Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Sarah Keech on December 28, 2010 at 12:10pm

I have been vegan for 1.75 years. The concern I have w/ Dr. Neal Barnard's plan is that it appears too restrictive with fats. I attempted cutting nearly all fat out of my diet about 10 years ago and I was always hungry and my toenail actually were painfully splitting apart because I did not have enough lipids in my diet to keep them together. Maybe someday I will try it out. I have been focusing on trying to tweak current meals I love to include more grains like using multigrain tortillas instead of corn or white flour. Also I have been ordering brown rice when out in Asian restaurants and not eating much of it. I admit I own his book "Reversing Diabetes" which is not possible for my type 1 diabetes and have only perused it. Maybe he has more fats in the diet than I give him credit for so in the future I may consider it. I just don't like the idea of sauteeing my onions and garlic in water rather than a little olive oil or canola oil.

Permalink Reply by Lauriero on December 28, 2010 at 12:36pm

It is extremely restrictive of added fats, even plant based ones.  However, it's not completely fat free as there are fats in the soy products and some amount in grains and quite a bit in flaxseed. I'm a little skeptical about that as well, but so far, I've not gone "all the way" as it's not to the new year.  I'll be keeping a close eye on how my body reacts so that I stay healthy.

Permalink Reply by Jamie on December 28, 2010 at 2:42pm

I have been on Dr. Barnard's diet for about 7-8 months earlier this year and I loved it.  My HbA1C was 6.1 and just as you said, I was never hungry.  But I have lost 20 lbs and went down to 110lbs.  My family and also my doctor did not think that was a good idea for a  69 year old.  I had absolutely no reserves left on my body.  So I am on a combination diet and I gained back 10 lbs.  I am still eating the legumes and the whole grains but incorporated low fat or non-fat milk products and fish.  My blood sugar readings are no longer in the very good ranges but I feel I have no choice but continue on this path.  I am not very happy.

Permalink Reply by Lauriero on December 28, 2010 at 3:26pm

I'm sorry to hear that you're sugars are affected by adding in the milk and fish.  I wonder what Dr. Barnard would say given your situation.  Perhaps adding in almond butter or walnuts rather than the milk products?  I am still overweight, so I'm afraid the notion of trying to add weight while maintaining proper blood sugars is something I've not spent much time thinking about.    I hope you can find the right balance for your body!

Permalink Reply by wellnab on December 29, 2010 at 2:12pm

I followed this diet fairly closely for about a year. I was a vegan to start with, so my problem was really with too much fat. I lost about 45 pounds (265 to 220) over the course of that year, and rarely felt hungry. Although I've now added some refined fats back to my diet, I'm still following the book's recommendations for low glycemic carbs and have not gained the weight back after about eight months off the diet.

This diet emphasizes what some nutritionists refer to as a "slow carb" diet: all low glycemic index carbs. This, combined with the high fiber, is very effective (at least for me) at normalizing carb absorption, and hence bloodsugar. The main drawback to this book's approach, for me, is that it emphasizes type 2 and doesn't have much to offer in the way of advice to type 1s. As a type 1 myself, I felt I had to do a good bit of reading between the lines to apply what the book has to offer to my own needs, but there is still a ton of useful info there.

My personal favorite recipe is the whole wheat pancakes, made from wheatberries ground up in your blender. They are truly some of the tastiest, lightest pancakes I have ever made.

Permalink Reply by wellnab on December 29, 2010 at 2:29pm

Hmm... unable to edit my comment, so I'll add: the "steam frying" thing, where you saute only with water, broth, or wine, works surprisingly well. It does take a bit of getting used to, but it's a good technique. I find that in most dishes, you can start out with no oil, then add a little good olive or toasted sesame oil before serving for flavor. Remember that fats occur naturally in soy foods, whole grains, seeds, and legumes, so if you're eating good amounts of those things, you can get plenty of fat in your diet.

Permalink Reply by Sarah Keech on December 29, 2010 at 3:44pm

I know that high in the glycemic index or "slow carb" is a good idea so that we do not get sugar spikes and sugar plunges afterwards. I still want to finish cooking my way through "The Vegan Tables"'s 200 recipes of which I have about 32 left but I could incorporate a little of each. One meal a day from "The Vegan Table" and the others from his suggestions. I don't think I need to lose weight but I do need to build more muscle. Thanks for your opinion wellnab.