TODAY'S COLUMN
Dear Jennifer:
I am a vegetarian, and I
Thanks so much.
--C.W., Warrenton, Mo.
You're on the right track--lots of folks find a vegetarian or near-vegetarian diet helps them control blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure. But using meat substitutes, like the soy imitations of burgers, chicken and ground beef, can be pricey.
Instead, consider vegetarian dishes based on beans, which cost pennies per serving.
Experiment with less costly but more delicious international dishes like Italian white bean and kale soup; Cuban black beans and brown rice; Mexican spicy pinto-bean tacos with lettuce, tomatoes and guacamole; and fragrant Indian curried lentils.
Or, try broccoli with Thai peanut sauce; Middle Eastern falafel patties made from ground chickpeas with delicious seasonings; and American Indian bean and squash soup.
Other American vegetarian favorites include anything made with green peas; bean chili; Cajun red beans and rice. There's also hoppin' John, a flavorful Southern dish with black-eyed peas, and Tennessee corn pone, a combination of savory pinto beans and corn bread.
Beans, peas and lentils are delicious and easy on the wallet. You can buy a pound of dry beans for 99 cents; after cooking, they expand
Plus, beans are rich in fiber, protein and minerals. They also contain some carbohydrates, although they have a lower glycemic index than bread.
Don't get me wrong, soy-based substitutes like veggie burgers and sausages have their place, if you enjoy them and don't mind the price tag.
As for cookbooks, if you're counting carbohydrates and enjoy American foods, you may like the American Diabetes Association's cookbook "Month of Meals: Vegetarian Pleasures."
Also try the Vegetarian Resource Group's Web site, vrg.org, for sample menus. They recommend "The Whole Foods Diabetic Cookbook" and "Defeating Diabetes," both co-authored by dietitians.
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a vegetarian group, advocates a more radical approach--a vegan diet that excludes foods derived from animals. You can find recipes from the group online at pcrm.org.
For even more information, read Dr. Neal Barnard's "Book for Reversing Diabetes: The Scientifically Proven System for Reversing Diabetes Without Drugs."
Barnard advocates a low-fat, vegan diet, with no animal products at all--no fish, meat, eggs, etc. Barnard showed that people who go on vegan diets have better control of Type 2 diabetes than people on a traditional diabetic diet.
Barnard and a team of researchers published their research last year in the journal Diabetes Care. What interested me was that folks on the vegan diet didn't have to count carbohydrates--just choose healthy, high-fiber things like fruits, vegetables and beans.
They ate as much as they wanted, and their blood sugar still averaged lower than folks on a traditional carb-counting diabetic diet. This may have been due to the fact that folks on the vegan diet lost more weight than people on the traditional diet.
The researchers suggested that the very-low-fat, low-iron aspects of the vegan diet made people's bodies more sensitive to insulin. They also said it was easier to follow since it didn't involve portion control, just eliminating certain foods.
Interestingly, they reported that people complied well with both diets.
Still, this is only one study, so it doesn't overturn the larger evidence behind the American Diabetes Association's traditional diet recommendations. However, it is an alternative path to try. If you want to try it, I suggest visiting a registered dietitian first, because it can take a bit more planning to make sure you get enough calcium, iron, zinc and vitamins B-12 and D. The diet may not be suitable for people who are underweight.
I concentrate on nutrition, but physical activity is just as important as eating well to manage the problems you mentioned: diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure. It's critical that you get at least 30 minutes a day of physical activity at least five days a week.
Jennifer Motl welcomes reader questions via her Web site, brighteat ing.com, or mailed to Nutrition, The Free Lance-Star, 616 Amelia St., Fredericksburg, Va. 22401.Research has shown that a vegan diet can help diabetics manage their condition. A vegan diet may require significant changes in food choices. It excludes: red meat, pork, poultry and fish eggs dairy, including cheese and milk any other food derived from animals.
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