Blood Sugar Diet or Vegan (whole food plant based oil free)?

[HalloumiGus]

Just got a borderline Hbac1 blood sugar result - I get an annual test after gestational diabetes. Recently I've been tired / thirsty / getting pins and needles in feet. So, it's time to take action.

I'm torn between 2 diets which seem to get good results - blood sugar diet which limits carbs or plant based oil free. I'm vegetarian rather than vegan at the minute so I don't eat meat / fish but do eat dairy and eggs.

Has anyone had success with these diets for type 2? Long term remission rather than short term success. I tried the blood sugar diet but it was hard to sustain as a veggie travelling a lot. Not sure vegan will be easier though!

Vegan people are very sniffy about THEIR word. You don't get to call yourself vegan unless you do it for animal-welfare reasons. I'm just warning you, it's a hot potato word. I wouldn't use it at all unless you're an animal-welfare freak.

Do you need to lose weight?

Yes I have witnessed a few plant based vs vegan showdowns on FB! Health is my current focus although the animal welfare thing is a huge bonus. I do need to lose weight about 2-3 stone ideally. We have a lot of diabetes in the family and have been under massive stress recently for various reasons so time is ripe to prioritise health.

Plant based oil free? Is that what it says on the tin? You'll feel starved?

Not all vegans are giant knob heads! At least I hope not, we are a vegan household!

My MIL does the blood sugar diet after becoming diabetic and she has had excellent results. She's really stuck to it and enjoyed the food. I bought her a few recipe books that made it easier to get to grips with. She has almost revered her diabetes now and lost a lot of weight too!

Good luck!

*reversed

I'm a vegan mainly for ecological reasons, then health, then animals, in that order. I'm not sniffy about anyone. Being vegan isn't about being perfect. I highly recommend a vegan diet over a low carb diet. Low carb diets rob people of energy.

@NameChanger22 I totally agree with you! MIL couldn't face giving up cheese however, so we've supported.

goes off to eat some rabbit food

I think Vegan plant based too but I am biased! When I stuck to it I felt amazing. It does take some advance prepping though

And I never felt starved- quite the opposite

I think the key to any diet is to make sure you are eating well. I know some vegans who eat terribly - lots of processed, high carb and sugary food. Similarly I know people who say they are low carb, but talking to them they really don’t understand the science behind it.

I’ve eaten low carb/healthy fat for 2 1/2 years now. I have LADA (adult onset T1) and have extended my honeymoon primarily because of diet. I know I would struggle on a 100% vegan diet, but I’m not a carnivore either! It is about balance.

Initially I was diagnosed as T2, and I did a lot of research, my conclusions were that to reverse it I would need to:

• lose weight (although I was only 5lbs overweight).
• understand how my body deals with different carbs (so got a meter)
• ensure my diet was meeting all my nutritional needs. Further investigation revealed that I was serverly mineral deficient.

I also didn’t drink for a couple of months (now I only really drink red wine).