Maybe a little OT, but need guidance

[Guest guest]

This may be a bit OT, but I need ideas from others who may share my

situation. I have been vegetarian for 15 years, and have recently

been diagnosed as diabetic. Yes, I formerly ate too many carbs, and

I'm paying for it now. For the past three weeks, I have been eating

mostly leafy green salads with organic tomato, low fat cheese, low fat

dressings-and it's getting old. Also have high blood pressure so I

have to avoid salt, and high cholesterol, making what to eat more of a

challenge. Anyone in the group also diabetic? If you can give me any

ideas of what you include in your diet, I would appreciate any

suggestions. Feel free to e-mail me privately to avoid disclosure of

health issues.

 

Thanks,

 

Liz

[Guest guest]

One, you did not cause your diabetes. Stop beating yourself up. Two, husband

person is insulin dependant diabetic and since pancreatitis I am as well. I am a

lacto-ovo vegetarian, he is primarily lacto-ovo but will eat chicken

occassionally. I am keeping my blood glucose levels ok-ish with diet.

 

Thirdly, and no dietician on the planet will agree, not all carbohydrates are

created equally. So this is MY opinion and MY experience, ok? The

carbohydrates in a bowl of red beans and rice do not (for me, for my husband)

cause the spike in glucose levels that eating half (whole, entire box) of a

Snickers bar. http://www.calorie-count.com/ Is a free site that helps track

your calories but more importantly has a feature where you can enter your

recipes and it will calculate fats, carbs, protein, vitamins, etc.

 

Go here. http://www.pcrm.org/health/veginfo/vsk/

 

Look around the site, email them and tell them about the vegetarian/diabetic

problem and give your name and address and they will send you a large envelope

of information including the Vegetarian Starter Kit and other info, This group

is awesome and is made up of doctors who are making a difference.

 

Also google diabetic vegetarian diet or recipes. You will not believe the

information you can find.

 

Three meals a day might not be the way for you to go. If you find that you are

sleepy/fatigued after eating, I can almost guarantee you that your glucose has

gone up, even after eating the right foods. I eat 5 tiny meals a day, including

protein shakes (gastric bypass patient and still fighting serious illness). For

example, this morning I will have a protein shake. Two hours after that I will

have a crunchy corn chip with about 2 tablespoons refried beans, about a

tablespoon of cheese and veggies. Another morning I might have a poached egg (I

am lacto-ovo) or half of a small (SMALL, not those huge ones) bagel with low fat

cream cheese and ONE sliced strawberry on top. The next meal is a protein shake

(130 cal, 3 grams carbs and 23 grams protein.) There are low carb tortillas

available in markets now (found mine at Sam's Club and Wal Mart). They make

awesome wraps that are fully portable.

 

Finally, use your monitor. The new one that stores before meals and after meals

levels are perfect for helping you figure out which foods cause your glucose

levels to zoom up there.

 

Take a deep breath. You're going to make it. FYI, the husband person has been

diabetic for 12 years now and his blood glucose has not gone over 150, and that

was because he HAD to have a bowl of ice cream. (Seems he was going to die if

he didn't....yeah riiiiiiight, pull the other one.)

 

Oh, another thought. IF you are on injectable insulin for the love of God do NOT

take your insulin and then ignore eating breakfast. If you are sick after

taking your insulin and throw up have a few sips of orange juice or something

else with instant sugar. While in the hospital they gave me an injection of

insulin, I started throwing up so didn't eat breakfast and when they finally

checked me 4 hours later I was barely conscious and my blood glucose was

waaaaaaaaay low.

 

Hope this helps, Jeanne in GA

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Liz,

 

Sorry to hear about your health struggles. I am not diabetic, but I

recently found this site: http://www.rawfor30days.com/index.html

 

It is documentary they did that is sort of the opposite of " Super Size

Me " . They took six (I think - it's been a while) insulin dependent

diabetic individuals out to the desert - and fed them a raw, vegan

diet. They exercised moderately. Withink two weeks they didn't need

their insulin. By the time the 30 days was up, they were no longer

technically diabetic.

 

I also was in Borders the other day and noticed a book that talked

about using vegan diet (not raw) to treat diabetics. I noticed it

because it reminded me of the movie trailer - but didn't get the title.

I go in all the time, and will make a note of it to pass along to you.

 

Good Luck,

Beth

 

Anyone in the group also diabetic? If you can give me any

> ideas of what you include in your diet, I would appreciate any

> suggestions. Feel free to e-mail me privately to avoid disclosure of

> health issues.