The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet to Diabetics
Diabetics must take caution while selecting foods since each food decision has a significant impact on their overall health on a meal-by-meal basis. Diabetes affects people of all ages and genders, as well as people from different walks of life and backgrounds. It can cause wounds to heal slowly, infections to take longer to cure, blindness, and renal failure if left untreated. One of the most significant methods to treat diabetes is through diet, and a vegetarian lifestyle, with its emphasis on low fat, high fiber, and nutrient-rich meals, is quite beneficial.
This condition, which affects more than 30 million individuals globally, prevents the body from correctly digesting nutrients. Typically, the majority of the food we consume is digested and turned to glucose, a sugar delivered by the blood to all cells in the body and needed for energy. The hormone insulin then aids in the transport of glucose into cells. Diabetics, on the other hand, are unable to manage the quantity of glucose in their blood because the system that turns sugar into energy does not function properly. Insulin is either lacking, insufficiently present, or inefficient. As a result, glucose accumulates in the circulation, causing symptoms such as fatigue, difficulty focusing, lack of coordination, and impaired vision.
If the correct balance of food intake and insulin isn’t maintained, a diabetic can also experience blood sugar levels that are too low. If this state continues for a prolonged time, it can lead to coma and even death.
Diabetes, however incurable, can be successfully managed with diet and exercise, oral medicines, insulin injections, or a combination of the two. Instead of calculating calories, diabetics must calculate their overall carbohydrate intake such that at least half of their diet is complex carbs. Many diabetic vegetarians have realized that by avoiding meat, they have had to need fewer insulin shots, giving them a sense of strength and control over their illness.
Sample Two-Days Diabetic Vegetarian Diet
Though preparing a diabetic vegetarian dinner may appear to be a daunting task, with a little creativity and foresight, it may actually be pretty simple. Consider the two-day meal below for some ideas and inspiration:
Diabetic Vegetarian Diet: Day one
Breakfast: 1/2 cup melon slices
2 slices French toast (made with soy milk and cooked in vegetable oil with
1/4 cup chopped peaches or apricots
4 ounces enriched soymilk
Morning Snack: 1/2 cup fresh grapes
6 assorted low-fat crackers
Sparkling water
Lunch: 1 cup mushroom barley soup with
2 ounces smoked seitan (A chewy, protein-rich food made from wheat gluten and used as a meat substitute)
1/2 cup green and wax bean salad with
2 teaspoons sesame seeds and
2 Tablespoons reduced-fat salad dressing
8 ounces enriched soymilk
Afternoon Snack: 1/2 cup sugar-free chocolate pudding
(You may create this at home with a sugar-free mix
like Sorbee or Estee and any nondairy milk.)
Dinner: 1 cup chili with lentils with
1/4 cup prepared Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP)
over 1/3 cup white rice
1/2 cup steamed or roasted carrots
1/2 cup fresh pineapple slices
Evening Snack: 1/2 cup pretzels
8 ounces enriched soymilk
Diabetic Vegetarian Diet: Day Tow
Breakfast: 1/3 cup cranberry juice or
sugar-free cranberry juice cocktail
3/4 cup cooked oatmeal with 1/2 banana and
1 teaspoon vegan margarine
8 ounces enriched soymilk
Morning Snack: 3 cups low fat popped popcorn with
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
1/2 cup orange juice
Lunch: 6″ pita stuffed with 2 ounces meat substitute (equivalent to 2 ADA meat exchanges),
lettuce, radishes, and cucumbers
1 cup shredded cabbage with
1-1/2 Tablespoons vegan mayonnaise
8 ounces enriched soymilk
Afternoon Snack: Fruit smoothie made with
8 ounces soymilk, 2 ounces silken tofu, and
1/2 cup frozen or fresh berries, blended together
3 sugar-free ginger snaps
Dinner: Baked eggplant (1/2 cup) with
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup black beans with 1/3 cup brown rice
one medium baked apple
Evening Snack: 2 Tablespoons peanut butter on 6 crackers
