What I Eat in a Day as a Person With Type 1 Diabetes

If I knew the secret of what kind of food you should eat, I would share it with you. But life with diabetes isn’t that easy. When I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, I was taught to just carry on eating as usual. 

This meant a balanced diet, including carbohydrates, fat and protein. Sugary sweets, chips, and fast food should be restricted to occasional treats. Sound familiar? These are diet recommendations we’ve all heard before, regardless of whether we’re living with diabetes or not. But life with diabetes is not always as simple as following a balanced diet. Life changes and so do your eating habits. 

Sometimes, as a person with diabetes, it can be difficult to simply eat what you want for fear of encountering problems or feeling anxious about your blood sugar. 

So, What Should I Eat? 

For me personally, it has been super valuable to not exclude any type of food from my diet. It’s a goal for me to eat what I’m offered, to eat regularly and to eat what I think is delicious. For me, any other type of diet, or attitude to food, would not be sustainable. I often imagine how difficult it would be to eat according to a diet that doesn’t make you either happy or full, but simply offers you more control of your blood sugar. Is that really valuable? 

 Different types of food affect blood sugars differently. Furthermore, there’s no conclusion, or foolproof way, on exactly how to regulate your insulin doses. For me, it’s been a journey about getting to know myself and how my body, and blood sugar, is affected by different dishes and drinks. Have patience, and learn from your mistakes.  It’s all a part of your diabetes journey. 

Making the Right Choices 

Of course, life with type 1 diabetes isn’t easy and making the right food choices can be very difficult. It’s important to think about the amount of food we are going to eat and its nutritional content. We also have to calculate how much insulin is needed in order for us to feel physically well. By being a little bit observant of the amount of carbs and other factors that can affect blood sugar, it’s more than possible to balance food and insulin. 

And remember, there is no right or wrong! You know your diabetes best! 

Personally, I love to stand in the kitchen, cook, bake bread, and experiment with different flavors. For as long as I can remember, my family has always been careful to eat food made from scratch. Eating a balanced and varied diet has given me a positive view of food from the start. When I was diagnosed with diabetes there were no major changes to my diet, but I had to learn how to balance the amount of insulin with what I would eat.

What I Eat in a Day

As my life and routine changes, so does what I eat.. I know that I feel my best when I eat regularly. Here’s what a typical day looks like in terms of what I eat:

For breakfast, I usually eat a sandwich with butter and cheese or natural yoghurt with granola. 

Lunch is always a tricky one...  I often buy lunch at my nearest restaurant or I eat the leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. 

When it comes to dinner, I alternate  between my favorites; bolognese with pasta, lasagna, typical Swedish dishes like meatballs and potatoes, or chicken salad with halloumi. 

And between these meals I eat snacks to keep my energy up, like a protein bar, some crackers, nuts or a bowl of yoghurt. Oh, and a bit of chocolate never hurts! My meals vary daily  but I always aim to eat meals that contain a little of each - fat, protein and carbohydrates.

Of course, I also eat some meals that contain less carbs and some meals that contain more carbs. Some days, I eat salad for dinner, and some days I eat pizza or a hamburger. And some days I have to keep an extra eye on my blood sugar and some days I don’t. 

When it comes to food and what to eat, I don’t usually plan too far ahead as all of my days look different. What I do have to consider is that the food I eat needs to be gluten-free because I have celiac. 

I try to eat varied and balanced meals. For example, a plate that has protein, fat and carbs. Usually it’s potatoes (because I love potatoes) as a source of carbs. It can be boiled potatoes, fried potatoes, gratin, etc. Along with protein such as chicken, vegetarian mince, sausage, or tofu, along with some form of salad and or sauce. Not forgetting, one of my favourite things to eat, tapas! A meal where you can eat for a long time, enjoying every bite, which tastes even better with great company. 

I leave you with the following personal tips:

1.     Don’t make eating more difficult than it has to be. 

2.     No need to avoid carbs. Simply be aware of them. 

3.     Don’t fear food! Food is essential and delicious. Don’t let diabetes stand in your way of a life full of deliciousness. 

Recipe Ideas: 

Roasted tomato soup with garlic and parmesan

4 servings

Cooking time: 1 hour

• 1 kg fresh tomatoes 
• 1 yellow onion 
• 4 garlic cloves 
• 2 dl of water vegetable broth 
• 2dl sour cream 
• 1/2 pot basil (the rest for garnish) 
• 1 dl grated parmesan 
• Salt and black pepper 
• Oil for frying 

Set the oven to 175 degrees C. 

Divide the tomatoes in half and place in an ovenproof dish and roast in the middle of the oven for about 45 minutes. Chop and fry onion and garlic until soft in oil in a saucepan for about 5 minutes. Pour the tomatoes into the saucepan and mix smoothly. Add salt. Add water and vegetable broth according to your desire for consistency. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat.Add the creme fraiche, basil and parmesan. 

Finish with black pepper, chopped basil, olive oil and salt if needed.

Serve the soup with a thick slice of sourdough bread and enjoy together with people you friends!

Hot artichoke gratin with jalapeños

Two servings

30 minutes

• 1 jar pickled artichokes (300-400 g) 
• 2 dl creme fraiche 
• 1 dl mayonnaise 
• 1 clove of garlic 
• 1 jalapeno 
• 1 dl grated parmesan

Set the oven to 175 degrees C. Chop up the artichokes (does not have to be fine pieces). 

Finely chop the garlic and the jalapeño. Taste if you need to remove the seeds. Mix all ingredients together, except 1/2 dl of the parmesan- this is for garnish afterwards.

Place the mixture in an ovenproof dish. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the surface is golden. Easiest to eat with baguette or just a knife and fork. Try not to eat everything in one bite ;)