Takeaways

• Individuals following a vegan diet abstain from all animal products and by-products.

• A vegan diet may be good for individuals with type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes as it has been shown to enhance insulin sensitivity, promote weight loss, and improve long-term blood sugar level control.

• That said, adhering to a vegan diet comes with its challenges. Sustainability may be an issue, along with the concern of unknowingly consuming foods containing animal-based ingredients.

• Individuals following a vegan diet may find it challenging to get enough health-promoting nutrients their bodies need (e.g., essential amino acids, vitamin B12, and DHA).

• Ultimately, a vegan diet is not necessarily healthier or better for diabetes management than other eating patterns.

Animal cruelty. T-rex-sized environmental footprint. These are two of the most common reasons Singaporeans are increasingly ditching animal-based foods for plant-based ones. While you, too, may be interested in stamping out inhumane factory farm practices and fighting against climate change ... the truth is that adopting a vegan diet isn't as straightforward as, for example, buying cruelty-free skincare products or bringing a reusable tote bag on your grocery runs. You'll have to make wide-sweeping changes to how you live your life. Plus, if you have diabetes, there's a more pressing concern: is a vegan diet suitable for you?

Plus, if you have diabetes, there's a more pressing question: is a vegan diet suitable for you? Here, we explore the pros and cons of adopting a vegan diet for diabetes management so that you can make an informed decision based on your unique lifestyle circumstances and preferences.

What is a vegan diet?

There's a lot of confusion about what a vegan diet is and how it differs from a vegetarian or plant-based diet. So, to get us all on the same page, here are the definitions of all three:

• Plant-based diet: Defined as a regimen that encourages whole, plant-based foods and discourages meats, dairy products, and eggs, plus all refined and processed foods.

• Vegetarian diet: A diet free of poultry, meat, and fish. That said, there are many types of vegetarianism. For example, while ovo-vegetarians steer clear of dairy foods (e.g., milk, butter, and cheese), lacto-ovo-vegetarians include them in their diets.

• Vegan diet: The strictest form of vegetarianism. In addition to abstaining from poultry, meat, and fish, vegans also refrain from eating all animal products and by-products. That means no eggs, dairy, or even bee products (e.g., honey and royal jelly).  

Can a vegan diet be good for diabetes?

Short answer? Yes, a vegan diet could be good for diabetes management, regardless of diabetes type (i.e., type 1 or type 2). Long answer? Not all vegan eating patterns or foods are equally beneficial to your blood sugar levels, but we're getting ahead of ourselves. So, first, let’s look at how a vegan diet may help lead to improved health outcomes for individuals with diabetes:

• Enhance insulin sensitivity: Insulin resistance—which affects individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabetes—makes effective diabetes management more challenging. Note: the more insulin resistant an individual is, the more insulin they need to achieve optimal blood glucose levels. Thankfully, research shows that vegan diets could help improve insulin sensitivity. According to a 16-week 2020 study published in JAMA Network Open, for instance, researchers found that participants who switched to a low-fat vegan diet experienced greater decreases in their HOMA-IR, an important indicator of insulin resistance, than those eating their regular diet (i.e., they became more sensitive to insulin).

• Promote weight loss: The American Diabetes Association recommends weight loss for all individuals with diabetes carrying excess weight. Beyond improving insulin sensitivity and long-term blood glucose levels, even modest reductions in weight have been shown to lower the risk of several diabetes-related complications, like cardiovascular disease and retinopathy. Speaking of weight loss, that’s where the vegan diet appears to shine. In a 2018 study published in Nutrition & Diabetes, researchers found that participants who followed a vegan diet saw a more significant reduction in body weight and fat than those in the control group.

• Increase dietary fiber intake: Compared to other diets, a vegan diet tends to contain more dietary fiber, a particularly health-beneficial nutrient for people with diabetes. Beyond mitigating post-meal hyperglycemia (i.e., an exaggerated rise in blood sugar following a meal) by delaying digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, dietary fiber intake is also associated with improved long-term blood sugar level control and lowered risk of diabetes-related complications, like cardiovascular disease.

What are the challenges of adopting a vegan diet for diabetes?

Just because a vegan diet may be good for diabetes management doesn’t mean you’ll find cutting out animal products and by-products easy. Common issues you’ll run into include:

• Sustainability: At its core, a vegan diet is a restrictive one. You'll have to give up eating all meats, poultry, fish, and animal by-products. This will have far-reaching consequences on how you live your life, from your choice of groceries to your pick of restaurants. So give careful thought to whether you'd be okay with doing that for the long term. It's also worth remembering that your dietary choices can impact those around you, too—how will your friends, family members, and loved ones respond to this lifestyle change?

