Lowering your carb intake can help you improve your diabetes control, according to a study published in May 2008 in the journal "Nutrition & Metabolism." Participants with type 2 diabetes eating a low-carb diet were able to significantly lower their A1C levels, or average blood sugars, and maintained good control during the 44 months the study lasted. If you have diabetes and wish to start following a low-carb diet, speak with your doctor before getting started to ensure you are monitored closely during the transition and that your medications or insulin are adjusted in a timely manner.
Your Carbohydrate Intake
Most low-carb diets contain less than 20 g and up to 150 g of carbs a day. You will have to determine your personal carbohydrate target by trial and error. Monitor your blood sugar levels before and after a meal to see how your carb intake influences your blood sugar levels and adjust your carbs until your blood sugar levels improve. Endocrinologist Surender K. Arora supports the use of low-carb diets in the management of diabetes but recommends not going lower than 30 g of carbohydrates a day, as explained in his paper published in the July 2005 issue of "Nutrition & Metabolism."
Breakfast
To keep your carb intake low, keep your servings of carbohydrate-rich foods low, especially foods like breakfast cereals, oatmeal, granola, bread, muffins, pancakes, fruits, milk, yogurt, sugar, syrup and jam. Try to include non-starchy vegetables to get fiber. Get your protein from eggs, cheese, smoked salmon, sausages or deli meat. Use healthy fats, such as olive or canola oil, for cooking your breakfast.
Lunch
For your lunch, try avoiding sandwiches, paninis, subs and other carbohydrate-rich lunch options. Have a large salad, prepared with plenty of non-starchy vegetables as the base of your meal. Accompany your salad with protein, such as tuna, chicken, slices of lean beef or cheese. Drizzle your salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar or use a low-carb commercially-prepared dressing. If you get bored with salads, you can also prepare low-carb wraps using lettuce leaves or low-carb tortillas.
Dinner
At dinner time, the typical sources of carbohydrates are potatoes --- whether they are baked, mashed or fried --- rice and pasta. Stay away from these foods or considerably limit your serving size. For dinner, you can serve any protein, such as a salmon fillet, lean ground beef, turkey or pork, with generous amounts of non-starchy vegetables. Drizzle your vegetables with olive oil or add a few slices of avocado to get your healthy fats. You can also serve your usual spaghetti sauce over spaghetti squash or prepare a pizza on a low-carb tortilla.
References
- "Nutrition & Metabolism"; Low-Carbohydrate Diet in Type 2 Diabetes: Stable Improvement of Bodyweight and Glycemic Control During 44 Months Follow-Up; Jörgen V Nielsen and Eva A. Joensson; May 2008
- "Nutrition & Metabolism"; The Case for Low Carbohydrate Diets in Diabetes Management; Surender K. Arora, et al.; July 2005
- USDA National Nutrient Database: Nutrient Data Laboratory
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