More and more people are choosing vegan and vegetarian diets for many different reasons such as health, helping the environment and for ethical concerns. Plant based diets have been in the media recently due the EAT Report produced by the Lancet Commission this January. The main findings  of this report are aimed at food sustainability both to improve health but also leave a better planet for today’s children.

It recommends that globally we need to double our intake of fruits, nuts, vegetables, pulses and reduce our intakes of red meat and sugars by half. We have known for a while that a diet based on more fruit and vegetables with less animal fats is good for our health and can help reduce chronic conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The food pyramid encourages us to aim for 5-7 sources of vegetables, salads and fruits daily.

If you have diabetes every meal should contain vegetables, pulses or salad with fruits spaced evenly over the day.

While it’s not essential to cut out meat completely to avoid chronic conditions we all could make a difference to the environment by reflecting on our meat and sugar intake…why not think about a ‘Meat Free Monday’ and indeed chat with your children/ family about small changes you could consider for a healthier future.

So if for whatever reason you may think about reducing your meat or animal fat intake when you have diabetes it is important to do this safely while making sure you are maintaining your glucose levels but also meeting your nutritional requirements.

Some groups with diabetes are more vulnerable to not meeting nutritional requirements such as children, pregnant or breastfeeding women and the elderly so if you have any queries chat with your dietitian. If you have diabetes every meal should contain vegetables, pulses or salad with fruits spaced evenly over the day.

While it’s not essential to cut out meat completely to avoid chronic conditions we all could make a difference to the environment by reflecting on our meat and sugar intake…why not think about a ‘Meat Free Monday’ and indeed chat with your children/ family about small changes you could consider for a healthier future.

So if for whatever reason you may think about reducing your meat or animal fat intake when you have diabetes it is important to do this safely while making sure you are maintaining your glucose levels but also meeting your nutritional requirements.

Some groups with diabetes are more vulnerable to not meeting nutritional requirements such as children, pregnant or breastfeeding women and the elderly so if you have any queries chat with your dietitian.

Some diets are stricter than others for example:

• Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy foods but exclude meat, fish, poultry and eggs as well as foods that contain them
• Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat dairy products and eggs(usually free range) but excludes meat, fish or poultry from their diets
• Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but avoid all other animal foods including dairy.
• Vegans avoid all animal products and animal by-products e.g. honey, fur, wool or leather. There is no reason anyone with diabetes should not follow a vegan/ vegetarian diet and should be supported to do this by their care team should they wish to do so.
• Evidence based nutrition guidelines published last year stated that ‘It is important that people with diabetes, and those at risk, are supported to choose the right foods for them to help them to achieve their specific treatment goals and improve their health and quality of life”

Some diets are stricter than others for example:

• Lacto-vegetarians eat dairy foods but exclude meat, fish, poultry and eggs as well as foods that contain them
• Lacto-ovo vegetarians eat dairy products and eggs(usually free range) but excludes meat, fish or poultry from their diets
• Ovo-vegetarians eat eggs but avoid all other animal foods including dairy.
• Vegans avoid all animal products and animal by-products e.g. honey, fur, wool or leather. There is no reason anyone with diabetes should not follow a vegan/ vegetarian diet and should be supported to do this by their care team should they wish to do so.
• Some nutrients that need consideration are:
• Evidence based nutrition guidelines published last year stated that ‘It is important that people with diabetes, and those at risk, are supported to choose the right foods for them to help them to achieve their specific treatment goals and improve their health and quality of life”.

There is no reason anyone with diabetes should not follow a vegan/ vegetarian diet and should be supported to do this by their care team should they wish to do so.

Some nutrients that need consideration are:

Protein

Protein plays a role in maintaining healthy skin, bones, muscles and organs. For many vegans getting enough can be an issue, but the fact is most of us consume more protein than we need.

Animal protein sources (meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, cheese, yoghurt,) are excellent sources of protein. For vegetarians, special attention must be paid to getting protein from dietary sources other than meat.

