Some low carb and no sugar ideas.

[KetoH]

Give it a try. It is not carb-free, but sugar-free. You can also use low-GI flour (wholegrain). Search Amazon for cooking sweeteners (for example) and start your journey today. Diabetes, strange as it might sound to you, was one of the best things that happened to me. Now I live a healthier lifestyle and I feel great!

 

[Inka]

Welcome @KetoH I definitely wouldn’t agree about Type 1 being a good thing to happen to me. It’s a complete pain. Are you on MDI or a pump? How long have you had Type 1? Cake-wise I just have moderate portions of normal cake. I try to avoid sweeteners and would rather have a small amount of sugar.

 

[KetoH]

Welcome @KetoH I definitely wouldn’t agree about Type 1 being a good thing to happen to me. It’s a complete pain. Are you on MDI or a pump? How long have you had Type 1? Cake-wise I just have moderate portions of normal cake. I try to avoid sweeteners and would rather have a small amount of sugar.

Where should I start …. I’m one of these people that used to live with snickers bars, sandwiches and tons of coffee. The healthier lifestyle was forced into me. It’s still a pain, as I LOVE the smell and the taste of fresh bread. 13 years later I cook on daily basis, I eat wholesome food and I take informed decisions about my diet.
What it seems to be your approach is to reduce the amount of sugar, stay on carbs (45-50% of nutrition intake) and dose insulin accordingly. This is exactly what my endocrinologist used to advise me for years (in line with the NHS guidelines), but I was adamant. It just doesn’t seem right…. The outcome- I am on detemir insulin 16 units/day (should have exceeded this amount over 10 years ago, according to the predictions) and when I go for my visit the dietitian and the endocrinologist are not giving advices anymore. Instead, they ask me what I do and are taking notes.
I find all sweeteners to be very useful, as they allow me to enjoy baking again. Unfortunately, carbohydrates are a different type of sugar and have to stay vigilant… I find the cyclamate-based to be the best tasting and thermally stable. Nowadays, I experiment with stevia - it’s natural, but much more tricky to handle.
Tell me your thoughts.

 

[Inka]

My thoughts are that it’s not necessary to eat a keto-type diet to control Type 1. It just swaps one set of problems for another. There is no ‘trick’ to controlling Type 1. I’ve had it almost 30 years and tried all kinds of diets. My basal insulin is less than half what you take…

No, my approach is to eat a normal healthy diet and ‘be my own pancreas’. Over the years I’ve realised that using insulin correctly is the answer not a restrictive diet. That and retaining insulin sensitivity, which a keto diet will affect adversely. Also, I like to remind myself frequently that Type 1 isn’t our only concern. We also need to remember things like heart disease, etc, and to eat in the best way to reduce the risk of that.

Type 1 is an auto-immune condition. It’s easy to try to find a cause or blame yourself, but it’s nothing to do with poor diet. Too many Type 1s have disordered eating and I’m very wary of anything that contributes to that or promotes it.

 

[helli]

Before I was diagnosed with Type 1, I lived a fairly healthy lifestyle - I exercised regularly, I ate a varied diet with no carb binging and I was a healthy weight.
Therefore, my Type 1 diagnosis was no wake up to clean up my life, change my diet, join the gym or any of those things.
I strive on variety - my exercise includes cycling, running, weights, climbing, hiking, ... my diet includes cooking from scratch, trying at least one new thing each week and not having the same breakfast every day, my hobbies are equally varied.
I do this with diabetes rather than regardless or despite or because of diabetes.
Like @Inka, I chose to learn how to use insulin to eat without limiting anything and, whilst doing so, have maintained good control with a HbA1C in the range which is considered to be "pre-diabetic" with time in range of over 80%, a BMI in the healthy range and after more than 17 years, no complications.

Type 1 can be a pain but, equally, I can be stubborn. So I do not let Type 1 take over any part of my life - it is a small fraction of who I am.

 

[KetoH]

It feels so good to see great examples of diabetics here. A big part of my change in philosophy was to listen to my body and never deny anything completely. I play with the quantity... I catch up with fats and proteins to substantiate my diet, without going to ketosis (it seems quite attractive to people, but I stay away - forming of ketones is somehow an alarming sign, in my views). Look at my breakfast this morning:

 

[helli]

Look at my breakfast this morning:

Sorry, I ate my breakfast sourdough crumpet with peanut butter before I had a chance to take a photo 😎

 

[KetoH]

My thoughts are that it’s not necessary to eat a keto-type diet to control Type 1. It just swaps one set of problems for another. There is no ‘trick’ to controlling Type 1. I’ve had it almost 30 years and tried all kinds of diets. My basal insulin is less than half what you take…

No, my approach is to eat a normal healthy diet and ‘be my own pancreas’. Over the years I’ve realised that using insulin correctly is the answer not a restrictive diet. That and retaining insulin sensitivity, which a keto diet will affect adversely. Also, I like to remind myself frequently that Type 1 isn’t our only concern. We also need to remember things like heart disease, etc, and to eat in the best way to reduce the risk of that.

