If you have Type 1 diabetes, your pancreas is not able to produce insulin and you require daily insulin injections to control your blood sugar levels. Tracking your carbohydrate intake to match your dose of insulin is the best way to keep your blood sugar levels from rising too high or from dropping too low. However, it may be difficult to estimate your carb intake because of the large variations in different foods and serving sizes. Choosing low-carb foods makes carbohydrate counting easier. Low-carbohydrate foods can help reduce your insulin dose and blood sugar fluctuations at the same time. Always consult your doctor before changing your diet or treatment plan.
Protein-Rich Foods
Foods that are rich in animal protein, such as chicken, turkey, seafood, fish, beef and pork, or vegetarian protein, such as tofu and other soy-based products, do not contain carbohydrates. However, if these foods are breaded, marinated or in a sweet sauce, they will contain more carbohydrates. Legumes, such as beans and lentils, are rich in protein but also provide a lot of carbohydrates and therefore do not constitute a good low-carb choice.
Fats and Oils
Fats and oils do not contain any carbohydrates and won't influence your blood sugar levels. Although you're unlikely to eat them on their own, you can add them to other foods or use them for cooking to add calories and fat to a meal. For example, you can add slices of avocado to your morning eggs, drizzle your salad with extra-virgin olive oil, add sesame oil to a stir-fry, a dollop of butter on your broccoli, prepare a cream-based mushroom sauce for your steak or use coconut oil to cook your vegetables.
Nonstarchy Vegetables
Vegetables are a good source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Starchy vegetables, such as potato, sweet potato and corn, contain large amounts of carbohydrates, but nonstarchy vegetables are practically free of carbohydrates, or most of their carbohydrates are in the form of dietary fiber, which does not influence your blood sugar levels. You can include nonstarchy vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, leafy greens, bell peppers and mushrooms, in your Type 1 diabetes meal plan.
Cheese
Cheese is a good low-carb food to have at snack time, on its own, or to add to your meals, whether it is in your scrambled eggs, a salad or on your vegetables. With the exception of cottage and ricotta cheese, which contain about 4 g to 5 g of carbohydrates per 1/2-cup serving, cheeses do not contain carbohydrates.
Nuts
Most nuts, such as almonds, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts and walnuts, have a low carbohydrate content and most of the carbohydrate they contain is fiber, which does not raise blood sugar levels. Although peanuts are a legume and not a nut, they are also low in carbohydrates. Nut butters are also low-carb foods, provided that you select natural nut butter that does not contain added sugar.
