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Celiac, Type 1 diabetes and blood sugars

nmlove

By nmlove
in Related Issues & Disorders

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nmlove Contributor
nmlove
Posted

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! 

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cyclinglady Grand Master
cyclinglady
Posted

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
nmlove
Posted
  • Author

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
cyclinglady
Posted

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
nmlove
Posted
  • Author

Thanks so much! 

HannahR67 Newbie
HannahR67
Posted
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
nmlove
Posted
  • Author

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. 

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