Going Vegan - Salt Lake City,UT

I would not suddenly shift from an omnivorous diet to vegan. If I were to go vegan (which ain't gonna happen), I would phase out the meat and other animal products, rather than just cut them suddenly.

There's a difference in you becoming a vegan and expecting your family to go through it with you. With your diabetes, I'll bet that your insurance would cover going to a nutritionist to get help learning how to do this for YOU. However, I would not make your kids be vegans. I really wouldn't.

My mom was recently diagnosed with Type II diabetes, and she has not found that meat and dairy really have any effect on her blood sugar. She has found that it is much more about her intake of refined sugars (which you could potentially consume in whatever quantities you wanted on a vegan diet). Why does your husband think that being vegan would have any effect on your diabetes? What does your doctor say about this? I think you'd be much better off trying to control your diabetes by eliminating refined sugars and making sure you get enough exercise each day, as well as controlling your stress levels. Those are all things that my mom has found helpful in controlling the amount of insulin she needs.

You don't need to cut out meat. You need to eliminate the bad carbs (sugar) from your diet. Give up rice, pasta, bread and obviously all junk food I bet you will be be able to at least cut back on your medication. Eat foods that come from the ground (fruits/vegetable) and meats. Give up packaged and frozen foods.

Diabetes runs rampant in my family and I also have tested positive for glucose intolerance many times in the past ten years. That is a pre-cursor to full-fledged diabetes but doesn't need to turn into that if I do the right things....which I do! It is a little known fact that if you have Type II diabetes, you do not need to control it by using insulin unless you have created such high swings in your blood sugars that the pancreas just will not produce enough insulin to match your sugar and carb intake. The two main foods that are problems for diabetics or insulin-resistant people like us, are carbohydrates and simple sugars. Meats are our friend. Eggs and dairy products such as hard cheeses, low-carb yogurts, ricotta cheese, etc. are our friends. Non-starch veggies are your friend. Apples, pears, and berries are your friend. Nuts and seeds are also in this category as well. What needs to be completely cut from your diet is simple carbs and all refined sugars and flours. Get rid of processed meals, starches, and high glycemic load foods. Think South Beach Diet, Stkins, or The Paleo Diet. If you eat like this....you can control blood sugars without insulin shots, Metformin, or other diabetic medications. But, you have to be very diligent and meticulous about your food intake and also get the approval of your doctor. I have warded off diabetes and also corrected my insulin resistance by adhering to the Paleo Diet. I have eaten this way for over eight years. My fasting blood sugars are normally 80-85 consistently and never go above 147 with a full load of sugars or carbs on a test. Cholesterol is perfect, blood pressure is 116/72 and blood work is phenomenal. I feel great and I never have to worry about my weight. This is a clean diet and allows for major intake of food but because you are eliminating all processed foods, starchy and useless carbs, and sugar....you feel full all the time and require less food for energy. My skin cleared up and achy joints and muscles are gone. My doctor watches me closely and I have to do a GTT test every year because my family disposition for diabetes is so bad. Each year, I am given a clean bill of health and a "congratulations" on my ability to beat this disease at its own game. Prevention is the key, not medications and certainly not avoidance or denial. You should look into these food plans and eating patterns. Start learning about why diabetes is triggered and what fuels the disease. You can turn this around to becoming non-insulin dependent or use much less insulin to control blood sugar by changing the way you eat for life. Consult your physician, a dietician, or Endocrinologist for help and guidance first. As for the vegan....I don't think this type of eating alone is a great choice for you. The other diets are much better suited to your needs. As for the family and kids, unless you have the "diabetes gene" roaming around your family, they should not be subjected to specific diets unless medically necessary. You, however, have all the power in the world to control your disease using excellent food choices and meticulous control instead of pills and shots. Its true. I am living proof!

I know that there is research supporting a vegan diet for diabetes, but I don't think that a vegan diet for diabetes makes any sense at all. To me, it's right up there with all of the other bad type-II diabetes advice being pushed, like the ludicrous and outdated ideas that eating fat makes your fat, or that the ideal diabetic diet starts with lots of whole grains, or that artificial sweeteners are an acceptable substitute for sugar. All bunk!

