Plant-Based Diets and Diabetes – Can Going Green Help Control Blood Sugar?

Plants based diets are gaining popularity in recent days, because of their vast health benefits. People with diabetes can choose plants foods over animal foods, as they help in lowering blood sugars, cholesterol and managing weight. But what exactly is a plant-based diet, and can it really help manage diabetes? Let’s explore.

What is a Plant-Based Diet?

A plant-based diet doesn’t mean you have to eat only fruits and vegetables. It means making plant foods the main part of your plate while reducing or limiting animal-based products like red meat, processed meat, and high-fat dairy. Foods typically included are:

  • Whole grain cereals like brown rice, wheat, wheat rava and millets
  • Whole pulses like chenna, moong, toor, urad, etc.
  • Nuts like almonds, walnuts, pistachios and seeds like pumpkin seeds, cucumber seeds and flax seeds
  • Wholesome seasonal fruits and vegetables.
  • Healthy vegetable oils like mustard oil, gingely oil and olive oil.

How a plant-based diet helps diabetes:

Plant-based foods are high in fibre and antioxidants and provide complex carbohydrates. The fibre content delays the digestion, prevents sugar spikes and can improve insulin sensitivity. Research also shows that people following vegetarian or vegan diets often have lower HbA1c, healthier cholesterol levels, and lower body weight. These are all important for diabetes management.

Indian-Friendly Plant-Based Food choices
Switching to plant-based eating doesn’t mean you need to eat tasteless foods. Here are some simple swaps:

  • Replace white rice with brown rice, wheat rava or millets like Samai varagu, Thinai, which gives more fibre, vitamins and minerals.
  • Choose channa masala, peas masala or veg kurma over chicken curry. These can provide proteins with less fat.
  • Use tofu instead of heavy cream-based non-vegetarian curries.
  • Instead of deep-fried snacks, have roasted channa, nuts and seeds. They can provide healthy fats, proteins and fibre along with vitamins and minerals.
  • For desserts, try fruit salads with nuts instead of sweets high in ghee and sugar.

A Sample One-Day Plant-Based Meal Plan for Diabetes

  • Breakfast: Idly with sambar and 1 cup of sprouts
  • Mid-morning: A handful of almonds.
  • Lunch: Brown rice or millet, sambar with vegetables, a cup of channa sundal, and a salad.
  • Evening Snack: Green tea with roasted/ boiled peanuts or boiled corn.
  • Dinner: Roti with dal, vegetable curry, and a side of vegetable raita.

Points to Remember

  • Make sure that you get adequate proteins from nuts, seeds and channa.
  • Avoid refined cereal products like noodles, white bread, pasta, etc. Replace with whole grains.
  • If you are going to switch to a completely vegetarian diet, check your vitamin B12 levels and consult your doctor.

Going green is not only good for our planet. It is also a smart way to control diabetes. A well-planned diet based on plants results in good sugar control, weight reduction and reduced risk of heart disease. By making small, sustainable changes to everyday meals, people with diabetes can enjoy both health and flavour.

For More

Visit us: https://drmohans.com/

To Book an Appointment: https://drmohansdiabetes.co.in/enroll/?campname=website