Your doctor prescribed Trulicity to help you manage your blood sugar. You have your pen and you have been instructed to inject it once a week. What you might not know is what to eat and what foods to avoid with Trulicity to keep your blood glucose in check.
Which Foods Should I Avoid with Trulicity?
There are no specific foods that you need to avoid while taking Trulicity. However, your goal is to be as healthy as possible. I don’t like to use the word “avoid” as I feel most foods can be included in your eating plan, but I will give you some foods you should be very mindful of eating:
Food #1: Alcohol
You may want to be mindful of alcohol. Most persons with diabetes can enjoy a moderate amount of alcohol with no adverse effects.
Alcohol may cause both hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) for those with diabetes depending on the amount and the type of alcohol you drink (1). If you drink alcohol on an empty stomach, it may cause hypoglycemia. Alcoholic beverages prepared with juice or sweetened beverages may cause hyperglycemia. To be on the safe side, check your blood sugar before and after and drink.
Food #2: Added Sugars
Added sugars come in many forms. It can be confusing because food manufacturers can use over 50 different names on the ingredient list, such as molasses, maple syrup, corn syrup, turbinado sugar, beet sugar, raw sugar, coconut sugar, etc.
Added sugars also show up in places you may not even think there is sugar like in crackers, nut butters, bread, tomato sauce, and non-dairy milk. The problem is when the amount and frequency of sugar that is eaten or drunk becomes excessive and it replaces nutrient dense foods.
Finding added sugars is easy! Just check the Nutrition Facts Panel. Under “carbohydrates” is a line for “Added Sugars.” Check out, “What’s the difference between sugar and added sugar?”
Look also at the ingredient list. The ingredient list on any food product is in descending order by weight, so food that lists oats, sugar, raisins will have oats as the largest amount and sugar as the second largest amount. This information is useful when comparing similar products.
Food #3: Saturated Fats and Trans Fats
Saturated Fats/Trans fats are found in the skin of animals, butter, cheese, extra fat of meats, palm oil, coconut oil, and partially hydrogenated oils. Eating excess saturated fats/trans fats may increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
What Should You Know About Eating and Trulicity?
Getting in touch with your body’s hunger and satiety signals is key when taking Trulicity. Stopping eating once you feel satisfied is key.
Often, you might ignore your body’s signal that it is full, especially if you are savoring a delicious meal. However, if you eat past the level of fullness, you may feel nauseous and end up vomiting when you are taking Trulicity (2).
Which Foods Should I Eat with Trulicity?
Some of the common side effects of Trulicity are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach upset. It is important that you eat small meals throughout the day and listen to your hunger and fullness cues.
Remember, you can always go back for a snack later once you feel hungry.
There are many eating patterns that are recommended for those living with diabetes. This is what they have in common:
- Vegetables: Include vegetables of every kind and every color
- Fruits: Include fruits of every kind, shape, and color
- Grains: Include whole grains such as corn, amaranth, quinoa, rice, wheat, oats, barley.
- Legumes: all types of beans
- Fats and oils: olive, vegetable oils
- Nuts and seeds: peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, pecans, etc.
- If you choose to include animal foods in your diet, choose lean cuts and low-fat dairy
- Eggs
- Low-fat dairy products like milk, yogurt.
- Lean animal products like chicken, beef, turkey.
How long does Trulicity Stay in your System?
Once-weekly Trulicity has a plasma half-life of approximately 5 days. This means that it will take approximately 5 days to get rid of half-dose of Trulicity (3).
How does Trulicity Work?
Trulicity is a medication for adults with type 2 diabetes. It suppresses glucagon, which prevents the liver from releasing blood sugar.
Trulicity has a combination of benefits (4). It:
- Reduces A1c by about 0.8-1.6% . A1c is a blood test that measures your blood sugar over the past 3 months.
- Reduces the risk of cardiovascular events like heart attack, stroke and death
- May help patients lose weight by 1-3 kg or 2-7 lbs
Summary
Trulicity, also known as dulaglutide, is a GLP-1 receptor antagonist medication for adult persons with type 2 diabetes. Medication is one tool to help you manage diabetes and help you stay healthy. Another tool is working with a diabetes expert to show how to work with these tools.
Do you Want to Learn What to Eat Now that you Have Diabetes?
One common complaint I hear is about not knowing which foods spike blood glucose the most. Food becomes the source of anxiety. If you want to learn about how food fits and how to make adjustments to keep your blood glucose in range, check out my program On the Plate! Eating to Keep your Blood Glucose in Check
Stay informed! Check out these articles about diabetes
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Can Persons with Diabetes Eat Watermelon?
Love Corn? Is Corn Good for Diabetes?
Is Beetroot Good for Diabetes?
Calculating Net Carbs What’s the difference between Carbs, Total Carbs, and Net Carbs?
