Comments on: What are good vegatarian menus for a diabetic?

By: David H

David H — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:12:59 +0000

Well you have lucked out, not only am I a vegetarian and a Type 2 diabetic, I also am a former classically trained chef. One thing is limit the type of veg like potatos, yams, carrot, corn, squashs and starch ones as they produce high levels of carbs which in turn can elevate your blood sugar levels.

You do not have to eliminate them altogether but in moderation, I use alot of soya products, tofu, seiten, TVP and other types of tofu, green vegs like kale, spinach, cabbages and chards, I like tomatos anyway, eggplants and zucchini are good to. Turnips and rutabagas, celery, beets and beans (yellow and gree). When it comes to fruits just be careful and eat them in mderation, I like V-8, tomatos juice, not an orange juice fan, I do like grapefruit juice and cranberry, only those with a sweetener not sugar, pomergranate is great to.

And like you I to endulge in a bit of lean chicken, turkey and lean fish like sole and other white fleshed fish, salmon is nice but a bit fatty. Just try to limit fats, sugars and carbs, I like spicy foods and I make alot of Indian or West Indian dishes with veg and some soya product, TVP is like ground beef in texture, soya chunks are nice stewed with veg (I use my crockpot, alot!!!), , and are alot like meatballs only no meat, I make a killer veggie chil with TVP, soya meatless meatballs, I like the chinese fried or stuffed tofu’s and preserved ones for claypot chinese braises, with a few shiitake or portebello mushrooms and a few other ingredient, you would swear it was a meat dish.
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By: Peggy P

Peggy P — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:06:59 +0000

Sweet potatoes! I did some research on it lately and found a lot of good things about them. They are being studied right now as a natural way to level out blood sugar. They also have something in them that makes your cells more receptive of insulin. They are loaded with antioxidants as well, so they are often called a power vegetable.
I’ve also read that Cinnamon is a great blood sugar lowerer. Just a tsp a day, added to your oatmeal or coffee can make a difference.
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By: Andromedan_Ambassador

Andromedan_Ambassador — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:53:59 +0000

Tofu, beans, nuts, whole grains.

You don’t need to replace large amounts of carbs with protein (that is an outdated belief) but you do have to practise portion control, moderation (in fat, carb and protein), and eat frequent light meals rather than three heavy ones.
I assume you already know to limit junk food and sugary foods.

There is a natural, zero-calorie sweetener called Stevia that can be used to sweeten any kind of liquid food. Doesn’t work too well for dry desserts like cakes.
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