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I knew there might be people who would question my choice to go vegan. And today I went to a group that was for gardening, and specifically for people with problems like depression, etc.
I was asked why I had chosen to go vegan and I just said it was for health reasons, that my blood tests were horrible even with medication, and I was going to try removing all animal products from my diet.
I just noticed that people for the most part, don't want to get into any type of controversial discussions about animal products. So, if I just say I'm avoiding all animal products because of my cholesterol, it alleviates any crazy drama.
If going vegan keeps you from becoming diabetic then i guess thats what you got to do.
I tried that method and it was helpful, i remember joining a veggie board forum to get vegan recipe ideas, however when it got out i was on their forum for the health benefits and not to save the worlds animal population i was immediately banned for life.
Another resource is Dr Fuhrman. bit over hyped but his site has some great recipe ideas.= https://www.drfuhrman.com/
You are asking advice from vegans and/or vegetarians many of which are not diabetics or don't know that much about diabetes. Why don't you ask on a diabetic forum, you will get much better advice. I am a diabetic. I am not a vegan but have nothing against it. If you can manage (pre) diabetes with a vegan diet, then more power to you. Diabetes is metabolic disorder where one cannot process glucose correctly. If you eat too much glucose, you will have problems. Carbohydrates by definition are made up of glucose. Like I said, not all of them are bad. Jambo's recommendation is a good one on Dr. Fuhrman. I am not going to get into a debate on the do's and don't of a certain diet, I am just giving you my opinion on what I have learned and experienced in dealing with my diabetes. I have lost close to 50 lbs on a low carb high fat diet and turned my health around by 180 degrees. I also couple intermittent fasting with the low carb high fat diet also known as a LCHF or ketogenic diet. The Keto diet has been around for decades and is not a "fad". It just works for people with my condition. That is not to say that other approaches do not work. The Keto diet is obviously not vegan or vegetarian. The basic idea behind it is that you switch your fuel source from glucose (carbs) to fat. This only happens when you limit the amount of carbs and the body will have no alternative but to burn stored fat.
Its the dietary regime Dr Younan Nowzaradan gives to his overweight patients.
Don't mean to be disrespectful, but yeah, if you starve yourself, you'll lose weight. That will never work for me long-term.
No, it's not just about losing weight, either. I lost over 20 pounds last year, and my cholesterol and blood pressure and sugar levels were still horrible - even with medication. So, it's not just about losing weight.
You are asking advice from vegans and/or vegetarians many of which are not diabetics or don't know that much about diabetes. Why don't you ask on a diabetic forum, you will get much better advice. I am a diabetic. I am not a vegan but have nothing against it. If you can manage (pre) diabetes with a vegan diet, then more power to you. Diabetes is metabolic disorder where one cannot process glucose correctly. If you eat too much glucose, you will have problems. Carbohydrates by definition are made up of glucose. Like I said, not all of them are bad. Jambo's recommendation is a good one on Dr. Fuhrman. I am not going to get into a debate on the do's and don't of a certain diet, I am just giving you my opinion on what I have learned and experienced in dealing with my diabetes. I have lost close to 50 lbs on a low carb high fat diet and turned my health around by 180 degrees. I also couple intermittent fasting with the low carb high fat diet also known as a LCHF or ketogenic diet. The Keto diet has been around for decades and is not a "fad". It just works for people with my condition. That is not to say that other approaches do not work. The Keto diet is obviously not vegan or vegetarian. The basic idea behind it is that you switch your fuel source from glucose (carbs) to fat. This only happens when you limit the amount of carbs and the body will have no alternative but to burn stored fat.
You're right. I asked for advice from vegans who were diabetic. Interestingly enough, there don't seem to be any. That should be a giant clue about what diabetics should do about their diets.
The keto diet will destroy your kidneys, from the research I've read. And fasting is unhealthy, in my opinion, and definitely not something that would work for me long-term. In my opinion. But, let's give it time to see how I do. I'll keep you posted. Maybe you'll prove to be right and if so, I'll humbly admit it.
If going vegan keeps you from becoming diabetic then i guess thats what you got to do.
I tried that method and it was helpful, i remember joining a veggie board forum to get vegan recipe ideas, however when it got out i was on their forum for the health benefits and not to save the worlds animal population i was immediately banned for life.
Another resource is Dr Fuhrman. bit over hyped but his site has some great recipe ideas.= https://www.drfuhrman.com/
Yeah, I definitely have an added incentive in minimizing the demand for animal meat, which has resulted in animals being treated terribly. But, I can't stand fanatics of any kind, for any cause. So, I choose to minimize that aspect of why I am choosing this diet. I figure it will be my small part in the cause, to just lessen the demand by one.
And if it ever seems like a calm situation where I can also add, "and I just don't like how animals are treated that are for human consumption," it might just be a calm little spark that may get someone else to start thinking.
