The Low Carb Jumpstart

WELCOME TO JUMPSTART

A low carb lifestyle for Type 2 Diabetes

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Talk to the clinician who manages your diabetes before you start a low carbohydrate lifestyle. Low carb lifestyles may not be a good fit for people with certain health conditions or taking certain medications.

Talk to the clinician who manages your diabetes before you start a low carbohydrate meal plan.

Managing your medications

Certain medications should not be used in combination with a low carb meal plan. These include a class of medications called “SGLT2 Inhibitors” which include Jardiance (empagliflozin), Invokana (canagliflozin), Farxiga (dapagliflozin), and Steglatro (ertugliflozin). This also includes combination medications containing an SGLT2 Inhibitor such as SEGLUROMET, XIGDUO, Synjardy, Synjardy XR, Invokamet, Glyxambi, QTERN, and Trijardy XR.

Certain medications often need to be adjusted before you start a low carb meal plan. These include Insulins (such as Humalog, Novolog, Lantus and Basaglar, etc.) and the class of medications called “Sulfonylureas” (such as Amaryl (glimepiride), Glucotrol (glipizide), Diabeta (glyburide), tolbutamide, Tolinase (tolazamide), Diabinese (chlorpropamide), etc).

If you take blood pressure medications, your clinician may need to adjust or stop your medication before you start a low carb eating plan.

We strongly recommend that you have a scheduled visit with your clinician to review your low carb eating plan and your medications before your embark on your JUMPSTART journey.

Keeping You Safe

Talk to your clinician about the symptoms of low blood sugar and low blood pressure and how to treat them as you change your eating plan.

What is a 
low carb lifestyle

What is a Low Carbohydrate (Low Carb) Lifestyle or Meal Plan? A low carbohydrate lifestyle or meal plan limits your intake of carbohydrates (carbs) from foods like grains, starchy vegetables, fruit, sugary snacks, and beverages, and emphasizes proteins, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fats. This generally means eating less than 130g of carbohydrates per day.

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A low
carb

What are carbs? Carbs (i.e., carbohydrates) are a nutrient that is broken down by the body into sugar (glucose).

There are 3 types of nutrients: carbs, fat, and protein.

lifestyle limits your intake of carbohydrates (carbs) from foods like grains, starchy vegetables, fruit, sugary snacks, and beverages, and emphasizes proteins, non-starchy vegetables, and healthy fats.
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Very Low Carbohydrate (Ketogenic)

Less than 50 grams of carbs per day

Low Carbohydrate

50-130 grams of carbs per day

Typical American (2,000 calories)

225-325 grams of carbs per day

Carb scale highlighting typical daily carb ranges for very low, low, and reguar carb diets.
A picture of a meal plate
Meal with ~16g of carbs
4-5 ozGrilled Fish or Chicken0g carbs
3 cupsMixed Salad5g carbs
1 ozFeta Cheese and Olives1g carbs
2 tbspRanch Dressing2g carbs
1/2Avocado8g carbs
A picture of a meal plate
Meal with ~47g of carbs
1/2 cupBrown Rice22g carbs
1/2 cupBlack Beans22g carbs
4-5 ozSteak0g carbs
1.5 cupsGrilled Vegetables10g carbs
A picture of a meal plate
Meal with ~150g of carbs
s slicesPepperoni Pizza70g carbs
4 pcsMozzarella Sticks30g carbs
1/2 cupMarinara Sauce10g carbs
12 ozRegular Soda40g carbs

How does a low carb lifestyle help my diabetes?

Reducing your carb intake also reduces your body’s 
blood suger

What is blood sugar (or blood glucose)?  Blood sugar is the level of sugar in your blood after your body breaks down nutrients into glucose for energy.

 and 
insulin

What is insulin? Insulin is a chemical released when you eat carbs. Everyone needs insulin to live.

 levels. When your insulin levels are low, your body stops storing extra sugar as fat, and starts using stored fat for energy. This can make it easier to lose weight and have more energy!

Benefits of a low carb lifestyle

Hover over an icon to learn more about each health benefit.
Weight lossWEIGHT LOSS
Reduced blood pressureBLOOD PRESSURE
Reduced hunger & cravingsREDUCED HUNGER & CRAVINGS
Blood sugar controlBLOOD SUGAR CONTROL
Increased eneryINCREASED ENERGY

A low carb lifestyle reduces the amount of sugar in your bloodstream, which also lowers your insulin levels. Lower insulin levels allow your body to burn fat for energy and cause you to lose weight over time.

A low carb lifestyle can be effective for lowering your blood pressure. This is likely due to the combined effects of weight loss, reduced insulin levels, and improved kidney function!

A well balanced low carb lifestyle that includes adequate protein, non-starchy vegetables, and fats for flavor. It can help to reduce your hunger, manage cravings and feel full and satisfied for much longer than a high carb meal would.

Reducing the amount of carbs you eat is an effective way to lower your blood sugar. When you eat carbs, they are broken down into sugars during digestion and enter the bloodstream, causing your blood sugars to rise. Eating fewer carbs can help you improve your blood sugar levels by reducing the amount of circulating sugar in the bloodstream.

On a low carb lifestyle, your body adapts to using it’s fat stores and fats from what you eat to provide a steady supply of energy for your body.

What does insulin do?

Insulin helps move glucose (sugar) from the blood into the cells for energy. You can think of insulin as a key that unlocks your cell so that glucose can enter. High levels of insulin tell your body to store extra sugar as fat. Low levels of insulin tell your body to burn fat for energy.

Diagram showing the interaction between insulin and a blood cell

What happens when you eat a low vs. a high carb meal?

Click on a plate to see how much each meal affects your blood sugar

The charts below show how much each meal affects your blood sugar

low carb meal (16g)

Picture of a low carb mealGraph of blood sugar vs. time after eating a low carb meal

high carb meal (150g)

Picture of a high carb mealGraph of blood sugar vs. time after eating a high carb meal

Ready to get started?

Getting started is easy! We recommend 3 simple steps to get started on a low carb lifestyle.

(Remember to talk your doctor before getting started)

1. Start by changing one meal per day (i.e., breakfast).  Make changes to your food choices for one meal and do this for a week or two. After you feel comfortable with these changes, consider making changes to a second meal. Focus on...

  • Adding protein, non-starchy vegetables, & healthy fats
  • Reducing starches & sugars

EAT eggs or an omelet

INSTEAD OF cereal, bagel, or toast

2. Replace sugary drinks such as pop and fruit juice with tea and water.  If you use flavored coffee creamer, replace it with a sugar free version.

DRINK tea, fruit-infused water or sparkling water

INSTEAD OF juice or soda

3. Snack on fruits and vegetables.  Replace starchy sugary snacks such as chips and granola bars with nutrient rich carbs. Add fats and proteins for a balanced snack.

EAT mixed nuts, string cheese, or jerky

INSTEAD OF packaged snacks

Setting goals and tracking your progress will help you be successful on a low carb lifestyle!

SET GOALS