Patients with diabetes can often control their disease through proper nutrition. Most diabetes-related diets that have surfaced in recent years have focused on reducing the intake of simple carbohydrates, such as those found in refined flour, as well as sugars. Preliminary evidence demonstrates that another type of diet, veganism, can be useful for controlling and even reversing diabetes.
Definition of Vegan Diet
A vegan diet is a plant-based diet that excludes, insofar as possible, the consumption of any products derived from animal sources. Vegans do not eat meat (including fish), eggs or dairy products. A person may choose to adopt a vegan diet because of health issues, concerns about animal welfare or the environmental impact of animal farming.
Comparison to the American Diabetes Association Diet
Both the vegan diet and the standard diet advocated by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) focus on increasing the intake of vegetables and decreasing or eliminating the consumption of red meat. Both diets also limit the consumption of fats and cholesterol. The ADA diet, however, relies heavily on chicken and fish-based dishes, while a vegan diet relies solely on plant-based foods. A vegan diet does not, in and of itself, place restrictions on simple carbohydrates, while the ADA diet does.
Diabetes Management
A study performed by the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) showed that participants who followed a vegan diet with no refined flours over a three-month period were better able to control type 2 diabetes than participants who followed the standard ADA diet. Also, participants in the vegan group had fasting blood sugar decreases that were 59 percent greater than those in the ADA group.
Weight Loss
In the PCRM study, participants in the vegan diet group lost twice as much weight--16 lbs. on average--than those in the ADA group. A review published in the April 2006 edition of "Nutrition" notes that one of the best-controlled studies shows that a low-fat vegan diet leads to additional weight loss of about one pound per week, even with no additional exercise or dietary restraints.
Transition
Patients should consult their physicians before transitioning to a vegan diet, especially if they are taking insulin. Those switching to a vegan diet should also take B-12 supplements as B12 is one of the few vitamins not found naturally in plant-based foods. Also, while vegan meat substitutes such as veggie burgers and soy sausage can help diabetes patients transition to a vegan diet, they tend to be high in sodium. A patient becoming accustomed to a diet without animal products should replace meat substitutes with whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