I used to raise a couple pigs every summer, and I'd sell one to pay for my own meat. They had about 1/2 acre to run around in, with a sprinkler running in one corner, so they could cool off and roll in the mud, etc. They were well cared for until the day they met the butcher. And my extra pig was in high demand, as I fed them good stuff that made the meat taste really good - like dairy and soy and tortillas from nearby factories - not that nasty prefab pig feed from the feed store.
So, I really don't have any problem with people eating meat - from animals that were treated well. But, those Costco rotisserie chickens....scary. I just hate to hear about animals being treated badly for the sake of profit.
But, as I say, you have to tread lightly on this subject if you want to actually get someone to hear you. If you sound like a fanatic, they'll just tune you out.
You're right. I asked for advice from vegans who were diabetic. Interestingly enough, there don't seem to be any. That should be a giant clue about what diabetics should do about their diets.
The keto diet will destroy your kidneys, from the research I've read. And fasting is unhealthy, in my opinion, and definitely not something that would work for me long-term. In my opinion. But, let's give it time to see how I do. I'll keep you posted. Maybe you'll prove to be right and if so, I'll humbly admit it.
Neither a plant based or meat based diet specifically cause diabetes. I can't speak for all types but a lot of type 2 diabetics get it from a combination of being genetically predisposed and leading a bad diet. That bad diet has nothing to do with the consumption of fats or animal products although there are some that will tell you that. It has a lot to do with consuming foods that keep your blood sugars high and in turn keep the levels of insulin high. This leads to insulin resistance, pre-diabetes and eventually diabetes. This of course does not happen over night. It can take years. It's not hard to figure out the foods that keep your sugars high.
There are overweight and unhealthy people that never get diabetes so it seems that the genetics make a difference. Logic would tell me that.
As for vegans with diabetes, you are right, there aren't any here where you are asking in the Food and Drink Forum. You may find some in the diabetes forum here on City Data but that forum doesn't get much traffic. Other sites with diabetic forums would have way more. Veganism by itself is not an indicator or whether or not you will get diabetes. It's obviously what you eat that matters.
As for the fasting, it is a common misconception that it is unhealthy. It is actually the opposite. Let me stress that it is intermittent fasting. You fast for a certain amount of time per day and you eat for a certain amount of time per day. Fasting in general cleanses the body. It has other benefits as well. The old myth of eating many small meals a day is bad advice for anybody that is predisposed to diabetes and/or overweight. This again keeps your insulin levels constantly high. Again, too much insulin causes weight gain and insulin resistance. There is tons of information on this. When I do it, I do a 20/4 schedule. I skip breakfast and lunch and eat from 6pm to 10pm. I do still drink coffee and water throughout the day. Others do a 16/8 schedule.
I am in no way suggesting you should go on a Keto diet. I am only talking about it because it has worked for me and many others. The crucial part of this is the "low carb" part. You can certainly go vegan and low carb but when you do go low carb, you should not go low fat. Anyway, good luck.
I weighed 199 today! I haven't been under 200 pounds in years! I had my blood pressure checked at the dentist (I know!) a few days ago and it was 168/86. This is without medication since 8/13.
My friend freaked out when I told her my bp, so I took a Losartan, and 30 minutes later felt so sick I went to bed. Next day got up and did some research on Dr. McDougall's website about blood pressure and he uses the British standard regarding when a doctor would start prescribing bp medication. That is when a patient's bp is sustained over a period of several months at 160/100.
So, looking at the British standard, and considering I just went off bp meds, I think I'm okay. The thing is, I feel really good. I was feeling really good at the dentist office and when my friend called me and scared me into taking the Losartan lol. And since I am taking absolutely no meds or supplements at all, in order to establish a baseline, the fact that I feel great should be a very good indicator, I think. Plus, I'm still not in the absolute red zone under the British standard - which is a system not under the control of large pharmaceutical companies like here in the U.S.
I am just going to go forward as I'm going, and see if my body heals itself. I'm already losing weight - and much faster since I stopped eating any oil, and I feel good.
Will get blood tests done in a couple weeks or so. I'm also hoping I can afford a home bp tester that's digital. Dr. McDougall also did say that you should test yourself at home, as some people can have what he calls "white coat syndome," where your bp is higher when you're at the doctor's office - and I was at the dentist! Way worse for me.
So anyway, so far so good. I'm eating a lot of corn tortillas with a bean/rice/veggie mixture with nutritional yeast and spices. Tonight had potatoes cooked in veggie broth and I mashed them and added some green beans and a little salt. Dr. McD also says we can have a little salt. Heaven! A little salt makes things taste so much better.
That's interesting there is such a difference in British vs US bp standards. Learn something new every day.
Keep us posted on how things go.
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