Diet Tips

1. Decrease PORTION SIZE: Start eating less of whatever you were eating. This would naturally decrease the total calory intake.

2. Divide the total amount of food over time, in simpler terms eat slowly.

Do not eat large quantities of food quickly, rather eat slowly.

Most of the damage to different organs in the body is caused by peaks of blood glucose levels happening after meals due to insufficient secretion of insulin. By taking lesser amounts of food the acute rise in blood glucose is prevented and body may still be able to supply sufficient insulin and keep blood glucose levels under control.


General Tips: Prefer Whole grain cereals , with lower glycemic index- Wheat, Corn, Oat
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Dalia ( broken wheat),Oat meal, avoid sooji preparations like upma, halwa.	Breakfast cereals- Corn flakes, Oatmeal , Wheat flakes. Avoid using instant cereals- as they give faster and higher peaks of blood glucose.


General Tips: Use Long grain rice preferably parboiled avoid overcooking rice since it facilitates the absorption of starch and
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Basmati and other long grain rice have lower glycemic index Basmati Rice is rich in amylose which is difficult to digest, while short grain rices contain amylopectin which is absorbed quickly and gives steep rise in blood glucose levels.	Parboiled long grain rice like Basmati


General Tips: Chickpeas, Lentil & green gram ( only whole- not broken), Whole daals / pulses are much more preferable to broken / processed daals, they have lesser calories and high fibre content, as a result they are slowly digested and absorbed so they do not give high peaks of blood sugar after meals. Kidney beans ( Rajma) is also beneficial- it is a legume has high content of soluble fibres, it helps lower Total cholesterol and raise HDL ( protective or good cholesterol)
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Chole, Sabut moong, Sabut masoor, Arhar, Rajmah Avoid Urad, Moong and Masoor daals ( broken )	Canned chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils


General Tips: Avoid White breads & buns as they have high glycemic index , prefer brown bread or multiple or whole grain breads
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Roti small without applying butter is the most preferable- on average 2 small rotis/ chapattis are suited for one meal. Avoid Naan, ( If too eager take no more than ¼ of an average naan) do not spread butter, paratha ( take not more than 1 small paratha), Roomali roti	Recommended- Brown bread, whole grains added bread. Avoid White bread ( High glycemic index gives high blood sugar peaks) Pizzas- thin crust- slice recommended- avoid heavy toppings and regular crusts Pitta bread-Small -4(28 gms) recommended Focaccios-1 serving 48 gms -3/4 th size (without cheese)


General Tips: Do not take butter ( increases harmful Cholesterol), jams and fruit preserves with sugar ( high glycemic index- give immediate rise in blood glucose levels), glucose of corn syrups, use only preserves specially made for diabetics without using sugar as preservative.
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Use only low calory spreads made from vegetable oils instead of butter, Do not use Butter & Margarine. Avoid spreading butter or Desi Ghee( clarified butter) on Indian breads- Rotis and Naans	Use low calory bread spreads made from vegetable oils instead of butter, Do not use butter , margarine and clarified butter, jellys with sugar or corn syrup,


General Tips: Green leafy vegetables are highly recommended, legumes like beans are also recommended
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Avoid potatoes, practically all other vegetables can be had freely ( Zero Calory foods), Green salad with cucumber, tomato, can be had freely, Bitter gourd- Karel is very helpful in decreasing Blood glucose and Cholesterol. Legumes, French and broad beans	Recommended lots of green salads , lettuce, celery leaves, tomato, cucumber, radish. Legumes, French beans, kidney beans, broad beans are highly recommended


General Tips: Atleast five servings of fruits are recommended daily, Most of the fruits are good for diabetics and do not raise blood glucose levels significantly, fruits also provide fibre which delays absorption of other foods
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Watermelon, melon, lime, orange may be consumed in unlimited quantities (Zero calory fruits), take peeled Guava, papaya, mango, apple, Do not take more than 1 small banana in a day.	Kiwi, orange, lime, muskmelon, watermelon, (only 1 small banana)


