A reader recently contacted me (I hope it was a reader from Diabetics Weekly as it’s the only diabetes column I write for!) asking me for recipe suggestions to help her as she is a vegetarian recently diagnosed with diabetes. This is no easy feat as everyone has personal preferences of a certain type of cuisine, so it would depend on what type of vegetarian diabetes-friendly cuisine you are looking for. It can be Asian cuisine which then has much variety such as Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian and more. It may be commonly all grouped into as Asian, but trust me, these cuisines taste very different! Then there is Western cuisine too.
Besides the factor of preference for cuisine, there is also the factor of which country or region you live in. When I was younger, I often buy my mom cookbooks (which I personally thought looked good in hopes that she would cook them) for birthdays, Mother’s Day, Christmas, and other events. As you can see, I am a food enthusiast! All this ended when she told me to stop buying them as there are many recipes where certain ingredients are not available. Food-wise, diabetics should learn what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat.
Here, I will share a general guideline on what to eat (for vegetarians!).
#1. Choose Whole Grains
Go for whole grains such as whole-wheat pasta, flour, bread; barley; corn; and oats. They increase your fiber intake and provides more nutrients such as vitamins and minerals compared to refined grains.
#2. Choose foods with low glycemic index (GI)
The glycemic index is a system that is used to rank foods that contain an equal amount of carbohydrates and how much they raise your blood sugar. Lower GI foods are better as they do not increase your blood glucose as much.
#3. Choose your milk
I mentioned this in a previous article, but it may be wiser to opt for almond, soy, or any other plant based milk as it has a lower amount of carbohydrates. If you find it a hard transition, opt for low-fat or skim milk.
#4. Use fat-free or low-fat condiments
Get fat or low-fat products when shopping for salad dressings or gravy. This includes low-fat or fat-free yogurt.
#5. Eat fruits on its own
Choose from raw or cooked, juice (no sugar added) or dried. Select whole fruit instead of juice as it is more filling and has more fiber. Fruit based dessert should be saved for special occasions!
Of course, like any other diabetic, the general food rules will apply such as using sugar substitutes. Once you have an idea of what food you can eat, recipes should no longer be a problem as you get used to substitutes for certain ingredients or just whipping up your own recipe altogether with what ingredients that are available to you. To get you started, I have included some vegetarian recipe links in the references below.
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What I need to know about eating and diabetes. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
A vegetarian meal plan. Recipes for Healthy Living.
Vegetarian recipes. Recipes for Healthy Living.
15 Diabetes-friendly vegetarian recipes. Health.
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