Here’s how a Keto Diet can Lower Blood Sugar Levels for Diabetics
The Diabetes Keto diet has grown in popularity in recent years, making it easier to find keto-friendly foods and recipes. But, while the keto diet is great for weight loss and appetite suppression, how does a keto diet for diabetics work with blood sugar levels?
Keto diet for diabetes can help type 2 diabetics, lose weight, lower blood sugar diabetic levels, and lower A1c levels. There are numerous studies across the globe that have proven the association between keto diet and type 1 diabetes. They all unanimously indicate that the diet can help lower A1c levels in type 1 diabetics.
If you have diabetes, you may be wondering what your diet options are and which diet will be the most beneficial to you and your lifestyle. Here’s what you should know to help improve your blood sugar control and manage your diabetes with keto diet.
What Exactly is a Keto Diet?
This is a diet in which you limit the amount of carbohydrates you consume each day. In general, the diet restricts your carb intake to 20 to 50 grams per day.
That means limiting your intake of grains, milk, and a variety of vegetables and fruits. A medium-sized banana contains approximately 27 grams of carbohydrates, while a medium-sized apple contains approximately 25 grams.
Snack foods like potato chips are also prohibited, so finding healthier snack alternatives is critical. However, diabetic keto diet meal plans are very similar to general ketogenic meal plans.
When you limit your carbohydrate intake, your body enters a metabolic state known as ketosis. Simply put, ketosis is a state in which your blood contains a higher concentration of ketones and your body begins to burn fat for fuel instead of glucose.
A keto diet has a number of health advantages, including loss of weight, improved blood sugar control, low appetite and cravings and reduced calorie intake.
How does Keto Diet Lower Blood Sugar Diabetic Levels?
Several factors contribute to an increase in blood sugar levels, including but not limited to: high carbohydrate consumption, stress, dehydration, sleep deprivation, certain diseases and several medications.
Carbohydrates raise blood sugar levels because they are converted to blood glucose after being broken down.
Normally, the body secretes insulin in response to high blood sugar levels in order to restore normal blood sugar levels. This is a problem for diabetics because the body cannot produce insulin in type 1 diabetes. In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin, and the body’s cells become resistant to insulin’s effects.
As a result, a lower carbohydrate diet (eg: customised diabetic keto diet) often results in better blood sugar control. One should follow low carb diets for a variety of reasons. Aside from weight loss, one of the main reasons is to control blood sugar (glucose) levels. Many of us follow a low-carb diet to keep our blood sugar levels normal and stable. To fully comprehend the relationship between carbohydrate consumption and blood glucose, it is beneficial to first become acquainted with how the body processes blood sugar in a normal state and how the process changes in diabetes.
Understanding Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar
Carbohydrates have an immediate effect on blood glucose levels. All carbohydrate-containing foods, whether juice drinks, jelly beans, or watermelon, are broken down into simple sugars in the body. Even foods that we do not consider to be “sugary” degrade into simple sugars. Most starchy foods’ carbohydrate (such as potatoes and bread) is simply a collection of long chains of glucose that break down into sugar in the body.
Through metabolic processes, these simple sugars are converted into glucose. Our blood glucose levels begin to rise as a result. When this occurs, beta cells in the pancreas detect the increase and release insulin.
Blood Sugar Management with Diabetes Keto
Low carbohydrate diets are effective for some people who need to control their blood sugar levels, but they are not for everyone. Most studies have shown that low-carb diets are an effective type-2 diabetes management strategy for obese patients. Very low carbohydrate intake can help some patients reduce or eliminate their need for medication.
Low-carb programmes, such as the diabetics keto diet, are effective in the short run as well as in the long term. The number of high-quality long-term research done on this diet pattern in recent times demonstrates the benefits of low-carb intake for blood sugar management.
Avoiding certain carbs is a great idea for anyone, regardless of health. Starchy carbohydrates, empty calorie foods, and highly processed foods have little nutritional value. If you replace these foods with more nutritious foods that contain fibre, protein, and healthy fats, you will likely experience a variety of health benefits, including more stable blood sugar levels.
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