Insulin resistance is caused by carbohydrates - grains (yes even whole grains), sugar, etc. You would be better served by cutting all grains, most fruits (other than some berries and an apple a day) and perhaps dairy (which also triggers and insulin spike and can be inflammatory), from your diet for a while and see how that goes. By going vegan you would be vastly increasing your grain intake, which is the very food group that causes insulin to rise. How does that make any sense? It doesn't. Vegetables, meat, seafood, eggs, and nuts do not raise insulin or contribute to insulin resistance the way that grains and sugars do. These foods help regulate your insulin levels and can lower your insulin resistance so that your body can get back to a place where the normal processes of creating and using insulin work the way they're supposed to.

Sorry if that doesn't answer your question, but I think that the vegan road is the wrong one for you. Definitely increase your vegetable consumption and use a variety of sources for protein such as beans instead of just meat, but really try to cut out dairy, grains, sugar and most fruits and see if that helps. Because you monitor your blood sugar you should know within a few weeks whether or not this change is beneficial to you.

You do not ALL have to do it.
Only you, can. If you want to.
My Husband, is trying the "going Vegan" route recently.
But, that does not mean, that we ALL are. We are not. Only he, is.
And, he cooks for himself. Or I do, per what I can along with what I am cooking for me/my kids, as well. But we eat healthy anyway, as Omnivores.
I would not make my kids be Vegan, as a hardliner.
We are eating as we are. And my Husband has chosen to try the Vegan route. But he doesn't make all of us, do so.

My late Dad, had Type II Diabetes.
His Doc, referred him to a Nutritionist, per HIS condition.
You, should be seeing a Professional Nutritionist, per your Diabetes. Not only going by what your Husband, says.
With all due respect to him, he is not a Diabetic Doctor.
And your Primary Care Physician, should be referring you to a Specialist.
That is what my Dad's Doctor, did.
Then, you will not have to guess.... at what you must do, per food intake. You also need to know, "glycemic index" of foods.
My Dad, got from his Nutritionist, per HIS condition.... a whole menu and recipes and a list, of foods he can or cannot eat.
He did not go by hearsay or what others said. He went according to his Doctor's and Nutritionist, recommendations per HIS, condition.
And he also took classes at his hospital. Per Diabetes.

You REALLY should be and need to be, seeing a Professional Nutritionist, per YOUR condition. And then, ask the Nutritionist questions etc. and then you will have answers.
Do not just try any new trendy thing. You have a medical condition.
You need to be taught, by the Nutritionist, "how" to eat as a Diabetic.
And what you can or cannot eat, and be taught about glycemic indexes of foods etc.

And per your kids, personally I do not make my kids be Vegan, just because my Husband is trying it. And if anything, I would be asking my Pediatrician, about it first.

Check with your doctor for a nutritionist before making such a drastic change in diet. After checking with a nutritionist, learn how to create some wonderful vegan recipies if approved by the doctor.

Many vegans eat beans for protein. I would strongly suggest looking into it for yourself over taking your husband's word for it. I have several friends that are vegan and each of them at one time or another have had serious health problems related to an unbalanced diet. Please be careful and get solid and good advice from your doctor and nutritionist. Do your due diligence and find out about what would be best for your health and the health of your family.

I am with some of the others, why would your whole family have to give up meats/eggs/dairy because of your dietary change?

Is there any evidence that your diabetes is caused or complicated by meat, eggs, milk etc.? I am not diabetic, and I am legitimately asking because I don't know. I was not aware that a vegan diet was a cure for diabetes. Is your husband a doctor or nutritionist? If not, I would certainly discuss this with one before I made such a drastic change to my eating habits.

It is also possible to make smaller changes to your diet, you don't have to go to the extreme of veganism. You could eat vegetarian a few days per week, reduce the amount of meat you consume, add more fresh fruits and veggies to your diet, whatever, without going vegan. There is a lot of middle ground between what you are doing now and what your husband proposes.

I don't think it's a good idea to go vegan as a treatment of sorts for your diabetes. You should work closely with your doctor and a nutritionist. Vegans don't just eat veggies they eat fruits and other things just not any animal or animal by-products.

I am not a doctor, nor do I have diabetes, but a friend told me she has to watch how much fruit she consumes too. Not as closely as added sugar, but it still must be watched, so a vegan diet may not be what you need.

I do think overall eating better/healthier would be a great help. My stepmother had type II diabetes and when she adopted a healthier life style she no longer needed insulin. She also lost like 50lbs and was more active stopped smoking etc. I don't know if any of that applies to you, but if it does try cutting those things out.

I've thought about going vegan too. They sell magazines on how to adjust, recipes, vegan groups and more. Pick one of those up they have a lot of good info in them!

Good Luck!!

