Those who have been most successful in lowering blood glucose, losing weight, and reversing other diabetes symptoms have eliminated (1) all refined carbohydrates (sugar and starches) and (2) transfats.

Goal: To achieve and maintain an A1C of 4.0-5.6%, fasting blood glucose of 70-99 mg/dL (3.8-5.6 mmol/l), no blood glucose spikes above 140 mg/dL (7.8 mmol/l), and no diabetes medications or insulin.

Proponents of a high-carb, low/no-fat, vegan lifestyle (buzzword: “whole-food plant-based”) claim that it will “cure” diabetes. However, this dietary vegan lifestyle must be maintained or diabetes symptoms will return. Success is not promised unless you are totally “plant-based” (dietary vegan, with no eggs or dairy), eating only vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes with no sugar and no oil. The only fat permitted is that found naturally in whole foods such as avocados and olives. Does not restrict calories or carbohydrate intake.

This way of eating is based on a belief that insulin resistance (the cause of diabetes) is caused by dietary fat. The rationale is that this diet of high-carb low-fat promotes weight loss and helps to reverse insulin resistance. Macronutrients are described as 50-70% from “complex carbohydrates” (grains, legumes, fruits, and vegetables), 10-20% from fat of vegetable origin, and 5-10% protein from vegetable origin. Recommends fiber at 50-80 grams/day.

I attended a Weimar Institute’s three-day “Reversing Diabetes” seminar in 2004. At that time, Weimar recommended walking 5 miles (10,000 steps) every day. They have since relaxed that requirement, I’ve been told. Apparently, the success rate is 50%.

Many Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics group members have experienced success in reversing their diabetes symptoms by eating WFPB. For them, the success rate is 100%.

One interesting observation that I’ve made is that very low-carb diets restrict carbohydrates to 30 grams of total carbohydrates per day, and high-carb low/no-fat diets restrict fats to no more than 30 grams of fat per day. LCHF proponents caution against eating “too many nuts” because that might be too many carbs, while WFPB proponents caution against eating “too many nuts” because that might be too much fat!

And, oh, if you’re wondering why you can’t eat low-carb and low-fat, read this page: https://adventistvegetariandiabetics.wordpress.com/approaches-to-diabetes-management/why-cant-i-eat-low-carb-and-low-fat/.

There is also another importance difference between the high-carb low-fat dietary vegan (WFPB) and low-carb high-fat (LCHF) approaches. The WFPB people seem to be very reluctant to share their blood glucose and A1C numbers. Typically, they do not check their blood glucose daily; because, if they do, they will see that eating high-carb makes their blood glucose numbers skyrocket! They are told that their A1C will come down after a while, usually two or three months, but sometimes as long as a year (or more). The LCHF people rely on their daily blood glucose numbers, taken from one to several times a day, especially if they are “eating to your meter.”

Adventist Vegetarian Diabetics recommends that ALL diabetics check their blood glucose daily, especially fasting blood glucose, whether they are using the LCHF or the WFPB approach. If they see that their daily blood glucose numbers are too high, we recommend using the method described in this document, “How to Lower Your Blood Sugar” at How to Lower Your Blood Sugar (rev 3-11-19).

More information and references can be found at https://adventistvegetariandiabetics.wordpress.com/approaches-to-diabetes-management/hcnfv-high-carb-lowno-fat-vegan/.