A Mom's Point of View

[VOW]

My daughter began dating a young man who comes from a Vegetarian family. After they had been going together for a while, she made the announcement that she wanted to become a Vegetarian also. I'd say she was about 16 at the time. (she's 20 now, still living at home, and engaged to the Vegetarian boy)

We had recently lost my mother who had been in extremely poor health. I'm sure the pain of her death upon the whole family was the motivation behind my support of my daughter's decision. I even protected her from the teasing by her brother and her father. And after I understood this was indeed a permanent lifestyle choice of hers, I respected it, and told her I would do whatever I could to adapt the kitchen to her needs. We made a trip together to the market in a nearby city established by and populated with Seventh-Day Adventists. (for those of you "in the know," I'm talking about Loma Linda, California) The market carries no meat, poultry, or fish, but does have lacto/ovo foods. My daughter and I browsed the aisles carefully, educating ourselves, and selecting many items.

Thereafter, it was my goal to cook comparable meals for my daughter (and when he was visiting, her boyfriend as well), so she could eat with the family. I would sample her foods, but I pretty much continued with the standard family meals.

We shared holiday meals with her boyfriend and his family, and I always made sure there were items on the menu acceptable to them. His mother was extremely appreciative, she said they had friends who would not make such an accommodation to their diet.

My daughter's boyfriend LOVES my cooking. He is eager to see just what I've invented lately, and I've often sent things home for his whole family to enjoy. I tease my daughter, saying he only wants to marry her because of my cooking.

I was diagnosed four months ago with Diabetes, Type 2. In the extensive research I've done on the disease, and how to treat it, I found that a Vegan diet obtains more positive results than any other recommended Diabetic diet.

Veganism was not foreign to me, since I have been shopping and cooking Vegetarian for about four years now. So I made the decision: I'm going Vegan.

My advice to teens is this: Don't despair. The seeds you plant today become the flowers of tomorrow, and the trees of the next generation.


~VOW

[Erin Pavlina]

Thank you for sharing your inspirational story. Your daughter and her boyfriend are lucky to have you in their lives being so supportive.

[Christa]

I second Erin's post. My parents practically tied me to the chair at the dinner table trying to get me to eat meat as a child. I remember sitting at the table for hours crying b/c they wouldn't let me leave the table with out eating the meat. They finally gave up when I was 13 and just told me to cook for myself. I guess that they have finally accepted my diet, although my mother still doesn't understand why I don't eat free-range chicken eggs.

How is your diabetes responding to your vegan diet?

[VOW]

To Christa:

BOY what a loaded question, LOL!

I've been overweight all my life...except when I was born. And I've probably tried every single diet invented, at least twice.

But the Diabetes diagnosis was a kick in the head for me. I could see me suffering the same poor health that my mother had, and I knew I had to make some radical changes. I began following the American Diabetes Association 1800 calorie diet as soon as the doctor gave me the bad news. And I did lose weight on it, but it had the potential of being "just another diet" that would eventually get kicked to the curb. So, when Ash Wednesday was almost upon us, I thought, "Why not become Vegan for Lent?" I could handle forty days.

I also started an exercise program by joining a women's fitness place called "Curves." I hate to exercise. I can find a thousand excuses why I can't possibly participate in any physical activity. But from my research, I knew that all the dieting in the world doesn't mean squat unless you increase your metabolism through exercise. "Curves" seemed to be the least-objectional way to accomplish that.

So, through diet (first the ADA diet, then Veganism) and exercise, I've lost a total of 24 pounds since the beginning of December. And I'll confess to this: of ALL the diets I've followed throughout my life, Veganism is the easiest. Seriously. Because damn near every single one of my pitfalls has milk, eggs, or cheese in it.

I know I can boogey out to the kitchen and with enough substitutes and ingenuity can scare up a decent replica of my favorite foods....but that takes EFFORT. And I don't LIKE to expend energy, remember? Gone are the days when I can grab a snack off the shelf in the supermarket and then go home and pig out on cookies/candy/cake/ice cream...

I survived Lent. Easter has passed, and I look back on my Vegan adventure and think, "Hey, that wasn't bad at all!" So I've told family and friends, "I think I'll just stay with it."

I will probably break down and have a pork chop or a slice of "real" chocolate cake one day. But I bet I find it doesn't taste anywhere near as good as I remember.

With the weight loss, my lab numbers are better. They still have a way to go, though, so I'm not eating with abandon. I have to limit white bread, potatoes, pasta, and rice. We had Portobello mushroom ravioli the other night that was DIVINE. However, my blood sugar zoomed through the roof, so the leftovers will have to be eaten by my daughter.

Living to a ripe, PRODUCTIVE old age is more important to me than the wrong food.


~VOW

[Kristin]

To VOW,
If you would like to manage your diabetes with veganism here are some tips that helped me to manage my blood sugar. While i did not have diabetes, I had wacky blood sugar, and I have cured this through veganism. To maintain my blood sugar I stick to eating mainly beans, whole grains such as rice or barley, no flour products like bagels/pastas, low sugar fruits like apples etc, and lots and lots of non-starchy veggies and nuts. Hope this helps

[duckie1978]

Learn to make your own "sweets" that what I do. Since you are diabetic (so it my mom, she found out after going to the drs. for a cold. just through diet she lost over 50 lbs) you can't buy convenience "vegan" junk food which is a bonus. I lost a ton of wieght being a vegan, until i found vegan ice cream, cookies, chocolates all at my local HFS (talk about an oxymoron). But my mom bakes with sugar replacers (equal, etc), have you tried that yet? She is able to make small portions of sweets that she likes so she doesn't go out and get something full of sugars.

Do you see a nutritionist? Was she okay with the diet change?

[VOW]

I already know to avoid processed foods. I'm a pretty decent cook, so I eat pretty much what comes out of my own kitchen. I try to use moderate servings of trail mix as a sweet snack.

My blood sugar finks on me whenever I push the limit. It's an excellent reinforcement tool! And yes, I've got an artificial sweetener I use to accommodate the diabetes. I can't use Equal, but Splenda doesn't seem to give me any problems.

No, I haven't seen a nutritionist. However, at my last appointment, I did talk extensively with my doctor about my diet changes. And before my next appointment, I'll have more blood work to include the lipid panel. I fully expect to see a significant change in my cholesterol.

My doctor is more aware of Veganism than most physicians. She's a Seventh-Day Adventist. She just warned me about substituting high-fat foods for meat, and also told me not to go overboard with restricting myself. I assured her I know how to cheat!


~VOW

[inkie]

For artificial sweeteners, have you ever tried Stevia? I like it better than any other sugar replacer and it doesn't have any of that aspartame in it.

[duckie1978]

VOW--I just thought you should know that Splenda is made from sugar, so you might want to check with the company to make sure they are using vegan sugar.

Stevia works well but it takes some experiementing. if you use too much-eww. but just enough and NUMMY!