Indian Diabetic Recipes | food for diabetes | healthy Indian recipes for diabetes | 

Indian Diabetic Recipes | food for diabetes | healthy Indian recipes for diabetes | Do you abstain yourself from your favourite foods just because you have diabetes? Are you the one of those who thinks taste and health can’t go hand in hand? Well, then you are in the right section…. What you eat and when you eat is extremely important in diabetes since in simple terms it means high blood sugar levels. It is a lifelong condition that can be best managed with careful diet control, proper medication (either oral medication or insulin) and exercise under your doctor’s and / or dietitian’s supervision.

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Chana Dal Pancakes

Dealing with Diabetes

Healthy diet, exercise and medications, provide a solid foundation for control and management of diabetes as mentioned earlier. Given below are a few easy guidelines… follow these to effectively deal with diabetes.

1. Healthy Diabetic Recipes and Diet for Diabetes

A. The Right Food Choice for Diabetes

1. Have a balanced diet, which includes complex cereals, pulses, fruits and vegetables. Within cereal category jowar, bajra, oats, quinoa, barley are healthier options than rice as they allow carbohydrate to be absorbed slowly. Thus, the blood sugar does not rise rapidly when you opt for diabetic-friendly rotis like Jowar Pyaz ki Roti or Oats Roti and diabetic-friendly rice substitutes like Bajra, Whole Moong and Green Pea Khichdi.

jowar pyaz ki roti recipe | healthy sorghum onion Indian bread | iron rich roti

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2. Have only one source of protein like dal, milk or curds in each meal. Protein is needed for maintenance of healthy cells, but too much protein might put excess load on kidney. So keep a close watch on your protein intake especially if you have any kidney disorder. Methi Toovar Dal, Hariyali Dal are a few options worth trying.

Methi Toovar Dal, Healthy Recipe

3. Consume plenty of fibre-rich foods raw vegetables and fruits. These help to lower blood sugar levels, as they have a low glycemic index and lead to a gradual increase in the blood sugar levels. Try our range of high fiber soups for diabetes like Lettuce and Cauliflower Soup.

 Lettuce and Cauliflower Soup

 diabetic salads like Chatpata Chawli and Fruit Salad.

 Chatpata Chawli and Fruit Salad

4. On the other hand, restrict all fruit juices and fruits like mango, chickoo, custard apple, banana, as they have a high sugar content. Avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes, yam, purple yam etc. as these tend to increase the blood sugar levels rapidly. If you want to opt for juices, check out our section on Diabetic Juices and try creating drinks like

Karela Juice

How To Make Karela Juice

 Jamun Smoothie in your own kitchen.

5. A bowl of sprouts is a must daily. It gives you a feeling of satiety and will manage blood sugar levels and cholesterol levels with ease. When you are bored of eating plain sprouts try your hand at including sprouts in form of snacks like Moong Sprouts and Spring Onion Tikki and Sprouted Matki and Coriander Mini Uttapa.

Moong Sprouts and Spring Onion Tikki

6. Restrict the consumption of fat to 3 teaspoons per day. Avoid snacking on fried foods like samosas, wafers etc, as these are unhealthy. Have cereals, fruits, and grilled, boiled or stir-fried dishes instead. This will contribute to a healthy heart.

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7. Try and avoid processed and refined foods such as maida, noodles, biscuits etc. as they have a high glycemic index and can escalate the blood sugar levels very rapidly. These foods have virtually no fibre and so are not very healthy. The biggest culprits are bakery products and savoury farsans. Avoid these if you have High Blood Pressure especially. For them Low Salt Bulgur Wheat Pongal and Baked Buckwheat Puri are more wholesome choices.

 Baked Buckwheat Puri, Low Salt Recipe

8. Avoid sugar, jaggery and honey. Also, avoid the consumption of sweets such as barfi, halwa, jams, jellies, muffins, cakes, chocolates etc. Prefer using 2 to 3 dates to satisfy your sweet tooth occasionally and while doing so, don’t include any other major source of carbs with it. Alternatively use artificial sweeteners, but again remember, moderation is the key. Consult your doctor or dietitian for the choice and the quantity of artificial sweeteners to be consumed. Tempted to try a diabetic friendly sweet right away? Satisfy this craving with small portions of healthy diabetic desserts options like Sugar free Date Rolls

Oats and Orange Rabdi and many more….

Oats and Orange Rabdi, Diabetic Friendly

9. Try and avoid the consumption of carbonated beverages and alcohol as these provide no real nutrients but only empty calories which means calories that can increase your weight.

10. Avoid the use of thickeners like cornflour in soups and gravies, as cornflour is high on carb and glycemic index scale. Instead aim at making subzis like Dahi Bhindi ki Subzi, Baingan Bhaja etc. a part of your diabetic meal plan.

Dahi Bhindi ki Subji

11. If you high lipid profile and have been advised to limit the amount of fat, turn to low-fat dairy alternatives like low-fat milk, low-fat curd and low-fat paneer.

