Creating a muscle mass-increasing diet for healthy, non-diabetic, or insulin-resistant people is relatively simple. The extra caloric intake needed to increase muscle mass can easily be obtained from carbohydrates and fat. But the situation is quite different in the case of diabetes.
CARBOHYDRATES
For people with diabetes, it is not recommended to cover the calorie surplus from carbohydrates.
As I wrote in a previous post, higher carbohydrate intake is not an option for type 2 diabetics and pre-diabetes (glucose intolerance, elevated fasting blood sugar, insulin resistance). As a type 1 diabetic, it is theoretically possible to use larger carbohydrates. Still, unfortunately, it is unique how the carbohydrate metabolism of people with type 1 diabetes reacts to excessive carbohydrate intake in the short and long term.
And it’s the same for me: as a type 1 diabetic, I don’t tolerate high carbohydrate intake well.
Since, for me, carbohydrates exceeding 50-60 grams are absorbed over a long period, it does not matter if they are slow or fast absorbing carbohydrates, so I have to administer the analog insulin in several shifts, every hour and a half, until all the sugar finally disappears from my blood, and my blood sugar level is normalizing. So I use more fat to cover the calorie surplus.
PROTEINS
One more important limitation should be discussed and adapted to when creating a muscle mass-building diet for diabetics.
Proteins also require insulin. Yes. Few people know it, but it is true. Different types of protein require insulin to a different extent, so when we consume a larger amount of protein, it may be worthwhile to calculate the increased need in our insulin dosage or to avoid proteins with a particularly high insulin requirement.
For example, whey protein, beef, or fish are protein sources with particularly high insulin requirements. You shouldn’t eat beef or fish because they are both very good sources of nutrients. Still, in the case of insulin resistance, it might be worth treating them sparingly because they will make your already overworked pancreas even more active.
Scitec Nutrition 100 Whey protein is usually taken in the form of various protein powders and bulk powders. For most hobby athletes, developing the right diet is of primary importance; dietary supplement protein powders are only worth using if the intake of the right amount of protein is not difficult to solve from “classic food.”
MY DIET
Since my caloric needs are quite high and I want to increase muscle mass, I will start with a 3000-calorie diet, which I am on now, and along the way, we will see if I need to increase it and how much. I eat the 3000 calories divided into 3 meals breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I eat 70 g of protein, 60 g of carbohydrates, and 50 g of fat.
This is not exactly an LCHF (low carb, high fat) approach, but it is close to it. So one day, I will eat 210g of protein, 180g of carbohydrates, and 150g of fat.
I would be weak during training with fewer carbohydrates, and I would not want to increase it above this because, according to my experience, the amount above this is already absorbed from me after a long time, which entails multiple bolus insulin doses per day, and also exhausts my carbohydrate metabolism, its operation becomes unstable.
I don’t need more fat now, but if I have to increase it, I will probably increase it from vegetable sources. I want to avoid excessive animal fat intake due to attention to the cholesterol level.
Related Article: Protein Powder – Which one to choose? Is it essential in the diet?
I choose my diet from the following ingredients:
BREAKFAST
3 boiled eggs cover the protein, and 250 g of cottage cheese, which is usually supplemented with peanuts, also because of their fat content, and carbohydrates are provided by porridge and apples or bananas.
LUNCH
His protein source is usually chicken breast or pork ribs. To the former, I have to add a larger amount of pumpkin or sunflower seeds so that the fat content is also adequate, and little peanuts are enough for the ribs. The side dish is always a combination of some grain and legume.
On the one hand, more exciting flavors can be mixed this way. On the other hand, the amino acid profile will be complete due to protein supplementation (compared to proteins of animal origin, plants do not contain the essential amino acids in exactly the proportion that the human body needs, but fortunately, by mixing different groups of nutrients, these inequalities can be compensated, so plants can also be used as a complete protein source). Well, it’s not like a lot depends on it in my case, but it feels good to pay attention to it.
I usually use the following for the side dish: grains include bulgur, brown rice, barley, buckwheat, millet, and sometimes oatmeal, and legumes include lentils, red lentils, green peas, yellow peas, and chickpeas.
DINNER
Porridge is good because it contains a lot of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and very good fats; surprisingly, even its protein content is relatively high, and its carbohydrate content is negligible. Lastly, flavored with erythritol, cinnamon, and cocoa, it also satisfies the desire for a sweet taste.
THE SYSTEM
The second question is usually: isn’t it boring? Luckily no. I’m the type of person who tolerates the monotony of eating quite well; I’m happy if I eat food that tastes good to me and contains good nutrients in the right amount. Of course, it’s good to eat something different sometimes, Sunday family lunches usually add a little variety to the meal, but for me, it’s just fine.