These include beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, Quorn, dairy and eggs soya and nuts. For vegans there are soya products to replace dairy, vegan sources of Quorn, rice or oat milks and egg replacements. It is important to consider the carbohydrate content of some plant based proteins so consult nutrition labels or check with your dietitian.

Omega -3

People with diabetes are advised to consume 2 portions of oily fish weekly to make sure they are getting enough Omega 3 fatty acids which offers protection against heart disease

Vegan sources of Omega-3 include; flaxseed and rapeseed oil, walnuts, soya-based foods (e.g. soya milk, tofu) hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds.

These sources are not as good as oily fish, so it’s important to include them on a regular basis in order to get adequate amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. You may want to consider taking a supplement, but make sure you choose one which is suitable if you are vegan.

Vitamins and Minerals

Vitamin B12

This is essential for a healthy brain and nervous system and is only found naturally in animal products. Many vegan foods are fortified with Vit B12 to compensate for this, however if you are not taking a food fortified with Vitamin B12 at each meal then it would be an idea to consider taking a supplement of 10 µg of B12 daily.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D keeps our bones healthy by helping to control the amount of calcium and phosphate in our bodies. We can make Vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight. Due to low levels of sunlight in Ireland, especially during the winter months, it is recommended that all of us also take in Vitamin D from our diet throughout the year. Some of us may also need to take a daily 5 µg supplement in addition to dietary intake.

Foods containing vitamin D include oily fish, eggs, dairy foods (especially fortified dairy foods), fortified margarines and breakfast cereals. If you avoid these foods, you may be at even greater risk of low vitamin D stores.

Calcium

Calcium is essential for the development of healthy bones and teeth. Milk, yoghurt, and cheese are the richest sources of calcium. If you avoid these foods, soya-based dairy foods, enriched with calcium are good alternatives.  Other, non-dairy sources of calcium include; chickpeas, almonds, peas, beans, lentils, tofu and dried fruit.

Iron

Iron is vital in the body as it’s the part of red blood cells that carry oxygen around our bodies to give us energy. Red meat is the best source of iron in the diet so if cutting this out be sure to include alternative dietary sources of iron; dried beans and peas, lentils, fortified breakfast cereals, dark green leafy vegetables and dried fruit are good options.

However, iron isn’t as easily absorbed from plant sources as it is from meat sources. To help you absorb iron from these foods, have vitamin C-rich foods such as strawberries, citrus fruits (or juices), tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli at the same time. Remember to only take fruit juice with meals as it raise’s blood glucose levels quite rapidly and no more than 1 small glass of juice daily. We now advise it is better to eat our fruit whole rather than to drink it, not just because of the effect on glucose but also because of dental decay.

What else do I need to think about if I have diabetes?

If you are replacing animal proteins for plant based sources you will also need to check the carbohydrate content of foods for example chickpeas, lentils and quinoa are good plant sources of protein but also contain carbohydrate so you will need to adjust for this especially if taking insulin.

As with any source of carbohydrate you need to be thinking of portion size especially if you have weight to lose.

We know that plant based diets are good for reducing cholesterol and as already mentioned can help with prevention of chronic conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes but this does not mean that all vegan/vegetarian diets are healthy diets if, for example, you just swap out meats for heavily processed choices.

Many food manufacturers are taking advantage of the massive upsurge in plant based diets by offering all sorts of vegetarian and vegan ready meals and snack options but be careful if you rely solely on packaged foods.

Many people mistakenly think that just because a product is vegan or vegetarian it must automatically be healthy when many in fact are high in calories, salt and sugar so brush up on your food labelling skills.

We recently produced a leaflet on how to read a food label in order to help you choose more wisely.

See diabetes.ie in the downloads section (add image) it can help you work out from a nutrition label whether the food is a healthy choice full of essential nutrients or indeed high in not so good calories that come from fats and sugars.

Diabetes Ireland Food Labels

Meals Suggestions:

Please click here for more details.