Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction/Low-carb for Type 1 diabetes - When & Why?

For those who are following a Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction/Low-carb nutrition strategy to manage Type 1 diabetes, I’d love to hear when you made the switch, and why?

How long after diagnosis did you decide to change and start to manage T1D using Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction/Low-carb?

Why did you make the change? What prompted you to do so?

My family’s T1D story began in 2015 when my son, Lachlan, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 9.

When Lachlan was diagnosed, it did not involve a hospital stay. Our induction began at a diabetes education clinic at our local children’s hospital.

Upon walking into the clinic, our brave, calm, then-9yo greeted the friendly nurse, who reassured him, “Lachlan, do not worry – you can still eat anything you want!” - the first words uttered to us that day. I remember immediately feeling wary - “why would he say that to us?”.

The day was filled with many emotions. You can imagine, we felt like a deer in headlights. I couldn’t think clearly, trying to piece together what the dietitian was trying to tell us, feeling overwhelmed and I was embarrassed b/c I was thinking to myself, “what the heck is a carb anyway?”

How far we have come since?! 😉

That first night, my sweet, very distressed husband pulled a dr. google all-nighter. 🥱

He learned what T1D really was and what our son was up against, and the dire health consequences which lead to a reduced quality of life and even premature death for those diagnosed with the condition.

He learned that in order to avoid or alleviate these dire health consequences, the goal in managing T1D was to have normal blood sugar levels, just as the body of someone without T1D tries to do in managing and regulating glucose.

That’s when Matt came up with an insightful, question: “How do you manage T1D to achieve normal blood sugars?”

Day 3 post-diagnosis. At dinner that night, following the directions of our endocrinologist and dietitian, we served Lachlan a high-carb meal including a white wrap stuffed full of chicken and sticky, white rice, when Lachlan tells us he can’t eat any more.

We explained he has no choice and prod him, through tears, to eat it all up, because the insulin has already been injected and we can’t risk his glucose dropping low.

We shook our heads and said aloud to one another, “This doesn’t make any sense. Why are we feeding him so many carbs when he can’t secrete insulin to deal with them. His glucose levels are all over the place. Wouldn’t it make more sense to just take out the carbs? Can you even do that?”

And after night 3 of Lachlan’s diagnosis, down the rabbit hole we went! 🧐

There was not a lot of information, resources, or Facebook groups and pages available back then, like there are today.

And after 2 months of burning the midnight oil researching, all the while following the conventional approach and learning to carb count for the 220 grams of carbohydrate that our son would be eating daily, while we constantly were on alert and worried about him, felt frustrated and anxious, and just couldn’t believe that life was supposed to forever be like this, we implemented a Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction/Low-carb nutrition strategy to manage Lachlan’s T1D.

Immediately his blood glucose levels were normal again, and we felt a sigh of relief as we saw our son come to life again. In turn, much of the stress and anxiety which we had dealt with daily since his diagnosis dissipated. Life seemed more normal again.

By this point, Lachlan was eating less than 30 grams of carbs per day. His blood sugar levels were steadier, and his A1C was in normal range dropping from 8.7% at diagnosis to 5.0%, 6 months after diagnosis, and just 4 months after starting a Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction/Low-carb nutrition strategy.

Now, 8 years into this journey, Lachlan has successfully achieved all that he has attempted. He has grown and developed into a high-level athlete. As we teach him the skills to successfully manage on his own, 2025 will see him embark on the next chapter in his life as he moves away to university—all while following a Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction/Low-carb nutrition strategy to manage his Type 1 diabetes.



Would love to hear from you, how long after diagnosis did you decision to implement a Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction/Low-carb nutrition strategy and what prompted you to do so?

For more information, or if you need help in learning how to successfully implement a Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction/Low-carb nutrition strategy to manage Type 1 diabetes, please don't hesitate to:

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P.S. here is our dinner from last night, another family favourite, nachos! The chips used are the Quest Nacho Cheese flavour. The kids also love the Loaded Taco flavoured chips, and sometimes we even mix and match.

Although a simple, quick, and easy meal, it is loaded with essential nutrients that Lachlan, along with his siblings, requires to grow and develop. We ensure that the food we feed Lachlan does not make managing Type 1 diabetes any more challenging than necessary and helps nourish his growing body.