Can You Eat Unlimited Veggies on a Diabetic Diet?

According to information from the Mayo Clinic, diabetes is a disease which occurs when the body is unable to regulate blood sugar levels, requiring the patient to perform the task through the control of the macronutrient which has the largest impact on blood sugar--carbohydrates. This is done by limiting carb consumption to low-glycemic foods--mainly vegetables, fruits and whole grains. While many vegetables have a nominal impact on blood sugar, making them candidates for unlimited consumption, many others must be eaten in limited quantity while following a diabetic diet.

Vegetables and Diabetic Diet

• Limit your unlimited consumption of vegetables to only items which are incredibly low on the glycemic index. The glycemic index is a scale which ranks carbohydrates depending on how quickly they are digested by the body, with faster digesting carbs having a larger overall impact on blood sugar levels. Although vegetables are generally the slowest-digesting type of food, there are nevertheless some "rogue" vegetables that can still affect blood sugar to a more significant degree, requiring that you take caution while eating them on a diabetic diet. Generally speaking, the "free" vegetables on a diabetic diet include green leafy or fibrous veggies like spinach, lettuce, cucumber and broccoli. All of these items have a glycemic index score of 10, which is extremely good. These items can be consumed as much as you like. Other diabetic-free veggies include mushrooms, cabbage, onions and red peppers. Vegetables of which you should beware include higher-glycemic items like carrots and peas (both with a score of nearly 50), corn (60), pumpkin (74), and parsnips (with a score of 94, almost as bad as white bread).

Rounding Out the Diet

• Pair your vegetable consumption with a more modest quantity of lean protein, fruit and unsaturated fats from assorted nuts, cooking oils and seeds. Combining your meals with other macronutrient types (protein and fats) will serve to further slow digestion, helping you to negate the potential impact on blood sugar. A couple of quality meals, while still following a veggie rich diabetic diet approach, include salmon steak served with a spinach and tomato salad, flank steak served with a sweet potato and broccoli, grilled chicken marinated in olive oil and served with whole wheat pasta and a cabbage soup and turkey served with brown rice and a lettuce, cucumber, spinach and tomato salad.