Hello from a Diabetic

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Papisa
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Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 12:12 pm

Hello from a Diabetic

Post by Papisa »

Hi! I'm interested in learning about how to eat to stay the course and remain a Vegan for life! I have type 2 diabetes and very high cholesterol so those are my primary concerns. I don't want to end up the hospital again with pancreatitis. So I decided two years ago to wake up and change the way I eat for good. I"m wondering how many if any of you have similar health issues and what you can recommend for me to think about, read, etc. to make the successful leap for the long haul to become Vegan.
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Jebus
Master of the Forum
Posts: 2379
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2014 2:08 pm
Diet: Vegan

Re: Hello from a Diabetic

Post by Jebus »

Hi Papisa,

Are you familiar with nutritionfacts.org? Dr. Greger puts out a bunch of free videos and often addresses the prevention and reversal of type 2 diabetes.
How to become vegan in 4.5 hours:
1.Watch Forks over Knives (Health)
2.Watch Cowspiracy (Environment)
3. Watch Earthlings (Ethics)
Congratulations, unless you are a complete idiot you are now a vegan.
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brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10273
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Hello from a Diabetic

Post by brimstoneSalad »

Hi Papisa, welcome to the forum!

We'd be glad to try to help.

The most important thing is finding a vegan diet you can stick to.

For some, a diet that emphasizes low glycemic carbohydrates works, for others something more like Eco-Atkins (a vegan low carb diet) may work better. For others, a balance of carbs, protein, and fats from healthy low-glycemic plant sources may be ideal.

As long as you stay away from the palm oil, coconut, and chocolate (cocoa powder is fine, I think, just not the cocoa butter) to keep your saturated fat intake low (most vegan sources are already low in saturated fat) any of these will benefit your cholesterol levels, and which works better may depend on your activity level. More activity and cardio can usually tolerate more carbohydrates. If your activity is low, you may want to stick to a diet of mostly veggies, tofu, and nuts/seeds to see good blood sugar control and weight loss.

Either way, slow and steady is the way to go to help stick to it long-term.

Can you tell us a bit about your current diet? We can recommend some staples for you to start mixing in.
Papisa
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Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 12:12 pm

Re: Hello from a Diabetic

Post by Papisa »

Thank you for all of those recommendations. I'm totally hooked on nutritionfacts.org now. I had watched the films Cowspiracy and the subsequent What the Health and liked them most among the many, many, out there. There's so much out there it's often overwhelming, not to mention time-consuming to dig thru it all. So thanks Jebus for the direct recommendations.

Hi brimstoneSalad, thank you for a quick lay of the land. To answer your question: I cook a lot of my meals and I cook Mexican dishes mostly and lots of typical American classics like spaghetti, pancakes and eat pizza out about once a week. I've been following the typical diet recommended for Diabetics, counting my carbs and fat intake. I've made switches to healthier versions over the years like whole grain/whole wheat bread, tortillas and pasta, 1% low fat milk, no eggs at all and then yes eat all the eggs you want (the advice from my last nutritionist which I actually like very much). So you see I've been navigating thru the advice of well intentioned but ill informed doctors and nutritionists, not to mention culturally insensitive at times - one nutritionist could not fathom how I ate beans for breakfast and yet I've seen beans highly recommended for diabetics, and confirmed once again by Dr. Greger (thank you again Jebus)

I know that many traditional Mexican dishes are often quite healthy for example I enjoy nopales (cactus) often, and where it isn't I've made adjustments, rather than refrying beans in pork lard I use a smaller amounts of olive oil, rather than white rice I use brown or quinoa.
My activity is pretty nonexistent unless you count nursing on demand and running after a toddler as exercise lol.
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brimstoneSalad
neither stone nor salad
Posts: 10273
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 9:20 am
Diet: Vegan

Re: Hello from a Diabetic

Post by brimstoneSalad »

You're welcome. We'll do our best to help. :)

Are you using cronometer? If not, I recommend signing up, because it will make tracking your nutrition easier (the free account is fine).

https://cronometer.com/

You can also tell us what you're missing in your diet plans, and we can recommend sources.
Papisa wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:05 pm Hi brimstoneSalad, thank you for a quick lay of the land. To answer your question: I cook a lot of my meals and I cook Mexican dishes mostly and lots of typical American classics like spaghetti, pancakes and eat pizza out about once a week.
It's good to hear that you like Mexican dishes. A focus on beans is a great way to get healthier; they pretty much count as a protein and a vegetable based on their fiber and phytonutrients, and they have a pretty low Glycemic Index. Good healthy slow carbs.

It's important to get a lot of plant protein for satiation, and since you like beans that's perfect! For satiation, aim for around 100 grams (or more) of plant protein a day.

There are some low-carb tortillas on the market, you might consider trying some of those.
Papisa wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:05 pmI've been following the typical diet recommended for Diabetics, counting my carbs and fat intake.
Counting net carbs (minus fiber) and aiming for a lower carbohydrate diet is a pretty good method to control blood sugar and lose weight.
Possibly more important than the carbohydrates themselves is the glycemic index, choosing lower GI foods may help prevent the blood sugar swings that can cause cravings and hunger shortly after eating, and it can keep your pancreas from having to work too hard to respond quickly to rapid changes.

