Diets for diabetes
An estimated 34 million people in the U.S. — or just over 1 in 10 — have diabetes. Diet is a crucial tool for managing the disease, and weight loss can help people who are overweight prevent Type 2 diabetes. Prevention is particularly important when you consider that diabetes brings complications such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, plus increased risk for heart attack and stroke, kidney disease and blindness.
Consider one of the U.S. News 2023 Best Diabetes Diets, as evaluated by nutrition and medical experts:
No. 10 WW / WeightWatchers
Want to eat your cake and be able to prevent or manage diabetes too? WW — which offers specific plans for people with diabetes and prediabetes — allows dieters to strategically indulge using a point system. Still, making mindful choices is important. In these plans, fruits and vegetables are zero points, so people with prediabetes and diabetes need to be mindful not to overindulge.
If you are overweight or have obesity, losing just 5% to 10% of your current weight can help stave off some diseases, among them Type 2 diabetes. Additionally, making positive lifestyle changes like eating healthier and exercising more can lower your risk for Type 2 diabetes. A study of adults with prediabetes found that WW is effective for achieving lifestyle changes associated with diabetes prevention.
One yearlong randomized controlled trial of 563 American adults with Type 2 diabetes found that nearly twice as many people who followed WW and received counseling from a certified diabetes educator met their A1C level (blood sugar measure) treatment target in comparison to those who received standard diabetes nutrition counseling and education. WW participants were also more than twice as likely to reduce their diabetes medications. The program also led to greater weight loss, particularly around the waistline.
No. 9 Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory diet
World-renowned integrative medicine doctor Dr. Andrew Weil champions this eating pattern designed to reduce chronic inflammation and chronic inflammation-related illnesses, such as heart disease, certain types of cancers and Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory diet takes its structure from the Mediterranean diet, but adds additional caveats like an emphasis on colorful, antioxidant-rich fruits, tea over coffee and dark chocolate as a treat.
Being overweight is a big risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. If you’re looking to lose weight, this diet can help you shed pounds while still rounding out the list of nutrients your body needs. And since this diet bares many similarities to the Mediterranean diet, it contains all of the foods that the American Diabetes Association considers a healthy option.
No. 6 (tie) TLC diet
The Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet, or TLC diet, was created to cut dietary cholesterol to achieve a heart-healthy eating regimen by the National Institute of Health’s National Cholesterol Education Program. This plan is flexible in its approach, but encourages you to seriously limit saturated fats by filling your plate with fruits, veggies, lean protein, low-fat or nonfat dairy and (mostly) whole grain.
There’s been some recent research that links the TLC diet to Type 2 diabetes in particular. The Journal of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis study found that following the TLC diet was shown to significantly reduce the fasting insulin levels of participants with high cholesterol. That’s important because elevated insulin levels can predict the development of Type 2 diabetes.
No 6. (tie) Mayo Clinic diet
The Mayo Clinic diet aims to recalibrate eating habits and promote weight loss. It emphasizes the right foods (fruits, veggies and whole grains), discourages the wrong ones (processed foods rich in saturated fats and refined sugars) and mandates physical activity — all good standards for diabetes prevention.
The guidelines mirror those of the American Diabetes Association, and our expert panelists say the plan is better than most other approaches for those worried about diabetes. 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.
Mayo Clinic also offers a Mayo Clinic diabetes diet. This spin on the standard eating plan is designed for people with prediabetes and Type 2 diabetes, and its advice is specific to lowering blood sugar and keeping levels stable.
No 6. (tie) Volumetrics
Filling up on fibrous, bulky foods (think: raw carrots) over easy-to-overeat foods (think: Cheetos) is tied to weight loss — and, quite likely, diabetes prevention and management, experts agree. High-fiber foods are good for satiety, which discourages overeating. The diet also suggests avoiding or greatly limiting sugary drinks and foods, which are high in calories and therefore associated with weight gain. Research suggests such low-density diets, like volumetrics, help prevent insulin resistance — a frequent precursor to Type 2 diabetes.
More than 143,000 women were followed for roughly 12 years in a 2017 observational study that was published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The study found that the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes was 24% greater for women who ate diets higher in energy density compared with women who followed a lower-energy-dense diet.
No. 5 MIND diet
The MIND diet — which blends two all-star plans, the DASH and Mediterranean diets — is designed to prevent Alzheimer’s disease with brain-healthy foods such as leafy green vegetables, berries, nuts, beans and whole grains.
While the diet’s brain health benefits have the most research behind them, the plan’s two parent diets follow the American Diabetes Association’s dietary recommendations.
No. 4 Ornish diet
Developed in 1977 by Dr. Dean Ornish, a clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, the Ornish diet encourages a diet of plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, while shunning meat, fish or poultry.
The Ornish diet emphasizes whole grains and produce — and discourages foods rich in saturated fat and cholesterol — which is in line with American Diabetes Association guidelines. A study in the American Journal of Health Promotion found that Ornish dieters decreased their hemoglobin A1C levels — a measure of blood sugar control — by 0.4 percentage points after a year.
No. 3 Flexitarian diet
For some people, the idea of never eating meat again makes the vegetarian diet too difficult to stick with in the long run. That’s where the flexitarian diet comes in. This “flexible” spin on the vegetarian diet always you to eat meat on occasion, but encourages the majority of your meals to be plant-based.
Plant-based diets can help you manage Type 2 diabetes, because of their emphasis on whole foods and vegetables over processed food and refined sugars. Also, the flexitarian diet can help to prevent diabetes, through healthy weight loss and improved insulin sensitivity, according to a 2019 review in JAMA.
No. 2 Mediterranean diet
Dinner at the table of people from Turkey, Greece, Lebanon and Italy may look different from country to country. However, research has proven that plant-based meals packed with whole grains, beans, nuts, fish and unsaturated fat from extra-virgin olive oil, which is prevalent in Mediterranean cuisines, is very good for you — especially if you have diabetes.
The diversity of different nutrients consumed in the Mediterranean diet could play a role in preventing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, a review published in Nutrients in 2021 concluded. Additionally, a study in Nutrients concluded that following the Mediterranean diet was associated with lower rates of Type 2 diabetes and reduced blood sugar levels in the body.
No. 1 DASH diet
The DASH diet and the Mediterranean diet are very similar, so it’s no surprise that these two rank close to one another on the list. However, the DASH diet secured the coveted No. 1 spot for the diabetes prevention and control diet this year.
DASH is an acronym for dietary approaches to stop hypertension. This diet was put together by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to do just that — lower or manage high blood pressure through diet. However, because the diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy, it’s also been found to decrease insulin resistance and improve blood lipids in its followers — which is crucial in managing and prevent diabetes.
A 2022 study published in Frontiers in Nutrition, saw that the DASH diet was associated with a lower mortality risk among 28,905 individuals with diabetes. Also, Endocrine’s meta-analysis published in 2014 found that the DASH diet could decrease the risk of future Type 2 diabetes by 20%.
The best diets to prevent and manage diabetes:
No. 10 WW / WeightWatchers.
No. 9 Dr. Weil’s Anti-Inflammatory diet.
No. 6 (tie) TLC diet.
No 6. (tie) Mayo Clinic diet.
No 6. (tie) Volumetrics.
No. 5 MIND diet.
No. 4 Ornish diet.
No. 3 Flexitarian diet.
No. 2 Mediterranean diet.
No. 1 DASH diet.
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Best Diets to Prevent and Manage Diabetes originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 01/03/23: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new rankings.
