Can a vegan diet improve sugar control ?

Robrunner

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I do not have diabetes
Seriously?

Depends on your definition I guess. Sure if you want a quick lunch from the shop you'll probably struggle or just have limited choice but if you're willing to experiment with your own cooking and just try new foods not at all. Not to mention you can easily bulk cook foods and just stick them in the freezer.

From my experience from talking to people about this particular question they often refer to snacks like crisps, sweets and cereals. But lets me honest none of them are healthy no matter what that label is actually saying.

End of the day if it's a lifestyle you want go for it, it certainly has it's health advantages if done correctly. It'll just take a little bit extra work when you get started.
 
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Resurgam

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I just checked my last shopping trip receipt and there are beetroot, radish, mixed green salad, strawberries, plums, aubergine, courgette, mushrooms, celery, - loads of fresh foods low in carbs.
Although I am omnivorous the amounts of processed foods I eat are quite small - coleslaw would be the most processed food I eat regularly. I do think that it is important to eat fresh foods, so a vegan diet could be quite varied and nourishing - but as the OP was so long ago I do wonder how it went.
 
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bulkbiker

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Depends on your definition I guess. Sure if you want a quick lunch from the shop you'll probably struggle or just have limited choice but if you're willing to experiment with your own cooking and just try new foods not at all. Not to mention you can easily bulk cook foods and just stick them in the freezer.

From my experience from talking to people about this particular question they often refer to snacks like crisps, sweets and cereals. But lets me honest none of them are healthy no matter what that label is actually saying.

End of the day if it's a lifestyle you want go for it, it certainly has it's health advantages if done correctly. It'll just take a little bit extra work when you get started.
I was more querying where you said that a vegan diet is "not restrictive" ... missing out meat, dairy, eggs I would describe as extremely restrictive.
Those are my staple foodstuffs and I will freely admit that my current carnivore ay of eating is definitely restrictive but I'm fine with that and would not describe it as anything else.
 

Robrunner

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I do not have diabetes
I was more querying where you said that a vegan diet is "not restrictive" ... missing out meat, dairy, eggs I would describe as extremely restrictive.
Those are my staple foodstuffs and I will freely admit that my current carnivore ay of eating is definitely restrictive but I'm fine with that and would not describe it as anything else.
Ah to be honest being lactose intolerant it's a lot easier for me to say it.
 
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rahul371

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i am having low sugar after 2hrs of eating.. it was just 68 after two hours of eating. i feel weired symptoms like weekness, shaky legs, brain fog etc.. so m planning for an appointment with diabeties specilaist but at the same time i have read that there is no medicine out tgere for RH help.. n they say that cutting carbs is the only way to go.. so m very much confused to do anything.. what should i do? shoupd i go for a doctor or i try cut my carbs out? n at the same time m vegetarian.. and my diet mostly consist of wheat, pulses, lentils, porridge and nuts.. i think right now m consuming atleast 120 to 150 gms of carbs or even more.. m in pain.. please help me on this.. i shll b thnkful for this.. thanx..
 

as34bc

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12
Type of diabetes
Type 2
I'm about to embark on a radical change of diet, moving from one where I eat the right fats, watch the glycemic load etc to one where I only eat plant-based food. This is in response to yet another article which promotes such a diet
and makes serious claims about overcoming insulin resistance and reducing medication and in some cases even reversing the diabetes. Anyone out there who's tried this ? I've been type 2 for about 10 years and now struggling to keep good control, the GP advising me to go on to insulin if no improvements soon.
I was an unhealthy vegetarian when I was first diagnosed with T2. My HBA1C was 94. I took Metformin for 2 weeks and then stopped to go an a WHOLE food Plant based (WFPB) diet. I lost a lot of weight and my HBA1C dropped to 43 about 7 months later and down to 37 after another 6 months. I do not do low carb or low fat, but just stick to 100% vegan, of which about 95% of my meals are whole food plant based.

The diet is restrictive in the sense that you have to cook most of your meals so eating out is quite difficult. Otherwise I do not miss dairy products or eggs.

There are a lot of WFPB recipes online and on YouTube which helped make the transition to WFPB. I am now much healthier and a lot more energetic so I have decided to stick to this diet. As a vegetarian I would have found LCHF very difficult to follow.
 
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Dr Snoddy

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Just a note of caution: if you do decide to embrace a vegan diet (minus the carbs) you will need to maintain your levels of Vitamin B12 using something like nutritional yeast or B12 spray. This will be important particularly if you continue with Metformin which can also deplete B12 levels.. Good luck with your new eating regime.
 

