Vegetarian Diet and Diabetes

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Diabetes, a common disease which affect  more than 20 million people in the United States—7.0 percent of the population. For diabetics the choice of food really can be a matter of life and death. Diet is one of the most important ways of controlling diabetes beside medications and exercises. This article is going to discuss in depth the relationship of vegetarian diet and diabetes.

Introduction to Vegetarian Diet
A vegetarian is a person who avoid meat and/or animal products. Vegetarian diet includes only foods from plants: like fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts, seeds, and legumes (dried beans and peas). There are several categories of vegetarians:

Part-Vegetarian or Semi-Vegetarian
Semi-vegetarians do not eat red or white meat (beef, pork, venison, etc) but include chicken and fish with plant foods, dairy products, and eggs. The only animals that semi-vegetarians eat are fowl and fish, although they usually eat by-products of red meat, like fats, oils, gelatin etc. and wear clothes from animals.

Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians
Do not eat meat or flesh of any kind, but do eat eggs and dairy products. Sometimes ovo-lacto vegetarians eat meat by-products (e.g. fats, bonemeal, gelatin) and use animal-derived products (leather etc.).

- The Ovo vegetarians eat eggs but not dairy products.

- The lacto vegetarian diet includes plant foods plus cheese and other dairy products but not eggs.

Vegans
Vegan or total vegetarian are strictly vegetarians. They eat only plant foods: includes fruits, vegetables, plenty of leafy greens, whole grain products, nuts, seeds, and legumes (dried beans and peas). Vegans, in addition to being vegetarian, do not use other animal products and by-products such as eggs, dairy products, honey, leather, fur, silk, wool, cosmetics, and soaps derived from animal products.

Despite such dietary restrictions, a balanced vegan diet is perfectly healthy, although too inconvenient for many vegetarians.

Macrobiotic Vegetarians
A macrobiotic vegetarian diet excludes all meat, poultry, dairy produce and eggs, but at initial levels may include fish. A macrobiotic vegetarian aims to maintain a balance between foods seen as ying (positive) or yang (negative). The macrobiotic diet progresses through ten levels, and becomes more and more restrictive. Not all levels are vegetarian, though each level gradually eliminates animal products. The highest levels eliminate fruit and vegetables, eventually reaching the level of a brown rice diet.

A macrobiotic vegetarian diet is not recommended from a nutritional viewpoint.

Studies show that vegetarian diet which emphasis on low fat, high carbohydrate and high fibre foods has a beneficial effect on carbohydrate metabolism, lowering blood sugar levels. Therefore can substantially lower risk of type II diabetes and other health problems like obesity, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and some forms of cancer than non-vegetarians.

A  carefully planned healthful and nutritionally sound vegetarian diet should include essential nutrients,

Protein - Almost all foods except for alcohol, sugar, and fats are good sources of protein. Proteins from plant alone can provide sufficient of the essential and non-essential amino acids, as long as sources of dietary protein are varied and caloric intake is high enough to meet energy needs. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts all contain both essential and non-essential amino acids. Soy protein has been shown to be equal to proteins of animal origin. It can be your sole protein source if you choose.

Iron - Dried beans, spinach, enriched products, brewer's yeast and dried fruits are all good plant sources of iron.

Vitamin B-12 (cyanocobalamin) - This vitamin is plentiful in meat poultry, fish, eggs and daily products- that is foods from animal sources. Vegans can get B-12 from soy products, such as soy drinks, that are fortified with this vitamin.

Vitamin D - Vitamin D is produced by exposure to sunshire. Provided the ultraviolet light is not affected by smog, dust, or cloud, about 15 minutes a day or 1 - 2 hours a week will ensure adequate amounts are produced. you can also get it from dairy foods, like full-cream milk, cheese and cream.

Calcium - Studies show that vegetarians absorb and retain more calcium from foods than nonvegetarians do. Calcium Vegetabis found in dark green vegetables such as spinach, kale and broccoli, and some legumes and soybean products, are good sources of calcium from plants. Many dairy foods, especially milk and yoghurt, are also excellent sources of calcium. The recommended intake for calcium for adults 19 through 50 years is 1000 milligrams/day.

Zinc -  Zinc is needed for growth and development. Good plant sources include grains, nuts and legumes. Shellfish are an excellent source of zinc. Take care to select supplements containing no more than 15-18 mg zinc. Supplements containing 50 mg or more may lower HDL ("good") cholesterol in some people.

Fat - Vegan diets are free of cholesterol and are generally low in fat. High-fat foods, which should be used sparingly, include oils, margarine, nuts, nut butters, seed butters, avocado, and coconut.

Note : A vegetarian diet can be unhealthy if it contains too many calories and not enough important nutrients. Ensuring adequate amounts of essential nutrients in vegetarian diet is vital in the case of diabetes.

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