@Marilyn6, I regret using the word, fad, to describe a vegetarian way of eating. I know that way of eating brings you and others health and comfort. Please accept my apology.
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I was never truly vegetarian, but followed an ovo-lacto vegetarian diet in my mid-20s to mid-30s, eventually I ate a little more meat, as vegetarian eating was terrible back in the 80s and 90s at least in the suburbs here. The biggest driver for vegetarianism was not only health and fitness, but the planet, so minimizing meat consumption is/was important, although this concern gives me some guilt, as ruminants produce methane, an even more powerful climate destroyer than carbon. Nowadays, my animal protein sources are egg, cottage cheese, and salmon.
As for what is natural, the term is often used to give acceptance to questionable activities, bullying, violence, inequality, etc. In nature, without our civilization although sometimes because of it in agricultural times, we are naturally uneducated, women die early in childbirth, children die before the age of 5 from illness, and death could easily occur from acts of violence. No one would say that these ‘natural’ occurrences should be kept, so why would our diet. My concern would be for what is optimal.
Some aspects of diet are better because of meat consumption, e.g., fewer bone problems, lower anemia in women, but many more are worse, cancer and heart disease. There are ways of compensating for the bad and retaining the good, but also, as mentioned, there are larger concerns like our planet. I don’t think it’s a fad, although as the developing world becomes richer, the once-poor are demanding more meat, while the rich are becoming more vegetarian.
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I don’t know if what I eat is much different than what was available in the the 80’s and 90’s. I do buy organic food whenever possible. I eat a lot of fruit and vegetables including potatoes, and lentils, and lots of legumes. I am considering adding wild Alaskan salmon to my diet, because I believe the Mediterranean diet is probably the healthiest way to eat. I don’t use olive oil because of insulin resistance, but I am always open to change. I eat very little processed food. I do eat a low fat processed fake chicken patty once a week.
I too am very worried about the future of the planet and I am also very upset about how animals are treated in factories. It is truly horrendous.
If I didn’t already have heart stents, I definitely would not be limiting fat as much as I do. I have been a type 1 for almost 62 yrs, and I am trying to undo previous ways of eating which hurt me in the long run, even with a non diabetic A1c for the last 20 yrs and an Alc below 7 for the last 40 yrs.
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Wait olive oil does what?..
Is it olive oil or is it all oils which cause you to have insulin resistance?
Fat causes insulin resistance, so I don’t use any oils. Since changing to a low fat vegan diet, I can eat almost 10 times the amount of carbs I ate when on a low carb diet. I went from 30 carbs daily to almost 300 heathy carbs daily. I increased my insulin by 2-3 units daily. I also exercise an hour a day. I will take 21 units of insulin today. I am a small person though. I have never taken more than 40 units. When low carbing I took about 19 units.
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I’m wondering and I’ll do a little reading on it, but I think the fat you’re speaking of is adipose tissue, not olive oil.
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I get my info about fat and insulin resistance from Mastering Diabetes. One of the young men who started the group has a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry from Berkeley. He is an expert at reversing insulin resistance. The olive oil question might be a good one for him to answer.
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There were 2 studies regarding olive oil and insulin resistance that I could find. I just read through them.
However they were both studies involving type 2 diabetics. The first one found ingesting 3 tablespoons of olive oil per day increased insulin resistance in type 2 patients. The second study had no results.
I wonder if canola oil or any veggie oil would be the same.
I don’t mind fat in my food, however I don’t really add much. Avocado is a favorite of mine and peanuts too. Both have lots of fat.
My insulin resistance has not changed at all in 30 years. My basal rates are still pretty much the same.
However I am certain exercise changes that. But when I fast, I draw a straight line. I’m not eating fat then so I would think it would make me low.
I would have to alter my food to test it out and not so sure I have the patience.
I try to only eat 10% to 15% worth of fat in my daily diet. Since I am small and don’t eat a lot of calories, that percentage mounts up very quickly. This way of eating works best if calories from fat are kept low. I don’t think at this point I could add any olive oil. I do eat a couple of walnuts, a little avocado, flax, chia seeds, pumpkin kernels, and I take fish oil capsules. I would never use any oil except olive oil and I doubt that I will use that.
