General Food Considerations for Individuals with Diabetes

by David DeRose, M.D.

In people with diabetes, a vegan (total vegetarian) diet appears to be optimal for blood sugar control and reducing risk of complications. However even on such a diet, certain foods may still raise blood sugar. This page provides some general guidelines for eating with diabetes. Please do not make any changes in diet without consulting with your physician—this is especially true if you are pregnant or taking medication for diabetes.

 

Type of Food	Often a problem	Sometimes a problem	Usually not a problem	Generally helpful
Sweet Foods & Fruits	1. Dried fruit of any kind like raisins dates or figs. 2. Fruit juices, cooked fruit, fruit spreads, and fruit sauces. 3. Very sweet fruits such as bananas, grapes, mangoes and watermelon. 4. Any foods made with: white or brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, fructose, fruit juice concentrate, dried cane juice	Unprocessed fresh fruits (not mentioned elsewhere in this row)	1. High pectin fruits such as apple or pear (particularly if eaten with a meal) 2. Stoned fruits like peaches and plums also have a low glycemic index. 3. prickly pear
Grains	1. Any refined grain such as: white rice or white flour products. 2. Other very high glycemic index grain foods: corn flakes, corn chips, & puffed rice	Whole grains of all types. (note the exceptions on left) Pasta (even if made from refined grain)	Oatmeal or barley cereal
Vegetables	1. Vegetable juices 2. Sweet or highly starchy vegetables like sweet corn, white potatoes, parsnips, carrots, & beets.	Vegetables with seeds in them: e.g., tomatoes, cucumber Yams; sweet potatoes	1. Leaf, flower, and stem vegetables (such as broccoli, cauliflower, celery, lettuce, spinach, etc.). 2. Tofu	Whole beans (legumes) tend to stabilize blood sugar (soy and peanuts are among the best).
Nuts, seeds, and other fat-rich vegan foods	Saturated fats and trans fats (the type of fat found in “partially hydrogenated” vegetable oil). Note that research suggests that high levels of these contributes to insulin resistance (higher levels of other fats is also not desirable—see next column)	Too much of any high fat food at a given meal. We recommend: average dietary fat intake around 20% or below; with no meal over 30%	Olives and avocados as well as nuts and seeds (best if not oil roasted or salted). BUT WATCH SERVING SIZE of these higher fat items	1/8 avocado, 4-8 black olives, or 4-6 nuts eaten at both the beginning & end of a meal may help stabilize blood sugar
Dairy substitutes	1. Many commercial soy, potato or rice based milks (read label for sugar content) 2. Frozen dairy-like products	Lower sugar commercial milk alternatives (or higher sugar varieties diluted with unsweetened homemade nut milk)	Homemade nut milk with no (or minimal) added sweetening
Other beverages	Any beverages with caffeine or alcohol			Drink water liber-ally between meals

 

Note: This material is designed to inform and educate; it is based on the opinions of the author and his understanding of current medical research. It is not intended to be viewed as a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Because medicine is a constantly changing science that requires professional evaluation, neither the author nor the distributors of this material can take responsibility for any adverse consequences resulting from the application of this information. If the material in this handout disagrees with personalized information provided by your health care professionals, please follow the counsel of those health care providers—not this handout.