Calling all Vegan, Vegetarian and Strict Vegetarian Diabetics

[Nyxks]

I know I can't be the only Strict Vegetarian here on the forums (as I've seen a few postings here and there by other's).

I am wondering who else here is of the above title suggests and for how long?
How does everyone here deal with their version of Diabetes and eating as you've chosen to do so?
Where you like this before becoming Diabetic or was it after becoming diabetic that you changed things?
Do you follow a high carb, low carb, medium carb deal or not really worry about it?

I went Vegetarian summer of 1994 and strict vegetarian 5 years ago (closer to vegan in my mind, but by several other peoples standards no where close), I was told I had diabetes December 2003, so I'd already been vegetarian a good decade before being diagnosed, I went strict vegetarian shortly after getting married after it was learned I had a dairy allergy and egg intolerance. I don't really follow any particular carb deal, I eat between 150 and 300 grams of carbs a day (sometimes less depending on whats going on) and my glucose control is fair tight (i'll hit 15 maybe once in a month or when ill) being between 4 and 7 most times of the day.

My mom went vegetarian back in 2004 we're the only non-meat eaters in the house and the only diabetics (T2 n T1) as well. My dad is a major meat eater (can't go a meal without something from an animal, be it cheese, eggs or something). My wife on the other hand can and does go weeks without anything form of animal but isn't vegetarian as yet, more a flexarian instead - so I'm getting her there slowly at her own speed.

 

[Avocado Sevenfold]

Hi Nyxks

I have been lacto-ovo-vegetarian for 38 years and was diagnosed T2 in January 2014. I started LCHF, with 1 metformin tab a day, and by April my hba1c was down from 63 to 38. I have also lost 3 stone to date. I don't count carbs and am just avoiding them one meal at a time. I seem to be in ketosis whenever I test.

I don't find the new low carb way of eating restrictive. In fact, I now have a better menu than before as I have discovered so many new recipes. Easy for me though as I eat dairy and eggs. I tip my hat to low carb vegans. @purplekat is in the process of making a thread of veggie and vegan recipes which should be a good resource for us all.

Our only non-vegetarian family member is the cat

 

[purplekat]

Hello Welcome.

The list is being created in the low carb diet area of the forum, if you know any recipes you think would make good additions please let me know.

I've been vegetarian about 25 years now, I do eat eggs (free range) & some dairy. I spent almost 10 years avoiding dairy as much as possible, as I developed a sensitivity to it - would come out in itchy lumps that took weeks to go away. A lot better now, but have to watch intake of cheese in particular.

My partner is definitely not veggie, although he will try new dishes alongside what he is having. Mother eats a lot of veggie dishes, but not completely veggie.

I'm type 2, diagnosed April 2011. Hope you enjoy the forum

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[summer dreamer]

Hi, I've been lacto-ovo vegetarian for 30 years now. I was diagnosed with type 2 in May.

I used to eat a very carb heavy diet, lots of bread and pasta. I am now eating between 50-70g of carbs a day. Struggling massively to lose any weight though.

I recently did the DESMOND course and half of us there were vegetarian. Can't help wondering if a vegetarian diet puts you at greater risk of type 2?

I am currently in a dilemma over oily fish. Really don't want to eat it but also don't want to lose my sight and wish I had! The research I can find suggests omega 3 from any other source is not proven to be beneficial.

Summer x


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[Nyxks]

I am currently in a dilemma over oily fish. Really don't want to eat it but also don't want to lose my sight and wish I had! The research I can find suggests omega 3 from any other source is not proven to be beneficial.
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the follow are good sources of Omega 3

Flax Seeds
Not surprisingly, flax tops our list as the best vegetarian source of Omega 3. One ounce of flax seeds packs in 6388mg of Omega 3 (nearly 6 times the RDA). You get 1655mg of Omega 6 in the process, which helps keep your Omega 3 to Omega 6 raios in check. To get an even bigger boost, you can take a tablespoon of flax oil which delivers 7196mg of Omega 3.

Chia Seeds
Chia seeds have only recently gotten mainstream attention (at least beyond use on ceramic “pets”) – and it is long overdue! A single ounce of chia seeds packs in 4915mg of Omega 3 but just 1620mg of Omega 6. They are also loaded with calcium (1oz=18% RDA), fiber, and manganese.

Hemp Seeds
Hemp seeds have a great Omega 3 to Omega 6 ratio. One ounce of the seeds will provide 1100 Omega 3 and 2700 Omega 6.