It took a few weeks for my body to adjust from eating low carb to vegan low fat. Several months before, because I was feeling so horrible, a doctor suggested I stop eating dairy. After eliminating all animal products and most fat, my energy level greatly increased, I stopped passing out and hitting my head do to low blood pressure, and the migraines stopped. In the past few years I have had one migraine and before when low carbing, they had become a regular problem for me. I am very fortunate that I didn’t injure myself more when I kept passing out. We called for an ambulance 3 times, because I always landed on my head.
The Bernstein diet works beautifully for many people. My A1c was 4.6 when I suddenly needed heart stents. I truly believe that the diet was killing me. Once on a vegan low fat diet my glucose levels leveled out very well. I try to stay between 60 and 150 and succeed most of the time.
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That’s interesting info.
I have been struggling with low blood pressure for about a year with no explanation. I had a table test and an ekg and a treadmill test.
They said it was the same as when I first did it when I was 30.
So diet might just be contributing to my low pressure. I always thought as I age my pressure would increase.
And you know still m doctors and nurses asks me why I’m not taking an ace inhibitor.
And I saw wellllll you see there my pressure is 100/75. And when I’m sitting around it goes lower.
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Yup, I sure know the problem. Now if only I knew the solution…
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I’m not sure I’ve ever posted here because I didn’t feel I should because I’m neither T1 or T2. I’m prediabetic.
Marilyn6 I found your comment about olive oil interesting and have ordered the Kindle version of that book. I am not sure if I can eat primarily a vegetarian diet tho so that’s concerning. I am a foodie at heart and enjoy food. I am prediabetic but likely because I’ve been part of a NIDDK study for the last 20 years and I’ve been able to keep my A1c at 5.8 thru metformin and following a reasonable diet. But I need to do better because my weight needs to come down to get me back into the nondiabetic range.
Hi Jonny, it sounds like you are doing a lot to take care of yourself. I too adore food, and I still really enjoy what I eat. I read in one of your other posts that you are a truck driver, so I wonder how feasible this diet would be for you. Much of it you could do since you make your food at home and have a refrigerator with you, but I am wondering how difficult it is for you to exercise which is almost required when eating this way.
Almost everybody loses weight easily eating a vegan low fat diet. Many type 2’s are able to stop taking their diabetic medications and are no longer considered diabetic as long as they keep this lifestyle.
Making the switch to a low fat vegan diet is not easy though. It takes a great deal of determination since for most people it is a real lifestyle change. You have to be ready to do it. It would also be more difficult if your husband continues eating the standard American diet.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.
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Hey Jenni_bean, I have been eating high protein/fat, low carb for a few months now. Have significantly reduced my veggie intake (I was eating about 12-16 cups per day, no grains/bread before). Now I’m eating about 3 cups of veg per day. My bowels have thanked me, my RA inflammation is much less than before, my blood work is perfect, I am using so little insulin it’s almost unbelievable, and I have been Type 1 for 39 years. I will say, in the carnivore crowd, the message is that the best way to get a full nutrient complement is to make sure you are eating organ meats and dairy as part of your diet. Personally, I am allergic to dairy, so I do make sure I take calcium for example. I am allergic to most fish/seafood, so I take Omega 3’s.
The alternative is to eat only cruciferous veggies, which are the lowest carb of all of them.
Also when increasing my protein, I did have to alter my basals to make up for it…it’s hard to bolus for protein (if anyone knows a formula for doing so, I’d be curious to see it) but my basals cover it now. I also practice Intermittent Fasting similar to Terry…my eating window is noon to 8 pm.
All that said, increasing my protein and lower my veg intake was the best decision I have made, and I have tried all the healing diets, ALL of them. I am a woman who is still cycling so I have chosen to keep a few carbs in the diet intentionally. (Most women who are still cycling will not respond as well to going zero carb.). Anyhow, I say try it! Best of luck.
