The Vegetarian Diet Plan for Diabetes is a diet plan which is used for people with diabetes and helps to lower their blood sugar levels. This diet does not include animal products, fish and egg products. Diabetes affects millions of people throughout the globe. The good news is, you can prevent diabetes, or even reverse it, simply by making changes to your diet.

Vegetarian Meal Plan for Diabetes

Enjoy a week of plant-based meals that promote healthy blood sugars in this vegetarian meal plan for diabetes.

CREDIT: BRIE PASSANO

In this vegetarian plan for diabetes, we include plenty of plant-based proteins, plus fiber-packed nutrients (think legumes, fruits and vegetables and whole grains) to keep you feeling satisfied and your blood sugars—and energy levels—balanced all day long. The key to good blood sugar balance is to eat quality high-fiber carbohydrate choices (whole grains, legumes, fruit and starchy vegetables), while including a solid protein source at each meal. This combination of fiber and protein at each meal helps slow down digestion, which also slows the rate at which glucose enters your blood stream. As a result, you’re less likely to experience drastic blood sugar spikes and energy swings in the short run, which has positive effects on your overall health in the long run.

Because weight loss can play a role in improving blood sugars, we set this plan at 1,500 calories per day, which is a level where most people will lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. If you have other calorie needs, we included modifications for 1,200 and 2,000 calories per day.

Health Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

Eating a balanced vegetarian diet has its share of health benefits. People who eat more plant-based foods are more likely to hit their daily fiber goals, which is a powerhouse nutrient that most of us are skimping out on. Likely related to increased fiber intake, people who focus on plant-based proteins tend to have better blood sugars, lower body weights, improved heart health and even a lower risk of certain cancers. Interested in eating more plant-based foods but unsure if you want to take the vegetarian plunge? The flexitarian diet is a great option and you’ll still reap the health benefits by increasing plant-based foods.

Vegetarian Foods to Focus on for Diabetes

Include plenty of protein, high fiber foods and healthy fats to maximize your health and stabilize blood sugars

• Beans and lentils
• Nuts and seeds, including natural nut butters (look for options with no added sugar)
• Yogurt
• Kefir
• Cheese
• Cottage cheese
• Tofu
• Seitan
• Tempeh
• Edamame
• Flax, hemp and chia seeds
• Eggs
• Whole grains (oats, quinoa, bulgur, barley, sprouted bread)
• Vegetables, especially dark leafy greens
• Fruits, particularly berries and fruit with skin (such as apples and pears)
• Olives and olive oil
• Avocado

How to Meal-Prep Your Week of Meals:

1. Make Muffin-Tin Omelets with Bell Pepper, Black Beans & Jack Cheese to have for breakfast throughout the week.
2. Prepare Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons to have for lunch on Days 2 through 5.
3. Make Maple Granola to have throughout the week.

Day 1

Breakfast (329 calories, 30g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup raspberries
• 1 serving Maple Granola

A.M. Snack (206 calories, 7g carbohydrate)

• ¼ cup dry-roasted unsalted almonds

Lunch (304 calories, 40g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

P.M. Snack (187 calories, 11g carbohydrate)

• ¾ cup low-fat plain kefir
• 8 dried walnut halves

Dinner (476 calories, 48g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Charred Vegetable & Bean Tostadas with Lime Crema
• 2 cups mixed greens
• 1 serving Citrus Vinaigrette

Daily Totals: 1,502 calories, 80g protein, 137g carbohydrate, 34g fiber, 77g fat, 1,386mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Change A.M. snack to 1/4 cup blueberries and omit the walnuts at P.M. snack.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Add 1 medium apple with 1 1/2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to lunch, increase to 15 dried walnut halves at P.M. snack plus add 1/2 an avocado, sliced, to dinner.

