Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Celiac, Type 1 diabetes and blood sugars


nmlove

Recommended Posts

nmlove Contributor

My 11 year old son was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He was diagnosed with celiac disease at 4. We eat a fairly clean diet, with many of our higher carbs coming from potatoes or fruit or similar. But we do have occasional baked goods or pizza. 

My question is eating such gluten-free items and having blood sugars go higher and remain high for awhile. The pizza I get with the fat and whatnot - the pizza effect. But he has similar reactions, though not as bad, with say, 2 mini chocolate muffins or one roll I made from scratch. I can't compare to regular gluten containing foods obviously and I am having a hard time researching it as all I find are links talking about the comorbidity of type 1 and celiac or how a type 1 diabetic gets better control going gluten free typically.

Anyone with T1D can shed some insight? I definitely plan on asking at our follow-up but even through a pediatric hospital, adding gluten-free in the mix isn't always easy with those who don't have a lot of experience. 

Thanks! 


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



cyclinglady Grand Master

I do not have TD1 and have not been tested for GAD antibodies, but I am very insulin resistant (Diabetic per my doctor)  and I maintain my blood sugar through diet (I eat to my meter to prevent blood spikes over 140).   During my research I have come to understand that if you have celiac disease and TD1, the gluten-free diet may help a TD1 better control their blood sugar because their body won't be constantly promoting an autoimmune response and/or the body is better able to absorb nurtrients.   gluten-free will not really better than the American Diet (SAD) in terms of blood sugar control.  Rice or Wheat.  They are grains (carbs)  and they tend to spike blood sugar.  That's the way it is.  So, it is very important for him to remain gluten-free for his overall health!  You will have to learn to figure out how to adjust his insulin for his mini muffins.  You may have to consider a pump.  Those are things that the diabetics support team at the hospital can help you with.  

 I can highly recommend this site for online diabetes support.  

Open Original Shared Link

There are a few books out there to read that always come up on the Tudiabetes site:

Think Like a Pancreas -- 

Open Original Shared Link

Diabetes Solution (written by a doctor in his 80's with TD1 since he was a kid.  His diet is pretty extreme for a kid, but has some good information).  

Open Original Shared Link

I am not promoting Amazon.....it was just a handy source!  

Your son can live a long and healthy life.  Research has improved over the last 50 years.  You just need to figure out how to handle his diabetes as each person is slightly different.  Continue to advocate for his health, Mom!  

nmlove Contributor

Thanks cyclinglady! I know eating clean and lower carb helps me (not diabetic thankfully but have too many risk factors). 

It is definitely hard to rethink carbs, fats and whatnot with my son. While I know a roll will spike blood sugar more versus an apple, is it normal to keep it elevated for that long? It maybe that in that case he needs more insulin and that's what we need to talk about at his follow-up. As I said, those kinds of foods are truly more treats as I already spend so much time in the kitchen! 

cyclinglady Grand Master

His  insulin will be need to be adjusted based on what he is eating (you already know that).    I think Bernstein's book (though a bit radical for a kid) points out that keeping a diet consistent with fewer carbs means less work guessing at how much insulin you will need.  But he wrote that when he was just injecting.  Now there are pumps and APPS to help you track your food intake, etc.  The books I recommended are always recommended on the diabetic sites (not the crazy, trying to sell you sites....).  TuDiabetes has a parent group that I think you will love.  The active members on the site in general are very diabetes savvy.  They can help!  There's even a Mom who is a doctor who has a TD1 daughter.  

Take care.  I have a kid to get to school! 

nmlove Contributor

Thanks so much! 

HannahR67 Newbie
On 4/14/2016 at 9:28 AM, nmlove said:

My 11 year old son was recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. He was diagnosed with celiac disease at 4. We eat a fairly clean diet, with many of our higher carbs coming from potatoes or fruit or similar. But we do have occasional baked goods or pizza. 

My question is eating such gluten-free items and having blood sugars go higher and remain high for awhile. The pizza I get with the fat and whatnot - the pizza effect. But he has similar reactions, though not as bad, with say, 2 mini chocolate muffins or one roll I made from scratch. I can't compare to regular gluten containing foods obviously and I am having a hard time researching it as all I find are links talking about the comorbidity of type 1 and celiac or how a type 1 diabetic gets better control going gluten free typically.

Anyone with T1D can shed some insight? I definitely plan on asking at our follow-up but even through a pediatric hospital, adding gluten-free in the mix isn't always easy with those who don't have a lot of experience. 

Thanks! 

Hi there! I am type 1 diabetic and also just started to eat gluten free. I've definitely noticed that the gluten free food tends to have more carbs than I would expect. When it comes to gluten-free pastas, I now make sure to measure because it is insane how high I can get if I don't. Generally though i am getting better blood sugars because I'm eating less carby foods. Less breads/pastas/crackers. I would suggest researching labels and measuring (I never used to measure). Maybe try one Gluten free item at a time to see how it effects him. 

Its also tricky with lows not to be able to just grab a slice or bread or eat some crackers to stabilize blood sugars. 

Good luck, let me know if you have other questions. 

nmlove Contributor

Thanks HannahR67! From the very little I know and have experienced, the healthiest (for anyone) is more veggies and fat, then protein, fruit, carbs in moderation. 