Mustard Oil
If you are looking to cut back on your Omega 6 (as most of us should be), then you may consider swapping your olive oil salad dressing for mustard oil instead. Mustard oil has 826mg Omega 3 and 2146mg Omega 6 in a tablespoon. Compare this to the 103mg Omega 3 and 1318mg Omega 6 found in olive oil! You can usually find mustard oil in Indian food stores.

Seaweed
Seaweeds not only have fairly high amounts of Omega 3, but they are also one of the only vegan foods which also have EPA and DHEA. Spirulina (58mg Omega 3, 88mg Omega 6 per tablespoon) is one of the best choices. Wakame is a good runner up.

Beans
Beans don’t have as much Omega 3 as seeds or nuts. However, they still can help you meet your RDAs all while avoiding excess Omega 6. Mung beans are by far the best choice with 603mg Omega 3 and just 43mg Omega 6 in one cup cooked. French beans and navy beans are also good choices. To really get the most out of these super foods, sprout them first!

Winter squash
Winter squash is a surprisingly good source of Omega 3, with 338mg per cup cooked – and you’ll only get 203mg of Omega 6.

Leafy Greens
To meet calcium and iron RDAs, vegetarians should be loading up on leafy greens. It turns out that greens are also a decent source of Omega 3 too. A cup of cooked spinach has 352mg of Omega 3 with only negligible amounts of Omega 6. Broccoli rabe, collards, kale and grape leaves are also good sources of Omega 3

Berries
Berries are not only good sources of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, but they also are also a good vegetarian source of Omega 3. Blueberries top the list with 174mg of Omega 3 per 1 cup serving while simultaneously only delivering 259mg of Omega 6.

Wild Rice
Wild rice should be a staple for all vegetarians and vegans. One cup cooked delivers lots of iron, protein, fiber, magnesium, zinc, and manganese. You’ll also get 156mg Omega 3 while only taking in 195mg of Omega 6.

Kumquat
A single tiny kumquat delivers 9mg of Omega 3 but only 24mg of Omega 6. Eat just 15 kumquats (a nice snack) and you’ll have about your 1/10th of your Omega 3 RDA met.

Mangoes
Mangoes are one of my all-time favorite foods. These succulent citruses pack in 77mg of Omega 3s per fruit. They are one of the few vegetarian sources of Omega 3 which actually have less Omega 6 than Omega 3 (just 29mg per fruit).

Honeydew Melon
A cup of honeydew melon balls delivers 58mg of Omega 3. Like with mangoes, it also has less Omega 6 than Omega 3 (46mg!).

Cabbage Family
Vegetables in the cabbage family have a surprising amount of Omega 3. Cauliflower is the most notable with 208mg Omega 3 and just 62g of Omega 6 per cup, cooked. Broccoli and Brussels sprouts are also good choices.

 

[Nyxks]

I don't eat anything with Gluten in it do to being Celiac so its not an issue with that for carbs - I could wish even when i didn't know about the Celiac I wasn't a big bread/pasta/gluten eater to start with (which is likely why it took a while to figure things out) just never cared for the taste/feel of the stuff - though I do admit to loving cake, pie and cookies (which I admit to eating to many of on occasion and do miss, but the gluten free version that i've come up with hit the spot well enough to not worry about it).

 

[summer dreamer]

Flax seeds and blueberries are a daily part of my diet. From what I've read there is no evidence of health benefits from non fish sources though, that's the bit that worries me!
I'll do more reading.

Thanks, Summer x


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[gingertabbycat5]

Hi Nyxks.

I've got Type 1 Diabetes (was diagnosed in 1999) and am a strict vegetarian. I've been vegetarian since 1995 and find it easy to control my diabetes around it.

I'm not on any set calorie or carbohydrate diet, but I do try to keep my levels of protein up!


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[Deleted member 102906]

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[Nyxks]

@rhiuka i've no idea what a DESMOND course is, never heard of it (I assume its UK specific or something to that effect)

 

[Scimama]

Hi Nyxks
I am a lifelong veggie. Never eaten fish or meat.
From birth was a lacto-vegetarian, then from teens to mid 20s was vegan - but needed iron injections ;-( went back to lacto-vegetarian. Ate lots of fruit , vegetables and complex carbs with a very small amount of low fat dairy.
After diagnosis I now am lacto-ovo-vegetarian, low carb, high fat. I am still trying to get my head around the high fat aspect after trying to avoid fat all my adult life.
No longer eat bread, pasta, rice so eating out can be tricky

I am the only veggie in house, others are meat and fish eaters.

