. Not ever having had a sweet tooth has certainly been a blessing...sugar's not really been a big part of my diet (but oh those salt and fat carriers!). When I want a little something sweet it's got to taste yummy, so real sugar or agave are still part of my ingredient list. Quality over quantity anytime :D .

Jen

[fgummett]

Quality over quantity anytimeI'll second that emotion Jen... even before I realised it was better for me, I preferred butter over margarine, and now even as a super-low-carb elitist, I'll still use a "drizzle" of real [Nova Scotian] Maple syrup on my salmon, chicken, pork or steak... I'd rather have a little taste of the real stuff than a ton of artificial :cool:

[Joeprep4820]

To be fair with the sugar versus non-sugar sweetners, you have to look at intake. Neither is good to abuse, and both are meant for the occasional treat. If you drink Regular Coke every day you might run into problems, and if you drink Diet Coke every day you might run into problems. Drinking a Diet Coke every once in a while with lunch or one after work or whatever is not going to kill you, just as the occasional Regular Coke will not. It's unfair to compare abuse of one to the occasional treat of another.

[jenb]

Frank: Mmmmm - real maple syrup!

Joe: Yep - moderation is a goo thing.

Jen

[DanG]

Oh, I didn't realize you based your scientific study on such a huge sample size of one person. Billions of people eat food with "chemical" substances and don't suffer any adverse effect from that. Millions of people eat sugar and lose limbs, kidneys, vision, etc. But if you know ONE diabetic that eats sugar and doesn't have problems then it makes perfect logical sense to demonize sugar substitutes.

Well, I say, pot kettle black.
I cited my experience, my experience based on what others have written, so I follow - that citation does not a study make. However, you assert a study of billions? - I call your bluff :D

The issue has been better defined by other participants in this thread - amount and frequency of use is the important factor. I do not drink soda, but when I do want to enjoy a cup, it will be with sugar. If you are going to eat sweet - enjoy something that your body can use to a beneficial purpose, such as provide energy for growth - but only with the proper balance of insulin. And that opinion is directed at Nic who started this thread.

Obviously many persons prefer chemical sweets - so be it. That does not make sense to me - but we make choices. Butter for me, not margarine. Sugar for me, not HFCS or chemical sweeteners. I do not trust any mega-corporation that sells stuff that someday may prove to not be beneficial for health. Sure - I live in a cave. Sure - I'm wacko. That's fine. I have good company.

Now, as to studies. Note - this guy wrote this (context unknown, but it is quite stand alone, really) a millenia ago. This does not relate to the "studies" I cite (did I?) nor the "studies" Grunch cited (did he?) - but it does constitute a caution for each of us. Be careful. Cover your sugar snacks with a bit of insulin, to be safe.

"If anybody tells you in order to support his opinion that he is in
possession of proof and evidence and that he saw the thing with
his own eyes, you have to doubt him, even if he is an authority
accepted by great men, even if he is himself honest and virtuous.
Inquire well into what he wants to prove to you. Do not allow your
senses to be confused by his research and innovations. Think well,
search, examine, and try to understand the ways of nature which
he claims to know. Do not allow yourself to be influenced by the
sayings that something is obvious, whether a single man is saying
so or whether it is a common opinion, for the desire of power
leads men to shameful things, particularly in the case of divided
opinions."
-- Moses Maimonides (1135 - 1204), Medical Aphorisms

[Grunch]

Sure - I'm wacko.

This I have no doubt. I'll try to explain how things work.

Some people can't eat sugar because their diabetes doesn't allow it, so they use other sweeteners instead. It's been scientifically proven that high blood sugars can cause a great deal of damage to one's body. Sugar substitutes are considered harmless. Unless you can prove that sugar substitutes are more harmful to those people than sugar itself, your drivel is completely worthless.

[DanG]

...your drivel is completely worthless.

Well, as long as I don't continue this drivel, I might call your friendliness a violation of the friendly clause of the forum rules. You seem a bit... upset. Too bad. Enjoy your chemicals and the consequences which you hope do not happen. I hope success for you and all the others that enjoy chemicals. You might convince me that the bp-invigorate is a good product to ingest... might have to go buy a gallon and sip it down... hmmm...

close this thread - Nic has enough opinions...

[lexdfox]

Surprisingly not at all!

Not to say I'm not keeping healthy, but before I was diagnosed my family and I would eat pretty healthy. I was never really into fast foods, steering clear of places like McFatties etc.

I would say the only major switch I had to make was to diet sodas and cutting out energy drinks all together.

All in all, nothing has really changed for me, I just simply take more if I eat more and take less if I eat less. Simple :)

[dbc]

Does your diabetes change what you eat? Have you completely changed your whole diet because of it?

I'd have to say I've changed quite a lot. For a while I was very strictly lo carb - major shift there :eek: I'd describe myself now as a 'moderate carber' now - less than 100g carb/day.

I'd actually like to eat more carbs, but the D gets in the way :( By which I mean I can achieve my BS targets most of the time with my usual eating plan, but if I increase the carbs a bit I invariably do not get the insulin/carb balance right. It's as though I have one (known, fairly predictable) I:C ratio for moderate carbs, and a different (not well known, very variable) I:C ratio for higher carb loads. And life is just easier if I don't get on that rollercoaster too often.