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Best Diabetes Diets

Diet is a crucial tool for managing diabetes, and weight loss can help people who are overweight prevent Type 2 diabetes. The experts who rated the 32 diets below evaluated each one on its ability to both prevent and manage diabetes. The Biggest Loser Diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), an eating plan endorsed by the government, came out on top.

Flexitarian Diet 

The aim: optimal health.

The claim: Flexitarians weigh 15 percent less than their more carnivorous counterparts; have a lower rate of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer; and live an average of 3.6 years longer.

The Flexitarian Diet: 

The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life,you can be a vegetarian most of the time, but still chow down on a burger or steak when the urge hits.

How does the The Flexitarian Diet work?

Becoming a flexitarian is about adding five food groups to your diet—not taking any away. These are: the “new meat” (tofu, beans, lentils, peas, nuts and seeds, and eggs); fruits and veggies; whole grains; dairy; and sugar and spice (everything from dried herbs to salad dressing to agave nectar sweetener). A five-week meal plan provides breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack recipes. You can follow the plan as it’s outlined, or swap recipes from different weeks to meet your preferences. It’s a 3-4-5 regimen: Breakfast choices are around 300 calories, lunches 400, and dinners 500. Snacks are about 150 calories each; add two, and your daily total clocks in at 1,500 calories. Depending on your activity level, gender, height, and weight, you can tweak the plan to allow for slightly greater or fewer calories.

Flexitarian meals revolve around plant proteins rather than animal proteins. You might have cereal topped with soy milk, nuts, and berries for breakfast; black bean soup with a salad and whole-grain roll for lunch, an apple with peanut butter for a snack, and a barbeque veggie burger with sweet potato fries for dinner.
You can follow her regimen at your own pace: Jump in and try most of the recipes, sticking to the meal plan verbatim for five weeks. Or take it slowly, and test one of the recipes every once in a while. The Flexitarian Diet includes what she calls a “Flex Swap” feature: suggestions for recipe alterations and ingredient substitutions, like adding chicken, turkey, fish, or red meat to a vegetarian recipe. Jackson Blatner offers advice for all kinds of followers; if you already eat well most of the time, for example, she’ll show you how to add variety. The diet is molded after her philosophy: “Eat more plants, and do the best that you can.”

Does it have cardiovascular benefits?

Yes. Research suggests plant-based diets help keep cholesterol and blood pressure in check and heart disease at bay. That’s in large part because plant protein is higher in fiber than animal protein, with less fat and no cholesterol. The American Heart Association says semi-vegetarianism can be healthful and nutritionally sound if it’s carefully planned to include essential nutrients.

Can it prevent or control diabetes?

Yes, it’s a good option for both.

Prevention: 
Being overweight is one of the biggest risk factors for type 2 diabetes. If cutting back on meat helps you lose weight and keep it off, you’ll stand a better chance of staving off the disease. Some research has linked vegetarianism with a lower diabetes risk.

Control: 
A vegetarian diet is a healthful option, according to the American Diabetes Association. (The ADA does not specifically address semi-vegetarianism.) And because there are no rigid meal plans or prepackaged meals, you can ensure that what you’re eating doesn’t go against your doctor’s advice.

Are there health risks?

No indications of serious risks or side effects have surfaced. However, if you have a health condition, talk with your doctor before making major dietary changes.

Fat
You’ll have no problem staying within the government’s recommendation that between 20 to 35 percent of daily calories come from fat. A sample daily menu provided 27 percent.

Protein.
It’s within the acceptable range for protein consumption—15 percent, compared with the 10 to 35 percent the government recommends.

Carbohydrates
The government advises that between 45 and 65 percent of daily calories come from carbs. Jackson Blatner’s plan should keep you at a middle-of-the-road 57 percent.

Salt
The majority of Americans eat too much salt. The recommended daily maximum is 2,300 milligrams, but if you’re 51 or older, African-American, or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, the limit is 1,500 mg. A sample daily Flexitarian Diet menu provided 1,349 mg.

Fiber
Getting the recommended daily amount of 22 to 34 grams for adults helps you feel full and promotes good digestion. Veggies, fruits, beans, and whole grains—all major sources—are encouraged on this diet, so you should meet the recommendation. A sample daily menu provided 32 grams.

Potassium
A sufficient amount of this important nutrient, according to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines, counters salt’s ability to raise blood pressure, decreases bone loss, and reduces the risk of developing kidney stones. It’s not that easy to get the recommended daily 4,700 mg. from food. (Bananas are high in potassium, yet you’d have to eat 11 a day.) The majority of Americans take in far too little. A sample daily menu came up short at 1,277 mg.

Calcium
It’s essential not only to build and maintain bones but to make blood vessels and muscles function properly. Many Americans don’t get enough. Women and anyone older than 50 should try especially hard to meet the government’s recommendation of 1,000 to 1,300 mg. A sample daily menu provided 1,130 mg.

Vitamin B-12
Adults should shoot for 2.4 micrograms of this nutrient, which is critical for proper cell metabolism. Fish like salmon and trout, along with eggs and yogurt, are good sources. A sample daily menu provided 3.3 mcg.

Vitamin D
Adults who don’t get enough sunlight need to meet the government’s 15 microgram recommendation with food or a supplement to lower the risk of bone fractures. A sample daily menu came up short, providing 13.4 mcg. Just 3 ounces of sockeye salmon, which packs almost 20 micrograms of vitamin D, will satisfy the requirement.

Supplement recommended 
Adults should take a daily multi-vitamin and mineral supplement to make sure they don’t skimp on important nutrients, says Jackson Blatner. It’s a good idea to choose gender-specific multivitamins, which are tailored, for example, to meet differing iron needs.

Recipes. 
The Flexitarian Diet is packed with them. They’re designed to help you easily prepare healthy flexitarian foods that you’ll enjoy. Each recipe calls for an average of only five main ingredients.

Eating out. 
Allowed. Check out restaurant menus beforehand to find healthy meals; if a restaurant doesn’t have a website, call and ask them to fax or email you a copy. Be wary of words like fried, crispy, breaded, creamy, scalloped, or sautéed—instead go for broiled, baked, grilled, roasted, poached, and steamed.

Alcohol. 
Allowed. Moderation is key, i.e., one drink a day for women, and two for men. Stick with drinks in the 100-calories-or-less range, such as a 12-ounce light beer, 5-ounce glass of wine, or a shot of liquor in club soda—not tonic water, because it has calories.

Fullness:
Nutrition experts emphasize the importance of satiety, the satisfied feeling that you’ve had enough. If you’ve built a healthful vegetarian diet around fiber-packed veggies, fruits, and whole grains, you shouldn’t feel hungry between meals.

Taste:
Recipes range from “lunch nachos” to a grilled cheese and rosemary-tomato sandwich, Caribbean black bean couscous, and veggie enchiladas. For dessert, try a peach-raspberry crepe or pineapple with candied ginger and pecans.

Most people can customize the Flexitarian Diet to fit their needs; it is, after all, flexible. Pick a preference for more information.

Vegetarian and vegan

Gluten-free

Low-salt

Kosher

Halal