This has been my experience, good diet, but still diabetes has crept up. Stress has been a big factor and age also appears to have a affect, as most of my family line and brothers and sisters begin to show the symptoms as they got older.

Hi Daylily, I've read your gardening post. Very nice garden size! It's been years I've wanted to adopt your gardening protocol (3 years rotation plan where two years are in cover crops). I need to triple the size of my garden to do this which I would end up with the size of yours.

Concerning health problems on a vegan diet; there are unhealthy vegan diets. Avoiding processed vegan foods and sweets like you do are excellent. But one thing you didn't mention (and you don't have to either as it is none of our businesses) a vegan diet can be too heavy on the grain side. What I understand that the ideal ratio of veges(& fruits) to grain/hi-starchy foods should be 80/20.

Now if we look at a diet in terms of what foods are alkaline versus acidic -- Veges tends to be all alkaline whereas grains, Beans/soya products, and nuts are acidics. So it is said also that the ideal alkaline to acidic foods ratio is also 80/20.

So a vegan diet can still be quite acidic which would lead to some sort of health problems eventually. In my understanding, the ideal healthy vegan diet should be 80% veges and 20% grain-beans-nuts.

I agree with kland and do believe that type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart diseases and most other lifestyle related health problems can be reverse by bringing our lifestyle closest to the Lord's blueprint given after sin.

Just a side note that most of you already know but it's worth repeating -- diet & exercise are not the key components of a healthy life -- but a clean, peaceful & happy spirit & heart. Fears, stresses, emotional distresses, etc.... affects greatly our body. So if someone reaches this ideal vegan diet but are in a emotional distress and much stress while doing so ... it's not going to improve their health much and most probably add to their problems broken relationships because the one trying to achieved this ideal diet were cranky or other negative spirited attitude while doing so.

Sugar is not the problem, FAT is the problem. Yes, Diabetes is manifested as high blood sugars, but the primary cause of DM2 is NOT sugar.

Yes, I meant foods that break down into sugar. I can only say that my brother and father were always thin, little fat anywhere, and yet slowly it developed, even with a good diet, so its not as simple as that...

Food that breaks down to sugar - you mean starches? Starches are NOT the problem FAT is the problem. You say they ate a "good diet", but have not defined that and that is an issue because many (most?) who think they are eating a "good diet" but are they really? Example: Researchers found a stepwise increase in risk the more and more eggs people ate. Eating just a single egg a week appeared to increase the odds of diabetes by 76%. Two eggs a week appeared to double the odds, and just a single egg a day tripled the odds, three times greater risk of type 2 diabetes. But the whole diet is important...

Hi Elle! I'm glad you've been inspired by my garden post!

I probably did eat too much grain but I don't now; I can't! My daughter and I have been gluten-free for nearly a year now. I feel better in several ways. But even when I first learned about the blood sugar issues, I had to cut way back on grains to control it. I still miss the grains.

I agree that emotions, stress, etc are a huge factor. One can develop diabetes just from stress. I've been learning a lot about the effects of stress and negative emotions and I believe it's far more dangerous than we have thought.

I agree with Rick H. that diabetes is not that simple. My husband's aunt is a tiny little thing and developed diabetes about ten years ago. She is now in her 70s and still controlling it with diet and lots of exercise and no medication.

I never did eat a high fat diet. I endured much mocking and cooking advice from DH's family because I didn't cook with butter or margarine or oil. They thought every pot of cooked veggies had to have at least a half a stick of margarine or 1/2 cup of vegetable oil!

I re-read your initial post that I quoted above which I think is quite valuable information for us all. I appreciate you sharing your experience as you have lived the "ideal" lifestyle that our health institutes promotes for most of your life with your diet, staying away from chemicals, sweets, and fats. Personally, I have followed the vegan diet at home for over 30+ years but did allow the occasional sweets and cooking with maple syrup(from my trees) and olive oil and coconut oil. Since I have strayed within my witness, I believe yours is more valuable by being more close to the ideal diet that our Church promotes in general for so many years.

Few people in our Church has followed our Adventist "ideal" diet & lifestyle faithfully for a long period of time like yourself; so few can really confirm or say if our "ideal" lifestyle is correct or if it needs further adjustment. By your experience, you have discovered that another step is needed to be taken by reducing grain. That's has been my hunch for the past 15+ years, that our "ideal" diet was still too heavy on the grains & starchy foods.



It's hard to have less grain with all our traditional dishes despite being veganized are still very heavy on the grain side by design. I miss grain also. I now had to totally abandon all grain (except the occasional quinoa) and my maple syrup because of breast cancer. So I totally empathize with you about missing the grain.


I agree with APL here. When I was working at Weimar Institute in research 25+ years ago, that's what the scientific papers were showing then. However it's sad that this information is still not passed down to the general public and people still believe sugar is the main contributor to diabetes II. No it's not, fat is -- and it was proven by a study where students volunteered eating a super high fat diet and within months they showed beginning stages of diabetes. The speculation was that the hi-fat in the blood stream might of covered the insulin receptors of the cells making them temporary non-functional.


If I recall correctly, stress releases platelets by which their composition are mainly fatty acids -- thus fats. So emotional stress must release these also.


I don't think you are overstating yourself at all. I believe (and much scientific studies have shown it) it is a HUGE factor in disease and health.


Yes, I agree also. There's many factors to keep in check. Just changing our diet is not simple at all either. We all experienced that. How many of us succeeded to do it without the emotional stress? Foods are highly related to our pass experiences -- meaning foods are very imprinted in our brain which releases hormones when eaten. To remove the the bad foods that are imprinted in our minds and to add new foods with no pass positive memories attached to them -- will not produced oxytocin and other hormones that gives you the sense of satisfaction.


Despite I believe fat is a big factor, however it is not the only factor. As you have witnessed yourself, emotional stress would be another one that I would put on the top of the list. Fear (like the fear of not being saved because our performance is lacking) would be another that Christian suffer greatly compare to non-believers.

The thing that I disagree in this discussion is when someone says that Diabetes II (the same goes with any other lifestyle related diseases) CANNOT BE REVERSED. I think such a statement is serious in itself and shows the lost of hope -- another BIG contributing factor.

I personally believe the Lord can heal anyone without any lifestyle changes like shown in the Bible. I have met some cancer survivors that were healed spontaneously. I must admit that I have never met anyone being instantaneously healed of DB2, but have witness many at Weimar that have seen amazing results with only 19 days on being on the program and have met alumnies symptom free that have stayed with the program for years after.

However, the point here, is do we believe the Lord can heal us? Regardless if the healing is instantaneous or long-term with a lifestyle changes (== repentance) and being given a new spirit? If we don't believe; then we have lost another important contributing factor to our recovery -- hope. We all loose hope now and then. That's when we need our sisters and brothers hope to help us regain ours.

Warm blessings!

If I recall correctly, it seemed that poster was not exactly saying DB2 couldn't be reversed. One can be symptom-free as long as they stay with the program but DB2 will "come back" if you eat a "normal" diet. Perhaps some think "cured" instead of reversed. It really isn't cured because, at least to me, cured would mean I could eat all the fruit and grain I want and still have normal blood sugar.

And this is sad, but true in some cases. And a change of heart and mind is only possible through God. We need to pray for these people to look for help from God Himself.

Excellent post, APL.