You may need to stop eating out, at least for a while. There aren't many low GI foods available out of the house that are healthy.
Your only likely options are things like steamed vegetables, or salads without dressing (salad dressings tend to be full of sugar).
It's a challenge.

Cooking at home, even pancakes or pizza, can be done low glycemic index with specialty flours. I know they are expensive, but almond flour and chickpea flour are your best bets. Try to choose zero calorie sweeteners like stevia, monkfruit, or sucralose (liquid, not the powder which is made with dextrose). Chickpea flour can be tricky because it needs to be cooked longer to lose the beany taste, it takes a little trial and error.

Low fat may not be the best recommendation, because you need to get energy from somewhere and fats are satiating slow energy; it's mainly just important to avoid saturated fats and to try to get most of your fat from whole food sources so you get the fiber and vitamins with it.

And of course, if at all possible, count total calories (this is very important if you can do it).
Ideally use a small digital scale, because packages often contain MORE than they say they do, so you can't rely on that.
Papisa wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:05 pmI've made switches to healthier versions over the years like whole grain/whole wheat bread, tortillas and pasta,
These are definitely healthier, but if you're in a crisis and you're really dedicated, you can do even better than that. These may be foods to slowly introduce back in once you hit your goals.
Even whole grains can be a slippery slope when you're having trouble, because they are starch and calorie dense.
Papisa wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:05 pm1% low fat milk, no eggs at all and then yes eat all the eggs you want (the advice from my last nutritionist which I actually like very much). So you see I've been navigating thru the advice of well intentioned but ill informed doctors and nutritionists,
Egg whites are probably useful for weight loss (since they're low calorie), but recommending egg yolk to somebody struggling with high cholesterol doesn't sound sensible.

Sorry you've had so much trouble!
Papisa wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:05 pmrather than refrying beans in pork lard I use a smaller amounts of olive oil, rather than white rice I use brown or quinoa.
Have you tried preparing beans with a food processor instead of refrying? You can do it without the added calories of oil (although olive oil is a healthy oil, it's still added calories without a lot of fiber or other things to fill you up).

Most people don't need to avoid oil entirely, but if you're struggling it's probably best to temporarily avoid oil and focus on whole food plant fats (so eating olives instead of olive oil, eating nuts, avocados, etc.).

Quinoa is a great replacement. I don't recommend brown rice (it's better than white, but still low in protein so it's not very satiating). Brown rice, like most grains, is probably something to introduce back into your diet slowly once you reach your goals if you can avoid it and sub quinoa.
Papisa wrote: Fri Oct 27, 2017 2:05 pmMy activity is pretty nonexistent unless you count nursing on demand and running after a toddler as exercise lol.
Nursing can be a challenge when you're on a diet since you need to be extra careful about getting lots of nutrients. How old is your little one? Is he or she eating foods yet?

There are additional nutritional considerations for nursing. Are you taking a prenatal and extra choline, and extra vitamin D? And are you taking DHA? There are algae based DHA supplements, if you aren't taking them already then I'd recommend getting some (that can also help reduce cardiovascular risk a little).

You'll also need a modest B-12 supplement. Cyanocobalamin at 100 micrograms (mcg) a day is a good option.
B-12 comes from bacteria, and it's present in meats and milks often because the animals were given supplements; our modern environments are "too clean" which is a good thing in some ways but it means people (even meat eaters) should supplement with a little extra B-12.

If you aren't eating iodized salt, you'll also need to make sure you have a good source of iodine.

Let me know your answers to those questions and your thoughts on the food prep suggestions, and I'll try to provide more info.
I hope that helps!
Take5
Junior Member
Posts: 63
Joined: Thu Nov 17, 2016 6:10 pm
Diet: Vegan

Re: Hello from a Diabetic

Post by Take5 »

My activity is pretty nonexistent unless you count nursing on demand and running after a toddler as exercise lol.
That counts as moderate(?) activity in my book, Papisa. Looking after a toddler and nursing is hard work!

My goto meal is a large pot of in-season veggies, plus a tin of tomatoes or two, then herbs/spices, etc. There's your spaghetti sauce. 2nd day I add Berlotti beans and green lentils (I always have them in the freezer) - just throw in a few handfuls, plus some curry powder=veg curry, with brown rice. (I put the rice on early, bring to boil, then turn off and leave. It's mostly cooked by the time you want to eat.)

3rd day I add red kidney beans, chunks of seitan (I used to use veggie sausage before I discovered sestina) and chilli sauce=chilli non carne. This I have with curried potato wedges.

If there is any left I add more beans and lentils, plus a tin of coconut milk and Thai curry paste/lemon juice/soy sauce. Generally have this with rice again.

Any leftovers I turn into a Thai chilli non carne pie (simple pastry - 100g s/r flour, 60g water, 5g olive oil - mixed into a dough, 2/3rds rolled out, placed on baking paper and lowered into a pie dish. The other third is for the lid, obviously). This I have with curried wedges again.

At various times I add turmeric and black pepper as per Dr Greger's daily dozen - and I seem to alternate between kale and broccoli as accompaniment.

The wedges are a microwaved medium sized potato, cut into wedges, sprinkled with curry powder and dry fried for a couple of minutes (or oven baked if the oven is on).

Good luck with the diabetes.
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