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Is Veganism Better Than Lchf?

melliemars

Well-Known Member
Hi everyone, I recently saw a post on DiabetesDaily on Facebook saying that Dr. Neil Barnard says that T2s should be vegans, not on LCHF.

I was just getting used to LCHF, so I'm pee'd off about this. Why isn't there straightforward properly tested information? Why are we always being made to chop and change and worry? It's extremely irritating. It's never set in stone what is for the best. There is no exact place to go for proper information.

Do we have to eat like rabbits now? I've been worried that the LCHF diet seems high in heart clogging oils and fats and was actually going to post here about it. I don't know if life is worth living if I have to eat salad for the rest of my life lol :/

https://www.diabetesdaily.com/blog/a-plant-based-diet-for-type-2-diabetes-2-307136/
 
Whatever works for people is my motto. If you have any doubts that LCHF works, I'd recommend reading the long Success Stories thread. Personally I can't imagine eating a diet high in boring tasteless carbs with barely any oil/fat, but whatever floats your boat
 
Sounds like you have answered your own question.. There are other threads about high carb diets being good for Type 2's does that mean we should believe them? if you enjoy LCHF and are getting good blood sugar results then just do it (as someone once said).
 
I'm also pretty sure there are a few people doing both LCHF and a veg*n diet. You could try looking around that section of the forum if you think the diet would appeal to you.
 
Hi @melliemars I eat lower carb/healthy fat vegan and don't eat like a bunny. There are lots of plant fats out there from nuts, seeds, oils, avocados, olives, nut butters. I was veggie before I became T2 so the diabetes had to fit around my way of eating. I believe diabetes is for life so you have to find a way of eating that suits you for it to be sustainable. Eating shouldn't be a chore.
 
Although I am an omnivore, I do enjoy vegan food, and often share lunch with a vegan friend. She knows I do low carb, but the food we share a rabbit would definitely turn its nose up at it.
 
Haha thank you for the replies everyone! I appreciate everyone's input.

Sorry if I came off in a ****** mood, I'm just terribly frustrated.

I'm 6 weeks in, went from 10.4 A1c to steady 6.0 readings for the most part (sometimes hitting the late 5s).

I have no idea how to do a low carb vegan version. I'm only just getting my head around LCHF! Do we stop carbing? Do we high carb? I have absolutely no idea.

If you don't mind me asking, what does everyone's weekly diet consist of? I'm so in the dark about this and would *so* appreciate some help.

️
 
Well, I find my all meat diet keeps my blood glucose levels quite good and keeps me healthy in general, so I think Neil Barnard is wrong about meat. However, I do think he's right about avoiding seed/vegetable oils.
 
Nobody can possibly tell you what to eat - we all need to design our own diets based on our meter and personal food preferences.

If you want ideas for vegetarian/vegan meals, try this thread:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/vegetarians-what-have-you-eaten-today.88074/

If you want ideas for LCHF meals, try these ones:
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/what-have-you-eaten-today.75781/
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/low-carb-recipes.4871/

There are also low carb adaptations of just about any recipe you can think of out in Google land - just type in "low carb ......" and you'll be amazed by the recipes that come back.
 

I think the first question you need to answer is do you want to be vegan?
Reading your other posts you seem to have got control over your blood sugar levels using LCHF so if that is working for you why change it?
 
I think if Veganism is calling to you, then you should try it.
- but if you don't have the emotional commitment to that way of eating, then it is likely to fail.

And yes, there are definitely vegans on the forum doing LCHF, @Avocado Sevenfold is one.
 
There is no right diet for all diabetics we are all so different so the only right one is what works for you
 
I was type 2 for 10 years and went LCHF 14 months ago. I have lost 3.5 stone and my HBa1c is now 34 for the last 9 months. lipids are in an acceptable range so i'm happy.





Edited by Moderator to remove criticism of other people's dietary preferences.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Just a quick point - you are almost certainly taking about finger prick BG levels not HbA1c; HbA1c is an average of your blood glucose over about a 6 week period and is normally only tested every 3 months (after initial diagnosis) then every 6-12 months once you stabilise. The units are subtly different from the finger prick readings, but the two can be converted.

The main thing is the finger prick only gives you a reading at the moment you take it, so there are long parts of the day (and especially the night) when you have no idea what your BG level is.

HbA1c is an indication of how good your long term BG control is. Finger prick readings allow you to fine tune your response to different foods and give early warning if things are going particularly badly and early encouragement if things are going particularly well.
 
I would suggest that you maintain the low carb element in full and find the right levels of fat so that in total you energised from start to finish. I naturally recoil to the high fat description as mentally it reminds me of the month before diagnosis when I thought I was eating healthy with a litre of pure orange juice, punnets of grapes, plain home made pancakes, bananas and rice / pasta / potatoes at dinner - my sugar intake was huge. I

As you asked, breakfast is 35 grams of porridge with cinnamon, ginger, nuts, coconut and berries most days, for 1 or two days a fry up without carb based foods apart from low sugar baked beans (I try to avoid eating the sauce). Lunch involves either salmon, mackerel, sea bass / bream, leeks, mushrooms, egg, salad, bean shoots, egg plant, butternut squash, kale or spinach, small cheese selection, avocado. Dinner is meat (mainly chicken), fish, broccoli, kale, spinach, cauliflower, red / green peppers. Desert tends to be low fat / carb yogurt with small layers of nuts and berries. When you get your bloods done you can ask if you are deficient in anything major and if you are consuming too much of anything.
 
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