Reversing Diabetes On A Plant-Based Diet

Diabetes is one of the fastest-growing diseases in India today, with 49% of the world's reported cases coming from our country. It also contributes to over 11% of all deaths above the age of 70. Those are some pretty grim statistics.

Diabetes is a condition that occurs when the body is unable to regulate insulin levels. Patients, more often than not, are put on some kind of insulin therapy, with oral or injected medications to keep sugar levels under control.

Dr Tripathi at a seminar

But Pune-based Dr Pramod Tripathi, founder of Freedom From Diabetes (FFD), says that diabetes can be reversed with the right diet. FFD  works to educate, inspire and support diabetics to become free from insulin and tablets, naturally. Here, he talks to us about how a plant-based diet helps diabetics stay off medicines for good.

The Freedom From Diabetes Plant-Based Diet

A plant-based diet is a one that does not include any kind of animal products (milk and milk products, meat, eggs, fish etc). It consists of a high fibre and anti-oxidant rich food products.

This diet has been modified to suit the Freedom From Diabetes programme, such that the daily micro and macronutrient needs of diabetic patients can be met.

The dietary modifications consist of:

• Morning: A nutrient-dense drink called the Green Smoothie made from locally available fresh green leafy vegetables, herbs and one low glycemic fruit. This smoothie is to be consumed on an empty stomach.
• Breakfast: A mix of 50% raw foods in the form of sprouts or salads and 50% cooked food made with legumes or pulses.
• Lunch & dinner: Consists of one cereal (grain) in a meal with an equal proportion of pulses, cooked vegetables and a raw vegetable salad.
• Nuts & oils: The intake of nuts and seeds is set at 15gm per day with the inclusion of 15 to 20 gm of cooking oil per day is needed.

This diet provides approximately 55% to 60% of carbohydrates, 15% to 20% proteins and 20% to 25% fats.

The FFD diet plan starts with a pre-breakfast green smoothie 

As part of the programme, diabetic patients are asked to strictly avoid milk and milk products, meat and eggs. Any other dietary changes required will be done by the Freedom From Diabetes research and dietician team as per individual needs.

How A Vegan Diet Helps Reverse Diabetes

The prevalence of diabetes is lower among vegans and vegetarians as compared to non-vegetarians since their consumption of animal products is higher.  Individuals, after adopting plant-based diets, experienced reduced and improved values of diabetes, body weight and cardiovascular risk compared with those having animal product diets.

Other benefits of plant-based diets include:

• Weight loss 
• Reduction in HbA1c levels
• Improved insulin sensitivity (due to consumption of reduced saturated fat intake)

Dr Tripathi felicitating a patient who successfully reversed diabetes and cleared the Glucose Tolerance Test 

A calorie-restricted vegan diet, therefore, has a greater capacity to improve the function of insulin, with a loss of fat percentage... and it helps in the overall well being of an individual!

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