Happy and healthy with no insulin injections for 2 months!

The past two months without requiring insulin injections has been quite incredible. I traveled this summer to San Francisco and Chicago without needing any insulin supplies.
I have had no hyperglycemia nor hypoglycemia since taking no insulin. My lowest reading was 68mg/dL and highest was 126mg/dL. My fasting blood sugars range from 70-100mg/dL. My after meal blood sugars are usually around 100mg/dL. Unlike when I was on insulin injections, I now have no fear of falling into a coma due to hypoglycemia nor do I have to make mathematical calculations or stick a needle in me whenever I eat (ouch!).

I feel treating my type 1 diabetes with the paleo diet is far superior than injecting drugs in myself because the paleo diet takes away dietary triggers that may play a role in the autoimmune disease process. Secondly, I would rather not take drugs just so that I could eat food that I couldn't properly digest anyway and most likely cause me another autoimmune disease!

Here's an article about a recent study linking type 1 diabetes to wheat.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090820124038.htm

For the actual study and commentaries:
http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/58/8/1789.abstract
http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/58/8/1723.extract

So far I've been paleo (grain-free, dairy-free, legume-free) for almost 8 months. Next blog will have a new A1C. Thanks for reading!

Type 1 Diabetes and the Paleo Diet... My Alternative Treatment to Insulin Injections

What is type 1 diabetes?

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the own body's immune system attacks the cells of the pancreas that create the hormone insulin. Without the hormone insulin, bodily cells cannot take up the sugar in blood from food and results in high blood sugar. To correct the high blood sugars, type 1 diabetics inject insulin and count carbohydrates to adequately maintain normal blood sugar. Insulin therapy is not a cure nor does it treat the initial cause of the disease.

The initial cause of autoimmune type 1 diabetes is not fully understood, but it is believed to be influenced by genetics and the environment. Studies show early consumption of cow's milk and certain cereal grain have been linked to a greater likelihood of developing the disease, as well as certain viruses. Type 1 diabetes is mainly found in developed countries and is related to other autoimmune diseases such as Celiac disease (a wheat gluten intolerance) and hypothyroidism.

As a type 1 diabetic, why do I eat a grain-free, dairy-free, and legume-free diet (paleo diet)?

I choose the paleo diet because it is known for treating autoimmune diseases and because of the many studies that indicate that type 1 diabetes is caused by environmental triggers so I figured that certain dietary antigens could play a role, such as the case of Celiac disease. I stayed on the paleo diet because my insulin needs kept dropping and dropping and because my bloating and constant hunger went away.

The Paleo diet is based upon eating foods that humans evolved to eat from the Paleolithic era (2,500,000 years ago) up to the advent of agriculture (10,000 years ago). The diet includes:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Seafood
• Lean meats
• Eggs

Sources:
http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/54/suppl_2/S125.abstract
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210180841.htm

Diet resources:
http://www.healingcrow.com/dietsmain/paleo/paleo.html

Intro to my blog

Hi, I'm Michelle from Cincinnati, Ohio. I'm a Spanish major graduating in 2010. Nutrition, health, and science have always interested me. I like traveling, reading and listening to music.

On May 16, 2008 I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 20. I had all the classic symptoms of thirst and weight loss, tested positive for all the autoantibodies and had an AlC of 14%.

On January 8, 2009 I eliminated grain, dairy, and legumes from my diet and the results have been remarkable. Only after a few weeks my insulin needs dropped dramatically and after six months on the diet I quit taking insulin altogether.

I am writing this blog because I want other type 1 diabetics to know about the benefits of the diet. It's helped me and I believe it could help others. I will be posting about my progress on the diet, lab results (such as AlC's, autoantibodies, C-peptide), research studies and articles about type 1 diabetes, and recipes.

Feel free to leave comments and questions or reach me by email at michellestype1@gmail.com

Thanks,

Michelle