Diet Debate

Several of us on this debate forum have solved our blood sugar problems (and blood pressure problems) using the Fuhrman/McDougall diets.Out fasting blood glucose readings are now in the low 80s or high 70s and we no longer take any medication.

We use a high starch vegan diet that is very effective for reducing blood glucose levels.I'll let Dolores tell you her story.She has her diabetes under control and her FBG runs around 80.

The diet is easy to stay on but it does require some specific information so you will need to get the books which explain it but the savings on meds will more than make up for the cost of the books..Google these authors.

Dr Joel Fuhrman
Dr John McDougall
Dr Neal Barnard

I am sorry but I am a type 2 diabetic, not type one. Two entirely different things. I have seen differences of opinion on treating all types of diabetes. Someone named dr. Bernstein uses a very very low carb diet and gives himself (and recommends) several shots of insulin per day to keep himself at around 83 at all times. This has worked for him for years. He eats 6 carbs for breakfast and 12 each for lunch and dinner and I cannot remember the number for snacks. It sounds to me from what you said that if you tried to control that closely that your sugars would bottom out and you would be dangerously hypoglycemic frequently. What does your endo say?

Here is what dr. Fuhrman says in his book on pages 190 and 191, "Eat to Live": He says all diabetics have accelerated artery damage and have a high mortality rate from heart disease. Therefore he says that any diet for t1 or t2 should at least attempt to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular events. "When diabetics take a more aggressive and progressive nutritional approach they can prevent many of the complications that befall diabetics". Neither Barnard, McDougall nor Fuhrman would recommend ever using any processed seed oils or butter, mayo or other fats or meats or dairy. Fuhrman would recommend beans as the starch and nuts and seeds while McDougall and Barnard would recommend in addition to beans, squashes, rice, sweetpotatoes, corn. Of course you would have to judge the amounts. Fuhrman's book recommends fish twice a week for diabetics but you would have to ask him if that applies to both 1 and 2 diabetes.

He continues--"I find my type 1 diabetic patients requiring about half as much insulin as they did prior to adopting my lifesaving program

He says--THEIR SUGARS DON'T SWING WILDLY UP AND DOWN, and since they are using less insulin, they have less chance of developing potentially dangerous hypoglycemic episodes.

You can google Fuhrman but to ask him questions and be a member of his internet group you have to pay.

Dr. Mcdougall often answers questions if you e mail him directly and you can go on the discussion group, (there are several different topics) and ask if there are any other t1s using his diet. If you go on his site there is also a video somewhere on diabetes but I do not know if it applies to t1. You can also ask members of the group if his book, McDougall's Medicine has a chapter on t1 diabetes.

Dr. Bernard says in his book that the same type of diet for type 2 diabetes is likely to be enormously beneficial for people with t1 as well. This is hardly research and I do not think from this statement that he has studied t1. He does mention the DCCT study which showed that tight control with insulin prevented more complications.

I am sorry I could not be more help and hope you keep in touch with your journey to better health.

Dolores