Day 2

Breakfast (268 calories, 36g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Muffin-Tin Omelets with Bell Pepper, Black Beans & Jack Cheese
• 1 medium pear

A.M. Snack (200 calories, 18g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup edamame, in pods

Lunch (405 calories, 19g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons

P.M. Snack (187 calories, 14g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup blueberries

Dinner (453 calories, 37g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Greek Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini
• 1 serving Guacamole Chopped Salad

Daily Totals: 1,512 calories, 84g protein, 125g carbohydrate, 39g fiber, 80g fat, 1,571mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Change A.M. snack to 1 peach and omit yogurt at P.M. snack.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Add 1 medium apple with 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to lunch and add 1/4 cup dry-roasted unsalted almonds to P.M. snack.

Day 3

Breakfast (268 calories, 36g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Muffin-Tin Omelets with Bell Pepper, Black Beans & Jack Cheese
• 1 medium pear

A.M. Snack (126 calories, 16g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup low-fat plain kefir
• ¼ cup raspberries

Lunch (405 calories, 19g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons

P.M. Snack (200 calories, 18g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup edamame, in pods

Dinner (485 calories, 47g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Roasted Chickpea Curry Bowl
• 2 cups mixed greens
• 1 serving Citrus Vinaigrette

Daily Totals: 1,484 calories, 76g protein, 136g carbohydrate, 40g fiber, 75g fat, 1,769mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Reduce to 1/3 cup edamame in pods at P.M. snack and omit mixed greens with Citrus Vinaigrette at dinner.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Add 1/4 cup dry-roasted unsalted almonds to A.M. snack and add 1 medium apple with 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to lunch.

Day 4

Breakfast (329 calories, 30g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup raspberries
• 1 serving Maple Granola

A.M. Snack (223 calories, 8g carbohydrate)

• 2 medium stalks celery
• 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter

Lunch (405 calories, 19g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons

P.M. Snack (114 calories, 15g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup blackberries
• 4 dried walnut halves

Dinner (439 calories, 40g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Greek Salad with Edamame
• 1-oz. slice whole-wheat baguette

Daily Totals: 1,510 calories, 77g protein, 114g carbohydrate, 34g fiber, 86g fat, 1,423mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Change A.M. snack to 1 plum and omit baguette at dinner.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Increase to 3 stalks celery and 2 1/2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter at A.M. snack, add 1 large pear to lunch, increase to 20 dried walnut halves at P.M. snack plus swap 1 serving Everything Bagel Avocado Toast for the baguette at dinner.

Day 5

Breakfast (268 calories, 36g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Muffin-Tin Omelets with Bell Pepper, Black Beans & Jack Cheese
• 1 medium pear

A.M. Snack (200 calories, 18g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup edamame, in pods

Lunch (405 calories, 19g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Vegan Kale Caesar Salad with Tofu Croutons

P.M. Snack (168 calories, 26g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup low-fat plain kefir
• 1 medium peach

Dinner (458 calories, 47g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Quinoa-Black Bean Salad

Meal-Prep Tip: reserve two servings Quinoa-Black Bean Salad to have for lunch on days 6 & 7

Daily Totals: 1,500 calories, 76g protein, 146g carbohydrate, 37g fiber, 72g fat, 1,393mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: change A.M. snack to 1 plum and omit kefir at P.M. snack

To Make it 2,000 Calories: add 1 medium apple with 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to lunch and add 1/4 cup dry-roasted unsalted almonds to P.M. snack

Day 6

Breakfast (268 calories, 36g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Muffin-Tin Omelets with Bell Pepper, Black Beans & Jack Cheese
• 1 medium pear

A.M. Snack (145 calories, 12g carbohydrate)

• 3/4 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup blueberries

Lunch (458 calories, 47g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Quinoa-Black Bean Salad

P.M. Snack (99 calories, 11g carbohydrate)

• ¾ cup blackberries
• 4 dried walnut halves

Dinner (541 calories, 41g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Chinese Crispy Noodles with Tofu & Peanut Sauce

Daily Totals: 1,512 calories, 70g protein, 147g carbohydrate, 30g fiber, 78g fat, 1,140mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Omit pear at breakfast, omit yogurt at A.M. snack and change P.M. snack to 1 plum.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Add 1/4 cup dry-roasted unsalted almonds to A.M. snack and add 1 medium apple with 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to lunch.

