The Carb Conscious Life
As we live with type 1 diabetes we become intimately aware of the carbohydrates in our food. How could we not, when what we eat has such a profound impact on our blood sugar and our insulin requirements? So everyone living with type 1 diabetes has no choice but to be carbohydrate conscious. We believe that this is one of the essentials of living well with type 1 diabetes.
Working out how to manage your carbohydrate and insulin intake is one of those core skills. The better you get at it, the easier your life with type 1 will be. But there's no doubt it can be complex. It isn't always easy. And it doesn't help that we don't have perfect information.
Those nutrition panels we rely on for carbohydrate counting are averages, they might be out by 20%! Thats a lot when you're trying to match it to the insulin you need. And let's not even get started on something like a banana, which has no label and changes carb counts when it ripens! It can be a minefield but we know its a minefield that can be navigated. You need the best tools, advice and technology on your side and we've got you covered.
T1 Learning: Learn at your own pace
For those of you starting out on the carb conscious journey, nutrition, carbs and insulin administration is all covered in our Type 1 Essentials Course. Hear from leading clinicians alongside real people living with type 1 diabetes as they walk you through the fundamentals of living well with type 1, at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home.
And when you're ready to move on from the fundamentals to becoming a carb counting ninja, we have your back with our Cyber Carbs online course. Join our superstar Diabetes Educator and Dietitian Amy Rush as she unpacks everything you ever needed to know about carbohydrate counting and adjusting insulin to your chosen foods.
Individual Advice: Getting Personal
Need more support? Have a food that you just cannot make work for you (pizza is our delicious nemesis!). Want a more personalised touch? Our clinical team is here to help.
Everyone who works at the Family Centre has chosen to take a special interest not just in diabetes, but in the unique challenges of type 1 diabetes. We are very lucky to have two diabetes educators who are also dietitians so whatever the dietary challenge you are grappling with, we can help. Find more detail here.
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Having to be carb-conscious and so focused on your food can as part of your diabetes management can sometime be stressful. So, it’s not surprising that people with type 1 diabetes are at in increased risk of disordered eating. We understand the importance of building a positive relationship with food and eating as part of your type 1 journey. Our Diabetes Educator and Dietitian Beck Newton is also a Credentialled Eating Disorder Clinician. Her unique skillset can support you to get the right balance with eating well, being a carb-conscious eater, using insulin and your general relationship with food and body image. Find out more details here.
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What about this low-carb thing?
As we said up front, everyone who lives with type 1 is carbohydrate conscious. We get to understand exactly how our body responds to the carbohydrates we eat and the insulin we take. Some people living with type 1 diabetes choose not to adjust their diet at all, rather adjusting their insulin to match the carbs they intake. If that's you, awesome! You're a carb-conscious eater. We're here to help.
Some people living with type 1 prefer to consume fewer carbohydrates, to reduce the impact on their blood glucose levels. Eating fewer carbohydrates means that any mistakes they might make in their carb counts (e.g. incorrectly guessing how ripe a banana is!) will be smaller. Eating fewer carbs also means insulin doses will be smaller, so any over or underestimation will have less of an effect on blood sugars. If that's you, awesome! You're a carb-conscious eater. We're here to help.
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We here at the Family Centre believe in making type 1 diabetes fit your life, not the other way around. If that means lowering your carb intake, then we are here to help do it safely, make sure you get great nutrition and don't compromise on the things you love. Don't let lower carb eating be at the cost of deliciousness! We've battle-tested plenty of lower carbohydrate alternatives. You can find some of our favourites in our very own Family Centre Carb-Conscious Cookbook.
There's no such thing as a 1 size fits all approach to nutrition and type 1 diabetes. But we've got your back as you work out what works for you. Once you have the fundamentals of carb counting in your toolkit you can get hands on and into the nitty gritty of weighing, measuring and deciphering pre-cooked meals, recipes and restaurant meals at the Family Centres face-to-face workshop Type 1 Bootcamp. Watch this space, we are ready to launch in November 2023.
