beware of nonvegan med professionals..

[akrake]

I'm 33, 29 weeks pregnant. my history......vegetarian for 4 years...while trying to get pregnant, i decided to start eating dairy again (ie...ice cream, chocolate)....i gained some weight back (after loosing & keeping off 40lbs for almost 3 years) and the day before i did my 1 hour glucose test i ate $10 worth of godiva chocolate (kinda knew i'd have to give the stuff up again)....

so i drank the 50g glucola (yuk)& had a reading of 148 after 1 hour (135 is the cut off). i knew i had to take the 4 hour test next.....

the day i failed the 1 hour test i decided to buckle down and went back full fledged to the mcdougall plan....not quite MWL (i never did that) but the regular program with no white bread & very little ww bread....mostly hummus pitas, split pea soup, barley (low glymeic index food).

when i took my 4 hour test 10 days later, i was 5 lbs lighter! .....well, the 4 hours test has you drinking 100g glucola (double yuk)....so my one hour labs were 178 (89/178/129/101). i spoke to a friend of mine who is an ob & he said they were fine.....my dr (on the other hand) was worried because (1) i failed the first test & (2) my last baby was almost 10lbs (althought i did not have gd).

i agreed to go to the diabetes center & met with the nurse last week. my blood sugar levels have been averaging out at 90. (less than 120 is what you want to have 2 hours after a meal). the only time i hit 125 at 2 hours after was when we ate out & the only thing available was a white bread pita with lettuce, tomatos & 2 cucumbers....followed by a soy latte at b&n.

i then met with the diabetic RD today....that was a laugh...she was CLUELESS....beware...i live in the south & i'm sure that if i were in CA or something that the diet that was recommended would have never been suggested....after explaining what i eat on a typical day:

b: oatmeal w/soy milk & fruit
s: peanut butter/apple/or nuts
l: big salad w/baked tofu & soup or hummus pita
s: hummus & carrots
d: coucous w/lentils or baked potato w/lentils
s: fruit smoothie or nuts, etc.

this is what she suggested (don't follow...it's terrible)

b: oatmeal with peanut butter, lite diary butter
s: nuts, fruit
l: boca burger w/lite mayo on lite bread (no fiber)
s: hummus & crackers
d: soy beef (where are the veggies)with pasta or 4oz tofu
s: nuts & fruit

OK...........WHERE are the lentils, veggies, brown rices, quiona (what's that, she asked)? she said that they have too many carbs & that i can't have that many. i replied that i followed a starched based diet (didn't bother to re-explain what vegan means) and that her figures were for SAD followers. i then just smiled & left & proceed to complain to anyone who'd listen!

anyway, i just wanted to vent & let others know the problems i've faced just incase someone has some of the same.

amie

ps. I haven't changed my diet & my sugars are staying stable!

[Erin Pavlina]

something similar happened to me during my first pregnancy.

I was borderline on the first glucose test and took the 4 hour test, which came back okay. But they sent me to the dietician a couple of times to make sure the "vegan diet" was okay. She told me not to eat so much fruit, instead to have more meat subs. Although she was vegetariarn herself, she told me to consider adding meat and dairy back into my diet during pregnancy. Lordy.

So, yeah, I hear ya! If I ever thought I needed to see a dietician I would arrange to consult with a vegan RD.

[5xblessed]

ARGHH!!! Ok, I feel better now. I am a dietitan and obviously vegan. This dietitian needs to keep up with all types of diets and new research. If it makes you feel better, I'm sure she would not have done much better with many people who wish to follow their ethnic traditions in diet planning. If your sugars are stable (and I'm paranoid enough I'd check) go ahead and follow your own sensible plan. Just my 2 cents, which may be what it's worth.
Lisa

[akrake]

i'm really glad that you replied. I've been checking my blood sugars 4x day per request from my doctor. I did this for a week before seeing the rd & it will be a week after before i see my ob. so this means that i will have 2 weeks worth of sticks to show her. after the first 4 days, i realized that i don't have GD at all....it was my fault that i failed the 1st test bc i was greedy & wanted to eat all the stuff that i know is bad for me (Chocolate, ice cream, diary cheese...all the stuff i gave up over 3.5 years ago).....having all that sugar combined with a high carb vegan diet & downing a 50g glucola......of course i failed.....but right after i failed the 1st test, i went back to a strick vegan diet ala mcdougall (regular plan) for 10 or so days until the next test....and i passed.....althought i drank 100g the next time (on a high carb diet) and passed by 2 points.....i really don't think that the normal levels should apply anyway.

ok, what's my question.....i ramble.....i really was wondering what she would suggest to a vegetarian indian who had diabetes? i really want to call her up & send her more info or at least write a letter to the center to educate them about vegan diets.....junk food diets are terrible no matter if they are vegan, or for meat eaters....i was really surprised.

so, my levels average out to around 92 over the past week & a half. i quit doing the keostixs because i had some trace keotone & the nurse freaked....and i had one level that was high (124) after eating white pita bread w/salad mix on it (no hummus or anything). i'm going to quit taking my levels after my appointment on thursday....or maybe only do it if i feel sluggish. my doc was worried bc my last baby (non GD) was almost 10 lbs....she wants me to watch what i eat so the baby doesnt' get too big......so far since july 3 i've lost 5 lbs & not gained anything & have been eating as much as i can (including lots of nuts/nut butters/hummus & baked tofu)....

if you can give me any other ideas, i'd really appreciate it. thank goodness there are those out there who know what i'm facing!
amie

[VOW]

Ask your doctor for an HbA1c. That is a lab test which will give you a three-month average of what your blood glucose levels have been.

The fact that your first child was over 9 pounds is evidence enough for the doctor to be concerned, especially if you are small-framed, and your family is small-framed.

Diabetes does much more to the unborn child than just pack extra poundage on the baby. It's a serious condition, and your desire to eat healthy is indicative that you care about you AND your child. Continue the home monitoring of your blood glucose throughout the pregnancy, it is a minor discomfort and only a small inconvenience to you. However, it is an excellent way to keep constant watch over how your body is handling the pregnancy.

Call your insurance company, and see if there is a list of dietitians covered by your plan. Then "interview" them by phone. ASK for one who is a Seventh-Day Adventist. In fact, try to locate a doctor who is a Seventh-Day Adventist. Many SDAs are Vegetarian, as supported by the teachings of their faith. And a Vegetarian is certainly more understanding of a Vegan than a meat-eater!



~VOW

[5xblessed]

Ok, not really sure what your question was but here is my advice.(Keep in mind I haven't seen you or your chart or tests. Please, please, do not take this as medical advice, just something a "friend" said. Always consult with medical personel you feel comfortable with and who can actually see you.) I would continue to check my blood glucose through the rest of my pregnancy. It's not so terrible and will give you numbers to reassure you and your doc. Proteins are recommended because they tend to cause a slower rise in blood sugars than most refined carbos. Of course, people forget not everyone eats white bread (yuck). I would eat moderate amounts of protein, the amount you usually eat, just spread through the day, about all the veggies you want (maybe watching "starchy" ones) and whole grains(oats, barley, quinoa, etc.) I would maybe reduce fruit a little bit as it can spike your blood sugar. Did this help? It really sounds like this is what you/ve been doing. VOW is right, diabetes can cause lots of health problems for mom and baby not just "big babies". You probably are better off for having been vegan. For someone predisposed to diabetes the SAD is pretty much a sure way to develop the full blown disease. HTH.
Lisa