Diet Plan for Diabetics and Weight Management

Diet Plan 

Always have whole foods- unprocessed foods: A healthy meal for diabetics is whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables and lean protein.

Have small servings of fruits:  Like apples, peaches, apricots, oranges, berries (strawberries, raspberries, Jamun, blue berries), pears, Melons (water melon, musk melon).

**It is beneficial to have whole fruits but a big NO to fruit juices, fizzy drinks, canned fruits , biscuits, chocolates etc.

Fruits should be best eaten raw . They have a good mix of soluble and insoluble fibre which is good for the bowel movement..

Fruit Intake Measurement

The best measurement for the ideal portion of fruit, to have: it should be palm size. Keep the fruit in your palm and clutch it from the sides. If the fruit is big have half, in case of berries you can have as many berries as can fit in your palm. In case of melons the bowl size should fit the palm. Thrice a day - breakfast, mid afternoon and evening three times 3 different types of fruits can be taken. All the above listed fruits are rich in antioxidants

Value Of Vegetables

• Vegetables are must - have 3-5 servings of vegetables everyday. 
• Make sure you eat lots of raw vegetables like cucumbers, tomato, carrots,peppers,radishes, lettuce, spinach etc everyday.
• Starchy vegetables like potato, corn, peas should be avoided.
• Non- starchy vegetables include beans, cauliflower, baby corn, cabbage, broccoli, beets, cucumbers, