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Low carb way of eating

  • 1.  Low carb way of eating

    Posted 20-11-2020 10:43

    Hi Members,

     

    Given it's food month and I know we have members on the forum who follow a low carb diet, let's discuss it. Do you follow a low carb way of eating? Have you tried it and how did you find it?"

     

    The below link is for Diabetes Australia's position on low carb eating.

     

    https://www.diabetesaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/low-carb-eating-ps.pdf

     

    As always if posting on this thread please be mindful of the below.  

     

    One diet does not fit all: Diabetes Australia urges Australians to discuss individual diets with their healthcare team 

     

    Diabetes is serious and complex in all its forms - type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, gestational diabetes and other variants. The public/media discussion about diabetes should not be dominated by "diets" - this is not helpful. A focus on one particular type of diet is not helpful.

     

    There are 1.7 million Australians with diabetes (all forms) and, for each and every one of them, advice needs to be tailored to their individual needs to help then live well and manage their diabetes. People with diabetes need access to ongoing self-management advice and support from an experienced, multidisciplinary healthcare team. This includes healthy eating, healthy activity and healthy weight and also self-monitoring of blood glucose levels, medication management and much more for optimal management of their diabetes.

     

    The Australian Dietary Guidelines released in 2013 are a very good guide to healthy eating for the entire population. But when it comes to people who are diagnosed with diabetes, or people who may be at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes because they already have impaired glucose tolerance, there is no diet that works for everyone and we should aim to have individualised, tailored advice provided by multidisciplinary, healthcare teams.

     

     

     

    The below are some key points from the position statement.

    Diabetes Australia – Low Carb Position statement key points

     

    Key points

    1. 1. For people with type 2 diabetes, there is reliable evidence that lower carb eating can be safe and useful in lowering average blood glucose levels in the short term (up to 6 months). It can also help reduce body weight and help manage heart disease risk factors such as raised cholesterol and raised blood pressure.
    2. 2. For people with type 1 diabetes, a number of recent studies are reporting benefits of lower carb eating, however these studies are limited in their size and design and do not provide strong evidence of benefit. Diabetes Australia believes high quality, large scale, longer term studies are necessary to further establish the effectiveness and safety of low carb eating for people with type 1 diabetes.
    3. 3. All people with any type of diabetes who wish to follow a low carb diet should do so in consultation with their diabetes healthcare team.
    4. 4. People with diabetes who commence low carb eating should monitor their blood glucose levels and, if necessary, talk to their doctor about the need to adjust their diabetes medication to reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose).
    5. 5,. People with diabetes considering low carb eating are encouraged to seek personalised advice from an Accredited Practising Dietitian experienced in diabetes management. There are some practical considerations that need to be taken into account to ensure the eating plan is safe and enjoyable, provides adequate nutrition for general health, is culturally appropriate and fits into the person's lifestyle.
    6. 6. People with diabetes considering low carb eating should be aware of possible side effects (such as tiredness, headaches and nausea) and seek advice from their health care team if concerned.
    7. 7. Low carb eating may not be safe and is not recommended for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, people at risk of malnutrition, people with kidney or liver failure, or those with a history of disordered eating or some rare metabolic conditions.
    8. 8. People with type 1 diabetes may experience sudden drops in blood glucose levels and be at a higher risk of hypoglycaemia when following a low carb eating plan. They should talk with their diabetes healthcare team before starting low carb eating.
    9. 9.All Australians, including people who choose to follow a low carb eating plan, should be encouraged to eat foods proven to be beneficial to good health. These include whole fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, dairy foods, nuts, legumes, seafood, fresh meat and eggs.
    10. 10.All Australians should be encouraged to limit their intake of foods that are high in energy, carbohydrate or salt, including processed foods such as sugary drinks, chips, cakes, biscuits, pastries and lollies.


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    Live Your Life Community Team
    Natasha and Erin
    membership@diabetesqld.org.au
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  • 2.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 20-11-2020 19:10
    Thank you - that's very useful.  I probably follow a much higher Carb diet than many people who express in this forum.

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    Jock
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  • 3.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 21-11-2020 20:54
    The concept of "low carb" surely requires a definition of what "low" means - is it  measured in terms of a low percentage of your total  calorie (or kilojoule) intake coming from carbs or the number of times you eat carbs each day  or the number of grams of carbs relative to your weight  or activity level or ??  The terms "low" and "high" are descriptive subjective terms unless we have some method of defining them. 

    Am I missing something here? Maybe the term has been defined and I didn't see it?

    But an interesting topic to discuss.

