3 Comments

  1. tony sangster

    There are more ways to skin this cat. Based on my own reading and experience, not as professional advice or opinion: you cmay still do well and even better with BSLs and less hypos by going low carb. It is a myth that you actually need carbs at all. (Registered US, Canadian, OZ, UK Dietitians saying this) Protein and fat can be converted into ketones and glucose as fuel for your brain and body and keep the liver topped up with glycogen. Low carb high fat diet as it is called in Dr Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution (ebook is easier to obtain but whatever) is his idea, He is a diabetic in USA , engineer and later MD, who has been on insulin for 65 years now. Was suffering protein in urine, gastroparesis , neuropathy and hit on the idea about 38 years ago of lowering his carb intake. Complications reversed over time, HBA1C (from when in use) near 5%. NHS is backing LCHF for T2Ds in its latest Health Plan . Many T1Ds on it in UK and some in OZ (including me, 52 years on insulin) are on it. Easy to stay on diet, fewer hypos, weight great, energy better and BSLs better. Cholesterol, no problem but needs checking (? mainly for docs’ sake).There are dietitians and docs in “LowCarbDownUnder: who back it here. The ADA has finally started to admit that low carbs diets have a place in diabetes management and their CEO, a diabetic herself, is looking to starting it. And there is no appreciable drop in insulin sensitivity. On increasing your carbs did you exercise more? That is usually why TIDs do it, right? So it is the higher carbs or the increased activity influencing your insulin sensitivity.?
    Drawbacks: Soon after commencement -keto ‘flu- the body takes some days to adjust as salt and fluid balances alter and stabilise. Some docs and nurses may not know about iLCHF diets. At start Insulin doses need to be scaled back, easy for boluses (i.e. short-acting insulin, pre-meal) if using carb counting and insulin: carb ratio but some find that they also need to ease back basal (long-acting insulin as well). I was getting low range figures on fasting BSLs.
    In 2015 Dietitians Association of Australia de-registered a Aussie dietitian and then another for prescribing LCHF diet to T2Ds, even though well recognised US MDs backed its use in scientific papers with solid evidence. DAA also tried to get a Aussie doc deregistered for promoting LCHF but failed. Why is this happening? Read ‘Jennifer Elliott vs DAA’ for full account. DAA is sponsored in part by Big Food. Yeah that massive organisation who push breakfast cereals, and other carbs. No declaration of conflict from DAA but hard line, hi carb mantra. Yes, we have all been sucked in.
    Of course nobody can say every TID needs to be on LCHF diet but Bernstein ‘s idea has stood the test of time.
    Some on-diabetic athletes are on a keto diet because it is used to help manage their epilepsy, so again do you really need hi carbs ? Have you been conned by Big Food, advertising etc?
    Maybe if you are an Olympic standard athlete but think about how many of them there are??

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