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Diabetes

Preventing & healing diabetes with food

A plant-based diet is a powerful way to prevent, treat, and even reverse pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, and it can help people living with Type 1 diabetes maintain better insulin control.

Our bodies make glucose from the carbohydrates in our food, which is used as the primary (and preferred) fuel for our cells and organs. The pancreas makes a hormone called insulin to help store glucose in our muscles, organs, and nervous system.

In Type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces insulin, but the muscle cells block it. As a result, glucose builds up in the bloodstream, which raises sugar levels that endanger other parts of the body, like the kidneys, nerves, and eyesight. This is known as insulin resistance and can eventually lead to diabetes over time.

To respond to excess glucose in the blood, traditional diabetes care has focused on reducing sugar intake from carbohydrates — even healthy whole-food sources of carbs like fruit and whole grains. While this approach will reduce sugar in the bloodstream, it doesn’t address the root cause of insulin resistance.

Newer science shows that insulin’s inability to store glucose is blocked by too much fat in the bloodstream and in cells. Diets that are high in fat, especially saturated fat, and refined sugars interfere with insulin’s effectiveness, causing the pancreas to churn out more insulin to try to keep up. This causes the pancreas to wear out over time. 

Modern medicine’s response is to prescribe insulin, metformin, and carbohydrate restriction.

Plant-based nutrition reduces dietary fat consumption — from animal foods, processed foods, and added oils — while focusing the diet on fiber-rich, low-glycemic plant foods like beans and non-starchy vegetables.

As a result, whole food, plant-based nutrition has been shown to improve the insulin resistance underlying pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes and make it possible to put diabetes into remission.

In Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune condition, the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. While Type 1 diabetes cannot be reversed, consuming whole plant foods can make it easier to manage blood glucose levels and reduce the risk of diabetes side effects like nerve and kidney damage.

What can I do to prevent Type 2 diabetes?

  • Center your diet on whole plant foods.
  • Minimize or eliminate animal-based foods.
  • Minimize or eliminate refined carbohydrates in your diet, like sugar, white bread, and white flours.
  • Limit high-fat plant foods like added oils, coconut products, and too many nuts.
  • If you already have elevated insulin or pre-diabetes, be mindful of how many servings of whole grains and starchy vegetables are in your diet, focusing on lower-glycemic options.

Fact & figures about diabetes:

  • 90% of diagnosed diabetes cases in the U.S. are Type 2 diabetes.
  • According to the CDC, about half of Americans have diabetes (nearly 12%) or pre-diabetes (38%).
  • Higher adherence to a plant-based dietary pattern reduced diabetes risk by 23%. (Source)
  • Plant-based diets were associated with significant improvement in emotional well-being, physical well-being, depression, quality of life, HbA1c levels, weight, and total and LDL cholesterol, compared with several diabetic associations’ official guidelines and other comparable diets. (Source)
  • A plant-based diet was found to be three times more effective at controlling blood sugar when compared to a traditional diabetes diet that limited calories and carbohydrates. (Source)

diabetesRelated Resources

We also invite you to read this summary of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s “Clinical Practice Guideline” from 2025, which recommends evidence-based lifestyle strategies (nutrition, sleep, movement, etc.) for treating pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes, and helping women with a history of gestational diabetes which can sometimes progress to full diabetes. Alongside representatives from many medical specialties, PPMNY was represented on the guideline development group by our co-founder, Lianna Levine Reisner, who served as one of two consumer advocates, bringing a community perspective.

PPMNY Support for Diabetes

  • Talk to us about arranging a Food For Life course on diabetes for your community.
  • Enroll in a Plant Powered Jumpstart to make dietary changes that will improve your insulin sensitivity.
  • Sign up for a peer mentor to help you make lifestyle changes.
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