Low Fat Paneer ( How To Make Low Fat Paneer)

12. Bake, steam or sauté instead of shallow frying or deep frying foods. Use a pressure cooker to cook vegetables as pressure cooking requires less oil. This method also helps one to conserve the nutrients that are volatile, as the closed lid prevents the loss of nutrients.

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B. General Dietary Guidelines for Diabetes

1. Type II diabetics are usually overweight and need to lose weight. Weight loss and maintaining desirable weight has helped to control diabetes in many people.

2. Maintain regular meal timings. Do not skip a meal. Green Moong Dal Idli and Herbed Capsicum Paratha are recipes that are sure to please you for as a healthy Diabetic Breakfast.

Mini Green Moong Dal Chila

3. Eat in a relaxed and stress free environment as stress can impair the digestion of food and also the production of insulin.

4. Do not have a large meal at a time. Break up the total calories prescribed for a day into different meals correctly. The best way to do so is to eat short and frequent meals at regular intervals (6-8 meals per day). Delicacies like Garlicky Hummus and Colocassia Leaf Raita are perfect choices to consume in between main meals.

 Garlicky Hummus

5. Have an early dinner at least 2 to 3 hours before going to bed. Drink a cup/ glass of milk (low fat milk preferably) 2 hours after dinner to avoid hypoglycemia during night if suggested by your doctor.

6. Snacking helps to handle frequent hunger pangs in a day and prevent the fluctuations in blood glucose levels, but remember to choose the right kind of snacks. Shared below are a few nourishing options for you.

7. If there is any change in your schedule, either in meal timings or of other activities, please consult your physician to adjust your medication to suit your new schedule.

8. Try to avoid eating out too often. If you are eating out make wise choices in terms of selecting foods that are low in calories and fat. For example munch on vegetables with a low fat dip instead of calorie laden starters, chose plain dal instead of ‘tadka’ or a creamy one, select fruits for dessert instead of a high calorie dessert like cake or ice-cream etc.

9. If at a party dinner is going to be served late, have soup or a small snack along with your medication before you start out. The trick here is that if you leave for the party on an empty stomach, temptation attacks quicker and we tend to binge on whatever we can lay our hands on first. Whereas if we have snacked a little before the party, we can reason and choose our food wisely.

Gehun ki Bikaneri Khichdi

10. Read the nutritional labels on food packages carefully for proper selection of foods, particularly those claiming to be low fat foods. Low fat products may actually contain more fat than you think.

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2. Medications

1. Take your medications or an insulin injection at regular timings. Do not alter the dosage of insulin without consulting your diabetologist.

2. Adjust the amount and timing of meals, dosage of your medicine and the level of physical activity to maintain normal blood glucose levels.

3. Exercise

1. Try to maintain a moderate and regular exercise regime throughout the day. Regular exercise helps to: regulate blood glucose levels, improve the action of insulin, lose weight, reduce stress, increase HDL (good) cholesterol and reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol.

2. Brisk walking is the best form of exercise. Walk at least for 15 to 20 minutes after every meal as walking is the best form of exercise and it helps to improve digestion and insulin’s action on glucose.

3. If you do not have enough time to exercise regularly, daily activities like climbing stairs, walking instead of taking a cab, taking out your pet for a walk or going to market will help to remain fit and healthy.

4. Exercising on an empty stomach may lead hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose levels), which may further lead to giddiness, headache etc. to avoid this do remember to eat something before starting exercise.

Buckwheat Dosa

5. Start exercising under a doctor’s supervision. Consult your doctor about the type and duration of exercise.

Causes of Diabetes

• Hereditary • Obesity

• Irregular or unhealthy food habits, and/or

• Stress

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Major Symptoms of Diabetes 

• POLYURIA - excessive urination

• POLYDIPSIA - excessive thirst

• POLYPHAGIA - increased hunger, and/or

• Weight loss (Type I) or Obesity (Type II)

• Other symptoms besides the classic symptoms mentioned above are fatigue, blurred vision, aches and pains, dry mouth, dry or itchy skin, vaginal yeast infections (in a female) due to excretion of excess glucose in urine, poor healing of cuts and scrapes, or excessive or unusual infections and tingling or numbness in the hands or feet.

Disclaimer:

It is highly recommended that these recipes be relished by diabetics only occasionally and in small quantities. It is best to consult your doctor or dietitian for individual dietary needs.

Enjoy our Indian Diabetic Recipes | food for diabetes | healthy Indian recipes for diabetes | and realted diabetes articles below.

Diabetes and Healthy Heart
Diabetes and High Blood Pressure Recipes, Diet
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Diabetic Accompaniments
Diabetic Soups
Diabetic Starters & Snacks
Diabetic Breakfast
Diabetic Dals & Khadis
Diabetic Desserts
Diabetic Drinks / Beverages
Diabetic International Recipes
Diabetic Rice, Khichdi and Biryani
Diabetic Rotis and Parathas
Diabetic Salads & Raitas
Diabetic Subzis