A healthy diabetes diet aims to provide all the nutrition you need while keeping your blood sugar levels under control. A meatless, or vegetarian, diet may help you manage diabetes better than a meal plan that includes beef, poultry and fish, according to the American Diabetes Association. A well-planned vegetarian diet includes little saturated fat or cholesterol but a lot of dietary fiber.
Basics
A low-fat, high-fiber vegetarian diet can foster improved diabetes health. A healthy diabetes diet plan should help improve your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as help you maintain a healthy weight. Plant foods contain no cholesterol, and most sources contain little or no saturated fat. All plant foods provide fiber. Soluble fiber, found in foods such as beans, oats, peas, carrots, citrus fruits and apples, may help lower your blood pressure, reduce your low-density lipoprotein, or LDL, cholesterol, and help stabilize your blood glucose levels by helping to slow down your body's absorption of sugars.
Protein
You should make protein part of every meal, and you can obtain adequate protein without eating meat. Most adults need 5 to 6 oz. of protein daily. You can obtain this amount of protein without eating meat. For example, 1/2 cup of cooked beans contains as much protein as 1 oz. of meat, but without the unhealthy saturated fat. Other high-protein, diabetes-friendly vegetarian foods include lentils, peas, falafel, tofu, edamame, nuts, almond butter, soy milk and a variety of soy-based meat substitutes, such as meatless "chicken" tenders.
Glycemic Index
A glycemic index helps you understand how foods affect your blood sugar levels. Pure sugar rates 100 on the glycemic index because it creates an immediate elevation in your blood glucose levels. Meat doesn't rank at all on the glycemic index because it contains no carbohydrates and doesn't affect your blood glucose levels. Vegetarian sources of protein contain carbohydrates. Beans, for instance, belong to both the protein category and the starchy foods category when you plan meals. Adjust the rest of your meal accordingly to account for the carbohydrates in beans. You might, for instance, serve beans with chopped tomatoes rather than rice.
Diabetes Diet
The American Diabetes Association states that your breakfast meals should consist of 1/2 starchy foods, 1/4 fruit and 1/4 protein. For a diabetes-friendly meatless breakfast meal, try oatmeal made from whole rolled oats with soy milk for protein. Top with fresh berries. Your lunch and dinner meals should consist of 1/2 nonstarchy vegetables, 1/4 starchy foods and 1/4 protein. Try making a vegetarian southwestern salad. Use romaine, tomatoes, mushrooms, red peppers and onions for your nonstarchy vegetables. Add corn and black beans.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness - Meal Planning For Vegetarian Diets
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness - Diabetes Meal Plans and a Healthy Diet
- MayoClinic.com; Nutrition and Healthy Eating; Dietary Fiber: Essential for a Healthy Diet; November 2009
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness - Diabetes Superfoods
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness - Lean Meats
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness - Protein and Vegetarian Diets
