Intuitive Eating for Diabetes

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Intuitive Eating for Diabetes

A new year can mean a new way of eating, it can mean a diet, it can mean a lifestyle change, or it can mean learning Intuitive Eating (for Diabetes).  Diabetes is a very complex disease that can be improved with nutrition habits. But setting rules, feeling guilty, and being limited in types of foods does not prove to work long term for most people trying to follow any type of diet.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. Blood glucose is your main source of energy and comes from the food you eat. Insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas, helps glucose from food get into your cells to be used for energy. Sometimes your body doesn’t make enough -or any insulin -or doesn’t use insulin well. Glucose then stays in your blood and doesn’t reach your cells, causing high blood sugars.

What is the best diet for Diabetes?

Chances are one of your health providers has instructed you on eating a healthy diet for diabetes- low carb, fasting, keto, or just simply told you that you need to lose weight. (Super helpful, thanks doc!) Restrictive diets are too difficult to follow long term and can result in causing health problems instead of solving them. Weight cycling – going down and up again with weight – may actually increase inflammation in the long run, which is bad for blood sugar management. The pursuit of weight loss (via a diet) can be physically harmful but it also has a mental and emotional health impact. 

Intuitive Eating for Diabetes vs Weight Loss Focus for Diabetes

While there is a correlation between losing weight and improving diabetes numbers that does not mean there is causation. If being overweight meant that you would develop type 2 diabetes than we would have a lot more diabetics in the world. There is a strong hormonal component to diabetes which identifies weight gain instead as an early symptom.

Weight loss can achieve desired blood sugar levels short term, but most of the weight loss may not be maintainable, thus ending up back where you started. But just a reminder- weight loss is not a behavior, more likely the health behaviors such as good nutrition, increased exercise, adequate sleep, and stress management are contributing to the weight loss and decreased blood sugars.

Many healthcare providers hold strong negative attitudes and stereotypes about people with obesity. There is considerable evidence that such attitudes influence person-perceptions, judgment, interpersonal behavior and decision-making. These attitudes may impact the care they provide.

Experiences of or expectations for poor treatment may cause stress and avoidance of care, mistrust of doctors and poor adherence among patients with obesity. Stigma can reduce the quality of care for patients with obesity despite the best intentions of healthcare providers to provide high-quality care. There are several potential intervention strategies that may reduce the impact of obesity stigma on quality of care.

What is Intuitive Eating?

What we do know helps with diabetes are self-care behaviors such as adding in nutritious foods, eating mindfully to honor hunger and fullness, getting regular movement that you love, improving sleep and managing stress. In short, this is positive self-care directed by you, not a weight management group or program. I first introduced my nutrition philosophy of intuitive eating here but it’s something I personally practice and continue to preach. Intuitive eating is eating what feels right to you when it feels right. One of the principles of intuitive eating is gentle nutrition so intuitive eating doesn’t mean just eat whatever you want with no regard for health.  

How can someone apply intuitive eating for diabetes??

A diabetes educator using intuitive eating instead of a diabetes diet will focus on improving your confidence, decreasing your fear, and embracing self-care. As you let go of the diet-mentality and listen to your intuition you will see improve in diabetes and overall health. I recently shared a post about intuitive eating for the holidays which can apply to anyone, but I also have an ebook focused on intuitive eating for diabetes.

Learning how to listen to the internal body cues of hunger, fullness, and satisfaction can be very difficult if you have spent years of your adult life dieting. Join my newsletter for more advice, recipes, giveaways, and discounts!