Lauren is…
Living with Type 1 Diabetes.
A Registered Dietitian Nutritionist.
A Certified Diabetes Care & Education Specialist.
The kind of spin instructor that you hate to love.
And a Problem Child with a story to tell...
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before:
A kid is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 11 years old.
Her parents are understandably freaked.
Medical appointments are suddenly routine.
Standard tests are performed.
Standard instructions are given.
"Stable blood sugar" behaves like an endangered species -
always looked for, but rarely seen.
Puberty arrives and no one is spared.
Life gets hard because growing up is hard enough -
even without having to do the job of your pancreas.
And having its life-giving responsibilities placed in your tiny hands.
But this kid was raised to think tough, so she gives it her best shot.
I tried...I really did.
From jump, I counted the carbs, I calculated, and I tuned my insulin and diet as advised. Which would be a bulletproof system for staying alive if blood glucose was a math problem, and I was a push-button robot.
You realize what this means, right?
Our system is designed for a universe where diabetes is calculable and bodies can be programmed to do as we wish.
Every doctor I saw up to young adulthood was doling out a fictional formula for people living with a disease that is affected by so much more than carb-counting.
We need a system that works in OUR reality.
Fun fact: those same doctors labeled me “poorly controlled” and “non-compliant”
and MAN were they right.
Just not in the way they thought they were.
After 15 years of misery, self-hatred, and body loathing I was a scholar in how diabetes felt. So I went back to school to become a student in how it really worked — to put diabetes under the stress test of two very pragmatic forces: plant-based nutrition and endurance exercise.
And though science and chemistry were not my natural strong suite,
never underestimate people who’re used to chronic inconvenience.
Because we can endure anything.
I cannot wait to tell you what I discovered on my bike, in my kitchen, in those classrooms, and on the other side of the clinic walls.
Because while many (not all) in the medical industry are in a no-man’s land of carb avoidance, there’s another world that’s plush and full and satisfied with nutritional know-how.
A world where sweat, play, and the best kind of physical exhaustion you’ve ever felt in your life can be in your wheelhouse.
You can be strong.
You can be consistently energized.
You can eat with confidence.
Because while diabetes can destine you for a life with restrictions -
you’re not destined to be restricted from your one incredible life.
FORMAL FACTS ABOUT LAUREN
Lauren Plunkett RDN LD CDCES, is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes care & education specialist, and a global health educator, specializing in plant-based nutrition and exercise for type 1 diabetes, as well as the prevention and improvement of chronic conditions.
Her professional experience includes pediatric endocrinology, performance nutrition, and virtual primary care. She is a public speaker and indoor cycling instructor (dare you to sign up for a class. *note: MUST ROCK TO HEAVY METAL).
She's the author of the award-winning book, Type One Determination, her coming-of-age with diabetes story and coming-into-health guidebook for using nutrition and exercise to thrive with T1D.
Lauren lives in Minnesota. She’s a cat whisperer (see below), donates regularly to animal shelters across the globe - wherever she can commune with horses and donkeys (among other animals)...kind of like a traveling Disney princess, but with a pooper scooper.
For proof of Lauren’s superior scooping skills, check out a live broadcast from the Furball Farm Cat Sanctuary!
Interviews:
Shattering Plant-Based Nutrition Myths with Lauren Plunkett
Consciously Clueless
Articles:
Q&A: People with diabetes can benefit from whole foods, plant-based eating plan
Susan Weiner, MS, RDN, CDN, CDCES, FADCES, talks with Lauren Plunkett, RDN, LD, CDCES, about benefits of plant-based nutrition for people with diabetes and strategies for incorporating whole foods and plants into eating plans.
Diabetes Meets Determination with a Dash of Sass: An Up-Close interview with Lauren Plunkett
Hope Warshaw interviews Lauren Plunkett, a person with diabetes, registered dietitian, and certified diabetes care and education specialist to learn how she reframed her own diabetes diagnosis, how she prioritizes mental health, and the importance of connecting with others.
Celebrating Strong Women Living With Diabetes
Evelyn Oberdorfer has lived with type 1 diabetes since 1968. As someone who “never wants to be outdone by diabetes,” Oberdorfer lives an active lifestyle as a bodybuilder and half-marathon runner while inspiring others to find their community.
I wrote a book you should buy:
Type One Determination is partly my story (the expanded version that includes a pivotal moment with a Florida Manatee) PLUS the second half is a handbook on nutrition and exercise for people living with Type 1.