Trulacity means a significant relief if you have pre or type-2 diabetes. This Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1 ) not only keeps your blood sugar under control but also helps to reduce obesity issues.
But what about food? Are there any foods to avoid with Trulicity?
There is no particular food to avoid with Trulacity. You can have almost any healthy food within a specific limit. However, it’s better to check the alcohol, sugary foods, and saturated fat consumption when you are in Trulacity. Moving to complex carbs, healthy fat, and leafy greens will be beneficial.
So you can stop thinking about should I take trulicity with food and move to a healthy lifestyle. There are no severe trulicity food interactions known to doctors and health professionals.
However, I have rounded up a list of fourteen foods that you need to control eating during the Trulacity course to avoid any adverse outcomes.
Table of Content
14 Foods to Avoid with Trulicity
Should you take trulicity with food? Of course, you should. But there is a catch.
The right food choice helps the body respond well to the injection. Hence, it is crucial. Trulicity diet plan involves eating frequent but smaller meals throughout the day, eating more bland foods like crackers or toast, and avoiding some dishes, fruits, and other forms of diet.
Soda
Sweetened beverages are high in carbs and fructose. These create insulin resistance. As a result, our blood absorbs lesser insulin. This leads to metabolic changes such as increased cholesterol levels. In turn, it causes obesity.
In the past, Type-2 diabetes was known to have adult-onset. Nowadays, it is seen in younger generations due to childhood obesity, among other things. This is a rising concern.
Foods Made from White Flour or Refined Starch
White bread, pasta, rice, or anything made from white flour are refined starches with a high glycemic index. Glycemic index is the ranking of carbs depending on how many effects they have on sugar level.
Replace these with whole grains like high-fiber cereals, wild brown rice, oatmeal, barley, etc. Whole grains are complex carbohydrates. They digest slowly and have a more negligible effect on blood sugar.
Sweetened Breakfast Cereals
Breakfast cereals like corn flakes are often considered suitable for diabetes.
However, most cereals are low in protein. So next time you buy cereals, get protein-based ones to maintain your blood sugar level.
Flavored and (Especially Sweetened) Yogurt
Flavored yogurts are loaded with sugars and carbs. Consume unflavoured yogurts in a moderate amount instead.
Trulicity and Caffeine
Black coffee is known to be good for the body. Hence, diabetic patients might not regulate their coffee cravings. But caffeine and Trulacity don’t go well together.
Drinking coffee reduces the risk of diabetes. It’s true. But if you’re already suffering from the condition, caffeine might (and most probably will) alter your blood sugar level.
Two cups of coffee will have the same effect as Trulicity. However, too much coffee also raises the risk of developing diabetes mellitus. Hence, this is one of the most common but critical drinks to avoid with Trulicity. Caffeine addicts, I’m sorry!
“Healthy” Alternatives of Sugar
If you have diabetes and there’s one thing that you follow, I bet it’s avoiding sugar. But if there’s one mistake, you’re making, that is consuming too many “healthy” sugar alternatives. Honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar are on the list.
These may be natural sugar, but they contain more carbohydrates than we commonly have. So treat them with the same attention as white sugar and use them in moderation.
Otherwise, how much weight you have lost on Trulicity will be a tricky question.
Packaged Snacks
This might be the hardest to avoid on the entire list. But, I mean, who doesn’t like some packaged goodness?
However, it is said that whatever tastes good is bad for your health.
Unfortunately, packaged goods contain salt, sugar, white flour, preservatives, and trans fat. Too much trans fat can trigger and worsen diabetes.
Dried Fruits and Fruit Juices
Although it has fiber and minerals, dried fruits and fruit juices don’t fill up too much of your stomach. So, you might end up snacking too much. Always better to snack on raw fruits instead.
You can use this strategy for your Trulicity for weight loss journey.
Red Meat
Red and fatty meat contains saturated fats, which increase cholesterol levels and promote inflammation. They also increase the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
Swap with lean proteins. Leans include poultry like chicken and turkey, egg without yolk, oily fish rich in omega 3 like salmon and mackerel, pulses like beans and lentils, and unsalted nuts.
Deep-Fried Food
The key to remember is “Avoid CFCs.” Chips, cakes, chocolate, fries, fried chicken, and all you have every time you go out to a restaurant should be pretty much avoided.
These things have saturated fat. As you might know, saturated fat takes longer to digest.
These foods are fried in hydrogenated oil as well. Hence, they are high in trans fat. These types of dishes aren’t easy to avoid, I know. So, try to make your versions at home using air fryers, grillers, or convection mode in your oven.
Alcohol
Trulicity and alcohol are both processed in the liver. So, when you’re drinking too much, there’s an overload on your liver.
A combination of the two can cause hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia depending on how much alcohol you consume. So limit your drinks and drink moderately.
Hypoglycemia occurs when your liver stops releasing glycogen, and the body’s mechanism to fight the “Hypo” condition is blunted.
Doctors also recommend mixing diet soda, ice, or calorie-free drinks with rum because hard liquor has almost no carbs.
