Fat

Learning to Fuel My Body with Type 1 Diabetes.

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Trying to stick to a diet of 8,000 kilojoules a day is hard work.

I know that when I do eat enough to sufficiently fuel my very active body, I don’t feel lousy, exhale air or yawn half as often as I’m used to. I have more energy, focus and enthusiasm to pour into my day. In fact, I’m so focussed on getting those kilojoules into my body that I don’t think think about chocolate or even coffee half as often (no, I am not kidding).

I also know that this 8,000 kilojoules a day business is hard work (have I said that already?). Organising meals and snacks takes time out of my day, even though I am more than capable in the kitchen. It’s been very easy for me to slip back into my old habits of existing on rabbit food until dinner time when I haven’t organised myself in the mornings.

I embarked on this new eating-to-fuel-my-body kick at the end of February, rebounded for some part of March after I got sick and the Cadbury Choc Chip Hot Cross Buns kicked in, and am only just getting back on track in the past week or so.

I first learned about eating to meet my daily energy needs after reading The CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet and The CSIRO Low Carb Diet last year. Despite it all making perfect sense, putting kilojoule counting into practice on top of carb counting, checking blood sugars and all of those other diabetes tasks felt extremely overwhelming. Thankfully, the smartphone app My Fitness Pal made tracking my kilojoule intake really easy.

The biggest change since I’ve began eating more is increased insulin sensitivity. Which I guess is a good thing, right? It started with unusually easy to manage blood sugars in the evenings after dinner. I would then wake up low during the night, have a glucose tab or two, only to wake up low again a few hours later. Fun times, right?

I’ve dropped my basal rates by about 10% overall, and so far, so good. My biggest challenge is continuing to eat this way so that I can maintain the same sensitivity to insulin.

I’m not really focussed on skewing a particular way with protein, fat or carbohydrate, but do find myself eating more protein than I was before. At the moment I’m honestly just focussing on eating enough, eating well and getting a balance of everything in there.

I find myself eating more significant meals for breakfast and lunch, rather than a slice of toast or a toasted ham and cheese sandwich. Like this amazing Sunday roast of pistachio stuffed chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto that has doubled as Monday lunch.

I embarked on this way of eating for more physical reasons, but the benefits seem to have extended into my diabetes as well.

I have more energy and focus in the short term, and I’m hoping that this will only replicate further in the long run (if I can keep it up!). The increased insulin sensitivity is making blood sugar levels much easier to manage. In the past I’d correct stubborn highs with little or no effect, and override the suggested correction on my pump with a larger bolus. Now, a correction seems far more effective than before.

I get that balancing food and blood sugar levels is no easy feat, but I don’t think I ever truly appreciated just why it is so important to eat.

Food, Glorious Food

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Last night’s OzDOC chat on food was engrossing enough to draw my attention away from the first ten minutes of Australian Survivor, so I’m elaborating on it today.

The dietary advice I first received after my diabetes diagnosis was to eat low fat, high fibre foods that were digested slowly. I was taught to count carbohydrates by my diabetes educator, which eventually faded into regular guesstimates while I was on insulin injections.


I think the most bizarre thing is this idea that we have to eat to avoid going low, rather than adjust insulin! I also hear it from healthcare professionals, and it’s often referenced in diabetes books and magazines. I sometimes wonder if they’re just trying to cover their backs! 

I relied on this advice heavily in the beginning. I religiously sought out foods that were low in fat and had a low glycemic index ranking, regardless of their nutritional value or carbohydrate load. I continued to eat a lot of processed foods that were seemingly healthy – cereals, juices, yoghurts, canned fruit, brown bread, muesli bars – and ridden with hidden sugar! I often remember testing my blood sugar at uni after breakfast, unable to make the connection between a level of 17 and the foods I was eating.

Since I began connecting with other people with diabetes, I’ve read a wide variety of stories and perspectives on food choices. I’ve certainly drawn inspiration here and there, but I don’t really feel that I’ve taken dietary advice from any one source in particular. Ultimately it’s about finding an approach that will make me happy, while achieving the BGLs that I aim for regularly.

In the beginning, I definitely used to shy away from foods that weren’t blood sugar friendly. And when I did eventually cave in and eat them, I would feel super guilty for the numbers that followed. One of my biggest shifts in the past year or so has been having more confidence in working my way around the foods that I want to eat. Carb counting and pre bolusing insulin have been my best assets in these past couple of months. I learn from experience. Over time, I’ve gained a pretty good idea of what effect certain foods will have on my blood sugar levels and how I can work my way around them.

Another big shift has been changing some of my old habits around food. Cutting the sugar out of my coffee and tea was one of the hardest, but most worthwhile ones. Ditto for sugary drinks. I don’t feel so guilty for my three coffees a day anymore! Afternoon snacking still remains my weakness, but I am trying to be a little more prepared these days rather than going back and forth from the cupboard and fridge. I still do eat carbohydrates, but in a lot more moderation and balance than I once did. I don’t shy away from higher fat foods either, especially for nutritional value such as iron or protein.

I still do eat chocolate. And cannoli. And donuts. When I go out for meals, I usually give it my best guess, regularly test and try to enjoy myself.

There’s no right or wrong approach when it comes to diabetes and food. But I know that this food approach is the right one for me at the moment, because it makes me happy and I can achieve the BGLs that I aim for regularly.

First they Bagged Fat. Then Sugar. Now Carbs.

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I’m going to go on a bit of a rant today. If you don’t agree with this, I completely respect that. We are all different and have different things that work and don’t work with our diabetes. This is only my humble opinion.

Years ago, the experts were bagging fat. So people stopped eating dairy and everyone hopped on the “low fat” bandwagon. Then people started developing osteoporosis and joint pains from a lack of calcium. People began to put on weight and we discovered that the fat in low fat products was replaced with sugar (thanks, That Sugar Film). So although they’ve done a complete backflip on fat, something else has to replace it in the firing line, right?

Carbs. Yes, now it seems to be the carbohydrates coming under attack. The biggest indicator of this was the changes made to the Food Pyramid last week (click here to read more). Foods like breads, cereals and pastas were demoted to the ‘moderate’ section of the pyramid, despite previously being deemed healthy.

And to a lesser degree, Fruit. Now I have to hear things like “don’t eat more than 2 pieces of fruit per day” on the news. And why? Because apparently fruit has too much sugar in it. Natural sugar, no less.

And while I’m at it, all those caveman style diets – tell me, how long did the caveman actually used to live back in those days?

And all these allergies we seem to have today – I reckon half the problem is children not being exposed to enough of a variety in their diet.

And the liquid diets – please tell me, how do you not go hungry?

My point being, the experts can never seem to get it right. And I’m sick of being told what I can and can’t eat. Believe me, in a few years they’ll be telling us to eat junk food!

Yes, I am conscious of the sugar, fat and carbohydrate content when making my food choices. But I’ve never tried to cut any of them out completely. And for me, its not realistic. I know myself. I might be able to do it for a few days, maybe a week. And then I’ll just end up falling off of the wagon and binge eating again.

So, you want to know what’s my secret? Everything in moderation. Good knowledge of the foods I eat and their response on my blood sugar levels. Knowing how to respond with insulin. Having a treat every once in a while. Enjoying that restaurant meal. And trying my very best to eat healthy for the rest of the time.

Because if there’s one thing that diabetes will not stop me from doing, its enjoying my food.