Vegetarians!

I've been vegetarian for 6 years now and I was just wondering if there were any other diabetic vegerarians out there!!! And if so, how long?

I consider my teen one,although once in a while she will eat something with meat in it. I do worry that she needs the protein-and tried to find other ways for her to get that. If your parents have any tips for vegetarians -please pass them on.

Sierra,

I tried it a couple different times, but found that I gained weight rather than lost.  Maybe I supplemented with cheese too much or peanut butter.  When I told the doc, he kinda smirked and said something like, "Well, it is something to try, I guess."  My problem is that I don't try it for the animals.  I try it for either socioeconomic reasons, (ie, meat eating is inefficient use of resources) or the selfish ones (vegetarian is more healthy).  I might try again, if I can see how I can do it, and maintain an ideal weight.

Robert

My son was a strict egg-eating, dairy-consuming, occasional fish-indulging vegetarian until age 12, when the whole family went on an extreme gluten free/complex sugar free diet (SCD) because of digestive malnutrition problems that my younger son was having.  During that one year experiment, we all ate meat, my husband and I for the first time in 16 years.  After that one year, we returned to our version of vegetarianism.  And with that, we changed the rules of the household.  My older son was allowed, then, to eat meat when he wasn't with the family and we weren't paying for it.  (The younger son likes meat, but feels it is morally wrong.  He chooses not to ever eat meat, and we don't either.)  Through my elder son's own devices (babysitting, etc.) he maybe has meat twice a week.  He was diagnosed T1 this past April at the age of 15.    Mostly, he's a diabetic vegetarian.

A friend of his told him years ago that he would die at the age of 30 from a cheese-induced heart attack.  Besides his love of cheese though, I have fed him very nutritionally for many years.  But since about age 2, he's been underweight.  The one year when he was 12 and we were on that dreadful diet, my younger son gained some weight, this son maintained weight, and my husband and I lost tons of weight.  It's been good to see the 25 pounds he has gained since April, but he's still lacking any body fat.

I've been vegetarian for seven years (two of them vegan), and diabetic for a little less than seven months...

I do eat a lot more eggs than i did pre-d.

Since I was old enough to talk I would tell my grandparents that I didn't want meat because it was "dirty". I rarely ate meat growing up. I was a vegetarians for about twelve years, and have been vegan for five.

I was a strict vegetarian for 13 years.  Then I got diagnosed with Diabetes.  Honestly I think it is related.  I stopped eating most carbs after diagnosis and started to eating chicken and fish again.  2.5 years after that I was suffering from another autoimmune disease, Menieres Disease.  A doctor suggested that I add beef tenderloin to my diet.  I did.  I finally felt nourished, and healthy again.   I have always worked out, but, not until I put animal protein back into my diet could I see muscle definition.  I was definitely meant to eat meat. 

[quote user="meme"]

I consider my teen one,although once in a while she will eat something with meat in it. I do worry that she needs the protein-and tried to find other ways for her to get that. If your parents have any tips for vegetarians -please pass them on.

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Hi meme. I am not a parent but I am a vegan. I get my protein from beans, whole grains, nuts, and fresh vegetables.

There are other vegetarian sources of protein as well (I am just not a fan), including tofu and  other soy products.

 

I was suprised to see how many Vegetarians exist out in our little world. I have been a Vegetarian going on eight or so years. I have been very happy about the lifestyle and choices. Not to mention it  does help with will power cause if I can withstand the smell of bacon which is so good smelling I can handle anything. I hope. I have gotten healtheir over the years to with my eating. I am no longer a ceese munching veggie, I still eat it but in lesser quantities and in general am much healthier. I have had great cholesterol and such over the past year. Last year when I was a cheese muncher more primarily I was tipping the numbers, so I had to cut back a little bit and now all is good.

I've been vegan for around 2 years (I didn't save the date).  I tried being vegetarian before, but found it to be harder than being vegan.  I get a lot of my protein from soy milk, peanut butter, microwave friendly vegan meals, and various breads.

I'm a vegetarian! I have been for about a year or so...

Hi Happy Vegan,and thank you ! I do need to read up now on the difference of vegetarian and vegan,ha !

[quote user="meme"]

Hi Happy Vegan,and thank you ! I do need to read up now on the difference of vegetarian and vegan,ha !

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No Problem at all meme :)

I agree with Brian, I never imagined there were this many of us on here. We should start a thread in recipe swap for when we need new veggie meal ideas.

 

My recipes are quite easy to trade. Take a piece of celery and stick it in a tub of peanut butter. Although, I do have a great recipe for vegeterian chili. I just need to come up with real measurments.

ha ha. I have a pretty good one for vegan chili too. I love to bake vegan apple and pumpkin pie.

I've been a vegetarian since about a year before diagnosis. now years later i just love how shocked people are when they find out i'm both diabetic and vegetarian. for some reason people who don't know what they are talking about think its a dangerous mixture. 

Yeah there is something dangerous about a needle wielding person with a social conscience. However, in all truthfulness it goes back to the idea that people don't understand the disease and think things in their own way and see eating only fruits and veggies and grains as not being good. The only thing to do is to educate and explain.