Vegetarian and diabetes diets

Q: Dear Ginny,

Kindly tell me any website where I could get access to diet planning of diabetes patients. In the meantime, kindly send a menu for 1400 caloric vegetarian menu with 40% CHO, 40 Fat and 20 Protein.

A: There are several on line sites that you can direct patients to learn about vegetarian diets. Try www.MayoClinic.com, www.Veggie123.com and for a free diet www.SparkPeople.com. A book can be ordered from the American Dietetic Association "Becoming Vegetarian" for $5.00. It is difficult to just send a diet plan without knowing what type of vegetarian diet your patient is looking for.

• Are they Lacto-ovo Vegetarian: eating mostly plant foods but also eating eggs and dairy?
• Are they Lactovegetarian: eating no meat, no eggs but eating dairy?
• Are they Vegan: eating no animal proteins or animal by products?
• Are they just avoiding red meat?

I would direct your patient to a registered dietitian to be sure they obtain the diet they prefer and obtain a well rounded diet so the nutrients that are at times missing in a vegetarian diet are present: calcium, Vitamin B12, Iron and Zinc.