General Tips: Fish is high in healthy fats and should be consumed atleast twice thrice a week, prefer chicken, avoid red meats
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Avoid mutton, prefer chicken and fish.	Take fish and chicken instead of red meats, ( tuna, salmon, mackerel, herring, sardines) 2-3 portions of fish recommended per week)

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General Tips: Do not overcook, the lesser cooked the better for Diabetics, highly processed food preparations are quickly absorbed and give immediate peaks of blood glucose, deep frying s not recommended- stir fry if absolutely essential. Boiled and parboiled is also preferred. Roasting, grill and baking are also preferred method of preparation as they require less oil. Sprouted pulses are also recommended
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Dalia, Tandoori dishes { but do not marinate in cream ( malai)}, par boiled vegetables with cereals, All subzis prepared with healthy oil avoid potatoes in subzis. Sprouted daals moong, chana either raw or lightly fried . Do not use cream, Desi ghee even for tadka or .	Boiled unpeeled potatoes are most preferable- mashed potatoes have high glycemic index as they are quickly absorbed- fried potatoes may have lower glycemic index due to oil contained in them but as a result have higher calories. semolina pastas have high glycemic index. Pastas, noodles should be cooked al-dente to reduce glycemic index. Do not marinate in cream, yolk or unhealthy oils, even while using healthy oil limit their quantity


General Tips: Avoid salad dressings with oil, like maionnaise, tartar
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Chutnneys are preferable mint ( pudina), Dhaniya, Tomato etc.	Prefer healthy oils like olive oil, canola oil, peanut oil for salads


General Tips: Fried snacks should be absolutely avoided, Biscuits, pastries with vegetable shortening, or hydrogenated vegetable oils should also be avoided. Prefer baked, roasted snacks without transfats or oils
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Bhune chane, murmure, My varieties of roasted cereals are now available. Avoid matthi, samose, pakori, French fries	Avoid heavy topping of sandwiches with mayonnaise and cheese ( high calories). Take roasted cereals, low fat pop corns. Avoid cookies, and pastries

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General Tips: Adding fenugreek seeds (soaked in water and then crushed) to virtually all the recipes helps lower blood glucose and cholesterol. Flaxseeds, are helpful in increasing HDL cholesterol.
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Methi ke beej (Fenugreek seeds), Kharbuj & Tarbuj ke beej can be consumed as snacks	Flax seeds consumed as snacks or in preparations help increase HDL Cholesterol


General Tips:Use only fat free, or low fat dairy products including, milk, Yogurts, Do not use / take cream, clarified butter
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Use only toned or double toned milk for consumption and in preparations. Prefer Tofu to cottage cheese ( paneer). Use Dahi made from toned milk only. Do not use cream desi ghee	Use only Low fat, yogurt, milk and its products. Do not use cream, clarified butter


General Tips:Use oils rich in Monounsaturated Fatty acids like olive oil. Do not use, butter, animal lard, desi ghee ( clarified butter)
Indian Diet	Western Diet
Soya oil, Mixture of Sunflower with mustard oil; Do not use Transfats at all ( Vanaspathi ghee)	Olive & canola oils- Avoid transfats- vegetable shortenings, hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Food groups	Green zone	Yellow zone	Red zone
Rice	Steamed rice	Pulao	Fried rice/biryani
Bread	Whole wheat bread	White bread	Croissants and cakes
Noodles	Steamed noodles		Deep fried noodles
Indian breads	Chappati	Naan	Butter naan/puri
Potatoes	Baked potato		French fries
Vegetables	Steamed vegetable	Sauteed vegetable	Deep fried vegetable
Salad	Green salad		Salad with mayonnaise
Sauce	Tomato based		Cream based
Fish	Steamed fish	Fish curry	Fried fish
Chicken	Grilled chicken	Pan fried	Butter chicken

Diabetes - Diet Control tips