Some questions pop up now and then when you are diabetic and follow a vegan diet. Some of them can be like “What is healthy vegan diet for diabetics?” or “Is being vegan harmful for a diabetic person?” Well, in this article you are going to answer all those questions and queries.
A vegan diet may work differently in a healthy person if compared to one with diabetes. Vegan diet for diabetics has its positives, but unfortunately, it has its share of negatives too.
A diabetic person should be critical about the intake of carbs with a combination of active proteins, fibers, and fats. The good news is you can find this balanced diet in a completely plant-based or vegan diet.
Advantages of Vegan Diet For Diabetics
There are a bunch of benefits that you get from a vegan diet if you are a diabetic person. Let us count some of them.
- Helps To Keep blood sugar levels in check
According to a study by a Korean University done on 100 diabetic people as samples, researchers found that the blood sugar levels in the blood are considerably lower compared to ones who followed the conventional diet. It also tends to lower the hemoglobin A1C by 0.8%.
However, this is not only the case for vegan diets. Several other healthy diets showed the same result as well. Therefore, we might hold back the title of being the best in managing blood sugar levels.
- Works On Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin is the primary hormone behind a person being diabetic or non-diabetic. Insulin helps in maintaining the normal levels of glucose in our body.
When insulin sensitivity of the body increases, then the insulin and blood sugar levels are lower in our body, which prevents us from being diabetic.
An experiment on 250 adults proved that a person with a low-fat plant-based diet is considerably more sensitive to insulin than the one who follows a conventional diet.
- Shedding Down Those Extra Kilos
A vegan diet might prove to be a boon if someone wants to lose some weight. Vegan diet significantly assists in weight loss and healthy weight management. Especially, when one is suffering from type 2 diabetes, managing weiget becomes a hectic task. But following a low-carb, low-fat vegan diet will do it effortlessly.
The primary reason behind this is maybe increasing insulin sensitivity. This will automatically aid in healthy weight loss and weight management.
Research showed that the rate of weight loss almost doubles in a vegan diet than any other form of diet.
The Disadvantages Of A Vegan Diet For Diabetics
It is obvious that even something’s very promising, it still has some downsides. And the same goes for a vegan diet, especially if the concerned person is battling type 2 diabetes. However, one can easily shed away these drawbacks, if they bestow some care in their diet.
- Lack Of Nutrient Intake
If you follow a vegan diet, there are high chances that you might miss out on some truly valuable nutrients. These nutrients are iodine, niacin, zinc, calcium, vitamin B12, and vitamin B6.
There are food items available suitable for vegan diets that can save one from these nutrient deficiencies.
To name a few of these food items, there are cereals, bananas, potatoes, chickpeas, lentils, dark chocolate, spinach, white beans, tofu, almond milk, soya milk, etc.
- Lack Of Protein
Besides nutrients, a vegan diet also increases the chances of protein deficiency. To maintain good health, protein intake in the right quantity is a must. Without protein, the body will fail to create new tissues, finally getting us intensely ill.
Nevertheless, this downside can be evaded too if one consumes vegan-friendly food items which are rich in protein, such as tofu, nuts, lentils, soy milk, chickpeas, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, etc.
Examples Of Some Vegan diet for Diabetics
Diet 1
Breakfast: Vegetable dalia/ porridge (1 bowl) or veg stuffed roti (1)
Lunch: 2 jawar roti, 1 fruit, 1 bowl of vegetables, 1 bowl of vegan curd.
Snacks: 1 small bowl of roasted chana.
Dinner: 1 glass of warm almond milk, 2 whole-grain chapatis, 1 bowl of vegetables.
Diet 2
Breakfast: 2 toasted whole-wheat bread, 1 small bowl of sprouts.
Lunch: 1 apple/orange, 2 rotis, 1 bowl of dal, veggies like bell peppers, tomatoes, and peas, 1 small bowl of cucumber salad, 1 bowl of sambar, 1 bowl of green leafy vegetables, 1 glass of soya milk.
Diet 4:
Breakfast: 1 medium bowl of Poha, any type of fruit.
Lunch: 2 multigrain roti, vegetable salad, 1 bowl of dal.
Snacks: Roasted chickpeas
Dinner: 1 medium bowl of veg dalia, 1 cup of tomato soup, 1 glass of soya milk.
Diet 5:
Breakfast: 2 slices of multigrain bread, 1 cup of tomato soup.
Lunch: 2 whole-wheat rotis, 1 bowl of okra curry, any fruit.
Snacks: 1 small bowl of roasted nuts.
Dinner: 2 bajra roti, 1 bowl of green leafy vegetables, 1 small bowl of salad, 1 glass of almond milk.
Bottom Line
Maintaining a check on your diabetes with an entirely plant-based diet is not a big deal if you do it properly. We are sure that the cumulative information about how to choose a perfect diet for vegan diabetics in this article will help you to show the right way.
Many research paper claims that a vegan diet is better than others as it stabilizes the blood sugar levels in our body and also improves insulin sensitivity. And on top of that, a vegan diet proves helpful for weight loss.
But there is always an undeniable tendency in the vegan diet where you miss out on the requirements of nutrients that the body needs. Make sure that healthy Vegan diet for Diabetics has the right amount of proteins, carbs, healthy fats and other essential nutrients. Avoid food items that can trigger blood sugar levels in your body such as excessive carbs, fats, sugar, oily and processed food. If you keep everything in assessment, there is not anything better than a vegan diet for diabetics.