Day 7

CREDIT: BRIE PASSANO

Breakfast (329 calories, 30g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup raspberries
• 1 serving Maple Granola

A.M. Snack (200 calories, 18g carbohydrate)

• 1 cup edamame, in pods

Lunch (458 calories, 47g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Quinoa-Black Bean Salad

P.M. Snack (154 calories, 5g carbohydrate)

• 20 dry-roasted unsalted almonds

Dinner (362 calories, 38g carbohydrate)

• 1 serving Vegetarian Chopped Power Salad with Creamy Cilantro Dressing

Daily Totals: 1,503 calories, 74g protein, 139g carbohydrate, 34g fiber, 75g fat, 1,025mg sodium

To Make it 1,200 Calories: Change A.M. snack to 1/4 cup blueberries and change P.M. snack to 1 plum.

To Make it 2,000 Calories: Add 1 medium apple with 2 Tbsp. natural peanut butter to lunch and add 1 serving Everything Bagel Avocado Toast to dinner.

Diabetes & Vegetarian Diets: Tips & Meal Options [Plus, Download a Free Meal Plan Chart]

Food has an important role in the management of diabetes. It can have positive effects, such as providing your body with vital nutrients and energy, as well as negative effects, like causing your blood sugar to rise.

Choosing a vegetarian diet — eliminating meat of all kinds — may have natural health benefits when it comes to blood sugar management. A study published by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) on diabetes and vegetarian diets found that maintaining a vegetarian diet was associated with a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes and lower BMI when compared to a non-vegetarian diet.

Although a vegetarian diet has many potential health benefits, there are vegetarian diet diabetes risk factors to be aware of, including not getting enough of certain nutrients like protein or consuming too many carbs. Your healthcare team can work with you to ensure you are eating balanced meals and that your entire diabetes management plan is appropriate for a vegetarian diet.

Benefits of a vegetarian diet for diabetes

Following a vegetarian diet for diabetes has heart health benefits including lowering total cholesterol and LDL levels, lowering blood pressure, and helping to lower the risk of heart attack and stroke. Also, eating a healthy diet that is rich in essential nutrients and low in added sugars, unhealthy fats, and sodium — combined with daily exercise — can lead to better blood sugar management, according to the ADA.

Since a vegetarian diet consists largely of grains, nuts, fruits, vegetables, seeds, and sometimes eggs or dairy products, it has the potential to naturally increase your intake of important nutrients and lower your intake of those linked to chronic disease. Below are some details around these benefits:

Consume more whole grains, fruits, and vegetables

The National Center for Biotechnology Information states that people who stick to a vegetarian diet show a higher intake of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. These foods contain fiber and antioxidants that are beneficial to slowing the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream and improving diabetes management.

Better weight control

A vegetarian diet can consist of high amounts of plant-based foods, which are lower in calories and higher in fiber. When appropriate portions of plant-based foods are substituted for foods that have higher calorie counts, the overall intake of calories in a day lessens, which can help with weight control.

According to Johns Hopkins University, studies have shown a clear connection between obesity and type 2 diabetes. For those who have pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, losing weight can help improve blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of serious health complications related to diabetes.

Less intake of saturated fat

Food that comes from animal sources naturally contains saturated fat. This includes beef, pork, poultry with skin, butter, cheese, and other dairy products. While some vegetarian diets may incorporate dairy products like cheese or eggs, replacing meat with plant-based protein sources can help with diabetes management and heart health. Some alternative protein sources include:

• Beans
• Nuts
• Legumes
• Cashew cheese

Concerns about a vegetarian diet for people with diabetes

For those with diabetes, switching to a vegetarian diet is not quite as simple as eliminating meat from your meals. The foods that replace meat can sometimes have negative effects on blood sugar management. A change in diet may also require adjustments to your entire diabetes management plan, especially for those taking medication or insulin.

