Diagnosed with diabetes type 1 can be heartbreaking. As from now on, there are endless tasks that you will have to embrace, and they will become a part of your everyday life. Moreover, there are many restrictions about what you can and what you can’t eat, and they can be overwhelming.
There are two types of diabetes—type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 is widespread, where type 1 is very rare. There are 5-10% of people with diabetes, which is type 1. But don’t worry because if you just follow some tasks and follow some diet plan, you will be just fine and healthy.
For people who have type 1 diabetes, nutrition, and diet play a huge role in managing their health and blood glucose levels. So in this article, we are going to give you a Type 1 diabetes diet plan that you will surely love. So let’s start with the journey.
Type 1 diabetes diet- everything that you need to know
Now many of you can think that what’s so unusual about this diet will be! But don’t worry cause we got you covered. After you finish this article, you will know precisely what food will control your diabetes and will help you to stay healthy.
As we all know that when we have type 1 diabetes out, the pancreas stops making insulin or makes a minimal amount of insulin. Insulin helps blood sugar to enter the cells of your body. So if your body doesn’t get insulin, then blood sugar can’t enter the cell, and they build up in the bloodstream.
So if your body has high blood sugar, it will damage your body and will cause many complications of diabetes. But don’t worry because we are going to make this diet on three nutrients at first. So let’s look at them.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates provide us with energy, but how? When we intake carbohydrates, they break into glucose, which gets absorbed by our bloodstream. And that’s how our glucose level gets high. They can be found in many different foods, and it provides us with fiber, minerals, and most essential vitamins.
Now you know why it’s important but how much you should eat. It’s crucial that you maintain how much carbohydrate you intake as some will act faster than others on increasing your blood sugar level. If you are experiencing a low sugar level, then you can absorb carbohydrates, which will increase your sugar level.
So even if you have type 1 diabetes, you can eat rice, wheat, vegetables, oatmeal, and fruits. Vitamin and fiber-based food are best for your health as it helps to control blood glucose. However, don’t think that if you avoid this food, then you will be healthy, you need to eat these types of food but not too much.
Protein
Protein is another essential food that helps our body to grow and repair any damages. When we consume, protein is broken down into amino acids so they can be absorbed. However, they do not break down to glucose, so you can consume protein foods without thinking that it might increase your blood glucose.
Here are a couple of foods that have protein in them.
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- Eggs
- Nuts and seeds
- Meats
- Fish
- Cheese
- Milk and yogurt
Milk and yogurt have protein and carbohydrates too. Because of that, if you take too much milk or yogurt, you will end up with high blood glucose levels. Protein is a very healthy food nutrient, but if you consume too much protein food, it will damage your body also, making the sugar level worse.
So the main point is that even if you fill your stomach with a protein-based food, it won’t increase your blood glucose level, but it will increase your risk of heart disease. Also, high protein food worsens your kidney function, which can lead to kidney failure. So think about how much you should consume.
Fat
When we move our body, walk, or swim, we need energy. Fats provide our body with energy. When we consume fat, it breaks into fatty acid, which is an essential part of our body. They help our body to provide insulation and store energy. However, luckily fat does not breakdown into glucose. So if you consume fat, it will not increase your blood glucose level.
Here are a couple of foods for your diet which has fat in them.
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- Avocado
- Nuts and seeds
- Butter
- Cream
- Oil and margarine
- Fried food
- Cake and pastry
So just like every other food, you need to control how much fat you eat daily. Because if you consume too much fat, it will introduce various problems. If you consume fat from plant sources, then it will actually be beneficial.
You should keep Olive oil and avocado in your daily diet as these foods have many health benefits as a fat-based food. Also, try to avoid cooking oils. However, do not consume too much fat as it will increase your weight and cholesterol in your blood.
Some superfood for Type 1 diabetes
Yes, you heard it right, it won’t give you superhuman strength, but it helps you with your Type 1 diabetes a lot. Moreover, they are beneficial to you, even if you are healthy. You should always try to eat healthy food that will be beneficial for your health.
So now we are going to mention and talk about some of the superfoods that you should eat.
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- Beans – whether you eat Black beans, pinto beans, or kidney beans, They are all enriched with vitamins and minerals like magnesium and potassium. They also contain carbohydrates. So they are great for people who have type 1 diabetes.
- Berries – There are many types of barriers. Blueberries, strawberries, or any other kinds of berries. They are all enriched with antioxidants, vitamins, and fiber. Also, they have Vitamin C, Vitamin K, potassium, and manganese. Moreover, they are an excellent option to satisfy your sweet needs.
- Tomatoes – No matter how you like to eat tomatoes, you are consuming vital nutrients like vitamin C, Vitamin E, potassium, and they are full of lycopene. Tomatoes are a great fruit that can reduce the risk of cardiovascular, which is associated with type 1 diabetes.
- Sweet potatoes – Are you craving some sweet food? Well, wait no more, because the sweet potato is a great and healthy food if you have diabetes. They are packed with Vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, and fiber.
- Walnuts and other nuts or seeds – Walnuts, flaxseeds, or other nuts or seeds all contain magnesium, alpha-linolenic acid, fiber, and omega-three fatty acids. Also, they are an excellent food for getting Vitamin E. folic acid, zinc, and protein. So these are great foods for your health, especially if you have type 1 diabetes.
- Milk and yogurt – When you have diabetes, you need lots of vitamins and many other nutrients to keep you healthy. One of them is Vitamin D, and Milk and yogurt is an excellent source for them.
Foods that you need to avoid
Although you can eat almost anything when you have type 1 diabetes yet, there are a couple of foods that you should avoid or at least have limited consumption. They can increase your blood glucose level very high and very quickly.
So always try to avoid these foods that we are going to mention below.
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- Processed foods
- Added sugar
- Cereals as breakfast
- Juice drinks
- Soda, diet soda
- White bread and rice
- Pasta
- Cakes, pastries, and candies
- Sweet biscuits
- Alcoholic beverages
- Fried food
Final words
There is nothing called a primary type 1 diabetes diet. You can eat everything if you just follow the right amount of consumption. Living with diabetes means you have to be extra careful of what you eat and what you do because everything that you do and eat will affect your body.
So always try to eat fresh and healthy food. And maintain your diet plan accurately, which will help you a lot in the long term and will keep you safe. Moreover, there are many foods that will help you to immediately lower the sugar level in terms of emergency.
In the end, we really hope that from now on, you can enjoy your food and maintain your diet very easily if you follow our Type 1 diabetes diet. Good Luck!