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    Jan
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  • 4.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 27-11-2020 14:12
    I agree Jan.

    It is unclear whether we are talking less than 30gr carbs a day or, for example, less than 60 at a meal.

    We also need to be aware that lowering our carb intake may not suit each individual's response to their diabetes.

    Rochelle




  • 5.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 27-11-2020 15:06
    i think i am missing something here. i do not measure i eat when and how i wish to. there are so many things to think about without worrying about silly things.

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    Janet
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  • 6.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 27-11-2020 17:30
    Janet, I'm the same.  I go by gut feel (pun intended) and experience and tend to graze during the day.  I can often feel my body's response if I am eating too much carbo.  There are so many other factors that affect BGL and I have a wide range of activities from long desk-work to energetic out-door work/activities (and how many nuts that I eat ;-).  I think if I just used the weight of carbo, I would not be successful.   I'm not critical of the carbo counters and trust/believe that the DAFNE  users achieve good results.  I just think it would be too much trouble for me.

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    Jock
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  • 7.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 28-11-2020 00:20
    I agree Jock. Managing diabetes - "adequately" to "well" - is as much an art as a science I think. With so many factors contributing to BGLs, only a very few of which we can "measure", it is not surprising that ups and downs in readings are the norm. I believe after the "learnings" of my 65 + diabetic years, that aiming for a lifestyle with a moderate intake of nutritious largely unprocessed foods, as little junk as possible, plenty of enjoyable physical activity in the fresh air, and access to professional advice when required from someone who respects that ultimately the  decisions about our care must be ours - not "theirs" - is the way to go.  It is still my life - no matter how many experts try to tell me what to do, eat, think, believe.  No one is my carer - except me. Taking responsibility for your own life has enormous physical and psychological advantages. And you will learn so much as you go along. 

    Good luck everyone! And keep smiling.

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    Jan
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  • 8.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 28-11-2020 23:49
    Jan, we seem to have the same philosophy and similar diets.

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    Jock
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  • 9.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 28-11-2020 23:56
    P.S.  I'll still keep a watch on the low carb diets.  From the summary that DQ posted at the top of this thread, the low carb trials haven't been conclusive.  From my science/engineering background, if an effect/hypothesis was strong, it would be evident even in a poorly designed trial.

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    Jock
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  • 10.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 30-11-2020 08:48
    Hi Jan,

    On one of the pages in the statement from Diabetes Australia is this table.

    does this help?



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    Live Your Life Community Team
    Natasha and Erin
    membership@diabetesqld.org.au
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  • 11.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 30-11-2020 11:26
    Thanks for taking the time to provide the info for this clarification of terminology.

    It might be interesting to count carbs and calories to see where I fit.

    But as I am pretty happy with where I am I doubt I will make any changes.

    I love Jan's philosophy/approach. Also, I think that "if it ain't broke don't fix it" is a good way to go.

    Best wishes to everyone for a happy, healthy indulgences, hypo-free Christmas.

    Can't wait for my yearly splurge on cake and pudding - who cares about the carbs. Happy is good 🎄🎉🎊

    Rochelle




  • 12.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 30-11-2020 22:38
    Yes it does. Thank you! I have now read that info! How remiss of me to be asking such a question when it was all there just begging to be read. I certainly would be in the low carb category based on  the grams of carb per day. I haven't tallied up total energy intake  but I think it would be a similar result with that method too. As well as calories from carbs,  the "good oils"  - lots of nuts,  seeds, avocado, oily fish would account for a good few calories in my diet, as well as those from protein plus a little from "fats" (oh no!!!) - meat and cheese (a favourite food I  must admit).

    This has been an interesting discussion. Thank you everyone!

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    Jan
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  • 13.  RE: Low carb way of eating

    Posted 30-11-2020 17:06

    Yep, I'm fairly low carb. Probably average around 75g carb per day. When I got CGM I was gobsmacked to discover just how volatile carbs made my BGs. It was an all day long rollercoaster. I was eating healthy food (for 38 years of T1D) before I reduced carb intake. Lots of veggies etc. But reduced carb is one of the things that helps me feel calm.

    Having said that, I love pasta and rice dishes and never hold back if I feel like eating something. It's more a matter of no longer grazing on things like crackers through the day, having eg a small portion of rice with a stir fry rather than a large serve, that type of thing. But I super relaxed about it.

    I do wish I had known about this approach many years ago when I was desperate and worried about my diabetes. But the medical profession was very negative back in the 1980s. 

    I know people who do really well on all types of diets, but low carb is definitely one of my strategies for BG sanity.



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    Mary Anne
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