Diabetes and the Vegetarian Diet

The health benefits of a vegetarian diet have been supported by research, and may have profound benefits for people with diabetes. A plant-based diet, when planned appropriately, is generally higher in fiber, lower in saturated fat, and more abundant in vitamins and minerals. Vegetarians generally have lower blood pressure and lower blood cholesterol. These benefits are of particular importance since diabetes increases your risk for heart disease. In addition, the lower protein intakes of vegetarians may decrease the risk of kidney disease.

The basic goals of diet therapy for people with diabetes include:

• Meeting basic, essential nutrient needs
• Controlling blood sugars
• Controlling blood lipid levels
• Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight
• Preventing diabetes-related complications

All of these goals can be met by eating a well-planned vegetarian diet.

What Is a Vegetarian Diet?

The vegetarian diet does not include any meat, poultry, or seafood, and is broken into three categories:

A vegetarian diet is generally high in carbohydrates (50 to 60 percent of calories will be derived from carbohydrates), so carbohydrate counting is a crucial part of meal planning. If you are unfamiliar with carbohydrate counting it is important for you to take time to learn how to do this. Visit a dietitian who can teach you.

As with a non-vegetarian diet, spreading your meals out over a whole day and replacing large meals with smaller, more frequent meals, helps to keep the blood sugars under better control. Eating a variety of foods (starches, legumes, fruits, vegetables, maybe dairy or eggs) at each meal, provides an array of different nutrients.

Vegetable protein sources are readily available at many supermarkets and health-food stores. Each of the foods listed below provides the same amount of protein as one ounce of meat. The ones marked with an * contain some carbohydrate, but much of the carbohydrate is in the form of fiber. Fiber will not be converted into glucose.

Given the benefits of the vegetarian diet, it is a smart move to incorporate at least some vegetarian meals into the weekly schedule. You can begin by adding some of the alternative protein sources in place of meat. The rehydrated textured vegetable protein (TVP) substitutes very well for ground meat. And cooked legumes, tofu, tempeh and seitan all make wonderful additions to your vegetable stir-fry.

MEDICINES FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES

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