 

[Nyxks]

@Scimama … If it works for you great, I can't eat Dairy or Eggs thanks to being allergic to dairy and intolerant to eggs, I went off Gluten almost a year ago thanks to Celiac so its something that I've larded to avoid to health reasons along with corn (as my body thinks its gluten), so rice is more a staple in my life then it use to be (have it almost every mean without much of a spike taking place - which is counter to what most diabetics seem to say, but for what ever reason it doesn't spike me like it does other people for some strange reason).

Ya eating out becomes fun when you have food restrictions, allergies or something that you have chosen to do with your life for what ever reason. I don't eat out much anymore, not even at vegan places because those are worse for my health then most other places (since most use nut flours and or coconut - both of which I'm allergic, already ended up in the ER over CC with coconut a month ago).

 

[Deleted member 102906]

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[Nyxks]

@rhiuka - Ah my endro thinks that the only reason I was able to survive so long without insulin was because of being vegetarian, he said he'd seen a few other's over the years control their T1 status without much use of insulin but not for long (long enough, but not forever).

The one diabetic program he could refer me to wasn't vegetarian friendly on any level, which is why I never got a referral to a diabetic education program as all of them aren't friendly to non meat eaters = annoyed. In hospital it shows since all the diabetic diet options are meat meat and more animal proteins - plant based options are few and very far between. As I found out the hard way when I was forced to be in hospital years ago after surgery and it took them three days to find food I could eat in the mean time my family was bringing me in food the wasn't on their approved list (their idea was one serving of sugar free fruit preserves [which i couldn't have do to allergies] one serving of buttery veg or some animal mashup that smelled wrong and looked worse.

 

[SchmIlls]

Hi

I'm type 1 and strict veggie so no meat fish or chicken etc ( nothing with a face basically ). I've been veggie 27 years and t1 10 years. I train at sport at an international level and so need a lot of carbs to sustain that. I eat a hi carb v low fat diet. Hope this helps.

 

[xorsyst]

I'm type 1 (since 1996) and vegan (since 1998). I don't follow a low-carb diet, just tend to eat what I like (within reason) and balance the insulin accordingly. My health is very good on it, low cholesterol, etc, although my hbA1c could be lower. My local diabetes nurse reckons it's better than most she looks after, but at ~7.5 I would like to improve if I can, but not by going low-carb. I tried it and it was horrible, I like my junk food too much.

 

[MCMLXXIII]

I would say that by following a plant based diet I'm happy to say I'm med free (type 2) with near 'normal' hb1ac and cholesterol levels.
I don't eat anything processed and I don't miss dairy or meat at all.
You'll find that the fastest way to wind up a vegetarian is indeed to probe their protein levels- this is a bit of a nonsense nowadays with foods as common peas providing the highest levels without the need to go as exotic as tempeh for instance.
I take a multivitamin, but that's simply for insurance and I cross train 15 mins daily.
Now I'd be like Doc Savage if it wern't for the fact I love a glug of red wine or a real ale but I'm very happy and stick to what I'd describe as a sensible approach to it all based on what I best know to be fact- not fiction.
Sure I like animals too so there you go.

 

[izzzi]

I am on a vegan diet, it works for me. It is very difficult to convert diabetics to this diet simply because it is not popular. It is also quite expensive.
Can you imagine how healthy we all would be if we were on a vegan diet.

 

[Sallycook]

I have been diabetic from the age of 3 and am now in my 50s. I turned vegetarian about 5 years ago and it's the best thing I ever did. I haven't really had any problems other than when eating out when I have a choice of an awful lot of carbs (everything in pastry!) or an overdose of cheese. But I've always found things I like and because I'm on a basal bolas system I can adjust the insulin accordingly.
My weight's improved, my health overall's improved and I don't eat dead animals any more. I'm not a Strict Vegetarian as I still have dairy products, but I don't eat meat or fish. I take my hat off to all the vegan diabetics out there - I would find that too difficult to handle. I certainly don't miss meat or fish or seafoods in any way and feel slightly nauseous if anyone puts any of that in front of me.
My hospital specialist and his team are delighted with a long-term diabetic who has improved in health.