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I also want to say EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. Fat does not cause insulin resistance in all people. For me, it was the exact opposite. Despite eating low carb (less than 125 grams per day, far lower than most people), I was beginning to experience insulin resistance. A meal under 15 grams of carb, I would have one insulin to carb ratio, but if I went over that, I would have to increase the amount of insulin per carb gram, etc. Dropping my carb intake steeply and replacing with fat and protein, made all the difference in the world for me. NO ONE DIET WORKS FOR ALL PEOPLE. We all think that what works for us, works for you, but that is just not true, will never be true. All you can do is try, keep a food/symptom journal, and keep up on your labwork to make sure you aren’t experiencing something negative.
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Thanks for sharing your experience! Yes, I 100% agree we are all different and there is no one formula fits all route to take–I think for myself I need to find a mix of what works AND what I can stick to/somewhat enjoy! I have never really been a breakfast person, so I love the coffee and water till lunch routine, but I like it with half & half and Splenda, so it’s not “true” IF, but works for my numbers so that’s what matters to me. Lunch seems to be okay, but evening is a beast I have yet to figure out!! I think the key will be keeping the carbs low at dinner, if not zero. But, time and experimentation will tell…from what I’ve been reading, I’m not going to worry too much about my veggie intake. I get my bloodwork done every three months, so I’ll mention the diet change to my Endo and see if he wants to do any additional tests.
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Marilyn6, you’re right it is hard to exercise when I am on the truck. It takes a lot of effort to exercise and in part I do this with my fitbit and try to get no less than 6000 steps a day. Not a lot but it’s a start for someone with awful knees. Also because I am sitting for long periods I checked in with my PCP on what to do to prevent DVT/PE and that’s not only getting up every two hours to walk my dog but flexing my feet to promote circulation. However, I still need to work on videos from youtube to supplement this as there are videos and websites geared to the trucking industry. But you’re right IT IS difficult.
In terms of going vegan I don’t think it will be possible because as much as I want to bring all my foods on board we do sometimes have to supplement in route. We are typically on the road for 3-4 weeks at a time. This is done by stopping at the local walmart, Aldi, or grocery. Walmart and Aldi because of consistency in the available foods over local grocery chains. That means less time in the store reading labels. While both are sufficient for the basics they don’t always provide the variety needed to support a vegan diet.
In terms of my husband, he pretty much eats whatever I cook and is on board to try new things. We’ve made significant strides in changing his diet from a typical trucker which he had before we married. Now instead of living on fried food, sweets, endless soda/coffee he is perfectly happy with the roasted chicken, steamed veggies, brown rice/quinoa and the makeovers I’ve made to typical comfort food dishes to reduce salt, sugar and additives. I even have him reading labels to make sure he can avoid these items on his own. He is also my sous chef and taster so it’s a team effort. We are not always successful but we both know this is a lifestyle change that will take longer than the quick fix many look for. Also when he wants to do something that is not part of our normal healthy diet he either gets it for himself or we make plans to fit it into our day.
I have also been speaking with a Taiwainese friend I have who has been introducing me to different foods that provides needed variety but also introduces a whole new set of vegetables I would not normally eat. She has also helped me find ways to reduce sodium in many of the Asian foods I love to prepare.
But I am definitely still taking in information and learning more about the theories behind what may work for pre-diabetics and diabetics and checking in with the DPPOS program to get their take as there is a lot of information out there and sometimes it is mis-leading. My background is not trucking, it’s environmental science so I spent about 25 years of my working life investigating haz waste sites and using various sources to help me do that. I’m no stranger to research but with the amount of conflicting information available it is good to run some of this stuff by DPPOS staff or read thru tudiabetes for insight from others.
My long term goal is to lose the weight and eliminate the metformin and HBP meds. However, I think the change to trucking will be far better for reducing my BP. 
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jenni_bean, I absolutely agree. I am a work in progress and still learning how to do things based on how my body functions and my current situation.
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After50 years T1 I have found that high carb/low fat is best for BG control. high protein and fat makes me insulin resistant. Good to experiment and see what works for you. education and knowing oneself is key!
Good luck!
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