Is This The Ideal Vegetarian Diet To Treat Diabetes?

Do you suffer from diabetes? Are you wondering what should be the ideal diet for you to help prevent or treat the disease? Whatever the disease might be, if our diet is perfect, we can prevent it most of the times.

The reason doctors recommend a vegetarian diet for diabetic patients is that a vegetarian diet consists not of foods rich in calories or fats, but in vitamins and minerals.

So what is the ideal diet to prevent or treat diabetes? And how can you plan one? This post has the answers! Read on!

How To Plan The Vegetarian Diabetic Diet?
The diabetic diet plan for Indians should be full of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. However, the focus should be more on carbohydrates and less on protein and fats. According to doctors, daily intake should be between 1500-1800 calories. There should be three fruits and two vegetables in the diet plan too. Here is an idea on what you should eat when you are on a diet.

Whole Grains:
Eat more of whole grains, wheat, channa atta, millets, oats and other fiber filled foods. If you are having pasta or noodles, make sure you have it with veggies.

Milk:
Two servings of milk per day is a must for diabetic diet followers. It helps in lowering the level of blood sugar.

Pulses:
Pulses are a must since they have a lesser effect on the level of glucose than other carbohydrate filled items.

High Fiber Vegetables:
Peas, beans, broccoli, and spinach should be added to the diet. Sprouts also make a healthier option.

Fruits:
Focus more on papaya, apples, oranges and pears than mangoes, bananas, and grapes. Guavas are also a great option.

Good Fats:
Good fats tend to be low in cholesterol that is great for the health. (3) A few examples are canola oil, fatty fish, and nuts.

Foods To Avoid:

There are a few items you should refrain from eating while following a vegetarian diabetic diet.

• Avoid aerated drinks.
• Reduce the intake of alcohol completely.
• Stay awake from cakes, sweets, pastries, etc.

What Do We Need To Know About Vegetarian Diets?
Vegetarian diets not only aid weight loss, but are beneficial in other ways as well. Following a good and healthy diet plan can offer you great health within a few weeks time. However, you need to go through some important guidelines before you can consider this.

Keep Your Portions Under Control:
When you are trying to eat healthy, always remember that the portions count too. Some people think eating healthy means eating as much as you please. That is exactly where you may go wrong. Eating well and eating within control go together. Also remember that some grains, beans and fruits are full of carbs that could raise the body glucose levels and lead to weight gain in the future.

Choose Nutrition:
Make it a point to choose nutritious foods. Just because you are following a vegan diet, it doesn’t mean you will eat whatever that is vegetarian. There are times when you can eat cookies and pastries or pizza but make sure you are saving those for special occasions exclusively. It is wise to stay focused on plant based foods like whole grains, fruits and veggies. Limit sugar filled drinks and fried foods too.

The Meal Plan:
A good meal plan will give you a better idea on how to eat like a vegetarian while trying to control diabetes. Following is a sample meal plan which can help you out!

Morning:
Tea without sugar and two Marie biscuits (Calorie Count: 35 for tea and 56 for biscuits)

Breakfast:
Methi or palak paratha and sour curd (Calorie Count: 200 for 2 rotis and 30 for curd)

OR
Egg whites scrambled/Paneer scrambled and plain chapatti (Calorie Count: 130 for eggs and 150 for two chapattis)

Mid Morning:
One apple/guava/orange (Calorie Count: 40)

Lunch:
Green salad, gobi ki sabzi, dal and rotis (Calorie Count: 30 for salad, 85 for veggies, 130 for a bowl of dal and 150 for two small rotis.

Evening:
Green tea and cream cracker biscuits (Calorie Count: 0 calories for green tea and 50 for two biscuits)

Dinner:
Lauki curry, rotis and curd (Calorie Count: 85 for a small bowl of lauki curry, 150 for two small rotis and 30 for curd)

Late Night:

One glass of slim milk (Calorie Count: 120) What Are The Kinds Of Plant Based Diets Seen Today?
There are several kinds of vegetarian diets for the diabetic patient. The items vary in most of them. Some of the common ones seen these days are:

Vegan Diet:
Excludes eggs, meat and all dairy products.

Lacto-Vegetarian:
Excludes meat and eggs. Dairy products can be used in this.

Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian:
Excludes all kinds of meat. Dairy products and eggs can be eaten.

Benefits Of The Vegetarian Diet:
When you follow the vegan diet, you reap several benefits out of it. Let’s go through a few of them!

 A vegetarian diet improves and controls the levels of blood sugar 

2. Lowers cholesterol .

3. Protects your body from heart diseases .

4. Never makes you put on weight.

Follow this diet today and stay away from diabetes! Share your experiences with us by commenting in the box below!