Friday, December 6, 2013

Type 2 Diabetes - Will A Vegetarian Diet Help Your Diabetes?

Many people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes are tempted to imagine simply taking drugs or even injecting insulin, will take care of their diabetes problems. But Type 2 diabetes is a disease where medications alone are not enough. In the past five to ten years, important studies have been published documenting how both a healthy diet and exercise are beneficial for people with Type 2 diabetes, or for those at risk of developing this disease.Planning your meals wisely is the key to helping you control your blood sugar levels and protect against heart disease and weight gain. Many diabetics decide to become vegetarian when they receive their Type 2 diabetes diagnosis and this could be a great lifestyle modification.Understanding how to be a vegetarian and diabetic at the same time is not difficult, but you must be willing to make several dietary modifications. The main thing is to make sure that you are keeping your blood sugar levels balanced so that you don't fall victim to diabetic complications.Plan your meals: If you choose to eat this way, make sure you plan meals carefully in order to keep the carbohydrates in check. One great idea is to make sure you depend rather heavily on plant foods which are higher in fat and protein. These include:nuts,
soybeans,
tofu, and
plant foods rich in soluble fiberto help buffer the carbohydrate induced rise in blood sugar.Add protein to your diet: Another idea is to make sure you include vegetarian soy and tofu options for protein in your diet. And since you won't be eating animal protein, you need to make sure you have other protein sources such as beans and tofu products.Eat plenty of fiber: You should also make sure you are eating plenty of fiber each day. Don't start adding too much fiber to your diet at one time though or else you will experience digestive upset. The fiber and some difficult to digest complex carbohydrates in beans and legumes end up in the large intestine. When bacteria in your intestine then start to break down these foods, they often give off gas and you will feel bloated. To reduce this effect make sure you keep your serving of beans to no more than half a cup in the beginning. Also make sure you eat beans with a meal containing protein, carbohydrates and fat.One of the advantages to having enough fiber in your eating plan is to help usher out extra cholesterol in your system which can help reduce your risk for heart disease as well. Fiber also helps to make you feel fuller so you don't crave fatty foods.Fresh fruit: If you're eating a lot of fruit on your vegetarian diet, it's important to balance the fruit with protein as well. You also want to watch your blood sugar carefully to make sure you're not spiking it by eating too much fruit. Of course, fruit is an important part of a healthy diet as it has special nutrients on its own.Low vitamin B12: Make sure you include foods containing vitamin B12 in your diet, (basically, the foods containing vitamin B12 include meat, fish, eggs and dairy products). Vitamin B12 can also be taken via supplement form. This will help prevent any nerve damage that can come along with diabetes.Tingling, numbness and pain in your feet often indicate peripheral neuropathy which is one of the common complications of diabetes. These symptoms can also be caused by a deficiency in Vitamin B12. B12 will also give you extra energy to help combat the fatigue that sometimes comes along with the disease.Include calcium: Finally, it's important to eat a mix of calcium rich dairy products such as low-fat yogurt and low-fat milk. Having this extra calcium helps to burn more fat and keep your bones strong. Just make sure to balance calcium with magnesium if you're taking a supplement as it can also cause hardening of the arteries without magnesium.Being a Type 2 diabetic doesn't mean your ability to follow a vegetarian diet is limited. As long as you have a nutritious vegetarian dietary plan, and your body is getting the proper nutrients and fuel it must have, you should be able to enjoy a vegetarian diet with no problem.

To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes TreatmentsClicking on this link will help you to learn more about Type 2 Diabetes Solutions ... Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.Beverleigh Piepers is the author of this article. This article can be used for reprint on your website provided all the links in the article are complete and active. Copyright (c) 2011 - All Rights Re

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