Regulating your diet is one of the easiest ways to control and prevent type 1and type 2 diabetes. However, many people have dietary restrictions depending upon physiology or lifestyle. If you do not consume dairy products, you may be increasing your risk of worsening diabetes due to a lack of essential nutrients. However, you can obtain nutrients traditionally found in dairy products from other sources. Always speak with a physician or a registered dietitian before making any changes to your diabetic diet.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is one essential nutrient commonly found in cow's milk that is typically lacking in diets that are lactose-free such as vegan diets. According to the Joslin Diabetes Center of Harvard University, vitamin D may play a significant part in how well your body is able to control blood glucose levels. To compensate for a lack of vitamin D in a dairy-free diabetic diet, you can either obtain 5 to 15 minutes of sunlight every day or eat fortified cereals and soy milk.
Calcium
Calcium is another essential nutrient your body needs that is found predominantly in dairy products. Though calcium is typically associated with increased bone strength and density, one study published in March 2006 in "Diabetes Care," indicates that insufficient calcium may increase your risk for diabetes. The study followed more than 83,000 middle-aged women and found that women who consumed greater than or equal to 500 mg of calcium per day had an 18 percent less chance of developing diabetes than women who consumed less than or equal to 250 mg. If you do not eat dairy products, the best types of foods from which you can obtain calcium are fortified foods, which can include orange juice, drink mixes, cereals and soy milk, as well as dark green vegetables such as collard greens, turnip greens and kale.
Combination
The study published in March 2006 in "Diabetes Care" not only demonstrated that both vitamin D and calcium can have a significant impact on the occurrence of diabetes, but also that having sufficient amounts of both gives you the greatest benefits. After multivariate adjustment, researchers found that women with the highest calcium and vitamin D intakes had the lowest risk for diabetes when compared to women that only had high amounts of either calcium or vitamin D. Women who ate one serving of dairy per day or less also had an 11 percent greater chance of diabetes than women who ate three or more dairy servings per day. Therefore, obtaining essential nutrients that are missing in your dairy-free diabetes diet can be critical to maintaining balanced nutrition.
Protein
Dairy products like milk can be a significant source of protein if you consume them regularly. According to the American Diabetes Association, 1 cup of milk or 2/3 cup of yogurt contain around 8 g of protein. As a general guideline, on your diabetic diet, you should consume between 12 and 20 percent of your daily calories through protein sources. If eliminating dairy from your diet negatively impacts your protein consumption, the University of Maryland Medical Center suggests you compensate with healthy protein sources such as fish, skinless chicken and meat-substitute products.
References
- Joslin Diabetes Center: Making Sure Your Vegetarian Diet is Nutritionally Adequate
- Joslin Diabetes Center: Vitamin Supplements for People with Diabetes
- American Diabetes Association: Dairy
- "Diabetes Care"; Vitamin D and Calcium Intake in Relation to Type 2 Diabetes in Women; Anastassios G. Pittas, M.D. et al; March 2006
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Diabetes Diet; Harvey Simon, M.D. May 5, 2009
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