Food Guide for Diabetes

Beans

Take them as they are very low in fat, devoid of cholesterol and high in soluble fiber, calcium and iron.

Cook them up for breakfast as sprouts, or for lunch or dinner. Another way to make sure that you get enough of beans is to mix soyabean flour with your regular flour to make your rotis.

If you only have time to make rice, then just add some beans to it. Adding in a low gylcemic index food brings down the gylcemic index rating of the entire meal.

Old fashioned Oat Meal

It helps in keeping blood sugar under control and its high fiber content helps you lose weight. Oats don’t contain cholesterol or animal fat and they are loaded with soluble fiber to bring your cholesterol levels down. They also top the list of low-gylcemic index foods.

The more grains the oat meal has, the lower the gylcemic index. Combine 1 part oats with 2 parts of cold water. Boil them and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add chopped vegetables, salt and pepper to it, if you want.

Vegetables

Each member of the vegetable group is robustly healthful. Virtually all have a low gylcemic index and are loaded with vitamins and minerals. They are low in fat and like all plant foods, cholesterol-free.

Your meal should include broccoli, methi, carrots, cauliflower etc. Add vegetables to your rice, then stuff your rotis with leafy greens and add juliennes to your idli batter.

Fruits

Like veggies, fruits are loaded with vitamins and are cholesterol-free. People with diabetes imagine that because fruits are sweet, they will raise blood sugar. The fact is, nearly all fruits—apples, cherries, oranges, peaches, pears and most others have low gylcemic index. The exceptions are watermelon and pineapple.

Lentil

Add them in your diet and in soup-from they offer an added perk: people who precede lunch with a serving of soup, consume ioo fewer calories at the meal. Make sure you often use them.

Green Tea

It is loaded with anti-oxidants and polyphenols together they ensure that your heart keeps ticking right. It keeps your blood pressure in control.

Sip it whenever you can. Just don’t add sugar.

Brown rice

In countries where whole grains such as brown rice are staples, diabetes is much less common.

Barley

It has a low gylcemic index, wonderful taste, texture and lots of soluble fiber that reduces cholesterol levels. You can mix it with brown rice and cook together. Or soak barley overnight and prepare a quick salad.

Make small changes while cooking and you will be surprised with the results.

Use herbs and spices freely to season your food and desserts instead of the regular ghee and sugar. Season food with cinnamon, cloves and leaves. Cinnamon can be used to sweeten your tea and desserts. Use skimmed milk for tea/coffee. Use refined vegetable oil more and limit butter, ghee etc.