Diabetes Friendly Garden

Hubby is having an awful time with his diabetes. The more insulin he takes, the higher his blood sugar goes. I just did a search for planting a diabetes-friendly garden and found mostly worthless info, but I'm just getting started on this mission. If any of you can help, please jump in.

Very interesting, CN!  When I was dealing with Type II diabetes, I never thought about a "diabetes friendly garden", since I at a lot of fresh vegetables.

But, I did find this interesting article on this subject:  Best Vegetables for Diabetes

And, of course, the American Diabetes Association, has their list of Non-Starchy Vegetables

Suz, When I first saw the title, I thought, "A garden is almost synonymous with healthy eating." Even in California, we can't grow all veggies year around. There are limited things that grow during the winter and summer crops die back with the first frost. We have to rely on agriculture and truck drivers to give us everything year around.

I would focus more on the grocery store and cooking with diabetic meals in mind. TD has changed to a plant-based diet and changed his body mass index and blood work dramatically. Diabetics can eat meat, but lots of roasted, sauteed, steamed vegetables can fill out the plate.

From Ginger Blue.
https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/summit/

countrynaturals wrote:Hubby is having an awful time with his diabetes. The more insulin he takes, the higher his blood sugar goes. I just did a search for planting a diabetes-friendly garden and found mostly worthless info, but I'm just getting started on this mission. If any of you can help, please jump in.

Suz, is he insulin resistant?  Sounds like it perhaps.  There are some new drugs out to help with this if so.  Seems like a veggie garden would be about the best thing you could do for a diabetic.  Sorry to hear about the troubles...

sanderson wrote:From Ginger Blue.
 https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/summit/

Thanks Sanderson!

Suz, I don't know the particulars of Bob's situation, but unless he is a Type 1 diabetic, I suspect SR is on the right track to suggest insulin resistance may be the root of the problem. If you have 30ish minutes to watch Dr. Neal Barnard's summit video (highly recommended!), it will shed some light on the topic.

Now, to your question:

I've been researching and planning an 'anti-diabetes' garden for a few years. Every time I read about an herb or vegetable that lowers blood sugar, I dig into whether or not it's worth adding to my garden plan. In the end, it's pretty basic...you start with a wide variety of 'greens and beans' and build from there. You really can't grow wrong.

Though I've incorporated a number of beneficial items into my grow list, I've done a poor job of documenting what those specific plants are.   Other than the general 'greens and beans' mentioned earlier, Dwarf Moringa, Longevity Spinach, Sweet Cicely, and Fenugreek come to mind, but I will have to check my spreadsheet and give some thought to other potential candidates.

I would love to collaborate with you on this project!  If the details are too personal to post in the open forum we can take the conversation to PM.

(For the sake of public posting: I am NOT a doctor and by listing plants which may have beneficial properties, it is not my intention to dispense medical advice.  Every body is different; what I choose to consume may work well for me, but not for others. Some plants may interfere or adversely interact with medications; you should always thoroughly research potential benefits or pitfalls yourself and consult with your doctor or other trusted medical professional before implementing any dietary 'treatments.') 

sanderson wrote:From Ginger Blue.
 https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/summit/

Ginger and Sanderson. I just signed up.

Ginger Blue wrote:Suz, I don't know the particulars of Bob's situation, but unless he is a Type 1 diabetic, I suspect SR is on the right track to suggest insulin resistance may be the root of the problem.

Insulin Resistance is absolutely the root of the problem. Too bad I didn't understand that a couple of years ago, but better late than never (I hope).

Now, to your question:

I've been researching and planning an 'anti-diabetes' garden for a few years. Every time I read about an herb or vegetable that lowers blood sugar, I dig into whether or not it's worth adding to my garden plan. In the end, it's pretty basic...you start with a wide variety of 'greens and beans' and build from there.

Right now I'm focusing on sprouts and microgreens, since I can grow them fast indoors and now (winter). I've already started radishes, but I just discovered the idea of kale microgreens, so I'll be planting those, today.

My idea is to feed Hubby some sprouts before his fasting bloodwork, wait a few minutes, then test his blood. We should be able to find out pretty quick if there's any immediate benefit. If not, it doesn't really matter, since there are sooooo many other benefits.

You really can't grow wrong.


I would love to collaborate with you on this project!  If the details are too personal to post in the open forum we can take the conversation to PM.

I'd be thrilled to collaborate with you. You've already given me a huge leg up on this project. I think posting the details may have benefits for others, so open posting is fine by me.

More later.

sanderson wrote:From Ginger Blue.
 https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/summit/

I tried to sign up under 2 different emails. No response on either one. Contacted the company. No response from them, either.

Type 2 diabetes can be reversed through a Whole Food Plant Based Diet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuwR46p7wrA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pBBgOS3NMg

Suz, I hope you were able to catch a few of the summit interviews and glean some helpful info from them.

On the MD FB group page, I posted a suggestion that, in next year's summit, they include an interview or two with gardening and nutrition experts about home gardening for diabetes reversal. We'll see if anything comes of it.

countrynaturals wrote:

sanderson wrote:From Ginger Blue.
 https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/summit/

I tried to sign up under 2 different emails. No response on either one. Contacted the company. No response from them, either.

Ouch! Bummer I didn't see this earlier...

Did you check your spam folders? For some inexplicable reason, many of the emails I get from these guys go in there, including the ones containing links to the summit interviews.  I'm really sorry I didn't think to mention this in my previous post.

Ginger Blue wrote:

countrynaturals wrote:

sanderson wrote:From Ginger Blue.
 https://www.masteringdiabetes.org/summit/

I tried to sign up under 2 different emails. No response on either one. Contacted the company. No response from them, either.

Ouch! Bummer I didn't see this earlier...

Did you check your spam folders? For some inexplicable reason, many of the emails I get from these guys go in there, including the ones containing links to the summit interviews.  I'm really sorry I didn't think to mention this in my previous post.

The 2nd one finally came through.