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Veganuary?

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Walker1178

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
My mum bought me a book called ‘The Reverse Diabetes Diet’ and it’s basically a vegan plan.

I’m currently completely unmanaged and my sugars are out of control so thought I might give it a go for January as a few of my colleagues are attempting Veganuary. Has anyone else tried a vegan diet and did it have a positive effect?

I was initially diagnosed with a hba1c of 70ish in Nov 2017 and placed on metformin. My tummy just couldn’t get on with it so I was changed to the SR version. Still made me feel awful and instead of going back again I just took it intermittently. I know that’s a stupid solution but I was probably undiagnosed for quite a while so was used to all the diabetes symptoms and not to the constant cramps and diarrhoea! No surprise a year later my hba1c was over 100. The nurse wanted me to go back to the sr metformin added a further tablet (something Flozin) and an injection once a day. I never collected the prescriptions and have stayed under the radar since.

My finger prick tests show I’m in a bad place as they range between 17-22 mmol but I have had a reading of 29.2 mmol after pasta, dessert and a cocktail. I felt absolutely horrendous so won’t go down that route again.
 
Depends on what "vegan" food you are intending to eat?

Personally I get great results with a meat only diet (almost entirely the opposite of vegan).
With blood sugar levels like yours I'd avoid as many carbs as humanly possible and try to get those down first.
 
I would be wary of going vegan at this point - it takes a lot of self-control to get blood sugars down while eating pulses, rice, pasta, root veg and fruit.
The two best researched ways of getting into remission are low carb or very low calorie - but very low calorie needs special supervision (the research I'd seen had patients in hospital or monitored daily) and is only safe to do short term.

I went low carb on diagnosis and got into remission fast - evidence suggests the quicker you can cut sugar and other carbs after getting diagnosed the more likely you are to get into full remission.

If you can't do low carb then please see your GP and get medication - the long term impacts of uncontrolled diabetes are scary. One person I know who carried on eating bread, toast and jam, chips, etc now is partially blind and just had a second toe amputated.
 
My aim was to go back to basics with vegetable curries and stews. I really like cauliflower rice so happy to use that as a base for most dishes and avoid pasta, bread and potatoes. I don’t intend on buying any meat/dairy substitutes and just continue eating junk.

I’m not a huge meat eater and tend to just stick to beef and chicken So think I would struggle more going the other way!
 
Your call .. it's your health after all.
Root veg can have significant carbs though so be careful.
 
The recipes are all low G.I. and recommended by the diabetic association to reduce insulin resistance and lower blood sugars. I definitely don’t want to continue down my current path and assumed this was a healthy alternative
 
Walker1178 said:
The recipes are all low G.I. and recommended by the diabetic association to reduce insulin resistance and lower blood sugars. I definitely don’t want to continue down my current path and assumed this was a healthy alternative
Click to expand...

Low GI can be very high in carbs, therefore glucose raising. I followed an almost vegan low GI wholefood diet and then developed T2! (Slim and no family history or symptoms). I think you’d have to make sure it is low carb rather than low GI as that seems to make my BG stay high for a very long period of time.

You might be lucky and be able to handle higher levels of carbs however fir many of us it takes 20g to maintain levels. I’ve gone up to around 30g per day over Christmas and in a bit of a mess at the moment.

It could be worth a go but I’d check your BG ..... A LOT just to make sure you don’t get any surprises. Best of luck.
 
The book is called The reverse diabetes diet by Dr Neal Barnard
I’m not trying to go rogue and do my own thing, I was asking if anyone had any experience of a similar plan and whether it has worked for them. The recommendation comes from an article on the diabetes website from earlier this Year but I can’t see how to add the link without my post being rejected?
 

No worries it's because you are a new member.
Afraid Dr Barnard doesn't have great form with his diabetes treatment.
this is from his famous study ... still very diabetic HbA1c levels
 
Have you tried to low carb yet? Low carb is under 130g of carbs a day.

I haven't tried vegan, but most of my diet is vegatarian. I suggest trying vegatarian to start with, focussing on lowering your carbs, and see how you go.

How often do you test your blood sugar levels?

There is a forum section on vegatarian and vegan diets on here.

The most important thing is to lower your intake of carbs, of any type. Keeping a record of what you eat, when you eat it, and your blood sugar levels is a great way to get an idea of how foods affect you personally.
 
If I’m honest I overhauled my diet at the start and lost 3 stone, whilst I haven’t gained it back I’ve become quite lax. I Now have too much milk, bread or potatoes a couple of time’s a week and the odd banana or cereal.

I was vegetarian for most of my teens and still often choose a veggie option so thought vegan would be a good kick starter for me as if I’m having cheese it’s normally with bread or pasta and milk in the form of a latte or fruit yoghurt. I’m realistic that this is not something I could follow long term but was hoping that It would get me onto a better track
 
I can't see how it would help.
My diet has lots of low carb veges and a few lowest carb I can find berries, and I am just at the top end of normal ranges.
I eat salads, stirfries and nuts - but I can only manage the equivalent of 200 calories a day on a regular basis - maybe up to 400 once in a while but not often, from carby foods. That is not sustainable.
By eating meat, seafood, eggs, cheese and other dairy I make up the rest of my daily requirements.
I do not eat grains or potatoes or other starchy veges, no high carb fruits, which would be vegan, but not good for me at all.
If you eat cheese, it is best in a salad, or as cauliflower cheese, a low carb version.
Trying to eat a vegan diet when the things you need to avoid already are vegan - you really are giving yourself a mountain to climb rather than taking the bus through the pass.
 
bulkbiker said:
Doesn't mean it works though... The study is Barnard's own..

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2677007/
Click to expand...
Read it and from what I understand they had ok-ish results for diabetic numbers and poor for weightloss with a lot of support on the vegan diet.
It may be hard to follow unsupported and seems not good for weightloss. Saturated fat is required in a diet and this may be a problem long-term. The World Health Organisation don't recommend less than 15% fat-this is ~10%.
 
Its not impossible to eat a very low carb vegan diet but it is very hard.
If you eat eggs, cheese and fish and above ground veg along with some beef and chicken you'll likely be better off, get more nutrient dense food and bring your sugars down faster. With the levels you are seeing at the moment lowering your blood sugar numbers would be my primary concern and vegan isn't that great for that. Have you tried skipping meals and eating in a restricted time window? That is a very powerful therapy as well.
 
I’m lucky that my diabetic team believe in testing so I was giver a meter and have a repeat prescription for lancets and test strips. I probably check 3-4 times a week and normally only if I feel particularly good or bad.

I’ve not been below 12, my fasting levels are normally 15-17 and after food spikes between 20-22. I don’t have any surgery drinks and tend to cook from scratch rather than using jars and packets. I had a sickness a few months back and although I consumed just plain water for 36 hours I still only dropped to 10.7. I drink a lot of water normally 4-5 litres a day which sees me pee a lot too which I’m assuming is how I get my levels down rather than insulin control
 
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