Will a Vegan diet PREVENT diabetes?
Posted by mrs.delrosario on Sep 16, 2009 · Member since Jun 2009 · 23 posts
Hi Everyone! So I've been a Vegan for a few months now. Ever sinceI stopped breast feeding my son. So, when I was pregnant with him I had gestational diabetes (dieabetes that occures only during pregnancy) My dr's were really concerned because I was 26 at the time and most women that have GD are usually over 35. So I was informed that unless I change my lifestyle I WILL get diabetes later in life, and it does run in my family. So I became a vegan, but I coun't find and information that said that a vegan diet will prevent diabetes.
Does anyone know what causes diabetes and if my vegan diet will infact help prevent it? I really don't want to get diabetes, it's not fun!!! Thanks for any information!
There have been many articles written on this topic.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Diabetes/wireStory?id=2244647
See also Dr. John McDougall and Dr.Neal Barnard's websites, too.
I hope this helps.
I'm sorry I don't have too much time right now, but I wanted to chime in and say YES! A healthy vegan diet will help tremendously in preventing diabetes--especially if you generally eat lowfat, whole foods with plenty of veggies. If I have more time later, I'll try to add more. But McDougall and Barnard are EXCELLENT resources and will probably have all the info you need.
:)
Thank you! Ok, that really helps me feel better about my future not being DOOMED ::)
Also check out www.drfuhrman.com. He has written extensively about reversing and PREVENTING many diseases with a low-fat, vegan diet. You could pick up the book Eat To Live and try his six-week program for weight-loss and health-indicator improvement (i.e. cholesterol, triglycerides). Highly recommended.
My dr's were really concerned because I was 26 at the time and most women that have GD are usually over 35.
I had gestational diabetes and was 28 when I had my daughter. The probability of GD does increase with age, but I don't think it is exactly uncommon in women in their 20s. Just more common in older women. Other factors that can predispose someone towards it include previous miscarriage and having a high body mass index. There were a few others but I don't remember them. I do understand your concern because I have the same one, but I'm 45 now and no signs or symptoms of diabetes. Being veg*n rocks!
Cool, thanks everybody. I just got my Eat to Live book on my kindle, so i'll be reading it today. Plus, I love the title Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss. Since becomming a vegan I haven't lost ANY weight. I can't believe that my previous diet was as healthy as I am now, so i'm confused as to why i've stayed the same...and I can stand to lose some poundage! I even got off my birth control and am now on a hormone free IUD to see if that helps with shedding some pounds.
remember that being vegan does not automatically mean eating healthier. I mean, beer and french fries are vegan, but not staples of a healthy diet. Vegans can eat foods that are too high in fat and sugar and calories, just like others on a SAD. I have the same issue, I would like to loose some weight, but as of yet have not even on a veg diet. Mostly because I eat too many calories and fats. Yes, some fats are good, but too much is not. So if you want to loose, you need to burn off more than you take in. For me, that means eating heathy, lower fat high fiber meals, and exercising more. Exercise, too is a very important part of preventing diabetes.
Diabetes is strongly related to obesity/overweight (regardless of diet, apparently), so a vegan diet may help to prevent diabetes simply because many people are able to maintain a healthy weight or lose excess weight while eating vegan (but being an overweight vegan doesn't mean you won't get diabetes. sigh...). Of course, low GI foods common in a vegan diet also help.
Thanks GFVegmom and faunablues! I thought I had a really good vegan diet. I try to stay away from over processed foods and dairy alternatives. But I know i've been using a lot of olive oils and salt which I now know are not good for me! I've been reading my Eat to Live book and i've started the 6 week program. I think this will go over well. It just sucks because i've always struggled to be an average size and a lot of girls I know are size 2's and eat EVERYTHING...and even though I know I should just worry about myself, it's hard not to think something is wrong with me :-\
When my thyroid went out, I gained so much weight so fast that i was borderline pre-diabetic, and since diabetes runs in my family, I was really worried.
After having gone vegan, My blood sugar is fine now. Still a little on the upper end of normal, but normal nontheless.
In addition to a vegan diet, I've also heard that a weight loss of even just 10 pounds can cut risks quite a bit.
Thanks GFVegmom and faunablues! I thought I had a really good vegan diet. I try to stay away from over processed foods and dairy alternatives. But I know i've been using a lot of olive oils and salt which I now know are not good for me! I've been reading my Eat to Live book and i've started the 6 week program. I think this will go over well. It just sucks because i've always struggled to be an average size and a lot of girls I know are size 2's and eat EVERYTHING...and even though I know I should just worry about myself, it's hard not to think something is wrong with me :-\
You don't need to be size 2 (or even close)! And those girls don't eat everything (I went to school with many of those types)... they usually have methods of getting around it :/ All I'll say about that
If you figure out your "healthy weight range" (preferably not through a site promoting a diet... their estimations tend to be suspiciously low), and you're overweight, you can start by aiming for the highest number in the range. I've historically been a *leetle* overweight, and aiming for the middle of the range (about 135?) was just not realistic for me.
Check out The China Study by T Colin Campbell for more information about the helpfulness of a vegan diet in treating (& "curing") type II diabetes.
Check out The China Study by T Colin Campbell for more information about the helpfulness of a vegan diet in treating (& "curing") type II diabetes.
Thanks, I will! But I don't have diabetes now. Gestational Diabetes goes away once you give birth. But I have a good chance that i'll get diabetes later in life. So I really want data to show that veganism prevents diabetes. The Eat to Live book that i'm reading has been really helpful ;)b
Check out The China Study by T Colin Campbell for more information about the helpfulness of a vegan diet in treating (& "curing") type II diabetes.
Thanks, I will! But I don't have diabetes now. Gestational Diabetes goes away once you give birth. But I have a good chance that i'll get diabetes later in life. So I really want data to show that veganism prevents diabetes. The Eat to Live book that i'm reading has been really helpful ;)b
I understand your position, but it's hard to prove the absence of something in caused by something. It's all correlational. You can, however, show that a vegan diet can reverse type II diabetes, and then make the logistic jump that if it can make it stop it should be able to prevent it from happening in the first place.
I understand your position, but it's hard to prove the absence of something in caused by something. It's all correlational. You can, however, show that a vegan diet can reverse type II diabetes, and then make the logistic jump that if it can make it stop it should be able to prevent it from happening in the first place.
haha, duh! of course that makes sense. I didn't even think about that :D