In honour of it being Diabetes Awareness Month, we felt it was a perfect time to introduce Shawn Wicks aka The Diabetic Fighter. We started working with Shawn this past spring and very quickly became big fans of his passionate, high-energy approach to nutrition coaching. An accomplished Muay Thai fighter and Type 1 diabetic himself, Shawn has a very deep knowledge of nutrition, especially when it comes to managing diabetes and helping his clients lose weight.
Shawn believes in the low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) philosophy when it comes to both lowering blood sugar and kick-starting and maintaining weight loss. The Keto diet is currently getting a lot of buzz for it’s LCHF approach, but this can be too restrictive for most people as it limits the intake of carbohydrates to 20g or less a day.
With the holidays (and an abundance of festive carbs!) just around the corner, we asked Shawn to share some of his ‘Carb Commandments’ with us to provide the major Do’s and Don’ts when it comes to following a LCHF diet.
Without further ado, here’s Shawn top tips to follow when consuming carbs:
1. Only consume “complex” carbohydrates. Complex carbs contain fiber and will have less of an impact on blood sugar and insulin response, which is the major cause of fat storage. Complex carbs include green leaf vegetables, ancient grains, sprouted grains, sweet potatoes/yams, and berries.
2. Restrict the consumption of complex carbs to breakfast or after exercise. Doing this allows the body to burn off any excess blood sugar instead of storing it as fat.
3. Never eat “naked carbs”. Always pair a carbohydrate with a source of protein and a source of healthy fat. Doing so will reduce any possible blood sugar spike and reduce the likelihood of fat storage.
4. Only consume one portion of carbohydrates. Nutrition labels and apps such as MyFitnessPal will teach you the weight and measure of a single portion. Use a food scale or measuring cups to ensure that you are only ever eating just one.
5. Don’t consume carbohydrates after 6pm. Doing so can lead to further night “munchies” and almost certainly cause the body to excess energy as fat while you sleep.
Thank you Shawn!
PS: If you or anyone you know is looking for some 1-on-1 help to help lower your blood sugar or lose some weight, you can learn more about Shawn and his tailored coaching services here: www.diabeticfighter.com
