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The Vegan Diet How-To Guide for Diabetes
Introduction
Diet
changes are the cornerstone to treating type 2 diabetes. Current
diet recommendations require restricting portion sizes, measuring
and weighing foods, and limiting the total amount of carbohydrate.
However, evidence suggests that a different dietary approach may
be more effective and easier to follow.
The evidence favoring a new approach came first from comparisons
of various populations around the world. People whose diets were
based mainly on plant-derived foods—that is, rice, noodles,
beans, and vegetables—were less likely to develop diabetes,
compared with people whose diets are fattier or centered on meatier
dishes. For example, among people following traditional Japanese
diets, diabetes was rare. Studies show that when people moved from
Japan to the U.S. and adopted a Western diet, they were much more
likely to develop diabetes.
These studies suggested that meaty, fatty diets cause the body
to be more resistant to insulin’s actions. Clinical research
studies have shown that adopting a low-fat, plant-derived diet
does indeed improve insulin sensitivity, help with weight loss,
and reduce blood sugar and cholesterol.
Part of the value of a low-fat, plant-based diet is that it is
very low in saturated fat—that is, the kind of fat that is
found especially in meats, dairy products, and tropical oils (coconut,
palm, or palm kernel oil). To cut fat effectively, you’ll
want to do two things:
The first step is to avoid animal-derived products. Needless to
say, this eliminates all animal fats. It does something else, too:
It eliminates animal protein. While we need protein, we
do not need animal-derived protein. Animal proteins accelerate
kidney damage in people who have already lost some kidney function.
They also increase the loss of calcium from the body (through the
kidneys and into the urine), potentially increasing the risk of
osteoporosis. Plant sources of protein do not present these problems.
The second step is to avoid added vegetable oils. Although oils
are often thought of as healthier than animal fats, they are just
as high in calories. For the healthiest diet, you will want to
keep oils to a minimum. This guide covers both of these steps.
It also helps you select the most healthful carbohydrate-containing
foods, and provides many other ideas for healthful foods to choose.
The way of eating explained in this guide does not require weighing
or measuring, and you will never go hungry!
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