Eating Vegetarian with Diabetes: A Nutritionist’s Take
What diabetics must know before nixing meat from meals.
Diabetes and vegetarianism can go hand in hand. An all veggie diet is great because it eliminates animal based saturated fats in favor of complex carbs and plant based proteins. While it’s healthy for everyone, it is especially beneficial for those with diabetes. In this video, Nutritionist Amy Hendel shares some tips on how to eliminate the guesswork from daily meals so you can keep your blood sugar in check.
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[SOUND] Welcome to HealthiNation.
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I'm nutritionist Amy Hendel.
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A vegetarian diet and effective diabetes
management seems like a perfect pairing.
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That's because many components of a
vegetarian diet,
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like eliminating animal based saturated
fats in favor of complex carbs and
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plant based proteins, are healthy for
anyone, diabetes or not.
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So it makes sense that a vegetarian diet
would only help in
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controlling diabetes, right?
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Well, it's a bit more complicated.
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In this video we'll weed out the guesswork
from the proven facts.
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When it comes to food, people with type
two diabetes who simply follow
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the diet recommended by The American
Diabetes Association usually gain
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control over their blood glucose and lipid
levels.
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And keeping blood sugar levels stable is
very important in
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successfully managing diabetes.
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Coupled with keeping lipid levels in
check, such control can also help reduce
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the risk of developing a major diabetes
complication, cardiovascular disease.
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That's good.
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Wanna do even better?
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Recent research has shown a beneficial
link between following a vegetarian or
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vegan diet and effectively controlling
type two diabetes.
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That makes intuitive sense, because a
plant based diet is full of foods that
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help with some of the challenges that come
with type two diabetes,
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like maintaining normal glucose levels and
staying at a healthy weight.
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And if you're really motivated, opt for
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a low fat vegan diet and you'll most
likely do even better.
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But that's a pretty hard adjustment for
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a lot of people, or it may be difficult to
sustain long term.
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Need a little more convincing?
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Eliminating meat from the diet completely
has even been shown to
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cut the risk of developing type two
diabetes by half.
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That's also healthy advice for
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the people you love and share your meals
with, friends and family.
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But here's the catch, these impressive
research results have always been
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connected to a significant weight loss or
a stepped up exercise plan.
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And weight loss or exercise alone, have
been found to
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improve health measurements in most people
with type two diabetes.
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There's reason to believe, however, that
the same health benefits can be
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attributed to a vegetarian diet, at least
in part.
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That's because switching to a vegetarian
diet generally means eating less
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high glycemic index foods, like processed
sugars and
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saturated fats typically found in animal
protein sources.
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Usually going vegetarian also means eating
more high fiber foods,
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like whole grains and vegetable proteins
like soy and nuts.
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In fact, there are a lot of nutritional
benefits to
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eating these exceptionally healthy foods,
diabetes or not.
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For example, almonds and hazelnuts are
terrific sources of monounsaturated fat.
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That's good.
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And walnuts are high in heart healthy
omega-3 fatty acids.
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That's also good.
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And fiber helps give you a sense of
fullness while also keeping
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the digestive system moving smoothly.
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That's helpful for weight management.
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Both vegetarian and vegan diets have even
been shown to help
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reverse hardening of the arteries, a major
complication of uncontrolled diabetes.
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Now if you do opt to become a vegan you
might consider including supplements in
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your daily routine.
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That may be a good idea since the vegan
diet is typically low in iodine and
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other essential nutrients because of the
absence of seafood, eggs, and dairy.
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You know, it's safe to say that for
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people with any form of diabetes, these
following habits are important.
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A sensible exercise program, maintaining a
healthy weight, and
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eating a balanced diet with lots of fiber
and
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low glycemic index foods, and, limiting
processed sugars and saturated fats.
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And really, if you think about it, those
are healthy practices for
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anyone, whether or not they are living
with diabetes.
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Hope we've given you some food for
thought, and thanks for
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being part of HealthiNation.
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[SOUND]
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Barnard ND, Cohen J, Jenkins DJA, et al. A Low-Fat Vegan Diet Improves Glycemic Control and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in a Randomized Clinical Trial in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes Care 29:1777–1783, 2006. (Accessed September 20, 2011 at http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/29/8/1777.abstract.)
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