Considerations when switching to a vegetarian diet include:

• Consuming too much carbohydrate, including starches and sugars
• Lack of nutrients – specifically protein, iron, calcium, and vitamin B12
• Eating more processed foods
• Increased chances of low blood sugar for those taking medication or insulin

Foods like pasta, bread, and potatoes are considered vegetarian but contain carbohydrate. Since your body converts carbohydrate to sugar, which is absorbed into your blood and raises blood sugar levels, these foods should be counted as carbohydrate foods according to your diabetes treatment plan.

Many foods that fit a vegetarian diet are heavily processed. It is best to avoid processed foods because they provide little nutritional value and tend to be high in carbohydrate. They are typically digested quickly, which can pose challenges for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. A few examples of processed foods are:

• White breads, rice, and pasta
• Cookies and crackers
• Boxed meals

Since vegetarian foods can lack certain nutrients that are contained in meats, carefully planning  your vegetarian diet is crucial in order to avoid nutrient deficiencies. For example, people who take the medication Metformin for diabetes may have lower vitamin B12 levels, and since there are no plant sources of the vitamin, they may require a supplement.

If you have diabetes, it’s important to consult with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)  prior to starting a vegetarian diet. An RDN will make sure your new food choices can provide necessary nutrients without unintended adverse effects on your blood sugar and overall health. Your RDN and healthcare team can work closely with you for food shopping and meal planning tips in order to create a balanced vegetarian diet for diabetes. They will also monitor lab values, blood sugar levels, and carbohydrate intake, since a sudden change in diet can lead to a sudden need for your medication and/or insulin to be adjusted.

Vegetarian diet tips for diabetes

People of all ages who have been diagnosed with diabetes, including pregnant women, can safely follow a vegetarian diet by partnering with their healthcare team and RDN. It is crucial to meet with a dietitian before making changes in your eating habits to ensure that you will be eating a balanced diet, and any medication and/or insulin you are taking is adjusted as needed to help prevent a hypoglycemic event. A dietitian can instruct you on your carbohydrate goal for each meal and snack, to help you avoid high or low blood sugars.

In general, people starting a vegetarian diet will want to be mindful to:

• Track carbohydrate amounts consumed at each meal and snack, and distribute them evenly throughout the day.
• Consume a consistent amount of carbohydrate, plus a serving of lean protein and healthy fat at each meal.
• Eat a wide variety of foods to help meet nutritional needs.
• Look up the carbohydrate content of foods, including plant-based proteins such as hummus or edamame, in the Choose Your Foods: Food Lists for Diabetes book from the ADA.
• Monitor blood sugar closely when starting a vegetarian diet for diabetes, so that medications and/or insulin can be adjusted accordingly.
• Note carbohydrate intake and blood sugar levels in a mobile app or printable logbook.

Specific recommendations provided by your dietitian will take into consideration your age, type of diabetes, calorie needs, lifestyle, and more. You may also discuss different types of vegetarian diets for diabetes.

No matter which type of vegetarian diet you prefer, most meal plans will include the three aspects highlighted below.

1. Balance carbohydrate intake

Sometimes when people with diabetes start a vegetarian diet, they replace meat with extra carbohydrate foods, resulting in too much at a meal. This can lead to high post-meal blood sugars and weight gain.

Balancing carbohydrate choices to include high fiber options can be helpful in reducing the impact on blood sugar levels. Not only does fiber help maintain stable blood sugar, it can also keep you feeling full longer, and aid in digestion.

Examples of high fiber carbohydrate swaps for a vegetarian diet for diabetes include:

• Whole grain bread (3 grams or more per slice) instead of white bread
• Brown rice instead of white rice
• Chickpea pasta instead of refined pasta
• Bran cereal instead of cornflakes
• Oatmeal instead of grits
• Popcorn (low fat) instead of pretzels
• Baked beans instead of potato chips

2. Incorporate plant-based protein foods into your vegetarian diet

Dietary protein needs for people with diabetes can be met through vegetarian and vegan meal plans. A general goal is to eat a minimum of 4-6 ounces of protein food each day.

