The Vegan Diet And The Glycemic Index
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Some diabetics believe that the high-carb nature of many vegan diets means they will have a high glycemic index and be more susceptible to heart disease. Not so, say various studies.
The German Vegan Study, reported in 2006, concludes that vegans who eat high-fiber diets (which means eating whole foods as a rule) have lower glycemic indices and a low-to-moderate glycemic load. Read the abstract.
In the widely-reported randomized study of a low-fat vegan diet versus the standard American Dietetic Assn. recommended diet, the vegan diet did better than the ADA diet in glycemic and lipid control.
I personally believe the focus on glycemic index and so-called “low carb” is misguided as they are oversimplifications that often steer people in the wrong direction. The above studies suggest that simply following a healthy low-fat vegan diet will make more of a difference than trying to follow some of the low-carb, low GI stuff out there. However, for those who don’t feel comfortable making choices day to day, who want more of a guide to what to eat when diabetic or suffering from acid reflux, for example, there are some good cookbooks available.
Amazon readers seem to favor Robin Robertson’s Carb Conscious Vegetarian. The recipes are all vegan and from the reviews I suspect they are like recipes from Robertson’s other cookbooks: easy to follow, easy to find ingredients for, delicious. If you go to that page at Amazon you’ll see other similar cookbooks as well and be able to make a reasonably informed decision. For my part, I am considering getting Robertson’s book for a resistant meat-eating diabetic who happens to be a good friend.
Thanks for making this point. And it’s also true for dogs. I have a 10-year old diabetic greyhound whom I feed no animal products and her need for insulin has decreased since she went vegan a couple of years ago. She recently had complete bloodwork and x-rays (long story) and I was told her bloodwork was “surprisingly fantastic” and that she has “the bones and organs of a teenager.” Her vets originally thought her high carb diet would be a problem for her diabetes, and I suggested that perhaps the type of carb was really the issue. They didn’t believe me, of course, but now I have hard evidence of her diabetes improvement.
.-= Mary Martin´s last blog ..Which One Cookbook Do You Recommend? =-.
Wow. That’s great to hear, Mary. I wonder if there is a similar story to be told for cats, whose systems are so different. I have been looking for a way to avoid diabetes in my cats and I am not comfortable going with a veg diet for them.
Check out this informative and inspiring video on why people choose vegan: http://veganvideo.org/
Also see Gary Yourofsky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bagt5L9wXGo
Convenient Vegan: I have a cat that is diabetic. Cats are obligate carnivores and it’s a good thing you’re not putting yours on a vegan diet. Please see the following link:
http://www.catinfo.org/
I was able to find a lot of information regarding cat diabetes.My vet wanted me to feed him those Presciption Diet and Purina DM canned foods, and my cat not only hated them, but they did nothing to lower is blood sugar. I followed the tips from this article and feed him Wellness…he’s doing MUCH better. Hope this helps!
Cats are so very different from dogs. And both cats and dogs are so very different from people. Some medications seem to work in all three species as well as some other kinds of advice, but nutritionally, cats and dogs are night and day.
Me and my dogs eat plant-based diets. I eat vegan all the time. The dogs get a few nonvegan treats now and then, but their everyday kibble is vegan. The cats are not even close to vegan. The cats are carnivores.
Hi Kay,
My cats are not diabetic and not showing any signs in that direction. I am just concerned for their future, in case one of them – the extra-large one- might go that way. I read much of that article, which recommends no dry food at all and even making your own wet cat food. You say you use Wellness food – the canned type? I use the dry and sometimes the wet Wellness food. I expect I will move more towards the canned version.
Excellent Post…Keep going… I’ve learnt some good things about glycemic index and how it is useful for diabetes patients. You may be also interested in this post which gives a tabular form of most of the foods and their respective GI and GL values