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Staying low carb, while vegan/vegetarian.


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My wife is a type 1 Diabetic. Insulin dependent. Only one shot a day. Her A1C is 5.5 so she's that of a non-diabetic person. Her sugars are tightly controlled with her average sugar reading over the last 3 months being 95. Thing is, next year we are wanting to expand our family. My wife is also a paraplegic. Yes, yes high risk all over the place. My question right now is, is there a way for her to stay vegetarian (she eats eggs and cheese) and keep her sugars under control throughout pregnancy? By the 2nd trimester the baby is going to be using up her insulin so her resistance will be higher, so she will need more if she's not on basically a keto diet. Otherwise, her endo will most likely fit her for a pump and with her being paralyzed, this just isn't a good idea for her. Also, limited mobility during that time, on top of her already limited mobility won't allow for high calorie types of substitutes like nuts and seeds. She's also only 4'10 so her caloric needs are already pretty low as it is. I'm wanting her to have whole foods before resorting to protein shakes and what not. Most vegan and vegetarian foods are grains and carb dense. We really want her carb intake to be at keto level at the time of pregnancy, possibly start it sooner so that she will be used to it. If medically necessary, she'll have poultry. Because chicken and veggies is still healthy and practically carb free, depending on the veggies involved. She just doesn't want to be pumped full of insulin because of the growing baby, and the lower the sugar readings, the better for the fetus of course. So, thoughts, ideas, suggestions? Please and thank you.

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Because a diet under x amount of grams of carbs a day if she is pregnant, will keep her blood sugars under control while the baby grows so there won't be need for an insulin pump. The main question is is there a way to stay vegetarian while keeping the carb count as low as possible without sky rocketing the calorie content with tons of nuts and seeds.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm on a keto diet (2400 cals daily),, I also cant have sugars/yeast for health reasons.

I use fats like virgin olive oil and coconut oil to get my calories up. I also eat loads of leafy greens basically, either stir fried or in a salad.

Xylitol is a natural low GI sweetener, as is stevia.

You can get your protein levels up using spirulina, firm tofu, and vital wheat gluten (seitan).

I also eat about 50 grammes or peanut or almond butter a day.

So, yes, you can keep your calories down by bringing the fats down.

 

this link has some great guidelines

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