Low Carb Diet for Type 2 Diabetes
We aim to reduce the complications that occur due to high blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, as their bodies convert both sugar and starchy carbohydrates that are eaten into large amounts of sugar. By following a low-carb diet, blood sugar levels can be controlled. These are the most important tips that help in this:
Sugar
You should completely avoid consuming refined sugar.
Cakes and cookies
You should completely avoid eating cakes and biscuits, as they are a mixture of sugar and starches and have no nutritional value, but rather make you feel even hungrier.
Starches
Reduce your intake of starchy carbohydrates, as they are digested into large amounts of sugar. So stay away from the “white stuff” such as bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, biscuits and cereals.
Vegetables
All green vegetables and salads are good so eat as much of them as you can. Turn the white stuff into green so you can have a big, good meal. For example, try replacing pasta or rice with vegetables like broccoli, zucchini, or green beans. You can add mayonnaise, sauces, or spices to them too for a good taste. You can also add mushrooms, tomatoes, and onions.
Fruit
Some tropical fruits such as bananas, oranges, grapes, mangoes, or pineapples contain a lot of sugar and can lead to carbohydrate cravings so it is best to reduce them, while berries, strawberries, apples, and pears can also be eaten.
Healthy proteins
Try to base your meals on chicken or red meat, and avoid eating processed meats such as sausages and salami. Eggs are also a healthy source of protein (three eggs a day maximum), and fish, especially oily fish such as salmon, mackerel and tuna. Full-fat yogurt is also a good breakfast with berries.
healthy fats
Fats should be consumed from healthy sources as they are necessary for the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins such as: vitamins A, D, E and K.
Healthy sources of fat include olive oil and butter, while coconut oil is a healthy choice for French fries. Avoid margarine, corn oil, and vegetable oil, and stay away from “low-fat” foods, which often have added sugar or sweeteners to make them palatable. You can also eat full-fat mayonnaise and pesto.
Cheese
Eat cheese in moderation as it is a high-calorie mixture of fat and protein.
Snacks
Snacks should be avoided, but unsalted nuts such as almonds or walnuts are fine to stave off hunger. Strong dark chocolate is also allowed occasionally in small amounts.
Eating plenty of green vegetables along with protein and healthy fats will keep you feeling full for a longer period of time.
Local
Studies have shown that sweeteners stimulate the mind to feel hungry, which makes losing weight more difficult, so it is preferable to drink tea, coffee or herbal tea without adding sweeteners.
A low-carb diet contains less than 130 grams of carbohydrates per day. How low you need to be depends on many factors. Discuss this with your doctor or dietitian.
Frequently Asked Questions About Cutting Carbs
What can I eat for breakfast?
Try plain, full-fat yogurt with nuts and berries, eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes, or an omelet with cheese.
I have headaches and cramps, is this normal?
For some people, the first few days of “cutting carbs” are difficult. It takes a while for the system to switch to burning fat, it’s a short period and don’t forget to make sure you drink enough water.
Is it normal to feel dizzy when standing up too quickly?
Oddly enough, many people find they need extra salt when on a low-carb diet. Interestingly, this is because insulin makes you retain salt, so cutting out sugar can release the salt you’ve been holding onto for some time. In turn, losing salt can improve your blood pressure.
Some doctors find that their patients are able to reduce their blood pressure medications. For the same reason, some find muscle cramps and weakness a problem. Again, more salt is the cure, and sometimes magnesium supplements help, too.
I am taking my prescribed medication, does that matter?
Yes, this can be important. The most important medication is any medication you take to treat your diabetes. If you lower your blood sugar and also lower your carbs, you may have a problem! The newer SGLT2 inhibitors (such as Dapagliflozin or Empagliflozin) have special problems. You should consult your doctor before making major dietary changes. Although metformin is the most common diabetes medication, it works well with a low-carb approach.
Is constipation likely to occur?
With all the greens in this diet, constipation shouldn’t happen, just check your fluid intake first. Magnesium supplements can really help or you can grind flaxseeds with full fat yogurt and berries.
What about dieting when traveling or at work?
A box of almonds and a piece of 90% dark chocolate can be kept on hand while traveling, and at work you can have pre-cooked eggs with cheese and tomatoes or pre-cooked soup.
What can I drink?
You can drink water with a slice of lemon, or coffee without additives, and avoid latte as every 100 ml of milk is equivalent to about a teaspoon of sugar, and you can drink herbal tea.
