Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Gary Z on November 29, 2011 at 2:36pm

You will have vast improvements on your overall health in addition to your blood sugar by reducing meat proteins, processed foods etc. and increasing proteins from vegetables nuts beans etc.. I have some recipes on my blog for variety but with creativity there is no shortfall or lack of flavors and adventure out there on the healthier side. GL.

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Permalink Reply by Alan S on November 29, 2011 at 2:54pm

Possibly. You may also have vast increases in your blood glucose levels if you are not very careful about your selection of meat-free protein sources. Most vegetable proteins come accompanied by non-removable carbs.

Choose whatever dietary path you wish to, but be aware that all choices carry a price as well as a possible benefit. It is not impossible to manage type 2 diabetes as a vegetarian, but it is certainly a more difficult path to choose. I remain unconvinced that it is necessarily healthier or will lead to "vast improvements on your overall health".

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on November 29, 2011 at 8:35pm

I agree, Alan.

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Permalink Reply by Gary Z on November 29, 2011 at 8:52pm

Christina, education is critical and you should look into the more comprehensive studies done dating back to the 1970's that reducing if not eliminating animal proteins and replacing such with large quantities of enzymes and proteins from fresh green vegetable can reverse disease and prevent other diseases associated with our current diabetes (viz., heart disease, liver, kidney, cancer and many other). Greens can work to lower, and stabilize blood sugar unlike traditional diets which ferment in the intestine or fruit and other colored vegetables and regular consumption (eaten and juiced) can and will have dramatic positive health benefits. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Alan S on November 29, 2011 at 10:11pm

Instead of us looking back to the 1970s, please provide cites to the peer-reviewed journal papers supporting your views. Barnard, PETA or PCRM cites have no validity.

You are the one making a claim. You, not I or Gerri, need to be the one providing support.

Which type of diabetes do you have?

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.

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Permalink Reply by Gerri on November 29, 2011 at 10:46pm

Juicing fruits &/or vegetables is a high carb cocktail guaranteed to spike BG. Without fiber to slow the effect & a concentration of sugars, juicing doesn't provide positive health benefits.

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Permalink Reply by Carrie on November 30, 2011 at 1:01am

I've been T1 for 26 years and ovo-lacto-vegetarian for 11 years. Although the combination is possible, it does require a lot of work. You have to be really aware of getting enough protein sources or your bg will spike. As I became vegetarian when I was 18 I simply cut out meat/seafood without replacing it with anything (just added more vegetables). This certainly was not good for my bg, but being too stressed out with uni etc, I didn't really care for many years. Now I'm well back on track and eating a balanced vegetarian diet.

I did notice that some of the people posting before me are relying on grains (carbs) in their veggie diet. This is of course a choice of lifestyle, which depends on your tolerance of carbs and insulin management. I don't believe that all T1's should go low-carb, but as you're not mentioning to what extent your carb intake is, I'll just mention some of my experience with vegetarian low-carb: (First of all I'm definetly not a frantic low-carber - I do indulge once in a while) but in general I eat less than 40g carbs a day. I would not be able to do so without eggs in my diet - every day!! (I also do wish I could get myself to eat fish, as I believe it would be so much healthier..) I have only been this low carb for the past year, and it's great for my bg (using a cgms and pump), but it's harder to manage with a veggie diet, for sure! I have to admit that I am having big problems with energy levels, but have felt like that forever and am unsure if this is related to being vegetarian or other things.. Just keep in mind that you have to become even more aware of your diet (although we diabetics already are) in order to maintain/improve bg levels.

I do eat meat substitutes, these are unflavoured and take on the flavour of any sauce. There are only a few of these substitutes in Norway, where I live, but I have heard that there are lots of great alternatives in the US and other countries - just make sure to check carbs on these as some contain more carbs than protein. I also eat soy/tofu, lentils, beans, cheese, eggs, high proteing yoghurt etc. I definetly would invest in a good veggie cookbook for inspiration on food combinations and protein sources (but use complex carb sources) or check out some of the blogs/websites as mentioned by others. I just came across a vegetarian&lowcarb facebook group in another thread a couple of weeks ago, you might want to check it out :)

Good luck with your decision! (why not just try out a couple meals a week first and see how it goes..)

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