@Marilyn6 - You likely note some skepticism from people like me who use a low carb, high fat way of eating in how it affects blood sugar management. I’ve learned through stories like yours that eating a plant-based high carb, low fat diet can work well for people with diabetes.
It has not enticed me to give it a try but I found a first-hand account of someone who has used both diets and compared the two using continuous glucose monitor data. Stephen Richert is an outdoor adventurer and rock climber. In 2015 he compared and reviewed both ways of eating using his CGM as a basis for analysis.
Here’s his comparison of blood sugar control performance.
Blood sugar control: I feel as though my control was good on both diets with average BG readings around 120-130. The big difference that I noticed was the amount of attention or mental focus demanded by the low-fat, plant-based approach in order to keep a stable line on my CGM. I had to be aware of what direction my blood sugar was trending and the fact that it would rise and fall much more dramatically. Since adopting the Ketogenic diet I have not seen a single up or down arrow on my CGM. No exaggeration. Not one . Rises are slower and less significant (20-30 points)–and so are drops. In terms of my peace of mind, not seeing arrows up or down (which was a daily occurrence on the low-fat, plant-based diet) cuts out a lot of stress and simplifies my life.
This account seems credible to me, knowing what I personally do about carbohydrates and my metabolism. I was surprised to learn from this story that the author’s total daly dose of insulin did not vary much from LCHF to HCLF.
Now I know that people choose to eat a plant-based diet for many reasons. I like the tone that Stephen has struck in his analysis.
I want to preface this comparison by making clear that I am not trying to get anyone to adopt my methods. Optimization of diet is not right for everyone with diabetes at every stage in the game. Parents particularly have to walk a tough line between the desire to optimize for their child and the reality that survival is often the larger priority.
Your personal eating experience has opened my eyes to a wider view of diets and diabetes. Before reading your experience and others who eat HCLF plant-based diets, I would have thought that good management of blood sugar would be difficult. Thank-you for that.