Freema

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Diet only
Just a note of caution: if you do decide to embrace a vegan diet (minus the carbs) you will need to maintain your levels of Vitamin B12 using something like nutritional yeast or B12 spray. This will be important particularly if you continue with Metformin which can also deplete B12 levels.. Good luck with your new eating regime.


yes and also take krill oil-capsuels to get the needed stuff from sea-food and also remember to eat seaweed twice a week to get the healthy level of iodine
 

LooperCat

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yes and also take krill oil-capsuels to get the needed stuff from sea-food and also remember to eat seaweed twice a week to get the healthy level of iodine
Krill isn’t vegan though, it’s a crustacean. Flaxseed oil is a possible alternative.
 

as34bc

Member
Messages
12
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Just a note of caution: if you do decide to embrace a vegan diet (minus the carbs) you will need to maintain your levels of Vitamin B12 using something like nutritional yeast or B12 spray. This will be important particularly if you continue with Metformin which can also deplete B12 levels.. Good luck with your new eating regime.
I take vitamin b12 and vitamin d supplements. These are important if you are on a vegan diet.
 

Welshman1952

Well-Known Member
Messages
326
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Diet only
Just to add to this discussion, I am vegan with an HbA1c of 41 on the last count. Does veganism help keep my sugars low? It's like every other kind of diet -it depends what you eat. Chocolate, potatoes and sugar is all vegan but obviously off the menu. I eat a lot of beans, some seitan and plenty of veggies. As for fruit. I can only manage berries and the off pear.

Does it work for everyone? Not necessarily, but it works for me
 
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Oldvatr

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I'm about to embark on a radical change of diet, moving from one where I eat the right fats, watch the glycemic load etc to one where I only eat plant-based food. This is in response to yet another article which promotes such a diet
and makes serious claims about overcoming insulin resistance and reducing medication and in some cases even reversing the diabetes. Anyone out there who's tried this ? I've been type 2 for about 10 years and now struggling to keep good control, the GP advising me to go on to insulin if no improvements soon.
The last time I looked there was not one single success testimonial in the Success thread that was from someone following the High Carb ultra low fat diet which is the Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) diet. We have had several people claiming this diet will cure and reverse diabetes, but when we ask for independant studies that support their claim they are seemingly unable to provide any, and the thread goes quiet. I suggest you need to make careful research if this is a diet you feel might help you. There are some here who have tried, myself included, that found it immediately pushed my blood sugars into the danger level,

This is not to say that a vegan diet is incompatible with diabetes control, merely the WFPB variant that advocates high intake of whole grain products. IMO that diet is only suitable for insulin dependant users who can apply large boluses to counteract the sugar spikes from the grains.
 

Oldvatr

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Hi, I've been veggie for 30 years and this year I moved to a more plant based regime. I have always eaten plenty of colourful fruit and veg as a Type 1 diabetic because dealing with sugar spikes is a pain. At first I struggled but then I had a eureka moment when I realised all I was doing was swapping eggs for tofu and not eating cheese unless it was my own vegan cheese (I can now make a mean vegan cashew cheese based sauce).

On a typical day I have a tofu scramble for breakfast, spaghetti (bean/lentil based pasta) soya bolognese for lunch and colourful veg and veggie protein like quorn or lindamccartney or frys or homemade seitan for dinner. For snacks a long time ago I was bought an air popper popcorn maker and a 1kg bag of popcorn kernels costs about a fiver and 1 tablespoon of kernels makes a massive tub of popcorn. I also make tamari and smoked paprika almonds that keep cravings at bay. I also use my instant pot to make stews and chillies etc. I usually use butternut squash or sweet potato to bulk out the stew and plenty of above ground veggies and beans and lentils.

I'm on instagram if you want any inspiration. I'm not a professional cook or anything but I do try and cook most things from scratch to avoid spiking and ridiculous volumes of injections. I mainly eat veg that's grown above ground as it has a lower starch content.

I add nutritional yeast to meals so I get my vitamin B12 hit and other vitamins

[Mod edit of personal info.]
Congratulations. You are the first diabetic I have seen on this forum who is actually successfully using WFPB to control their condition. However, I note that you do not give us any clue as to what your readings are, or what your insulin regime is that you also need to keep good control. Are you able to share this info with us to provide some evidence that the diet really is controlling your sugar levels.

I say this because as a T2D, I am unable to bolus to cover my food intake, so cannot compensate at all. I have tried vegan recipes as suggested by other wfpb vegans, and find I get the WORST jump in bgl. Last week I had a home made vegan stew, and it made my bgl jump by 10 mmol/l at the 2 hour point, and I was still above 8 mmol.l the next day. I double checked my meters and they confirmed these to be valid measurements. Now last night I had my normal beef stew with butternut squash and aubergine, and my bgl only jumped by 1 mmol/l and dropped back to fasting levels by the 4 hr reading. So I myself do not benefit at all from a wfpb vegan diet, and this is a trend I have experienced when trying WFPB recipes before. I seem to have a whole grain or soy allergy.

Whatever, WFPB for me does not help me control my bgl.
 
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