Do You Need To Stop Eating Carbs If You Have Diabetes?
You’ve been diagnosed with diabetes, and you’re unsure if you should stop eating carbs to manage your condition.
You’ve tried cutting out carbs and you’ve tried low-carb diets, but you still crave them! Sometimes you may even binge on them in secret which leads to guilt and shame.
What are carbohydrates or “carbs”?
Carbohydrates are a macronutrient that your body requires to survive. In fact, carbohydrates are your body’s preferred source of energy. Carbs are an essential nutrient (note here that they are a nutrient) for all humans and give our cells energy to carry out really important functions in the body. Our brains, organs, and cells all need carbs to live.
When you eat carbohydrates, you begin the process of breaking them down. When carbohydrates are broken down in the body, they turn into a molecule known as “glucose”. After eating, glucose levels in the blood naturally rise. A hormone known as insulin acts as a messenger and allows cells to take in glucose and use it for energy. As cells begin to use glucose, the blood glucose levels return to normal. Carbs are your cell's fuel!
What is diabetes?
There are two different types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which the pancreas can no longer produce insulin and blood glucose levels remain elevated. Without insulin, there’s no way to tell the body’s cells how to use glucose. Because the cells don’t have energy, they become fatigued and can no longer carry out their functions.
Individuals with type 1 diabetes are insulin-dependent, meaning that they require insulin injections or devices to administer insulin. This ensures that cells are still able to utilize glucose in the blood for energy, and this returns blood glucose levels to normal. In type 1 diabetes, you can’t survive without insulin (hence why it’s referred to as insulin-dependent). Type 1 diabetes typically develops in childhood or late adolescence/early adulthood.
Type 2 diabetes is slightly different. This is a condition where the pancreas still has the ability to produce insulin; however, cells are less responsive to it and don’t quite know how to use glucose properly. Cells have a harder time absorbing glucose, and as a result, glucose levels in the blood tend to rise over time.
The type of treatment in type 2 diabetes depends on the severity and progression of the condition. Some individuals take oral medications to make the cell’s more responsive to insulin, and some individuals may rely on insulin such as in the case of type 1 diabaetes.
4 reasons why you shouldn’t cut out carbs if you have diabetes:
1. Limiting carbs can cause hypoglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis.
If you find yourself severely limiting the amount of carbs you eat or cutting out carbs all together, you are at a greater risk for developing a condition known as “hypoglycemia”. Hypoglycemia, known as low blood sugar, is when blood sugar levels drop too low. In diabetes education, they often discuss the negative effects of developing hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), but hypoglycemia is just as dangerous for the body! If the body is in a state of hypoglycemia for too long, it can even result in coma or death.
Signs of hypoglycemia can start relatively quickly and look like this:
Dizziness and weakness
Pale appearance
Excessive hunger
Increased heart rate
Irritability or nervousness
Fatigue or tiredness
Blurred vision
Excessive sweating
The quickest way to raise your blood sugar if you are hypoglycemic is to eat or drink a quick source of carbohydrates!
2. Cutting out carbs puts you at an increased risk for nutrient deficiencies.
Diet-culture has demonized carbs, and has probably made you feel like carbs are bad and that you should avoid them. What diet-culture fails to tell you is that carbs contain a lot of nutrients that are necessary to our survival! Carbs don’t just provide our bodies with a source of energy. Carbs provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and electrolytes. Carbs are even sources of B vitamins and antioxidants! The best way to receive these nutrients is from food sources, and a diet that avoids carbs completely is a diet that lacks important nutrients.
3. Cutting out carbs raises your risk for binging and overeating.
If you try completely cutting out carbohydrates, it’s likely you’ll find that a diet without carbs is unsatisfactory and unsustainable. You eat food for more than just a means to fuel your body. Simply put, food is good. Food is great even! It’s okay, normal, and encouraged to find enjoyment in food, even if it’s a dessert or high-carb containing foods.
If you’re eating a diet that doesn’t satisfy you or you’re restricting carbs, it’s likely that you’ll have some of these experiences:
Intense cravings for snacky foods and desserts
Insatiable appetite, no matter how many “healthy” foods you eat
Experience binging episodes or overeating
Irritability or “hangry” feelings
Cutting out and restricting a type of food (carbs or not) can make your body crave that particular food more. In other words, if you cut out carbs, it’s a perfectly normal reaction for your body to crave carbs more than usual! You may find yourself binging or eating more than you would like to, which can be even more dangerous for your blood sugar levels. Allowing yourself to eat carbs can help prevent binge eating and overeating and keep your blood sugar levels in check.
4. Insulin levels can be adjusted based on carbohydrate consumption.
Just because you have diabetes doesn’t mean you need to avoid carbs completely. You also don’t need to only eat complex carbs. There’s a misconception that those with diabetes have to cut out all simple sugars (like desserts, candy, drinks, etc.) You can have diabetes and still eat simple carb sources!
You can adjust the amount of insulin you take based on the amount of carbs that you consume. Carbohydrate counting or using carbohydrate exchanges are great ways to manage your diabetes and still enjoy the foods that you love! It’s normal for blood sugar levels to fall and rise. In fact, it’s near impossible to maintain blood sugar levels at a specific, narrow range. Even if you have diabetes, there are ways you can still enjoy carbs and manage your diabetes at the same time.
You’ll also love…
Do you need help managing your diet with diabetes? Are you confused about all the info out there about managing diabetes?
If you’re struggling to manage your diabetes and are unsure about how to handle your nutrition, you’re not alone. It can be overwhelming trying to figure out what foods you should or shouldn’t have, but our dietitians at Bravespace Nutrition are here to help! Our unique anti-diet medical nutrition therapy services will help you live a life that supports your health and makes sure you still can eat the foods you enjoy. Our dietitians use evidence-based approaches to help you on your food journey while feeling seen, heard, and supported. To get started today, schedule a free 15-minute discovery phone call.