For religious, spiritual, or personal reasons, many people try fasting. Here are some tips for managing type 1 diabetes while fasting.
As an ancient method of self-healing, fasting is becoming increasingly popular. The reasons for this decision?
Numerous benefits are attributed to it: Recovery of the digestive system, elimination of toxins, cleansing of the body, and many other amazing benefits.
So what kind of fasting can be combined with diabetes? What are the risks to be aware of?
Different types of fasting
Generally, intermittent fasting is to abstain from food for a limited time (a few hours to a few days) while continuing to consume calorie-free beverages (water, tea, and coffee without sugar)
The fasting period begins from the 6 hours after the last meal. You are already fasting without knowing it by sleeping at night!
In general, there are three main types of fasting:
- Alternative fasting: consisting of days of unrestricted food intake and fasting days, once or several times a week.
- Modified fasting: also called 5:2 fasting, is practiced two days a week for a period of 12 to 24 hours. The main goal is to reduce caloric intake by about 25{23a935e40810e147a9f2406802bc54b2b4fd42064446c8b6538bcc40c333c187}.
- Fasting: perhaps the best known of all intermittent fasts, this is a method of concentrating all food intake at a single point in the day. The 16/8 diet, which is especially popular with athletes, is equivalent to 16 hours of daily fasting.
- Carbohydrate fasting: mainly carried out in the hospital, it allows to determine precisely the daily insulin needs of the person. It’s an essential step in learning functional insulin therapy for people with insulin-dependent diabetes.
What foods are suitable for breaking the fast?
Each person has his or her metabolism. A bit complex to control blood sugar! Avoiding snacks between meals, providing plenty of unsweetened drinks, and closely monitoring blood sugar levels can still help you enjoy these moments of conviviality while limiting the risks.
Overall, it is advisable to:
- Focus on healthy cooking.
- Eat a balanced diet.
- Add legumes and complex carbohydrates to your diet.
Cautions:
Fasting is compatible with type 1 diabetes, but it is essential to seek advice in advance from your diabetologist and determine the best strategy.
It is strongly recommended to increase blood glucose monitoring to identify risks. Mainly:
- Hypoglycemia
- Hyperglycemia
- Ketoacidosis
- Dehydration
Don’t hesitate to stop fasting if blood glucose levels are lower than your doctor has determined or if you experience signs of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia. And remember to keep something sweet handy to treat hypoglycemia.