Due to celiac, we definitely eat better than the average Joe but I have a feeling his T1D diagnosis will clean us up more. 

Pasta seems ok for him. Lots of insulin that he typically doesn't take but it doesn't keep his bg elevated like 2 mini muffins did. He can handle oatmeal or a bowl of cereal in the morning well as long as he has some eggs or sausage and whatnot with it. For the most part he is within his normal range (starting to go low lately) so those sustained spikes are very visibly linked to those baked goods. He's enjoying some candy for his lows, paired with protein soon after of course. 

Thanks for a glimpse into your experience. 


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      130,618
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Tom P.
    Newest Member
    Tom P.
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.3k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • trents
      Welcome to the forum, @AnneBSunflower! Can you be more specific about the gluten antibodies? Which ones were found? Do you have access to the report and can you post the results? What is a "GI map"? How was this done? Is this a fecal matter test? Are you still consuming oats? Even "Gluten-free" oats? Have you checked all meds and supplements for possible gluten fillers or casings? Oral hygiene products? Are you sharing cooking facilities with wheat eaters?
    • AnneBSunflower
      Hi. I am looking for mystery gluten in my diet due to having a GI map done recently and the results found gluten antibodies. However, let me provide a bit of background. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's 15 years ago. Ten years ago I consulted with a functional medicine doctor who put me on the AIP diet due to gastrointestinal distress. She did not diagnose me with celiac disease, but my thyroid antibodies skyrocketed when we reintroduced gluten after 6 months on the AIP diet. I have been maintaining a gluten free diet for 10 years. I have on again, off again gut issues, cannot lose weight, chronic vitamin deficiencies despite a diet focused on whole foods, and my thyroid numbers are whacky even with medication (my T3 is good, T4 chronically low, TSH low). My doctor diagnosed me this week as having celiac in addition to the Hashimoto's. Again, I have been eating gluten free for 10 years. My doctor says there is something I am eating that my body is reacting to that has gluten and I have inflammation in my gut. I don't buy anything that is processed without reading the label and it stating it is gluten free. I know things like soy sauce, salad dressing, potato chips (I haven't eaten a potato chip in probably 30 years), roasted nuts, lunch meat, etc. can have gluten. What else? Does Armour Thyroid have gluten? Kirkland Almond non-dairy beverage (doesn't say gluten free, but there are no ingredients that would indicate gluten)? Philadelphia Cream cheese plant-based cream cheese says it is gluten free but it contains maltodextrin, could this still be a source of gluten? If the plant-based cream cheese with maltodextrin could be a source of gluten, could anything labeled gluten free but containing maltodextrin still be a source of gluten?
    • cristiana
      I struggled for a long time.   My TTG levels took an age to come down.  I even gave pure gluten free oats a miss, it took 8 years before I could tolerate them.  Removing dairy temporarily from my diet was hugely helpful.  Check your utensils and the oven you use are scrupulously clean, and don't open roast or bake food uncovered in an oven shared with gluten eaters.  Shared grills must be thoroughly cleaned down, too. Our oven packed up a couple of years after I was diagnosed and after that time the top oven became my family's oven, I use the lower oven.  Also our dishwasher - the old one left a residue, and sharing with gluten eaters I think this was an important factor in my slow recovery.  When the dishwasher packed up I started hand washing the plates and making sure they were really rinsed well.  When we got a new one we bought a Miele does the initial rinse with clean water, not yesterday's old water.   I stopped eating out for a while - that's a biggie.  In recent years, in the UK, thanks to Zoe's Law, caterers are having to really tighten up on catering for people with coeliac disease and allergies so I am now finding eating out much less risky.  But I'd advise being very careful with restaurants where flour is thrown about and is airborne (such as pizzerias) or where harried chefs might cook pasta in glutenous water by mistake, as those are the places I've been glutened in the most.
    • kopiq
      also my hands are always cold, freezing cold in the winter and even cold during hot summer days. its like i have a shield. i feel warm but its not penetrating inside, my teeth chatter as well and my left index finger goes dead white when im super hungry. all dr tests come back fine. im so hopeless.
    • kopiq
      thank you, ive asked my dr to test for vitamin deficiency and shes only said vitamin d (very low 26) and b12, she says all other vitamins are not included in her blood tests only the major ones, C, D, E, B12 etc. Ive been following the aip diet now and im going to stay on it very strict to see how it goes. im eating tons of food, romaine salads, mango, peaches, pears, cucumber, celery, zuccnini, sweet potator, plantains, ground turkey and beef and chicken.  i eat about 4 plate filling meals a day with two to three good size snacks a day including about 3 or 4 bananas. im still not absorbing nutrients, if i eat any sort of food with fat, I.e ground beef or fatty pork the taste of fat lingers in my mouth for 2-3 hours sometimes longer, if i bask in sun for vitamin d i feel great but then lethargic and feel strange for a day or two later, like im still absorbing it all in. even regular sweet foods like fruit the sweetness stays in mouth for hours. ive had blood work done for gall bladder, thryroid, pancreas, liver, kindey dr says they are all fine. i dont know what other tests i can do?   ive attached two pictures of the rash that broke out on my legs, feet and small one near wrist bone bright red was before treatment, second scabby one is during treatment and healing.  https://freeimage.host/i/FrI3KZb https://freeimage.host/i/FrI3Fwu  
×
×
  • Create New...