Although protein foods are not usually counted into your carbohydrate “budget,” some plant-based proteins also contain carbohydrate. For example, when eating beans for protein, a ½ cup serving also counts as a carbohydrate choice (15 grams).

You can find protein in plant-based foods such as:

Legumes

Legumes such as black beans, pinto beans, chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, and split peas are excellent, affordable sources of plant protein. They are also an excellent source of soluble fiber, which has many health benefits. A diet rich in legumes can improve blood sugar control and reduce blood lipids, helping prevent heart attack and stroke.

Soy

Soy products are heart healthy and are available in many forms including soy milk, meat substitutes, soy beans and soy bean burgers, soy-based yogurt and cheese, tofu, soy nut butters, and more.

Meat substitutes

Meat substitutes can add variety to a vegetarian diet for diabetes but are not necessary for a balanced diet. Options like plant-based veggie burgers, chicken patties, sausage, and more are available in both the fresh and frozen sections of the supermarket and at some restaurants. Some meat substitutes contain carbohydrate, so it will be important to read the label to count them into your meal plan accordingly.

Nuts and nut butters

Nut-based products such as Nuttin Ordinary cashew cheese can provide new and interesting protein-rich food choices to your vegetarian diet for diabetes.

3. Add healthy fats to your meals

When following a vegetarian diet for diabetes, you will be swapping out saturated fat found in animal products for heart healthy fats found in plant foods. It’s important to add healthy fats to your diet because your body can’t produce two essential fatty acids on its own: omega 3 and omega 6, which provide good health and disease prevention. Adding healthy fats to your meals — such as avocado, olives or olive oil, canola oil, nuts, and plant-based margarines and mayonnaise — helps you to:

• Feel full longer, which helps with weight management
• Reduce your risk of heart disease
• Maintain healthy cell membranes and aid in cellular development
• Maintain a healthy blood pressure
• Keep your hair, skin, and nails healthy

Once you have met with your RDN and healthcare team to establish a vegetarian diet plan and carbohydrate goals, consider different ways to build a balanced meal. To help you get started, we’ve created a vegetarian meal planner.

How is a vegetarian diet different for each type of diabetes?

A vegetarian diet is approached a little differently based on the type of diabetes that you have. Your dietitian and healthcare team will take into consideration the type of diabetes that you have been diagnosed with and guide you in how to follow a vegetarian diet while keeping your blood sugar under control.

Some considerations for each type of diabetes include:

Type 1 diabetes

People with type 1 diabetes use insulin, and the insulin need may decrease suddenly once the diet starts. Therefore, it is important to carefully monitor blood sugars when making a diet change. Children and teens with diabetes who follow a vegetarian diet should be monitored by watching their growth curve to ensure they are getting enough calories to support growth and development. If needed, you can increase added fats and proteins to provide additional calories.

Type 2 diabetes

Some people with type 2 diabetes have a goal to lose weight, and a vegetarian diet can help with that. As people change their diet and lose weight, medication doses may need to be decreased, and it is crucial to keep a close eye on blood sugar levels so that medications can be adjusted.

Gestational diabetes

It is important for pregnant women with diabetes to work closely with their dietitian when following a vegetarian diet. This will help ensure that enough protein, calories, and other nutrients are consumed for adequate growth and development of the baby, and good overall health for mom. Some women with gestational diabetes who choose to follow a vegetarian diet for religious or other reasons will need to take insulin during the pregnancy. This is because many plant-based proteins contain carbohydrate, and pregnancy hormones make managing blood sugar more difficult than usual.

Prediabetes

People with prediabetes who decide to follow a vegetarian diet may experience the added benefit of weight loss and improved blood sugar control, helping to keep their pre-diabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes. It is important to meet with a dietitian to get a carbohydrate target for each meal and snack so that you consume a balanced vegetarian diet and avoid excess carbohydrate intake.