Can I have a snack?
Eating a snack can slow down your weight loss as you will go back to burning sugar instead of burning fat. Snacks in general increase hunger, so you should stop eating cookies completely. Replace them with raw carrots and cheese or nuts and a few almonds.
Low-Carb Diet for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes
A person with type 2 diabetes has a problem metabolizing glucose, which means that blood sugar levels after eating a sugary or carbohydrate-rich meal are high, which over time can damage small blood vessels in the eyes, kidneys, and other organs.
So good diabetes control can make a big difference. It makes sense to cut down on foods that contain sugars, starches found in flour, potatoes, rice, breakfast cereals and other grains that give off large amounts of glucose after digestion and therefore give a high glycemic index and (GL).
The most effective way for those with type 2 diabetes to avoid complications from high blood sugar is to avoid sugar itself or high glycemic index carbohydrates. Especially since we can live well on other foods such as green vegetables, protein such as eggs, meat and fish, as well as nuts and healthy fats such as olive oil or even butter. Any weight loss that comes with this diet can help people with diabetes avoid medications altogether and feel healthier.
An important point for those considering a low-carb diet who are already taking diabetes medication is that you should discuss this with your doctor as your medication doses may need to be reduced or stopped altogether. Examples include insulin, gliclazide or newer SGLT2 inhibitors such as dapagliflozin and metformin.
Is it possible to reverse type 2 diabetes?
Yes, although I prefer the term diabetes remission because it reminds us that if we go back to overeating the condition will return. At Norwood, I keep careful records of the results our patients achieve by cutting back on sugar and starchy carbohydrates. Of our patients who choose a low-carb approach, 49% achieve medication-free remission, with an average weight loss of 9.5 kg.
Are there other ways to improve diabetes control?
Yes, any diet that helps you lose weight successfully is likely to be beneficial,
For some people who are obese, bariatric surgery can also be successful. UK NICE guidelines on type 2 diabetes include eating low-glycemic index carbohydrate sources in the diet.
Here's a chart to explain this, based on the glycemic load of portions of different foods. For example, 150 grams of boiled rice would be expected to affect blood glucose levels about the same as ten teaspoons of table sugar (3).
How can eating these carbohydrate foods make you feel hungry?
After carbohydrates are digested, glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream. The body knows that high blood sugar levels are toxic to it, so it responds by producing the hormone insulin from the pancreas.
One of insulin's functions is to cause fat cells in your belly and liver to absorb excess blood glucose to produce fat, or triglycerides. The resulting drop in blood glucose can cause you to feel hungry or "crave carbohydrates," which can lead you to eat carbohydrate-containing foods again and possibly become fatter in the process.
According to many experts on low-carb diets, including Gary Toups and the late Dr. Atkins, the lower insulin levels that result from reduced carbohydrate intake is the main reason low-carb diets work. Type 2 diabetes is a condition of carbohydrate intolerance. More than 33 well-researched scientific studies have shown that this approach works.
By not eating carbohydrates and lowering insulin levels, fat is no longer stored in fat cells and is available to the body for use as an alternative source of energy. In this way, it becomes a "fat burner" which reduces the need to eat.
It is possible for the body to adapt to burning fat (instead of sugar) as its primary fuel over several weeks, and many people who follow a low-carb diet notice that they lose belly fat first.
A low-carb diet is a lifestyle choice, not a diet for a few weeks, because going back to eating carbs of course stimulates insulin levels and obesity again, which worsens diabetes.
Will eating a diet high in healthy fats raise your cholesterol?
Surprisingly, studies on low-carb diets often show the opposite, because much of the fat in the blood is made from carbohydrates by the liver and does not come from eating foods containing healthy fats. Eating healthy fats also increases good HDL cholesterol.
What about blood pressure?
Studies have shown that reducing carbohydrates in the diet can significantly improve blood pressure (5, 6), in part because a low-carb diet and low insulin cause more salt to be lost in the urine.
Finally, remember that there is no one right diet, find out what works best for you. This information is only part of how anyone can decide which diet or lifestyle is best for them. If you are taking prescription medications or have a serious medical condition, we strongly recommend that you consult your doctor before making changes. Lifestyle improvements and weight loss may also significantly improve blood pressure or diabetes control, requiring a reduction in medications.
