Diabetes Awareness Month + Low-Carb Lifestyle

Happy Diabetes Awareness Month!

During the month of November, the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund) and the ADA (American Diabetes Association) rally to bring awareness for those who have been diagnosed with diabetes. The movement, T1D Looks Like Me, was created to help show the different aspects of diabetes and how those living with the disease live their lives.

There are a few different types of diabetes and their causes and treatments all vary a little but all still have the same principle behind them; the beta-producing insulin cells in the pancreas and absorption do not function the way they were created to.

|Pancreas|

Organ located in the abdomen behind the stomach which contains islets of Langerhans that secrete the hormone insulin to control blood sugar

|Beta Cells|

Insulin-producing cells in the islets of Langerhans located in the pancreas

Type 1 diabetes: An autoimmune condition when the individual’s body mistakenly destroys the insulin producing cells. The person is now classified as insulin-dependent and must receive insulin in the form of shots or through an insulin pump 24/7. There is currently no cure and is managed by insulin along with proper nutrition and exercise.

Type 2 diabetes: A resistance to insulin in the body. Managed by proper diet, exercise and sometimes with the addition of insulin; can be reversible in some cases.

Gestational diabetes: Is found within pregnant women. There is no clear indication on why some women get this form of diabetes while pregnant but there is a link between the hormones from the placenta that help the baby grow but in the process those hormones also block the insulin action in the mother’s body. 

Other forms of diabetes: These can include LADA (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults), monogenic diabetes, brittle diabetes, wolfram syndrome, chronic pancreatitis-associated diabetes as well as having a total pancreatectomy. Each of these are treated differently and some require insulin along with proper diet and exercise.

Anyone who has diabetes must carefully monitor their nutritional intake, exercise and other aspects of life like stress and major life changes. All of these factors play a direct role in the health of the diabetic. One of the biggest factors is nutrition. A diabetic must meticulously count their carbohydrate intake and accurately dose their insulin according to the amount of carbohydrates they eat during a meal or snack.

|Carbohydrate|

 An organic compound that is found in foods like sugars, starches and cellulose.

Diabetics become very skilled at reading nutritional labels on food packages and Googling carb counts of serving portions for fruits and vegetables. The nutrition labels indicate to the diabetic how much insulin they need to take to cover for their meal or snack. Each diabetic has a different insulin to carbohydrate ratio that is set, monitored and adjusted by their doctor. There are four items a diabetic takes into account when reading a nutrition label: the serving size, the amount of servings in a package, the carbohydrates in grams and then the dietary fiber in grams. The dietary fiber is subtracted from the total carbohydrates to achieve the net grams of carbs; this is what the diabetic bases the insulin dosing off of. The reason the diabetic does not dose insulin for dietary fiber is because although fiber is a form of carbohydrates, the body does not break down the fiber and therefore has no effect on their blood sugar. 

Nutrition is a crucial part in keeping the diabetic alive and having a good quality of life. A low-carbohydrate diet is followed by many diabetics who have plenty of good reasons for following that type of food lifestyle. Low-carbohydrate foods have less effect on blood glucose levels which enables the diabetic to have better control over their glucose levels and minimizes possible errors with insulin dosing and counting carbs.

Being a Type 1 diabetic myself, I tend to follow a lower-carbohydrate diet along with a healthy lifestyle to manage my diabetes. Most of my meals are pre-planned out and prepared so that I will know what the carb count is for that meal. I often use a food scale when measuring out fruit, vegetables or any grains I choose to eat as well as other items that are hard to get an exact measure on; this gives me a better indication of the carb count I am eating.

One of my favorite lower-carbohydrate meals are tacos. Tacos are very versatile and can be made with a few basic ingredients. Turkey and beef tacos are my favorite to make because I can make them for dinner during the week in about 30 minutes and they are always delicious. I normally eat some version of tacos each week because it is so easy to put together.

Here is my tasty taco recipe that I often use:

Shell

Soft white corn tortilla

Or

Bibb Lettuce

Meat

1 Large white onion – medium dice

2 tsp. coconut oil

1 lb. ground turkey or beef + spices (You can use your own mix of spices or a store-bought favorite for extra convenience)

Guacamole

3 large avocados

Half jalapeño – seeded, small dice

Juice 1 lime

3 tbsp. onions, minced

1tbsp. Cilantro, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

Toppings - (optional, but tasty)

Salsa – pre-made or homemade 

Cherry tomatoes

Garnish with cilantro

Shredded Cheese

Directions:

For the meat, first place the coconut oil in a pan on medium heat and add diced onions. Sauté till the onions begin to turn a little brown and then add the ground meat (beef or turkey). Cook until the meat is browned. Then add desired spices.

For the guacamole, first pit and place the avocado meat into a medium sized bowl. Next, mince the onions and cilantro along with removing the seeds from the jalapeño and small dice it as well.

*Tip: If you like extra spicy guacamole, you can keep the seeds in the jalapeño for an extra kick.

Add in the onions, jalapeño along with the salt and pepper and mash until desired consistency. Add in the lime juice and cilantro and chill before serving.

Assemble and enjoy!

Personal variation tip:

If a bibb lettuce wrap is not something that I want to eat, I will sometimes substitute in a soft corn tortilla for my tacos. While this does increase the carb count for the meal, it is still in my range of a meal where I can control my blood sugar.

Living a healthy lifestyle is key for someone with any type of diabetes. A low to lower-carbohydrate food lifestyle can help the diabetic along their journey.