A vegetarian diet can have many benefits to a person with diabetes, including better blood sugar control and reduced risk of serious health complications. Getting the vital nutrients your body needs and choosing foods that are appropriate for your personal diabetes care plan are key to a healthy vegetarian diet. Therefore, it is important to work with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist prior to making dietary changes. With some dedication, nutrition awareness from a healthcare professional, and healthy food choices, a vegetarian diet may help you achieve better blood sugar control.

What to Eat on a Vegetarian Diabetes Diet

Skipping the animal products to eat a plant-based diet, is of course, your personal choice.

But when it comes to a vegetarian diabetes diet, there are some important things you need to know to ensure you keep your blood sugar levels in a healthy range.

For instance, the various carbs that are good or bad, ensuring you get adequate vegetarian protein, possible nutrient deficiencies and so forth.

Let’s explore these things together now, along with food samples and recipes.

Vegetarian Classifications

Lacto-ovo vegetarian (most common type) – eat both dairy products and eggs.

Lacto-vegetarian – eat dairy products but avoid eggs.

Ovo-vegetarian – eat eggs but not dairy products.

Vegan diet – don’t eat dairy products, eggs, or any other animal-derived products.

Pescetarian (or pesco-vegetarian) – a person who is a vegetarian most of the time but occasionally eats fish.

Flexitarian – a person who is a vegetarian most of the time but occasionally eats meat.

Vegetarian for Type 2 Diabetes and Prediabetes

A diet rich in plant-based foods is a healthy diet!

Here at DMP we encourage everyone to include an abundance of vegetables (even meat eaters) because they offer valuable, high quality nutrients that the body needs to:

• Reduce risk factors for conditions like heart disease
• Manage blood glucose levels 
• Reduce HbA1c
• Lower body weight
• Keep blood pressure regular
• And ward off chronic diseases

Yes. Nutrients are the key to keeping the body functioning. All our cells need nutrients, and vegetables and other whole foods provide the perfect ingredients for a healthy body!

But, not all plant foods are great to eat when you have diabetes or prediabetes. There are a few aspects you need to understand to sustain and maintain good diabetes management, so let’s go over those now.

Stick to Non-Starchy Vegetables

One of the most important things you can do as a vegetarian is eat more vegetables!

That might sound like a funny (and obvious) thing to say, but trust me, I’ve met plenty of vegetarians who live on processed garbage and rarely eat vegetables!

If that’s you, you’re first step to gaining better blood glucose control is to eat more veg, particularly non starchy vegetables.

Non starchy vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, generally have a low glycemic index, and are the type of veg that won’t send your blood sugar soaring.

What are we talking about here exactly?

Choose these vegetables in abundance:

Alfalfa, artichoke, arugula (rocket) asparagus, avocado, bean sprouts, beet greens, bell peppers (capsicum), bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, chicory, chives, choy sum, collard greens, cucumber, dandelion greens, daikon, eggplant (aubergine), endive, fennel, green beans, green onions, mushrooms, mustard greens, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, okra, pak choi, radish, radicchio, rhubarb, scallions, seaweeds, silverbeet, shallot, spinach, sugar snap peas (snow peas), Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnip greens, watercress, yellow summer squash, zucchini (courgette).

Vegetable Proteins

There are plenty of great protein sources to eat as a vegetarian:

Eggs, cheese (cheddar, ricotta, feta, cottage etc), nuts and nut butters (peanut butter, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts etc), seeds (pumpkin seeds, sesame, sunflower, chia etc), whey protein, bee pollen, soy products like tempeh, tofu, natto, textured vegetable protein (TVP), and edamame (young soybeans – 1/2 cup); and finally, sprouted beans and legumes.

NOTE: You need to be cautious of beans and legumes. These do contain protein but they are also a high carb food. Sprouting them drastically reduces the amount of carbs they contain.

Carbohydrates are the nutrient that influences blood sugar and A1c the most, so eating high carb foods can be problematic and make it difficult to regulate your blood sugar levels.

