{"id":10632,"date":"2026-03-19T11:22:51","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/type1support.ca\/?p=10632"},"modified":"2026-03-19T11:22:57","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T15:22:57","slug":"has-type-1-diabetes-changed-your-relationship-to-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/type1support.naracreative.com\/en\/has-type-1-diabetes-changed-your-relationship-to-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Has type\u00a01 diabetes changed your relationship to food?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Eating habits are rarely trivial. Eating is first and foremost a biological need that can\u2019t just be ignored, unlike alcohol or other habits that are best avoided. <\/a><\/a>But it\u2019s also much more than that. Eating is a social activity, front and centre in shared meals, festivities and family traditions; it evokes pleasure, culture, comfort, memories. However, it can also become a source of anxiety. In a society where \u201chealthy eating\u201d is on everyone\u2019s mind, relationships to food can become complex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you get <\/a>diagnosed with type 1 diabetes (T1D)<\/a>, you enter into another food dimension. You learn that nearly everything you eat raises <\/a>blood sugar, and that you need insulin to keep it balanced. Most importantly, you now need to estimate the quantity of carbohydrates\u2014a nutriment present in everyday foods such as bread, pasta, rice, fruit and desserts\u2014you eat to determine what <\/a>insulin dose you need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a few decades ago, people with T1D basically had to eat the same, low-carb meals every day. Nowadays, <\/a>carb counting<\/a> should give them the freedom to eat whatever they want, as long as insulin doses are adjusted accordingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Counting meal carbs many times a day, every day, without a break, is a difficult, tedious, tiresome task. So, tools that are meant to modernize diabetes management and make life easier can also lead to stress.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>When food leads to anxiety<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Accurate carb count, accurate insulin dose taken at the right time: everything seems \u201cperfect\u201d. Unfortunately, blood sugar doesn\u2019t always react as expected. Other than carbs, countless factors can <\/a>influence blood sugar<\/a>: fibre, fats, alcohol, stress, hormones, sleep, physical activity, infections \u2026 it\u2019s often frustrating, discouraging even. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Naturally, to avoid unexpected outcomes, most will try to control what they can, for instance, the number of carbs they eat or how to count them. Some will reduce carb intake as much as possible, others will settle on eating practically the same meals every day, or prioritize packaged foods with pre-calculated carb content. Perfect blood sugar after every meal is an unattainable goal, and insisting on achieving it quickly leads to anxiety.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some, the anxiety stems from <\/a>fear of hypoglycemia<\/a>, frustration when the blood sugar rises<\/a> despite their efforts to avoid it, or feelings of guilt when the results aren\u2019t as expected. Many people also mention the mental fatigue<\/a> associated with the constant need to anticipate, calculate and make adjustments, sometimes with no improvement in sight. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is undeniably beneficial, but it also shows variations that would go unnoticed with <\/a>capillary blood sugar measurements. It gives the opportunity to improve, but also causes frustration.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Medical check-ups can also influence the relationship to numbers, sometimes unintentionally. For instance, automatic weigh ins right at the beginning of the appointment will make some people <\/a><\/a>more focused on their body and weight. <\/a>Then, when consulting with your endocrinologist, they will centre on numbers included in your blood test results. Whether they\u2019re good or not likely influences how the appointment will go. In a context where daily life revolves around blood sugar levels, insulin doses and grams of carbs, throwing these numbers into the mix only adds to the climate of control and ends up feeling heavy, both literally and figuratively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The motivation to do well and be thorough can gradually slip into a heavier dynamic, or even into an <\/a>obsession with nutrition<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/a>Orthorexia: when healthy eating becomes an obsession<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Adopting healthy eating habits is a good thing, but sometimes, pursuing that goal can get burdensome. Orthorexia<\/strong> is characterized by an excessive focus on eating \u201cperfectly\u201d or \u201cas healthy as possible\u201d, to the point where it becomes a constant, intrusive thought pattern that affects quality of life. <\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not even about carbs, blood sugar or calories. It\u2019s about the very relationship to food and where it comes from, whether it was processed and its \u201cpurity\u201d.<\/a> People with orthorexia have a very strict definition of what counts as \u201chealthy food\u201d. They might, for instance, exclusively eat local, organic, non-processed foods and closely monitor their nutritional value. It sure is a good idea to limit processed foods, but avoiding them at all costs is a big undertaking. With nutrition taking so much space, orthorexia leads to anxiety and social isolation.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orthorexia is not exclusive to diabetes; it can affect anyone. However, with T1D management requiring patients to analyze, weigh, and calculate everything they eat, conditions are conducive to developing it without realizing it.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orthorexia doesn\u2019t happen overnight. It\u2019s a slow, gradual process, often invisible at first. Asking these questions can help see more clearly.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n