Talk to your pediatrician about a vegan diet for kids. I do think that a vegetarian diet is healthier than a meat based diet. But supplementing a kids diet can be more complicated. Your pediatrician should be able to recommend either a., how to supplement, or b., what portions eggs/dairy they need weekly to get their protein and calcium. As for you, best to talk to your doctor too. But there is fact in plant-based diets being very healthy.

Here is a site you may want to look into. Check out the diabetes section. http://www.ornishspectrum.com/

TYPE 2 DIABETES DOES NOT IMPLY THAT YOU MUST GO TOTALLLY VEGAN!

But it does mean that you must watch what you eat and eat healthfully. Watch out for sugary foods, some fruits (strawberries, peaches) as they contain lots of natural sugars yet know that you do not need to change or limit your families diet just because you have diabetes.

If the kids/hubby like milk, then go for Skim milk--big deal. And meat is not filled with sugar, thus is ok a couple times a week. Poultry and seafood also do not contain sugar------but if you prefer a breaded coating then yes there may be some sugar or HFCS added. So cook more from scratch.

And Just because you may have a disease does not mean that your family as a whole has a disease!

Try the Forks over Knives cook book. Another good read is: How to prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Essylstein (gives mention to diabetes, but comes from research on heart disease specifically) and also comes with recipes. The idea that we need animal protein is so ingrained in us. Just look at (but don't apply) the advice you get here! Give up meat and daily!?!? Its like telling people you are moving to Mars. Its invaluable to realize that the same people setting food guidelines are the same people who advocate for the meat and dairy industry. I know its hard to believe, but it is absolutely a fact provable by scientific observation, yet so hidden to the western world, HUMANS DON'T NEED ANIMAL PROEIN. There is protein found in vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds, nuts, and legumes. Not only is it superior protein to animal protein, it comes in proportions that are much more suited to our needs as too much protein actually ages us.
We all bought this lie Mommee2_2, don't feel too bad. Most Americans are still duped. It just happens not to be true that animal protein is necessary or even optimal. As for the cost of a vegan diet? How about the cost of health care for continuing on the American diet thats giving all of us a slow death?
You will get a lot of negativity on this one or at a minimum, people telling you that what you are doing is extreme or unnecessary. People are very resistant to the thought of changing their diets. Especially their beloved meat and dairy. You are not harming your family to go vegan. Little do the nay sayers know how much damage they do to their own families staying on the western diet, sentencing their children to obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.
My advice is to get your husband educated too. I could not make this change in our family until my own husband (a M.D. no less), came to this information on his own time. Now he shares this information with his Dr. friends and patients. But he couldn't hear it from me. Now he's more vegan than I am and its like living in bizzaro world. It wasn't until my husband's attitude changed that my children were open to things like soy milk.
My last bit of advice to you is this: think of your changing diet in terms of good, better, and best. People who have disease (such at yourself) may need to take a strict vs. moderate approach to dietary changes. But as for your family, take it slow. Try on some new vegan recipes and alternatives. For example, switch out three meat meals for three vegan meals, skip the cheese here and there. Make gradual changes. Your taste buds will actually change and when everyone is feeling better, you are motivated to take on more changes.
Keep educating yourself and your family Mommee2_2. We are also currently in this transition and it is both difficult and yet surprisingly rewarding as we all are feeling so much better.
Also I see a lot of people telling you to refer to your doctor on this matter. Guess how much nutritional training Dr.s get- next to zero. I love Dr.s, and as I've mentioned, I'm even married to one. But you cannot trust the medical establishment to reverse diabetes or heart disease. While the science is right under our noses, a plant based diet is not advocated in the medical world because it is viewed as extreme, and the vast majority of people in the know don't have faith in the American population to make these changes. I think you are on the right track.
Also its true that "veganism" isn't the total answer for reversing diabetes, but rather a "plant based" diet. The difference being that in addition to eliminating meat and dairy, you also drastically reduce refined sugar and oils.

You have an illness and you're trying to change your whole family to vegan? Why? How old are your kids? Don't they deserve to have a say if they are going to go vegan? That's really hard for most adults to do. No eggs, milk, anything from animals. Those kids would never get to go to a birthday party, go hang out at the pizza place, go to a pizza party, nothing. I think that's really sad unless they really really wanted to I would eat how "I" wanted to and encourage the kids to try the foods but would never make them give up normal food.

Although they might have a genetic connection to diabetes that does not mean they will ever develop it. They might have it and nothing they do will change that.

I think this would be too much to expect of your family. Eat how you want to and eat healthier but don't go overboard. Don't use artificial sweeteners or any artificial fats or other additives. They are poison to your body.

