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Build a Better Me, Month 11: Eat More Vegetarian Meals

Posted By diabeticFoodie On November 27, 2012 @ 10:23 am In Build a Better Me, Vegetarian | 2 Comments

This month for the Build a Better Me Blogging Challenge, I’ve decided to focus on eating more vegetarian meals. It’s not that I don’t like meat, I’m just trying to get into the habit of thinking of veggies as the main course. I’m hoping that eating meatless meals several times a week will help me consider meat to be more of a side dish rather than the main course when I do eat it.

Is a vegetarian diet safe for people with diabetes? The American Diabetes Association [1] says yes. The Mayo Clinic [2] agrees, saying a vegetarian diet may help people with diabetes because:

  • It makes weight control easier.
  • It improves blood sugar control and insulin response, assuming you focus on fruits, vegetables, legumes (lentils, beans, etc.), nuts and whole grains. If you decide to eat a vegetarian diet comprised primarily of white bread, potatoes and pasta, all bets are off.
  • It reduces your risk of heart problems later in life, which is all too common in people with diabetes. Vegetarian diets are usually low in fat, low in cholesterol and high in fiber which is beneficial to cardiovascular health.

I don’t think I’ll ever totally subscribe to a vegetarian lifestyle, but I will be eating more meatless meals from now on. You’ll find some of my favorite vegetarian dishes below.

Do you eat vegetarian meals? What are some of your favorites?

Breakfast Burritos with Cherry Tomato-Avocado Salsa [3]
Lentil Spaghetti [4]
Tortilla Soup with Roasted Vegetables [5]

Photo by Tracey Rock

 Spicy Chickpea Crepes with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce [6] – this recipe took second place in the Pete & Gerry’s Egg-streme Crepe Challenge [7]
Grilled Squash Pizza with Flax Crust [8]
Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad [9]
Tortellini Soup with Cannellini Beans and Spinach [10]
Spaghetti Squash with Jalapeño Cream [11] – this is really more of a side dish, but it’s so good I can make a meal off of it
Moroccan Vegetable Stew [12]
Quinoa and Lentil Chili [13]
Quick reminder: Those of us involved with Virtual Potluck [14] are working to make ourselves healthier in 2012, but we aren’t focusing exclusively on losing weight. Once a month, we’ll each be posting what we are doing to improve our health and well-being. Thanks again to Foodhunter’s Guide to Cuisine [15] for coordinating this project.

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URL to article: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2012/11/build-a-better-me-month-11-eat-more-vegetarian-meals/

URLs in this post:

[1] American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/planning-meals/meal-planning-for-vegetarians/

[2] Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes/AN00845

[3] Breakfast Burritos with Cherry Tomato-Avocado Salsa: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2011/10/breakfast-burritos-with-cherry-tomato-avocado-salsa/

[4] Lentil Spaghetti: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2011/01/lentil-spaghetti/

[5] Tortilla Soup with Roasted Vegetables: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2012/09/tortilla-soup-with-roasted-vegetables-for-sundaysupper/

[6] Spicy Chickpea Crepes with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2012/08/spicy-chickpea-crepes-with-cucumber-yogurt-sauce-for-eggstremecrepe-gluten-free/

[7] Pete & Gerry’s Egg-streme Crepe Challenge: http://www.heirloom-eggs.com/egg-stremecrepechallenge.php

[8] Grilled Squash Pizza with Flax Crust: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2012/06/grilled-squash-pizza-with-flax-crust/

[9] Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil and Goat Cheese Salad: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2011/10/spiced-pumpkin-lentil-and-goat-cheese-salad/

[10] Tortellini Soup with Cannellini Beans and Spinach: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2012/04/tortellini-soup-with-cannellini-beans-and-spinach/

[11] Spaghetti Squash with Jalapeño Cream: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2012/11/spaghetti-squash-with-jalapeo-cream-for-fbs4sandy/

[12] Moroccan Vegetable Stew: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2012/10/moroccan-vegetable-stew-for-sundaysupper/

[13] Quinoa and Lentil Chili: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/2012/01/quinoa-and-lentil-chili/

[14] Virtual Potluck: http://www.diabeticfoodie.com/what-is-virtual-potluck/

[15] Foodhunter’s Guide to Cuisine: http://www.foodhuntersguide.com

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