- Messages
- 259
- Type of diabetes
- Type 1
- Treatment type
- Insulin
Hello my wonderful friends! I hope that you are all very well and that your bg levels are very “on point!”
I very much wish to request your opinions regarding the following matter. Please allow me to elaborate a little in order to get to my point.
As some of you might have read from my previous posts, about 4-5 months ago I attended the DAFNE course. Following the DAFNE rules, I did not bolus for protein and/or fat. I also did not bolus for the protein/fat content in other carbohydrate foods like milk or yogurt. (I did bolus for the carbs, just not for their protein and/or fat content).
This confused my ratios completely.
Every time I had a meal that did not consist of any animal protein (for example, I had 2 oranges, 1 banana, mixed salad and rye bread) and bolused accordingly for it, my 1:1 ratio was working like a dream! If even the slightest animal product was in my meal, (like 30 grams of cheese) the ratios changed…
So, in order to avoid the confusion, about a month ago, I decided to eliminate animal products from certain meals, like breakfast and dinner. I also quit completely milk, yogurts, cheese, eggs, any kind of cream (single and double, mayonnaise). I only allowed 80-90 grams of meat/fish and salads for lunch.
I thought, let’s try to figure out the ratios without the animal products first, and then I will introduce them gradually and record what happens.
Here is the interesting part.
After I started this “diet” (so to speak), within about 10 days, I started having hypoglycemic episodes morning, afternoon, evening and during the night… I went from basal test to basal test almost every second day. Eventually, I had to reduce my overall Levemir dosage from 22 units down to 16 units.
My diet consists of 90-120 grams of carbs per day, coming from fruits, vegetables and rye bread. I am completely unaware, at the moment, what else I could eat because I had never experimented with a diet that has no animal products in the past... but, I am very tempted to investigate into the matter now!
I am not advocating a high carbs – low protein diet, in any way. However, I must admit how wonderfully my insulin works without any animal products… everything has become so effortless and predictable (if this can be said about Type 1 diabetes…)
Some days ago, I watched the following video.
It has disturbing images between minutes 14:30 to 19:00 so, if you wish, please skip them.
However, there are some interesting points after minute 19:00.
I was in shock!!
I felt that, now that I know, I cannot keep doing this (engaging into speciesism) and still live with myself!
I am writing this post now and my 10 year old Westie, Charlie, (some of you may know him from my previous posts and you know that I love him terribly much!) is sleeping on my lap and I am looking at him and I am thinking “Am I so cruel and in-sensitive and in-different… I would never, ever, ever, EVER harm/eat/skin Charlie why do I do it to other creatures? And the fact, that others do it for me and I just buy the products at Tesco, doesn’t make me less of an associate in this crime!”
So, after all this story, here is the set of questions:
How do you feel about veganism? (both regarding ethical and nutritional reasons.)
Can a Type 1 diabetic become vegan? Is it safe for a Type 1 diabetic to become vegan?
Your thoughts, opinions and suggestions are very welcomed and highly valued, always.
I wish you the most beautiful day ahead and thank you in advance for your replies!!
Regards
Josephine.
I very much wish to request your opinions regarding the following matter. Please allow me to elaborate a little in order to get to my point.
As some of you might have read from my previous posts, about 4-5 months ago I attended the DAFNE course. Following the DAFNE rules, I did not bolus for protein and/or fat. I also did not bolus for the protein/fat content in other carbohydrate foods like milk or yogurt. (I did bolus for the carbs, just not for their protein and/or fat content).
This confused my ratios completely.
Every time I had a meal that did not consist of any animal protein (for example, I had 2 oranges, 1 banana, mixed salad and rye bread) and bolused accordingly for it, my 1:1 ratio was working like a dream! If even the slightest animal product was in my meal, (like 30 grams of cheese) the ratios changed…
So, in order to avoid the confusion, about a month ago, I decided to eliminate animal products from certain meals, like breakfast and dinner. I also quit completely milk, yogurts, cheese, eggs, any kind of cream (single and double, mayonnaise). I only allowed 80-90 grams of meat/fish and salads for lunch.
I thought, let’s try to figure out the ratios without the animal products first, and then I will introduce them gradually and record what happens.
Here is the interesting part.
After I started this “diet” (so to speak), within about 10 days, I started having hypoglycemic episodes morning, afternoon, evening and during the night… I went from basal test to basal test almost every second day. Eventually, I had to reduce my overall Levemir dosage from 22 units down to 16 units.
My diet consists of 90-120 grams of carbs per day, coming from fruits, vegetables and rye bread. I am completely unaware, at the moment, what else I could eat because I had never experimented with a diet that has no animal products in the past... but, I am very tempted to investigate into the matter now!
I am not advocating a high carbs – low protein diet, in any way. However, I must admit how wonderfully my insulin works without any animal products… everything has become so effortless and predictable (if this can be said about Type 1 diabetes…)
Some days ago, I watched the following video.
It has disturbing images between minutes 14:30 to 19:00 so, if you wish, please skip them.
However, there are some interesting points after minute 19:00.
I was in shock!!
I felt that, now that I know, I cannot keep doing this (engaging into speciesism) and still live with myself!
I am writing this post now and my 10 year old Westie, Charlie, (some of you may know him from my previous posts and you know that I love him terribly much!) is sleeping on my lap and I am looking at him and I am thinking “Am I so cruel and in-sensitive and in-different… I would never, ever, ever, EVER harm/eat/skin Charlie why do I do it to other creatures? And the fact, that others do it for me and I just buy the products at Tesco, doesn’t make me less of an associate in this crime!”
So, after all this story, here is the set of questions:
How do you feel about veganism? (both regarding ethical and nutritional reasons.)
Can a Type 1 diabetic become vegan? Is it safe for a Type 1 diabetic to become vegan?
Your thoughts, opinions and suggestions are very welcomed and highly valued, always.
I wish you the most beautiful day ahead and thank you in advance for your replies!!
Regards
Josephine.
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