Type 1 is an auto-immune condition. It’s easy to try to find a cause or blame yourself, but it’s nothing to do with poor diet. Too many Type 1s have disordered eating and I’m very wary of anything that contributes to that or promotes it.

@Inka, I would like to know more about 'be my own pancreas'. What do you mean?
I am sorry if I left the impression that I blame myself. There is also a genetic factor to play with diabetes (like with most of the autoimmune conditions). My grandmother was with T1 for most of her life. Regardless diabetes, my diet wasn't healthy at all and consequences were due anyway (at least I think so, but who can tell with certainty..).

 

[KetoH]

Sorry, I ate my breakfast sourdough crumpet with peanut butter before I had a chance to take a photo 😎

I have some builders at home and decided that posting the recipe would be something useful to do

 

[Inka]

@Inka, I would like to know more about 'be my own pancreas'. What do you mean?
I am sorry if I left the impression that I blame myself. There is also a genetic factor to play with diabetes (like with most of the autoimmune conditions). My grandmother was with T1 for most of her life. Regardless diabetes, my diet wasn't healthy at all and consequences were due anyway (at least I think so, but who can tell with certainty..).

Type 1 does have a genetic factor for a few people but most people diagnosed with Type 1 don’t have a near relative with it. My consultant said it’s 20% genetic 80% environment (ie virus or whatever). The trigger isn’t poor diet, although it’s possible certain foods may be implicated (eg cows milk).

A poor diet does lead to consequences but Type 1 isn’t one of them. You’re still implying that you got Type 1 because you ate Snickers and the like. I understand that need for a kind of self-blame or to find a ‘reason’ but it’s not correct. When I was very young I took 2 or 3 lumps of sugar out of a bowl and ate them. An old lady saw and said “Don’t do that - you’ll get diabetes”. And some years later I did get diabetes but the two things aren’t connected in the slightest. Yet even knowing that, it did come into my head when I was first diagnosed - like I’d brought it on myself somehow. But I didn’t - and neither did you.

Like @helli , my diet was very healthy when I got Type 1. That upset me at first - until it was explained to me that it was nothing to do with diet.

By ‘be my own pancreas’, I simply mean do the job my insulin-producing cells would do if my immune system hadn’t killed most of them off. That is - try to make sure my basal insulin keeps my blood sugar in range in the absence of food, and bolus appropriately for the food I eat, which includes calculating the right amount of insulin and injecting it at the right time.

So, I choose what I believe to be healthy foods and then calculate the insulin I need to cover them, just as my pancreas would do if it was working properly. I also have desserts sometimes and things like chocolate, but I eat no more or no less than I would do if I didn’t have diabetes.

 

[KetoH]

Type 1 does have a genetic factor for a few people but most people diagnosed with Type 1 don’t have a near relative with it. My consultant said it’s 20% genetic 80% environment (ie virus or whatever). The trigger isn’t poor diet, although it’s possible certain foods may be implicated (eg cows milk).

A poor diet does lead to consequences but Type 1 isn’t one of them. You’re still implying that you got Type 1 because you ate Snickers and the like. I understand that need for a kind of self-blame or to find a ‘reason’ but it’s not correct. When I was very young I took 2 or 3 lumps of sugar out of a bowl and ate them. An old lady saw and said “Don’t do that - you’ll get diabetes”. And some years later I did get diabetes but the two things aren’t connected in the slightest. Yet even knowing that, it did come into my head when I was first diagnosed - like I’d brought it on myself somehow. But I didn’t - and neither did you.

Like @helli , my diet was very healthy when I got Type 1. That upset me at first - until it was explained to me that it was nothing to do with diet.

By ‘be my own pancreas’, I simply mean do the job my insulin-producing cells would do if my immune system hadn’t killed most of them off. That is - try to make sure my basal insulin keeps my blood sugar in range in the absence of food, and bolus appropriately for the food I eat, which includes calculating the right amount of insulin and injecting it at the right time.

So, I choose what I believe to be healthy foods and then calculate the insulin I need to cover them, just as my pancreas would do if it was working properly. I also have desserts sometimes and things like chocolate, but I eat no more or no less than I would do if I didn’t have diabetes.

Well, I thought I was clear but let me reiterate it: I don't blame my diet for my T1. But living on sugar, carbs, chocolate and caffeine could have consequences (coronary, vascular, metabolite, digestive, neurological, etc.). I hope the self-blame is not a trigger, that I pulled unintentionally...

Regarding the insulin - I don't take fast-acting insulin and 16 units of the basal once a day is enough.
I guess, in line with what I said earlier (listen to your body), you follow your own regime and have found what works for you. Good luck 🙂

 

[Inka]

Good luck to you too 🙂

 

[diabJim]

Has anyone tried or been able to try monk fruit?

 

[KetoH]

Has anyone tried or been able to try monk fruit?

Never had the chance... sorry. I read about it though, sounds good.