I have a friend with type 1 diabetes who just recently went from being vegetarian to vegan.
She dosent take any iron/calcium or any other vitamin tablets.
What kindof risks etc. are there with this?
26
Aug 2009
Are People With Type 1 Diabetes Allowed To Be Vegan?
By 10 Comments
Here’s a little different take on the subject of diabetes–
There are many things you can do to overcome type II diabetes, and improve life as a Type I diabetic. I’ve been researching alternative medicine, and the amount of help that’s available to diabetics is amazing.
Natural remedies are quite effective, and include:
Cinnamon
Bitter Melon
Gymnema Sylvestre
Nopal cactus
American Ginseng
Fenugreek
Chromium picolinate
Cinnamon regulates glucose, and has a polyphenol compound called MHCP that mimics insulin and activates cell receptor sites. Everything on the above list has a use in fighting diabetes. If you are serious about learning how to use these herbs and not falling victim to diabetes needlessly, I suggest getting a copy of–
“One Son’s Quest for the Cause and Cure of Diabetes”, ISBN 7890766313
The author, a doctor, lost his mother to diabetes and spent the next 20 years finding a way to overcome it. My brother was dying of diabetes, and I was just starting to need insulin when we came across this definitive work which was first availale in February 2005. We both lead mostly normal lives now. It’s a life saver, and the best money you’ll ever spend on the subject.
You might want to check Abe Books, Alibri’s, or Amazon.com for a good used copy cheap. I bought mine new, and I think it was about $35. I don’t get any money from anybody for telling you this–just want to help, and the techniques in this book is what made the difference for me and mine. Best of luck.
There is no reason why this is impossible or bad for her health. In fact, it may be a good thing provided she makes the effort to eat a balanced diet.
She can get protein from soybeans, lentils, other legumes, and nuts. She can still eat oats, veggies, brown rice, and olive oil, all great for managing BG’s and/or promoting health.
She should make sure she takes a multivitamin just because vegans should in general. They are often deficient in nutrients.
She can also use flaxseed for Omega 3 fatty acids (shown to help prevent heart disease and beneficial to both types of diabetics). Fish is the best source, but flaxseed will do if she refuses to eat it.
Make sure she meets with a dietitian who specializes in diabetes just to go over her meal plan.
You are a very nice friend for caring!
This is something you must discuss with your doctor.It’s to important to get your answer off a website.
Diabetes mellitus and its complications (diabetic ketoacidosis, nonketotic hyperosmolar syndrome) are the most common disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, but alcoholic ketoacidosis and hypoglycemia are also important.
For example, a vegan diet predisposes to vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, whereas alcoholism increases the risk of folate deficiency anemia. A number of hemoglobinopathies are inherited, and certain drugs predispose to hemolysis. Cancer, rheumatic disorders, and chronic inflammatory disease can suppress bone marrow activity or enlarge the spleen.
The symptoms of anemia are neither sensitive nor specific and do not help differentiate between types of anemias. Symptoms reflect compensatory responses to tissue hypoxia and usually develop when Hb falls < 7 g/dL. However, they may develop at higher Hb levels in patients with limited cardiopulmonary reserve or in whom the anemia developed very rapidly. Symptoms such as weakness, seeing spots, fatigue, drowsiness, angina, syncope, and dyspnea on exertion can indicate anemia. Vertigo, headache, tinnitus, amenorrhea, loss of libido, and GI complaints may also occur. Heart failure or shock can develop with severe tissue hypoxia or hypovolemia.
Certain symptoms may suggest an underlying cause of the anemia. For example, melena, epistaxis, hematochezia, hematemesis, or menorrhagia indicates bleeding. Jaundice and dark urine suggest hemolysis. Weight loss may suggest cancer. Diffuse severe bone or chest pain may suggest sickle cell disease, and stocking-glove paresthesias may suggest vitamin B12 or folate deficiency.
Physical Examination
Complete physical examination is necessary. Signs of anemia itself are neither sensitive nor specific; however, pallor is common with severe anemia.
Signs of underlying disorders are often more diagnostically accurate than are signs of anemia. Heme-positive stool identifies GI bleeding. Hemorrhagic shock (eg, hypotension, tachycardia, pallor, tachypnea, diaphoresis, confusion—see Shock and Fluid Resuscitation: Shock) may result from acute bleeding. Jaundice may suggest hemolysis. Splenomegaly may occur with hemolysis, hemoglobinopathy, connective tissue disease, myeloproliferative disorder, infection, or cancer. Peripheral neuropathy suggests vitamin B12 deficiency; abdominal distention in a victim of blunt trauma suggests acute hemorrhage; petechiae develop in thrombocytopenia or platelet dysfunction; fever and heart murmurs suggest infectious endocarditis, a possible cause of hemolysis. Rarely, high-output heart failure develops as a compensatory response to anemia-induced tissue hypoxia.
PERSONAL NOTE: The excerpts above are from the sites below…based upon the second one…there is a very serious concern about anemia and vegan diets. She should speak with her physician about her decision so that she does not unintentionally harm herself in her effort to diet.
It is virtually impossible to eat a balanced diabetic diet without meat, and there is a lack of essential amino acids and iron. Even in the hospital I could not properly treat a vegetarian. Even if it religious, eat your meat and live.
I have no problem with the vegetarian diet, since you can get high quality complete protein from egg and milk, and folate from egg.
However, the vegan diet is not advisable, even for a healthy person, unless you are very educated in how to balance your amino acids and to get everything you need, especially folate and iron. With diabetes, any problem will be magnified.
Of course you can supplement yourself with multivitamin, but why eat pills if you can get everything you need in good food ?
Its possibly but not a smart thing to do. I am a type 1 and I can not imagine not having dairy! This is not a smart practice for a type 1.
Being a Type 1 diabetic Vegan is fine! I am a vegetarian, and I know that they are both pretty far apart, but it hasn’t changed my diabetes control one bit! Diabetics can pretty much eat what they want, as long as they do more or less insulin when they do, although I suggest she goes and sees her diabetic consultant or doctor just to talk things through. Hope it helped!
You can find some good information and home remedies at this website http://ailments.in/diabetes.html
there is only one answer that will work for that question.. Your friend needs to talk to her doctor. The person who has tested and diagnosed her. Only he will know exactly what diet she needs to stay healthy.