I have a friend who is insulin resistant and she used artificial sweeteners for years. Her symptoms became so serious they put in an insulin pump.

She finally went to a diabetes specialist in OKC and he told her what to do. She was shocked to the core but tried it and she does not wear an insulin pump anymore, her blood sugars are normal 99% of the time, she does not take any meds at all anymore.

He told her to stop using any artificial food additive. He told her to only use real sugar, real butter, real food. He basically put her on a low carb diet. She could eat anything she wanted but had to watch the carbs. She is more healthy than she's ever been in her whole life. No oxygen tanks when she goes to the store, no walker because her body is being racked by a disease, no labored breathing, she lost over 100 lbs through this journey.

This doc helped her by doing something so radical. I suggest you visit with your doc about what kind of foods you should cut out. It may be that dairy and other animal foods are contributing to this disease and it could be the foods you are planning on eating too.

There is a small family of concentrated products with clinical studies that can help diabetes (reducing insulin for Type I, reducing or sometimes eliminating entirely for Type II), and plenty of nutrition including protein for kids and adults. They are vegetarian and dairy free. If you want the info, I can give you a quick overview and send you links plus clinical data. You can do this whether you go vegan or not. Soy is the best source of protein and it's been proven to be so beneficial for immune system boosting and cancer prevention (all the "soy is bad" reports have been shown to be based on faulty research). But you have to be careful with whether the soy is genetically modified and how it is processed (alcohol, hexane, etc. strip the nutrients and cause reactions in some people). So I use whole-bean, non-GMO soy supplements and I've worked with dozens of people who have seen their A1Cs stabilize almost instantly.

Processed meat--which is the conventional chicken, beef---is all factory farmed and genetically engineered. So, I only eat beef if it was grass fed.
Cows should not be eating corn.Yet, it makes they bigger ! It makes the cattle big, fat...and SICK.

Try grass fed beef or organic chix.

I do not find that the organic almond milk that i buy is any more money than the organic milk.

I have a relative who is a vegan. He is super healthy. But, he is also a nutritionist. He eats lots of raw, organic nuts, home-made almond milk, tons of organic veggies and greens, etc...So, I would rec seeing a nutritionist.

In the meantime, stay away from anything w/ corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. Eat less pasta, etc...corn and potatoes, too.

allrecipes.com is a great site.

In my house, we make smoothies w/ almond milk and frozen fruit, eat avocados, raw nuts, spring mix, organic kale, raw veggies, beans, kefir yogurt, salad, etc...Be careful of processed dressings...olive oil and vinegar is best !

Meat isn't the dilemma... It's more about processed carbs and or other foods that significantly raise your sugar levels.. This includes high fructose items such as processed fruit juice and soda...

Although there are better cuts of meats (e.g. grass fed without hormones added) meat compared to a serving of mashed potatoes isn't equal. My point being, meat doesn't raise your sugar like the potatoes will do..

you can do more research on the net with regards to sugar raising foods. What bothers me is that the medical establishment, when dealing with diabetics still doesn't consider that even small amounts of insulin raising foods may be worth avoiding.. Why?? I say this because while you might eat a small portion of white potatoes and not raise your insulin, what the potatoes can do is cause you to crave more of the same...

My best advice would be to begin to eliminate some of the starch from your diet... also, began to notice what drives a craving. For me, IF I allow myself toast for breakfast as opposed to eggs, in about an hour I am hungry.. why?? because the starch drives my hunger..

there is a lot of good info online about type 2 diabetes and how you can better reduce your insulin intake.. Try out Drmercola.com and droz.com
both speak in depth about food that drives one's insulin.

I am not saying you shouldn't go vegan, but if your sole reason for doing it is to lower your insulin intake, then I just don't think it's necessarily going to give you all the results you want. Even with a vegan diet, there is possibly alternative sugar (as regular sugar is processed with bone char) and too, vegans can eat bread, fruit and while that sounds healthy (and it can be) both bread and high fructose that is found in some fruit and once again raise your sugar.

also keep in mind... that as you eat more insulin raising foods, it's the resistance to insulin that your body builds, hence the reason you need more... and the belly fat remains...

again, I would suggest reading more about insulin raising foods.. there is GREAT info on the net..

While I don't have Diabetes, I have had my problems with belly fat.. this due to my becoming insulin resistant... Once I went online and read more about why this is happening, I began to understand what was going on with my body....

Whatever you decide to do, I wish you and your family all the best..