Vegetarian diet for diabetes

According to the data, there are more than 20 million cases of diabetes in the United States alone. That means that 7% of all the citizens are affected by this disease. Those who suffer from diabetes know that it is very important to make sure what they eat. The diet is a very important part of the life of a diabetic. In some cases a proper diet can be the difference between life and death. Apart from medications and exercise, the experts agree that there is no better way of controlling diabetes.

Diabetes needs special diet

Diabetes can be a serious disease if it is not treated properly. The diet is very important for the controlling of the disease, along with the consumption of proper medications and exercise. A lot of experts nowadays highlight the vegetarian diet as the best option for patients suffering from diabetes. The main reasons why that is so, is because a vegetarian diet focuses on low fat, high fibers and high carbohydrates. Such diet plan is ideal for diabetic patients. A lot of risk factors are connected with diabetes but obesity is one of the major risks. Americans are at most risk of obesity and it has become one of the biggest health problems nowadays. Obesity has become a problem because a vast number of people follow diets which are high in fat and do not exercises as much as they should. Many do not exercise at all and these are the two main reasons why obesity has become a serious threat. Apart from the United States, obesity is a serious problem in England and Australia as well. Due to large amounts of fat, the body is not able to utilize insulin as it should and that leads to build up of sugar in the bloodstream. In order to reduce the risk of diabetes, it is important that a person starts consuming a diet which is low in both fat and calories and starts exercising regularly. These two factors have shown a significant reduction of risk of diabetes in patients. Several studies have confirmed the reduction of risk of diabetes of more than 50%. This is why those diagnosed with diabetes need to go on a special diet.

Vegetarian diet is healthy

It is a known fact that those who are vegetarians do not consume meat and animal products. However, since there is more than one type of vegetarianism, some do consume animal products but not even one consumes meat. All of the vegetarian types consume foods from plants such as fruits, vegetables, lots of leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts, seeds and legumes. The types of vegetarians are semi-vegetarian or part-vegetarian, ovo-lacto vegetarian, vegans and macrobiotic vegetarians. Semi-vegetarians are unlike all the other types of vegetarians due to the fact that they consume fish and chicken into their diet and avoid eating only red and white meat such as beef, pork and venison. Apart from chicken and fish, semi-vegetarians consume dairy products, plant food and eggs. Part-vegetarians are unlike all the other types of vegetarianism because of another fact and that is because they wear clothes from animals. Ovo-lacto vegetarians do not eat any kind of meat or flesh but do consume eggs and dairy products. In some cases, those who fall under this type of vegetarianism consume meat by-products such as fats and gelatin. Vegans are considered to be total vegetarians because vegans consume only plant foods. Apart from this, vegans do not use other animal products and by products like eggs, dairy products, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, soaps derived from animal products and even honey. Even with all the restrictions, vegans consume a healthy and balanced diet. The last type is macrobiotic vegetarians does not consume meat, poultry, dairy products and eggs. However, macrobiotic vegetarians consume fish at initial levels. These vegetarians are aiming for their diet to be properly balanced between foods seen as ying or yang. There are ten levels of macrobiotic vegetarianism and every one is more restrictive than the last one. The final level is a brown rice diet. However, it is important to know that this type of vegetarianism is not recommended due to its lack of nutrition. Those who are diagnosed with diabetes would profit a lot from going on a vegetarian diet because that way they will exclude foods high in calories and saturated fats and focus on introducing foods which are rich in important minerals and vitamins. Vitamins and minerals are important for the control of blood glucose. Vegetarian diet is also rich in fiber and fiber is especially good due to the fact that it suppresses the need for more food. Apart from that, fiber also betters blood sugar control, lowers cholesterol levels and provides folate. According to the experts, diabetic who go on a vegetarian diet should consume nine servings of fruit and vegetables every day and no more than six servings of whole grains in order to get achieve their goal.