Diabetes and the Fast Metabolism Diet
One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is seeing the effect of improved diet and metabolic repair for my clients with diabetes. It’s common for these clients to see their medications change, and for many of my type 2 clients, some are able to improve their health to the extent that they no longer need medications at all.
If you are currently diabetic and want to start the Fast Metabolism Diet, congratulations! There’s never been a better time to take better control of your health. But because you need to closely monitor and control your blood sugar, there are some adjustments you can make to the diet.
It’s critical that you stay in close touch with your doctor before, during and after the diet so that your medications and dosages can be monitored as you continue.
Suggestions for both type 1 and type 2 diabetics are similar:
Phase 1
Breakfast: Add 10 – 15 grams of protein and a veggie at breakfast. The addition of these will slow the delivery of sugar to your bloodstream from the grains and fruit you also eat during this meal, helping to keep your levels stable. Options include two or three egg whites, or 2 ounces of turkey.
Snacks: For your Phase 1 fruit snacks, choose a low-glycemic fruit like berries, Asian pear. apples or grapefruit. Eat a vegetable along with your fruit, again to help slow the delivery of natural fructose to your bloodstream.
Lunch: Replace your lunchtime grain with a starchy vegetable (like sweet potato) or legumes (like black beans or pinto beans). These will have a lower glycemic load than brown rice. You can also try mung bean pasta, low-carb, gluten-free noodles, instead of brown rice. Depending on your blood sugar response, you can replace your lunch and dinner grain in this way, or just one or the other.
Checking your blood sugar
Along with your normal monitoring, check your blood sugar just before bed, then again in the morning. The values should be the same. But if your blood sugar is higher in the morning, it means your body is accessing sugar from somewhere. To inhibit this, add a protein snack before bed of about 10 grams.
Phase 2
In general, be sure to include lots of lemon and lime in your meals. These fruits are very low in sugar, but they still do have some natural fructose.
If your blood sugar is still low on Phase 2, add a low-glycemic fruit to your lunch. Try grapefruit (unless you are taking statins for high cholesterol), Asian pear or berries.
Be sure to eat plenty of vegetables. Although certainly much lower than fruit and grain, vegetables do contain carbohydrates.
Phase 3
On Phase 3, your fruits are already paired with a vegetable, so don’t skip it — especially with breakfast. The fruits included on Phase 3 are naturally lower in glycemic value.
As on Phase 1, check you blood sugar at bed time, and again when you wake up. If it’s higher in the morning, then add a small protein snack before bed on Phase 3.
Get support
As you lose weight, your insulin resistance can improve, so if you are insulin dependent, keep checking with your doctor, as your dosage may need adjustment.
Check out my Facebook page, where you can ask questions and read comments from others living with diabetes and doing the diet.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is seeing the effect of improved diet and metabolic repair for my clients with diabetes. It’s common for these clients to see their medications change, and for many of my type 2 clients, some are able to improve their health to the extent that they no longer need medications at all.
If you are currently diabetic and want to start the Fast Metabolism Diet, congratulations! There’s never been a better time to take better control of your health. But because you need to closely monitor and control your blood sugar, there are some adjustments you can make to the diet.
It’s critical that you stay in close touch with your doctor before, during and after the diet so that your medications and dosages can be monitored as you continue.
Suggestions for both type 1 and type 2 diabetics are similar:
Phase 1
Breakfast: Add 10 – 15 grams of protein and a veggie at breakfast. The addition of these will slow the delivery of sugar to your bloodstream from the grains and fruit you also eat during this meal, helping to keep your levels stable. Options include two or three egg whites, or 2 ounces of turkey.
Snacks: For your Phase 1 fruit snacks, choose a low-glycemic fruit like berries, Asian pear. apples or grapefruit. Eat a vegetable along with your fruit, again to help slow the delivery of natural fructose to your bloodstream.
Lunch: Replace your lunchtime grain with a starchy vegetable (like sweet potato) or legumes (like black beans or pinto beans). These will have a lower glycemic load than brown rice. You can also try mung bean pasta, low-carb, gluten-free noodles, instead of brown rice. Depending on your blood sugar response, you can replace your lunch and dinner grain in this way, or just one or the other.
Checking your blood sugar
Along with your normal monitoring, check your blood sugar just before bed, then again in the morning. The values should be the same. But if your blood sugar is higher in the morning, it means your body is accessing sugar from somewhere. To inhibit this, add a protein snack before bed of about 10 grams.
Phase 2
In general, be sure to include lots of lemon and lime in your meals. These fruits are very low in sugar, but they still do have some natural fructose.
If your blood sugar is still low on Phase 2, add a low-glycemic fruit to your lunch. Try grapefruit (unless you are taking statins for high cholesterol), Asian pear or berries.
Be sure to eat plenty of vegetables. Although certainly much lower than fruit and grain, vegetables do contain carbohydrates.
Phase 3
On Phase 3, your fruits are already paired with a vegetable, so don’t skip it — especially with breakfast. The fruits included on Phase 3 are naturally lower in glycemic value.
As on Phase 1, check you blood sugar at bed time, and again when you wake up. If it’s higher in the morning, then add a small protein snack before bed on Phase 3.
Get support
As you lose weight, your insulin resistance can improve, so if you are insulin dependent, keep checking with your doctor, as your dosage may need adjustment.
Check out my Facebook page, where you can ask questions and read comments from others living with diabetes and doing the diet.
