My Type 1.5 Diabetes Food-Story

Image by Edgar Castrejon for rawpixel.com

While genetics, ethnicity, and geography all play a role in type 1 and 2 diabetes, type 2 can be reversed with lifestyle choices like diet and exercise, but type 1 cannot be cured.

By definition, type 1 diabetes is usually the diagnosis when the body’s immune system is destroying beta cells in the pancreas which leads to insufficient amounts of insulin being produced and type 2 diabetes results from the body’s resistance to insulin which causes glucose/sugar to stay in the blood so it is unable to be used by the body as energy.

Once I had a clear understanding of the difference between type 1 and 2 diabetes, I was able to start reprogramming my food-story, starting with the items I put in my grocery cart, followed by my menu choices at restaurants, and my longtime beliefs about good vs bad fats.

After years of being occasionally challenged about my type 1 diabetic diagnosis by family and friends who rightfully queried “Doesn’t type-1 diabetes start in childhood?” I was somewhat relieved to be told, though be it casually, by my endocrinologist that I am really type-1.5.

In a nutshell type 1.5 is LADA which stands for Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adulthood. It is the occurrence of type 1 diabetes in adults, but because it bears similarities to type 2 it is often misdiagnosed. Another type of “uncommon” diabetes is (MODY) Maturity Onset diabetes of the young. It shows up in young adults and adolescents and is caused by gene mutations that affect the body’s ability to make insulin - a hormone produced and released by the pancreas to help the body use sugar for energy.

With this new categorization in hand, I went back to my food-story drawing board. Now, my #1 search is for satisfying foods that don’t cause my blood sugar levels to spike and at the same time allow me to get a full night’s sleep without waking up around 3am with a (jittery cold sweat) sugar low.

Stay tuned to see how I adapt today's trendy diets to my type 1.5 diabetic needs.