Against the Grain

Type 1 diabetes is not caused by a poor diet or lifestyle choices. It is an autoimmune condition caused by what endocrinologist believe is a triad of genetics, an attack on a particular set of cells, and unknown environmental factors. Clear as mud when you are a parent desperately looking for an answer and a cure, especially as a parent with no family history. The truth is that most conventional doctors will tell you that autoimmune are fuzzy science at this point.  Then go to a Naturopathic Doctor and they will give you are whole regimen to follow to get autoimmune under control or at least reduce the flair ups.  The knowledge of autoimmune conditions is growing and our hope is that the mainstream/conventional doctors will soon catch up and stop looking at those of us who choose to treat bodies as a whole instead of individual parts as crazy or lacking information.  The truth is there has been tremendous anecdotal evidence to support the claims that our family is currently using to help us better manage Type 1 Diabetes.  (And I know, tell me again that you want a peer-reviewed scientific journal-that anecdotal evidence is not sufficient).  If you aren’t looking for a better way to manage your diet and insulin intake then you probably want to stop reading here.  If you want to tear apart what we are doing without asking more questions and being willing to try it, just don’t.  I am sharing our journey to help those who want to be helped.  

Imagine being rushed into an emergency room bed and the first endocrinologist you meet holds up her hand and says your child can never have 3 things, maple syrup, honey, and soda. Now if you are reading this you are either my sympathetic family and friends or you or a loved one has been diagnosed and you have your own crazy hospital story. I lead with this story because that 1st piece of information I received from someone who was suppose to be educating our family on this new journey was 100% false. So the maple syrup thing stuck on me, because our family are maple syrup producers and the doctor said NOTHING about other sugars that line every single processed food in America.  This was completely confusing to hear as we sat there with a new life altering diagnosis. We have been on other food journeys before with our children (adhd and asthma related food elimination) and my husband is an athletic trainer so we knew that our daughter’s body would not process all carbohydrates the same.  We deduced quickly that these new math games they were trying to educate us on of counting carbs and dosing insulin were going to be tricky, but we had no idea quite how tricky it was going to be.  Fast forward to getting home and navigating this new journey of counting carbohydrates.  Every single night setting alarms to wake every three hours to check blood sugars and readjust meds and sugars was a nightmare.  I would keep calling into the clinic to report that she was dropping constantly and we were having to give her record amounts of juice boxes overnight.  Being on edge like that you run on adrenaline, knowing that  it’s life or death if you screw up the insulin or don’t check a blood sugar at 3 am.  And sometimes we would have to wait out rising blood sugars because the insulin just didn’t work, only to have her go low 3 hours later. It was unbearable.  

Before our diagnosis, I had scheduled an appointment with a Naturopathic Hospital a few towns over because I knew something was wrong with my 5 year old but was reassured by her pediatric nurse that it was probably a growth spurt or constipation. I knew it wasn’t and I should have asked for more testing then and there. (Hindsight)  Fast forward 3 weeks and we were in the ER with Diabetes.  About a week after getting the diagnosis I had the appointment previously scheduled with the Naturopathic Clinic.  I figured why bother going to this appointment fearing that they would just tell me the same thing the endocrinologist told me and say that they couldn’t help.  To my surprise there was a T1D doctor on staff that a friend connected me with.  He verified some of the things I was already thinking and gave me the resources I needed to pursue a low-carbohydrate diet with Fish Oil, Collagen, and Vitamin D supplements for my child.  I no longer felt like I was going to be rebelling against doctors orders and chastised for going against their advice. (I forgot to mention that the doctors in the hospital definitively said do not restrict her carbohydrates the formula is 40-50 carbs for meals 15-25 for snacks.)  This amount of carbohydrates and the unpredictability of her body and it’s reception of insulin is really nerve-wrecking.  For some they call it the new normal.  Everyone kept telling us we would get the hang of it.  But the thing is we couldn’t, no matter what numbers we counted and followed the formulas it just wasn’t working.  Until I started following what the Naturopathic doctor said.  We took our daughter off dairy milk (this coming from a girl who grew up on a farm) and gave her coconut and almond milk as an alternative.  We stopped giving her regular yogurt and switched it for Greek style plain yogurt mixed with cinnamon (less than 1 tsp of maple syrup or honey), now we have her down to just using cinnamon and a small amount fruit.  We switched to high protein breakfast meals and she can have maple syrup, in a limited amount.  You see remember when I told you the doctor told me she couldn’t have maple syrup.  Well the truth is you can’t have a lot of maple syrup.  And the way the body processes it is fast.  So 1 tsp. Of pure maple syrup is 5g carbohydrates pair that with a high protein waffle or pancakes and her bcg numbers are way better than a traditional breakfast of 40-50g of carbohydrates we were giving her with things like toast and jam or cereal and milk and fruit.  For dinner she will have a protein and a vegetable side.  For snacks there are so many options.  Her favorite things to brag about are low-carb cakes and pancakes.  I can tell you that since going to the naturopath we have waffled back and forth. In the beginning, I often was just not prepared with a low carb option.  The more frequently we experience what I call “the crazy train” of carbohydrates and the more frequently we have stable blood sugars from low-carb options the more confident I am learning that the best thing for my daughter’s health is to always have a low-carb option ready for her.  She does not feel deprived.  She has learned that if candy is offered she can put it in her treatment bag in the event she drops low.  

Remember, a low-carb diet will not cure Type 1 Diabetes, but each day we will continue to pray that someone finds a cure. Until a cure is found we will pursue foods that’s are low glycemic, healthy, and low-carb, most of these options being grain-free.  Thankfully there are so many options to help you make these choices and even though you might be going against the grain, there are many communities in which you can find support and help as you navigate this journey.  You may even be one of the lucky few who has an endocrinologist that supports you on a Paleo plan or low-carb plan. 

I will be posting again soon with a handy list of all of our favorite low-carb recipe blogs!

**This article is not medical advice, please consult your our doctors and seek out advice from a Naturopathic practitioner with direct experience in Type 1 Diabetes.