Full-fat dairy products
Full-fat dairy products are straight-up yum but are high in saturated fats leading to insulin resistance. So, be aware when you consider does trulicity needs to be taken with food, especially dairy products.
Along with alcohol, dairy products should be on top of the list of what not to eat on trulicity. The following alarming item is tobacco.
Smoking and tobacco
The primary content of cigarettes is nicotine which escalates blood sugar levels and causes insulin resistance. Hence, it’s best to quit smoking and avoid tobacco to prevent diabetes.
Although, when you’re trying to quit, make sure to reduce smoking while closely monitoring your blood sugar level slowly. Sudden stopping can cause an imbalance in your blood sugar level both ways.
Salted food
Salty foods can cause a rise in your blood pressure level and increase the risk of heart disease. Uncontrolled diabetes already affects your heart health so limit your salt intake to augment your health.
What is Trulicity?
Trulicity is not insulin. It’s an injectable drug that controls blood glucose levels with a low risk of hypoglycemia. Hypoglycemia is a common drawback for most glucose-reducing medicines but is not the case for Trulicity.
Combined with diet and exercise, Trulicity can do wonders in treating “Type 2” diabetes. Additionally, it can reduce the risk of major cardiovascular diseases such as cardiac arrest and stroke. It also aids in weight loss.
Trulicity injection is given under the stomach, on our thighs, or upper. Remember, muscular areas quickly absorb the injection. Therefore, you need to inject it only once per week.
The medication works better with food and lifestyle. So the most obvious question is, what foods to avoid when taking trulicity.
How Does Trulicity Work?
Trulicity or dulaglutide is a drug that enhances the activity of the GLP-1 receptor. This glucagon-like peptide is a natural human hormone.
It binds to the receptor present in the cells of the pancreas and helps release insulin from the pancreas. Increased activity of the receptor improves glycemic control by:
- Decreasing glucagon secretion reduces glucose production by the liver.
- Reducing hunger pangs by slowing the emptying of gas in the intestines.
- Increasing intracellular second messengers such as cAMP lead to glucose-dependent insulin release.
- Stimulating the natural production of insulin in the body.
Trulicity and Diabetes – The Relationship
Diabetes is a chronic ailment. It has reached an epidemic proportion among adults and children around the world. It is a disease that doctors often say affects from “the hair bulb to the toe finger.”
You’ll find two diabetic types among the affected. One is where your body is not using insulin like it should (type 2 diabetes). And the other is where your body is not making insulin or producing an insufficient amount (type 1 diabetes).
Here’s the question, “Is trulicity effective against both types of diabetes?”
No. Trulicity is only effective against type 2 diabetes.
Treating type 2 diabetes requires the perfect balance of food, exercise, and medication. Trulicity is here to help.
Trulicity Complaints (Side Effects)
Common side effects of Trulicity include:
- Stomach pain
- Indigestion
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Loss of appetite
- Vomiting and
- Bloating
About 10% of the people taking the drug complain of feeling “full.” Sometimes, they experience a sensation similar to that of overeating. These symptoms depend on our body condition and how long does trulicity stay in your system.
Other complaints include feeling enervated and exhausted. Let me be clear. Trulicity fatigue is real. It can make you feel sleepy all day as well. If you find yourself stuck to your bed 24/7, this drug is probably not the best thing to go for.
Trulicity long-term side effects can trigger insulin resistance, aka dulaglutide tolerance. Serious side effects of Trulicity include:
- Thyroid cancer
- Kidney problems
- Pancreatitis
- Pancreatic cancer and
- Several allergic reactions
However, these side effects are rare and depend on how long the medication sustains your system.
FAQs
What Is the Best Time for Taking Trulicity?
You can take Trulicity every week at any time of the day with or without food, using a Trulicity pen for easier administration. The half-life of Trulicity is about 5 days, and it takes 5 half-lives to eliminate the drug from the body, so Trulicity stays around 2-3 weeks in your body. However, the drug’s effect decreases with every half-life, so you should take it every 5 days or a week to be on the safe side.
Can Trulicity Be Taken for Weight Loss?
Trulicity is not directly related to weight loss, but people taking Trulicity can lose some weight while on the drug. Nevertheless, the correct dose is required for weight loss, and the right dose varies for every individual. According to a clinical trial, FDA approved two doses: 3mg- an average weight loss of 8.8 pounds after 36 weeks and 4.5mg- an average weight loss of 10.4 pounds after 36 weeks.
Can Trulicity and Metformin Be Taken Together?
Taking metformin and Trulicity with your doctor’s approval is safe. Based on the longevity of the effects of metformin, the daily dose of metformin and a weekly dose of Trulicity are usually prescribed. However, you must consult your doctor to learn more about foods to avoid Trulicity and metformin.
Bottom Line
Trulicity does wonders in treating type 2 diabetes, one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide.
Although there are no absolute restrictions on food, it is better to know about foods with trulicity to avoid its adverse effect.
As a diabetic patient, always remember that moderation is the key. And I am sure you won’t doubt what foods you should avoid when taking trulicity.
