Hello good people :

Can somebody please help me ??!!!!!!!!!!! I am getting a bit discouraged and need some suggestions. I realize that many of you are not doctors, nutritionists, but I believe your knowledge and life experiences are just what I need right now.

As many of you know I turned vegan last week, after some initial resistance. I am happy with my decision and am exploring new recipes all the time to come up with tasty, quick and wholesome meals.

I have diabetes, but do not take medication for it. When diagosed my sugar was 155. By losing over 40 pounds a couple of years back I got it down the 115-120 range.

I was 99 last Monday and very pleased that I was capable of getting it under 100, and was hopeful that by knocking off the rest of my weight and continuing heavy workouts on my treadmill that I could actually bring it a bit lower still.

Since I went vegan last week it is getting higher and higher now, and I am very concerned. Concerned for many reasons. My mother is an amputee from diabetes and I do not want to go down that road, next I have no job or health insurance as that was all given up when i moved to England last year to be married, I was jilted at the alter, had to come back to the States last month and now am finanically in very bad shape, so have no access to my old doctors for treatment.

So, what can I do ?? I can not allow my sugar to rise, it was 115 this morning, 112 yesterday and like I said 99 only 8 days ago, so clearly it is rising and not lowering, so not good.

Any ideas/suggestions/thoughts.......would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance for your help

Have you increased your fat?

I know before that you said you thought Dr Bernard's plan was too strict, but I'm wondering if you are trying to follow that or something else?

If you are trying to follow something else, you might consider doing it for a couple weeks.

Also, I know you are trying to keep your blood sugar down, but I'm wondering if it may be fluctuating due to other factors? Also, I don't know about blood sugar but our bodies in general aren't static and things can elevate slightly and then drop.

Hi Nelie :

I have 2 daily teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil and when I make those wraps with the tomatoes, basil, beans and vinegar, I put in a couple of Kalamata olives.

I was wondering if perhaps it was the grapes ?? Grapes are very high in natural sugar and I had a cup of them last nite at 10 pm, though went to bed at 2 am, so quite a few hours later. I am mixing things up a bit to see if that will help and that is to have fruit only in the morning and not last thing at nite.

I am not hysterial yet, but concerned. A bit of trial and error perhaps. I have learned never to test after a hot shower or when I get off the treadmill, it is astronomical then, ( like 140 !! )

Anhow, thanks, and hope I can turn this thing around. I sure as heck do not want to eat animal products anymore, I like this new way a lot.

Yeah, could possibly be the grapes. Something else you could try is eat fruit with something else to minimize their sugar hit.

I too was going to ask how your fat intake was..
Have you had your cholesterol levels checked lately?

No, I haven't seen a doctor in 2 years. I no longer have any health insurance and the little bit of savings I have left do not qualify me for any gov't help.

I was planning on a full checkup, including gyn this summer, but as he did not marry me and I had to return to the States, I lost that ability to have medical care in England as well.

Anyhow, thanks for input. I have had my red grapes for the day and will not eat anymore fruit for the rest of the day and see if there is any improvement tomorrow even if a little. I would like very much to keep it as close to 99 as possible, as 100 is the pre-diabetic stage and 125 is full blown diabetes.

I have not given up yet.

Hey Fairy, another diabetic lady I know said she isn't allowed to eat grapes or watermelon, those two fruits immediately raise blood sugar.... in some plans vegan diet plans they limit fruits to 3 servings a day. I believe Berries are the best.

Hi Oracle :

I believe you may be right !!! Watermelon, bananas, papayas and grapes are ultra high sugar, may be affecting my chemistry really badly.

I think perhaps I will follow your advice and stick to organic berries. My food co-op does lovely frozen organic blackberries, strawberries and blueberries.

I would hate to go fruit free, but let me start by eliminating the grapes and watermelon for now and see what happens. Also maybe limiting the daily servings might help me as you suggested.

Many kind thanks !!!

Sounds like overall a vegan diet is good for diabetes
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/...n1837927.shtml

however some research may be in order to see what types of foods work for you or not - such as the grapes

You may want to eliminate fruits for a week or 2 and see what happens and then slowly introduce them back.

It killed me mentally but I gave up fruit for 2 weeks. I think it did help me though and I'm adding fruit back now, mostly with something else and near the end of the day (but not too late).

Yeah, grapes are a pretty high sugar fruit. I might lay off the fruit for a while and then start introducing low glycemic fruits.

Perhaps this will help?

source

hi vickie:

just wanted to tell you for what it's worth--my grandfather is type 2 diabetic and researched homeopathic remedies for controlling blood sugar. he discovered cinnamon listed in several sources, so he thought he'd give it a try. he ate a heaping pile of ground cinnamon on a piece of cornbread every night after supper; after a while he went off his meds! still diabetic though, but he got it under control.

no way am i suggesting go buy a crapload of cinnamon and quit yer medication, but i thought i'd let you know so you can look into it and research it a tad if you're interested.

Ollie,

I've heard good things about cinnamon and blood sugar as well. I can't remember where I read it though.

Hi Vickie - DH is a 30 year, type 1 diabetic, so we're dealing with a bit of a different animal because he is obviously insulin dependent, having a pancreas that produces no insulin.

However, I just wanted to confirm that grapes will certainly drive your bgl's up, cinnamon IS good for type II's (not a panacea), and I think you should also consider daily exercise if you aren't already doing that. Lots of other little things can drive sugars up too, STRESS being one of the main ones. It sounds like you have been through a lot, and maybe stress is a factor in your higher bgl's.

I hate that you don't have access to a doctor now -- everyone in this country should have access to a doctor, but I won't get started on that! I am very glad to hear you are testing and monitoring your bgl's so diligently. DH had a horrible reaction this month, and I had to call 911. Once he was ok, the paramedic told us that they have several diabetics in town for whom they make WEEKLY calls - many, he said, refuse to test or take care of their disease at all. We were astonished, as DH is a pump user and tries hard to have good maintenance. BTW, 115-120 ain't so bad - sounds like you are doing a lot RIGHT.

Good luck!

HI ladies,
thank you for your suggestions. I use cinnamon in my oatmeal/oatbran/rye hot cereal, it is delicious, perhaps need to use a bit more.

I am fed up and think I will have to eliminate fruit, which is making my diet that much more limited than it already is with the elimination of all animal products and soy.

I tested yet even higher today than yesterday. It was 121 this morning, so 22 points higher than last Monday. I can not understand this. My diet is pristine now, and I work out til I am soaking wet on the treadmill.

But .................as was mentioned yesterday perhaps other factors are at play here. I will not disguise the fact that I am what is called in England ' a miseryguts' right now. I am extremely angry and bitter over being dumped at the alter after giving up my secure civil service job in social work, my health insurance and half my future pension, to return to nothing at all. I have very little money, no job prospects so far. So I am totally broken right now in heart, mind, spirit and wallet. Perhaps because I am so angry, bitter over this and leaving the States, moving abroad for a year only to return with nothing that I had before is making my sugar rise.

The day after he told me he would not marry me after all, my sugar was 144, so perhaps this is not diet related at all, maybe just a massive mind-body connection thing going on right now.

Sorry if I dumped all my troubles on you, but it is hard to give suggestions or offer help if you do not know any of the background of the person who is asking.

Thanks.