Is being a diabetic making it difficult for you to have a complete meal? Is not knowing which foods to consume and which foods to eliminate giving you anxiety? Although diabetes is a chronic disease, maintaining good blood sugar levels can greatly reduce the risk of complications; the way to achieve which is through a low carb diet. According to the American Diabetes Association, many studies support low carb diets for the treatment of diabetes. In fact, before the discovery of insulin in 1921, low carb diets were considered standard treatment for people with diabetes!
What should be the ideal carb intake for a person with diabetes?
According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), there cannot be a ‘One-size-fits-all’ diet for everyone with diabetes. But since carbs elevate more blood sugar than any other foods it can easily cause a spike in blood glucose for people with type 1 diabetes hence, a low-carb diet is considered helpful for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
What accounts for a low-carb?
According to Nutrition & Metabolism, a research study in 2008 used the following brackets to categorize daily carbohydrate intake:
- Moderate carbohydrate: 130 to 225g of carbs
- Low carbohydrate: under 130g of carbs
- Very-low carbohydrate: under 30g of carbs
Simply speaking, the lower your carbohydrate intake, the more likely you are to lose weight and the lower your sugar levels as well!
Healthy low carb meal plan for diabetics
Since the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends personalized meal plans for every individual, it is advisable to take into account each person’s dietary preferences, metabolic goals, and also daily calorie intake. Daily calorie intake varies depending on a person’s height, weight, and activity level. Switching up your options from these may make your days a lot less stressful and enjoyable with a whole lot of variety in it!
Breakfast:
Your 1st meal of the day should be filling and have an appeal to it as it lays the foundation for the rest of the day! Choose from hard-boiled eggs, sliced avocados, fiber-rich smoothies with avocado, frozen berries, and a banana, low-fat yogurt, or just eggs and vegetables fried in extra virgin olive oil to make yourself an amazingly delightful breakfast!
Lunch and dinner:
Your lunch or dinner can include baked or grilled chicken, cauliflower rice with vegetables and tofu, salmon, salad with toasted nuts, zucchini noodles, chicken stuffed with vegetables and cheese, whole-grain pasta with vegetables or fish, tuna, spaghetti squash stuffed with vegetables. Having a variety can make your meals more enjoyable helping you develop a list of tasty low-carb options.
Snacks:
You can always add in some quick bites that you can snack on during the day like nuts, fruit, hummus and vegetables, string cheese, beef jerky, dark chocolate, kale chips, apples, peanut butter, and sardines.
People embracing a low carb diet can sometimes struggle to maintain a low-carb diet in the long term, also eating a low-carb diet may cause some people to feel hungry, moody, or have trouble concentrating. Ergo it is always recommended to consult a doctor or a dietitian before trying any new diet plan.
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