“This doesn’t seem to be working. My child doesn’t feel well, and the whole family’s stress level is through the roof – there has got to be a better way.”

Break free from the blood glucose roller coaster, alleviate your stress and frustration, gain confidence, making diabetes management more controllable, leading your child to a happier, brighter, healthier future!

As the parent of a child living with type 1 diabetes, it’s not unusual to have similar thoughts creep into your mind multiple times per week.

Truly, life with T1D can feel like being trapped on a wildly stressful, very un-fun roller coaster that your family never asked to be on in the first place.

Around one corner, you’re navigating the pitfalls of low blood sugar: racing heart, irritability, mood swings, brain fog, and nausea. Dealing with a cranky kid is hard enough, but when your child never really feels well? It’s heartbreaking.

Over the next loop, you’re facing down dire potential long-term health outcomes – like amputation, heart disease, kidney dialysis, vision loss, or even premature death – that come with blood sugar being too high for too long. Lovely! One more thing to stack onto your precarious mental Jenga tower of dread!

Then there are the ups and downs of waking up at 2:00 AM to either administer insulin or treat a hypo, prodding your tearful child to finish their dinner because you’ve already given insulin, and the pain of seeing them have to watch from the sidelines while their friends play.

And, of course, we can’t forget about the constant worry: what about school? Birthday parties? Sports? Restaurants? Travel? Going off to university? Growing up and starting a family? Will my child feel different? Will people understand? How will we cover the added expenses?

The mental load you’re carrying is never-ending. It’s almost like having an additional, extra-demanding full-time job on top of all of life’s other responsibilities… and the stakes are literally life and death.

What you want most of all is for your child to be mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy. You want them to feel their best, grow, reach for their dreams, and truly thrive – all while enjoying a life that’s as “normal” as possible.

The more you think about it, the more it seems like there’s one big thing getting in the way: the common “You don’t have to change the way you eat” approach doesn’t appear to be working very well for your child.

In some cases, your child’s care team might even be telling you that you’re doing great. But when you look at those roller coaster numbers – combined with the way your whole family is living – it sure doesn’t feel like you’re anywhere close to “doing great.”

There has got to be a better way… doesn’t there?

How incredible would it be if you had a nutrition strategy that could help your child safely achieve normal blood glucose & A1C levels and reduce the risk of both acute & long-term diabetic complications – all while decreasing stress for the whole family?

The good news: there is such a thing, and there’s a significant chance you’ve already heard of it!

It’s called Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction – often abbreviated as TCR – which is just a fancy way of saying “a low-carb way of eating.”

Here’s how it works:

By relying on foods that have little effect on blood sugar, you’re helping to keep your child’s blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible. And, by keeping your child’s blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible, you’re reducing the chances of both short- and long-term diabetic complications.

This also means that…

✅ Your child can finally experience fewer of the highs and lows that come with constantly trying to over-correct with food and insulin

✅ Your child feels better on a daily basis

✅ Life gets easier for your child and for you

✅ Stress levels for the entire family decrease (hello, sleeping through the night again!)

✅ You’ll feel more confident when it comes to managing your child’s T1D – and teaching them to do the same!

✅ You’re actively protecting your child’s future and quality of life

A Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction nutrition strategy has been incredible for our family and for dozens of the families we’ve worked with over the years, but it’s not as simple as cutting out carbs and moving on with life.

Why? Because it’s crucial that your child receives the right nutrients in order to grow and develop into their full potential, which requires a clear understanding of how type 1 diabetes works in the body and how to strive for normal blood glucose levels.

That’s where we can help.

Meet Your Guide: Beth McNally                  

Master of Science (Nutrition & Integrative Health)
Master of Public Policy
Bachelor of Communications (Hons)
Certified Nutrition Specialist® (CNS®)
Licensed Nutritionist (LDN)
Certified Ketogenic Nutrition Specialist® (CKNS®)

“Type 1 diabetes? What is that? And what, exactly, is a carb?”

It’s something I remember asking shortly after our son, Lachlan, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 9.

As you know, when a T1D diagnosis enters your life, the questions come fast and furious. While I was feeling overwhelmed and embarrassed trying to process what the dietitian was saying, my husband, Matt, pulled an all-nighter with Doctor Google to try to learn more about what we were up against.

We quickly learned that individuals diagnosed with type 1 diabetes can face dire long- and short-term risks, including reduced quality of life and even premature death. We also learned that one of the best ways to reduce the risk of these complications was to keep the blood sugar level as close to normal as possible – just as the body of someone without T1D tries to do.

