Some dieticians claim that a vegan diet can cure diabetes. While this may not be true for everyone, in some cases following the plant based vegan diet can demonstrably reduce the associated side effects of diabetes.
These benefits are due to the diet’s ability to promote a healthy body weight, It can reduce some diabetes-associated side effects, and may help the body to better respond to insulin.
- Maintaining a Healthy Body Weight – Because the Vegan diet is most often lower in caloric intake than no vegetarian diets, the people who follow this dietary liestyle tend to have lower BMIs (body mass index). As your doctor will tell you a healthy body weight can help regulate the blood sugar levels in your body and will help to reduce the risk of suffering from diabetes-related side effects.
- Improved control of blood sugar levels and insulin response – By increasing intakes of vegetables, grains, fruits, nuts, and legumes, blood sugar control becomes more stable and easier to maintain. Due to this stability it may be possible to reduce the amount of medications necessary to control blood sugar levels. In some cases the dietary control is all that is needed for complete cessation of medications. There are exceptions however. Even this diet can have the opposite effect on blood sugar if it is rich in simple carbohydrates, such as potatoes, and white bread.
- Reduced risk for heart disease – By following a strict vegan diet, it is cholesterol free, very low in saturated fats, as well as being high in fiber. A diet such as this is excellent in reducing your risk for cardiovascular disease, which is a very common complication of people that suffer from diabetes.
Before considering making a change to a vegan diet, consider speaking with a dietitian, in order to come up with a meal plan that still provides all of the necessary nutrients. While maintaining a healthy BMI is good for your overall health, and heart health, keeping a BMI too low can lead to an increased risk in Osteoporosis. It may be essential to supplement the diet with some calcium.