Research shows that low carb diets are a great way to lower blood sugar, A1c, cholesterol, lose weight, and even reduce medications. So if you do choose to include beans and legumes (without sprouting them), you’ll need to monitor your portion sizes to around 1/4 cup maximum per serve. 

Eat Healthy Fats

The body needs a range of fatty acids for optimal health, especially the brain, which is made up of around 60% fat!

And, compared to carbohydrates, and to a lesser extent proteins, fats hardly impact blood sugar at all.

Healthy fat sources include:

Healthy vegetable oils (olive oil, hazelnut, avocado, sesame, macadamia, high oleic sunflower, coconut, and almond oils), avocado, olives (green, black, or kalamata), nuts and seeds (macadamia nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, coconut, Brazil nuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds, or nut butters: peanut or almond butter, tahini etc).

Skip the High Carb Foods

Eating too many high carb foods is where vegetarians can get into trouble.

You really need to cut out, or find alternatives for, the high carb offenders.

High carb offenders include:

1. Potatoes (including sweet potatoes) – both are starchy vegetables full of carbs!
2. Pasta
3. Rice (yes, brown rice, too)
4. Noodles
5. Cereals
6. Bread

All your “white” items are definitely the worst offenders – white pasta, white flour products and so forth. 

However, even whole grain products can be problematic when you’re trying to control blood sugar levels.

Even the American Diabetes Association (ADA) acknowledge in their 2017 Standards of Medical Care report, that “whole grain consumption was not associated with improvements in glycemic control in type 2 diabetes” – or in other words, eating whole grains doesn’t help you manage blood sugar and A1c levels!

And, despite commonly held assumptions, you do not need to consume whole grains for fiber. Vegetables, nuts and seeds will provide ample dietary fiber!

Compare brown rice to a few vegetables:

• 1 cup brown rice = 3.5 g fiber
• Half an avocado = 6.7 g fiber
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds = 4 g fiber
• 1/4 cup raspberries = 2.9 g fiber
• 1 cup beet greens = 2.8 g fiber

As you can see, vegetables and seeds provide ample dietary fiber!

There are many high-fiber foods that won’t send your blood sugar soaring, so focus on eating those instead of grains that will likely be problematic.

What About Packaged Vegetarian “Products”

If you take a browse through the store, you’ll find a variety of vegetarian substitutes for every “meat” dish you can think of.

For instance:

• Veggie burger patties
• Fake turkey and chicken (such as Tofurky)
• Fake meat (such as Quorn)
• etc

Just remember that these food sources are often more highly processed than whole food sources. And therefore, not all of them are great. Some are okay, while others are nothing more than processed junk.

When it comes to packaged foods, you really have to evaluate the quality of each food.

Look at the ingredients list. Does it have a short ingredient list? And do you know everything it contains? If the answer is yes, it’s probably a pretty good option.

On the other hand, if it has a looong ingredients list of things you can’t pronounce. Well… let’s just say it may be better off left on the shelf. And you would be better off heading to the fresh food section of the store.

Regardless of the nutrient content of a food, quality is still important, too.

Vitamin B12 deficiency

For people who are vegan, vitamin B12 deficiency is a very real concern. But for all people with diabetes, B12 deficiency can be common anyway.

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Example Vegetarian Dishes & Vegetarian Recipes

Eating a diabetic friendly vegetarian diet isn’t difficult to do – when you know how.

Let’s look at what a sample daily menu might look like.

Day 1 

Breakfast

Start your day with a Delicious Egg Muffin or Veggie Egg Scramble. Or a Low Carb Bircher Muesli.

Lunch

There are any number of salad combinations that can highlight the middle of your day.

• Pesto Asparagus Salad
• Cauliflower “Potato” Salad
• Beetroot Walnut Salad

Dinner

Try some Zucchini Pizza Boats with your choice of filling. Or a Cheesy Vegetable Bake will satisfy every time!

Snacks

• Cucumber crackers
• Ranch dip
• Or one of our community favorites – Peanut Butter Protein Balls