• “Accidentally” consuming animal by-products: Many seemingly 100% plant-based foods contain hidden animal ingredients. Many soups, broths, sauces, and gummy candies, for instance, contain gelatin, a thickening agent made from the skin, bones, and connective tissues of cows and pigs. You may also need to be wary of dyed foods. Some dyes, like the red-colored carmine, are made from animals. So, if you follow a vegan diet, you may find yourself poring over every single nutrition label and/or ingredient list. Are you comfortable with that?

Precautions when adopting a vegan diet

Think the potential health benefits of adopting a vegan diet outweigh its associated inconveniences and challenges? That’s great. However, before you start tossing out all things animal-related in your fridge, there are four crucial things to keep in mind when switching to a vegan diet for diabetes management:

• Keep an eye on these nutrients: Animal products can be rich sources of certain nutrients that are more difficult to derive from a vegan diet. More specifically, you may wish to consider taking vegan supplements for the following nutrients:

  • Vitamin B12: Involved in developing red blood cells, plus maintaining nerves and normal brain function. Found almost exclusively in animal-sourced foods, like meat, fish, dairy products, and eggs. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause symptoms like weakness, fatigue, and megaloblastic anemia.

  • Vitamin D: Helps your body absorb and retain calcium and phosphorus, which are critical for bone health. There are two types of dietary vitamin D: ergocalciferol (D2), typically found in plants, and cholecalciferol (D3). As D3 increases vitamin D blood levels much more efficiently than D2, individuals following a plant-based diet are at a higher risk of deficiency. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of several adverse health conditions, including osteoporosis, heart disease, and multiple sclerosis.

  • Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA): An essential omega-3 fatty acid that’s important for normal brain development and function. Commonly found in cold water, fatty fish like salmon and tuna. While your body can technically make DHA from the omega-3 fatty acid ALA found in flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts, the conversion process is notoriously inefficient. Omega-3 deficiency may translate to symptoms like dry eyes, skin irritation, fatigue, and poor memory.

• Be thoughtful about your choice of plant-based proteins: While animal proteins are complete proteins (i.e., they contain all nine essential amino acids your body cannot produce on its own), most plant-based proteins are not. So, to ensure your body gets all the essential amino acids it needs, you’ll have to pay attention to your choice of proteins. Prioritize complete plant-based proteins, like quinoa, buckwheat, soy, and beans, and eat a wide assortment of plant-based proteins.

• Macronutrient balance: While the exact amounts of fat, carbohydrates, and protein an individual with diabetes should eat should be individualized, a good balance between the three macronutrients helps regulate blood glucose levels. Unfortunately, getting adequate amounts of healthy fats and lean proteins to “balance out” your meals’ carbohydrate content can be challenging when you’re on a vegan diet. You may then end up with poorer blood glucose profiles as a result. 

• Just because a food is vegan doesn't mean it's good for diabetics: To illustrate this point, consider potato chips. Or fried donuts. These are both vegan options—but are they healthy? Well, not really, because they’re often laden with sugar, sodium, calories, saturated fats, and trans fats. This goes back to what we said about not all vegan eating patterns or foods being equally beneficial to your blood sugar levels. If you wish to glean the most health benefits from switching to a vegan diet, you'll still have to build your diet around minimally processed, whole foods, like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and healthy oils. 

What can I do if I cannot stick to a vegan diet?

Don't find a vegan diet sustainable or suitable for you? That's perfectly fine, too. While a vegan diet may be good for individuals with diabetes, the truth is that, from the ketogenic diet to intermittent fasting, no one eating pattern is superior to others in diabetes management. In other words, there is no special diet for people with diabetes. Instead, a “diabetes-friendly” diet will look a lot like the healthy eating guidelines doctors and dietitians recommend for everyone:

• Prioritize complex carbohydrates from legumes, nuts, and whole grains, along with lean proteins and healthy fats

• Eat lots of fruits and vegetables (400 grams daily)

• Limit sodium, free sugars, saturated fats, and trans-fats

What if I need more support?

Healthier eating can help you better manage your blood sugar levels—but even with the guidelines above, knowing exactly how and what to eat to flatten those glucose curves can be overwhelming.

If you’re looking for more tailored dietary guidance, check out NOVI Magnum. With access to expert coaching and regular reviews from your own personal dietitian at pocket-friendly rates starting from just S$4/day (that’s less than what you’d typically pay for a hawker meal these days), you’ll go from “Will eating this help?” to “I know eating this will help” in no time.