Re: Vegetarianism and Diabetes
Namast,
I agree with the others who have posted so far. I follow a low-carb vegetarian diet, and while it can be hard sometimes, the benefits are well worth it. I'm not diabetic, but have been vegetarian for about a decade, and despite years of following the healthy, balanced diet with plenty of whole grains - just like the conventional wisdom prescribes - used to get trembly and confused after a few hours without eating. Keeping dairy, nuts, leafy greens, vegetables, and tart berries, while dropping all of the breads, cooked grains, and beans, has ended that problem (and also stopped digestive troubles, as an added benefit).
Besides Jodhaa's good recommendations, I would add to it Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades' Protein Power and The Protein Power Lifeplan, either or both of which are usually carried by public libraries, and are down-to-earth, everyday-language explanations of why this way of eating helps. Also, blogs are a fun resource - http://lowcarbwholefoodie.blogspot.ca/ hasn't been updated in a while but has some good recipes, for example.
Jainarayan makes a good point about personal suffering, and that you may want to consider a pesco-ovo-lacto lifestyle. Sadly, all of the brittle type 2 diabetics I know are vegetarians, and I wish I could get them to read some of the newer research about the effects of carbohydrate. Best wishes; you've asked a good and relevant question, and I hope that you receive many more replies that will help you, and any other diabetics who come to this thread seeking similar answers.
"What was, what is, what will be: I am That." -from Bāṣkalamantra Upaniṣad
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