Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes, and lifestyle changes constitute the first line of therapy. However, if diet and physical activity are not enough to control your blood sugar levels, your doctor may prescribe different combinations of blood sugar-lowering medications and, ultimately, insulin injection. If you are a Type 2 diabetic using insulin to control your condition, you may be able to reduce or quit insulin, but your success will depend on the severity of your diabetes.
Weight Loss
Many type 2 diabetics are overweight or obese, a common feature of insulin resistance. If you have excess fat, especially around your waist, your body is probably resistant to the action of insulin, meaning you require higher doses to control your blood sugar levels. If this is your situation, then losing 5 to 10 percent of your weight can help decrease this insulin resistance and help you significantly reduce your dosage, according to a paper the Obesity Action Coalition published in 2005. To lose weight at a rate of 1 to 2 lbs. weekly, reduce your daily intake by 500 to 1,000 calories.
Low-Carb Meal Plans
Restricting your carbohydrate intake can help you further optimize your diabetes control and ultimately reduce your need for insulin injection. In a study with obese Type 2 diabetics, participants assigned to a low-carb diet --- provided less than 20 g of carbohydrates a day --- improved their A1C levels, or average blood sugar levels, more than the group following a Mediterranean-style diet, as published in the December 2008 issue of "Nutrition & Metabolism." Moreover, 95.2 percent of the participants in the low-carb group were able to reduce or go off their diabetes medications, compared to 62 percent in the Mediterranean diet group. Although participants were not taking insulin, but oral diabetes medications, a low-carb meal plan can help you improve your diabetes control, as endocrinologist Dr. Surender K. Arora explained in the July 2005 issue of "Nutrition & Metabolism."
Low-Carb Meals
If you want to try to reduce your need for insulin or eliminate it completely, start tracking your carbohydrate intake at each meal and snack. You can use food labels or an online food composition database to estimate the carb content in your servings. A low-carb meal should be based on non-starchy vegetables like leafy greens, mushrooms, broccoli, zucchini and tomatoes; protein, from seafood, fish, poultry, meat, eggs or cheese; and a dose of fat from olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds. Limit your consumption of sugar, grains, potatoes and other carbohydrate-rich foods.
Special Considerations
Before making significant changes to your treatment plan, talk to your doctor. Whether you have lost weight or decide to reduce your carbohydrate intake, you will need help from your diabetes team to make the appropriate adjustments to your insulin dose and other medications. It is also suggested to get some blood work done, before and after your dietary changes, to see how your new diet is affecting your A1C levels, lipid profile and other important health markers.
References
- Obesity Action Coalition; Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes; Joanne Z. Rogers and Christopher D. Still; 2005
- "Nutrition & Metabolism"; The case for low carbohydrate diets in diabetes management; Surender K. Arora, et al.; July 2005
- "Nutrition & Metabolism"; The effect of a low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-glycemic index diet on glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus; Eric C. Westman, et al.; December 2008