So, Matt wondered, how do you manage T1D to achieve normal blood sugars?

Wondering what it really looks like to use food as an ally in T1D management?

Whether Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction is a new concept for you or if you’ve dabbled a bit in TCR in the past, we know you probably have some questions about what using this nutrition strategy might actually look like in your daily life – so, let’s jump right in, shall we?

→ “Low-carb? Does that mean I'm going to be feeding my child a diet that's boring, repetitive, and restrictive?”
It does not, but we can understand how you might think that – it’s a common misconception, especially since terms like “low carb” aren’t always used correctly and can carry so much cultural baggage!

In reality, you’ll be relying on flavorful, nourishing meals that are rich in vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats.

Here’s an example of what your menu on a typical Wednesday could look like:

● Breakfast: Spinach and Sausage Egg Muffins
● Lunch: Chipotle Lime Chicken with Veggies
● Snack: Ham & Cheese Rolls
● Dinner: Taco Salad with Beef

Sounds pretty good, right?

→ “Is TCR healthy and safe? Doesn’t the human body need carbs to live? Will my child still grow? Is there a risk that this will lead to disordered eating?”
These are great questions and valid concerns! No one wants to deprive their children of the nutrients they need to grow, thrive, and live life to the fullest.

Would you be surprised to learn that carbohydrate is a non-essential nutrient? That’s right – as long as enough dietary protein and fat are consumed, the human body is capable of making glucose to fuel its needs, which means that carbohydrates are not actually required for humans to survive and thrive.

That’s why Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction works so well for managing type 1 diabetes – it’s a low-carb nutrition strategy that involves choosing foods that both stabilize blood glucose and meet the nutritional needs of your growing child.

We had the same worries of “Will our son grow? Are we doing the right thing?” when our family first began using TCR. But Lachlan has grown just fine – at 17, he’s now a competitive athlete.

Also, this way of eating is not about demonizing sugar or carbs or labeling certain foods “bad” or “good” – it’s simply about focusing on the foods that support an individual with T1D’s body functions and nutritional needs best.

→ “My doctor has never mentioned TCR as an option. Shouldn’t I talk to them first?”
Yes, absolutely! As you probably know, any changes to the diet of a person with T1D can have severe medical consequences. An insulin dosing plan should always be in place, and you should always consult your healthcare team.

Over the years, we – and many of the families we’ve worked with – have found that some of our endocrinology teams were either not aware of or not well-versed in Therapeutic Carbohydrate Reduction as an option for T1D management. If that’s the case for you, we’re happy to speak with them!

We also want to be clear that we’re not here to tell you what to eat or how to manage your diabetes. That’s obviously up to you and your medical team. Instead, we want you to have the information you need to understand the role nutrition plays in diabetes outcomes so that you, your family, and your care team can make the best possible decisions.

→ “Changing the way my family eats sounds a little daunting.”
We hear this often from parents, so you’re not alone! It makes sense, too: if you’re already riding the ups and downs of the blood glucose roller coaster, adding one more challenge to the mix can feel insurmountable.

But what if changing the way your family eats is the first step in making things a little easier for everyone? Plus, sticking to a reduced-carb, low-carb, or very low-carb diet is easier than ever now, especially since most grocery stores and restaurants offer low-carb options.

You don’t have to take our word for it, though. Here’s what Jaime, a parent and recent graduate of The Nutrition Effect, had to say:

I came in with the mindset that this would be a challenging nutritional goal, but it wasn’t as drastic a change as we initially imagined. When we sit down to meals, my daughter’s plate looks like a rainbow. Looking at the food we eat now, it’s really not that big of a shift from the kinds of meals we had been eating. - Jaime Z.

The Nutrition Effect has everything you need to create a personalized nutrition plan to help make your child’s T1D management simpler

…and we’re throwing in plenty of bonuses to help you deepen your education and put what you’re learning into action:

Ready to step off of that agonizing blood glucose roller coaster – once and for all?

To get started, click on any of the “enroll now” buttons on this page to be taken to our secure checkout.

Once your enrollment is complete, you’ll receive a confirmation email that includes an access link with the program info. Please use the email and password you entered during the purchase process. You can also bookmark the login page for easy access. You’ll have access to your course materials for one year.

If you have any questions along the way, please let us know – we’re here to make sure you can access the content and get the most out of The Nutrition Effect.