What is diabetes, and what role does food play?
With diabetes, the body can’t effectively process carbohydrates.
Normally, when you eat carbs, they’re broken down into small units of glucose, which end up as blood sugar.
When blood sugar levels go up, the pancreas responds by producing the hormone insulin. This hormone allows blood sugar to enter cells.
In people without diabetes, blood sugar levels remain within a narrow range throughout the day. For those who have diabetes, however, this system doesn’t work in the same way.
This is a big problem, because having both too high and too low blood sugar levels can cause severe harm.
There are several types of diabetes, but the two most common ones are type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Both of these conditions can occur at any age.
In type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune process destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. People with diabetes take insulin several times a day to ensure that glucose gets into the cells and stays at a healthy level in the bloodstream .
In type 2 diabetes, the beta cells at first produce enough insulin, but the body’s cells are resistant to its action, so blood sugar remains high. To compensate, the pancreas produces more insulin, attempting to bring blood sugar down.
Over time, the beta cells lose their ability to produce enough insulin.
Of the three macronutrients — protein, carbs, and fat — carbs have the greatest impact on blood sugar management. This is because the body breaks them down into glucose.
Therefore, people with diabetes may need to take large doses of insulin, medication, or both when they eat a lot of carbohydrates.
Can very low carb diets help manage diabetes?
Many studies support low carb diets for the treatment of diabetes.
In fact, before the discovery of insulin in 1921, very low carb diets were considered standard treatment for people with diabetes.
What’s more, low carb diets seem to work well in the long term when people stick to them.
In one study, people with type 2 diabetes ate a low carb diet for 6 months. Their diabetes remained well managed more than 3 years later if they stuck to the diet .
Similarly, when people with type 1 diabetes followed a carb-restricted diet, those who followed the diet saw a significant improvement in blood sugar levels over a 4-year period.
What’s the optimal carb intake for people with diabetes?
The ideal carb intake for people living with diabetes is a somewhat controversial topic, even among those who support carb restriction.
Many studies found dramatic improvements in blood sugar levels, body weight, and other markers when carbs were restricted to 20 grams per day.
However, other research shows that more moderate carb restriction, such as 70–90 grams of total carbs, or 20% of calories from carbs, is also effective.
The optimal amount of carbs may also vary by individual, since everyone has a unique response to carbs.
As long as your blood sugar remains below 140 mg/dL (8 mmol/L), the point at which damage to nerves can occur, you can consume 6 grams, 10 grams, or 25 grams of carbs per meal on a low carb diet.
It all depends on your personal tolerance. Just remember that the general rule is the less carbs you eat, the less your blood sugar will rise.
And, rather than eliminating all carbs, a healthy low carb diet should actually include nutrient-dense, high fiber carb sources, like vegetables, berries, nuts, and seeds.
Foods to eat
You can eat the following low carb foods until you’re full. Also make sure to get enough protein at each meal:
Foods to avoid
These foods are high in carbohydrates and can significantly raise blood sugar levels in people with diabetes:
