You have probably heard the term plant based, vegan, low fat, whole foods etc thrown around the woodworks lately, and with increasing credibility and science behind it, its becoming more and more common to see diabetics and non diabetics making the change.
Whether your living with insulin dependant diabetes (type 1 and 1.5) or you have been diagnosed with insulin resistance and pre diabetes (reversible) or type 2 diabetes, the benefits of a plant based diet put simply is by eliminating the foods that cause insulin resistance in the first place you can completely reverse pre diabetes and type 2 diabetes!
and for type 1 diabetes you can reduce your insulin dosage while increasing carbohydrate consumption (Carb ratio) and improve the control and predictability of your BGLs by increasing insulin sensitivity, and allowing the normal physiological up take of glucose into the muscle and liver cells. i personally experienced an increase in my Carb ratio setting on my insulin pump from around 12-15:1 following the standard western diet to between 35 - 42:1 following a low fat whole food plant based diet and my basal insulin dosage almost halved as well, all while consuming 2 - 3 times the amount of carbohydrates that i was before!
When people living with insulin dependent diabetes (type 1 and 1.5) follow a low fat whole food plant based lifestyle, their blood glucose variability goes down. But wait, you might ask Doesn’t a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet do that and work just as well? It’s true that you can flatline your blood glucose and achieve an A1c level less than 5.3 percent by following a truly low-carbohydrate diet (<30 grams of total carbohydrates per day). But this approach can also lead to conditions including increased insulin resistance which is the underlying cause of type 2 and pre diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, and cancer just to name a few.
Eat more for less When you understand the principles of calorie density and start eating foods highest in water content, fibre, and micro nutrients, you will see for yourself how eating more, in large portions for lower calorie consumption will help you maintain a stable weight and prevent un wanted weight gain. and If you have weight to lose, it will drop gradually and stay off! Never again will you need to stop eating before you’re full to keep your body weight at a healthy level. And if you don’t have weight to lose, you will be able to maintain a healthy body weight with ease, without giving a thought to portion control. i personally count my calories to make sure i am eating enough!! not the other way around like the majority do..
i have upgraded my bowl size to a mixing bowl to eat my meals from as the usual bowl and plate sizes just aren't big enough to fit the portions that i eat!
why have 2 slices of toast with disease feeding bacon and eggs on top when you can have 6 slices with all natural wholesome disease fighting toppings!
Energised You start to feel more energetic and alive, that is mostly because you have shifted your main macronutrient consumption towards whole foods (potatoes, fruit, legumes, rice etc) which majority happen to be high in carbohydrate content, which is the energy source that the body requires in the form of glucose. So it should be of no surprise that when you facilitate the metabolic requirements of your body that you start to feel amazing.
I really encourage anyone to just give it a try whether it be one day a week 2, 3 or 7, go into it with an open mind and no expectations and see the and feel the benefits for yourself!! thats what i did and i never looked back.
If you would like to learn more and have the extra guidance in your transition to truly low fat whole food plant based diet i highly recommend the book on the left, Mastering Diabetes by Cyrus Khambatta and Robby Barbaro.
i have read this myself and now consider the book as a "diabetic bible"