Going Vegetarian May Be Just the Thing to Control Your Diabetes

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Diabetes is a prevalent condition that affects more than 34 million Americans today. Pre-diabetes is also a thing, with more than 88 million American adults suffering from the condition. Both are scary diseases that can cause a range of issues, including blindness, osteoporosis, dementia, impotence, heart attacks, strokes, certain cancers and more. They’re caused by a buildup of fatty tissues in the body, often caused by eating a diet too high in sugar.

“Everyone’s blood sugar level rises after eating,” said Dr. Gabe Mirkin in a recent article exploring ways to fight off and keep diabetes at bay. Mirkin is a fitness guru, longtime radio host, and sports medicine doctor with more than 50 years of practice.

“If blood sugar levels rise too high, sugar can stick to the outside membranes of cells throughout your body,” he added. “Once attached, sugar can never get off and it is eventually converted to sorbitol, which destroys that cell.”

Luckily, there’s good news.

Eating a plant-based diet that’s low in processed foods and high in whole unprocessed grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, tea and coffee is scientifically proven to reduce the risk for diabetes and pre-diabetes. That’s according to a new study published in November in PLOS Medicine that followed 5,646 healthy males and females (ages 40 to 69) for 8-14 years. Researchers found that those on a healthful plant-based diet were far less likely to develop Type II diabetes than those on an unhealthful diet.

“Participants who followed a healthful plant-based diet lost more belly fat and had lower triglycerides, lower bad LDL cholesterol, higher good HDL cholesterol, and lower fasting blood sugar and reduced high blood pressure,” Mirkin said. That’s the science behind it, but how do you actually make that happen if you’ve spent a lifetime munching down takeout and fast food or mindlessly snacking on bags of potato chips throughout the day?

It’s okay. Knowing where to begin is difficult.

That’s one area we here at Diet-to-Go can help with. We have two diets specifically designed to help people with Type-2 diabetes and pre-diabetes eat right, learn about proper portion size, get balanced nutrition, and even lose weight.*

Our Vegetarian Plan is based off of our No. 1-rated Balance Menu. It’s been helping dieters reach their weight-loss goals for nearly 30 years. The menu combines mouth-watering, restaurant-quality flavors with dietitian-approved, balanced portions of the foods you love.
 

• Calorie-controlled and nutritionally balanced
• Heart-healthy — controlled for sodium, carbs, fat and cholesterol
• Protein sources include dairy, eggs, beans and some soy.

We also have a plan designed specifically for diabetes. The meals will help you control blood sugar naturally, and the meals are:
 

• Doctor-approved and follows the American Diabetes Association Nutritional guidelines.
• Controlled for carbohydrates and fats at every meal (less than 45 grams of carbs per meal).
• The perfect diet for preventing and managing Type 2 diabetes.
• Made with approximately 1200 calories and 1400mg of sodium per day, on average.

Both menus, like all Diet-to-Go plans, include a variety of meals that are fully prepared (just heat and eat!) and are customizable based on your unique tastes, preferences, allergies, and more.

What are you waiting for? Get started on your individual meal plan today.
 
 

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Author: Caitlin H
Diet-to-Go Community Manager

Caitlin is the Diet-to-Go community manager and an avid runner. She is passionate about engaging with others online and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle. She believes moderation is key, and people will have the most weight loss success if they engage in common-sense healthy eating and fitness.

 

Lifestyle/Wellness

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