Diabetic Fasting: Everything You Need to Know
When you're faced with the decision of improving your health or continuing to do what you’ve always done, we hope you’re willing to step out of your comfort zone and pick the first choice.
To first-timers, the thought of fasting might seem a bit miserable. But those who fast on a regular basis can tell you it’s really not as bad as you think! What’s more, intermittent fasting is proven to be successful in improving your physical and mental health.
If you’ve been looking for solutions on how to manage — and even reverse — your type 2 diabetes, just know you’re headed in the right direction! Continue reading to learn more about the benefits of diabetic fasting and how to do it safely.
Intermittent Fasting Basics
There are several types of intermittent fasting you can try, all providing the same incredible benefits. Take a look at the fasting options and see which one fits your lifestyle best. If one doesn’t work, you can always try another!
5:2 (twice-per-week) method
The 5:2 method is a gentle fast where you eat a regular (but healthy) diet five days of the week, and fast for the other two days. On those two days, you can eat 500 good-quality calories. By good-quality, we mean low fat, high protein, nutritious calories. For example, you can have 2-3 servings of Swee2ooth, but we don’t recommend using up all your calories for the day on something like a donut.
Alternate day method
Similar to the 5:2 method, this alternate fast means you consume 500 calories every other day. Again, these should be high-quality calories and not junk food! On days where you aren’t fasting, you can continue eating your regular, healthy diet.
Time-restricted method
Time-restricted fasting is very popular at the moment, and for good reason! Many people follow the 16:8 method, where you eat within an 8 hour period each day and fast the other 16 hours.
On-and-off method
Also called a 24-hour fast, this on and off method involves fasting once or twice per week. During your fasting period, you don’t consume anything besides water. This type of diabetic fasting can wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels and cause other unwanted side effects, like headaches and irritability.
The Benefits of Diabetic Fasting
Can help to reverse type 2 diabetes
If no one has told you yet, type 2 diabetes is not a life sentence! This form of diabetes can be reversed, and has been done many times before. Fasting can significantly change how your body produces insulin. When done correctly, diabetic fasting can reduce insulin resistance and lower blood sugar levels.
Cleans out your body’s damaged cells
Regular intermittent fasting allows your body to take a break and begin the autophagy process, which is your body’s way of cleaning out old, damaged cells. FYI, these types of cells are often seen in Alzheimer’s and cancer patients!
Stimulates growth hormones
Human growth hormone, or HGH, is said to have weight loss and anti-aging properties in adults. The hormone is made in the pituitary gland and plays a major role in how our body stores fat and maintains bone mass and lean body mass. HGH levels peak around puberty, but regular fasting encourages your body to produce more of it.
Improves heart health
As a diabetic, your heart health should be a top priority. Intermittent fasting improves heart health by your LDL cholesterol, which is known as bad cholesterol. High levels of LDL create a buildup of plaque in your arteries which leads to a plethora of major heart concerns. On the plus side, fasting also lowers your blood pressure, sometimes stopping the need for medication!
Helps with weight loss
With fasting, you’re technically forcing your body into starvation mode, and telling it to burn up all your stored fat for energy. In plain terms, you’ll lose weight by eating less!
6 Tips for Safe Diabetic Fasting
1. Ease into your fast
Like anything in life, ease into your fast for best results! Don’t start your intermittent fasting the day after eating a heavy meal (think the holidays). Instead, slowly prepare yourself several days, or even weeks, before you begin. Otherwise, you’re likely to set yourself up for failure.
We suggest you start cutting down on your calorie intake little by little. This way it’s subtle and manageable, and again, ensuring your success. In general, it’s best to stop snacking too. Stick to eating meals only, so that you eat for nutrition and not just out of habit.
2. Make a plan to break your fast
Before starting your fast you need to know how to break it properly — and why this even matters! Without a plan, your attempts at fasting will be pointless as you’ll miss out on all of the amazing benefits.
When breaking a fast, don’t eat large meals or anything high in sugar, carbs, or fat. As tempting as it may be, take the time to ease out of your fast or you can experience spikes in your blood sugar. If you don’t feel like counting calories or cooking, mix up a serving of Swee2ooth Super Blend with some nut milk. This will provide you with every bit of nutrition you need to break your fast, while keeping the calorie and carb count low so that you don’t overwhelm your system. Stock up on our Super Blends before you begin your fast so that you can be fully prepared going in and out of it.
3. Take it easy when it comes to activity
Now is not the time to start a new workout or suddenly decide to become more active than usual. The point of the fast is to let your body take this time to essentially heal itself, and stop overwhelming it so that it can reset. During a fast your body is basically low on fuel — which is good in this case — so don’t add more to its plate, figuratively.
4. Monitor your glucose
Stick to your monitoring routine! You will naturally see a bit of change in your blood sugar levels when you are fasting, but there’s usually no need to stop your fast. However, if you are experiencing very low blood sugar, go ahead and eat something small to break your fast.
Be mindful that your body is detoxing at this time, and you may experience some symptoms such as headache or fatigue, and confuse them with low or high blood sugar. Testing your glucose will help you decide if you need to eat or if you can safely continue diabetic fasting.
5. Stay hydrated
Drinking water will help your fast in several ways. First, it’s always important to stay hydrated because your organs depend on water to function. In terms of fasting, you need to stay hydrated to help your body through this self-cleaning process. You can go for several days without food but water is essential.
6. Continue taking your meds
You may be tempted to stop your medications altogether, but it’s important not to when intermittent fasting. Many type 2 patients jump the gun and think because they’re not eating that they should stop their medication, too. Unless your medical provider says so, you should continue your diabetes or other medication.
Why Swee2ooth is a Must-Have for Diabetic Fasting
When breaking a fast, you want to make sure you do it right. Otherwise, you will undermine all of your previous fasting efforts in just one meal. Doing so will lead to a spike in blood sugar and an upset stomach, two things you don’t want!
Lucky for you, Swee2ooth is all you need to break a fast. Each Super Blend has been formulated with the exact amount of minerals and nutrients your body needs when coming out of a fast. Better yet, you don’t have to cook, prep, or measure ingredients. Every serving has everything you need and is backed with tons of science to prove it!
Start with one serving mixed in with water or nut milk as your first meal. Then, try one of our lighter recipes, such as a smoothie, for your next meal. Not only is Swee2ooth easy to digest, but it also won’t upset your stomach.
In the following days, start to introduce healthy, cooked meals — healthy being the keyword! Incorporate our Super Blends into your favorite recipes and eat more whole and nutritious foods. Be mindful not to let yourself go back to your old ways of eating. If you want to reverse your diagnosis, you’ll have to change your eating habits along with intermittent fasting.
Changing Your Health for the Better
Don’t talk yourself out of fasting. Although it may seem daunting, it’s fairly simple to do, especially with the right support behind you. Take it from us when we say that Swee2ooth has been created with you and your health in mind. With three yummy flavors to choose from, there’s no better way to transform your health! We stand behind our product and we’re fully committed to helping you on this journey.
As of this moment, satisfy your sweet tooth and take charge of your health. Shop our Super Blends and join the growing S2 Community. As always, we’re here for you. Happy shopping!
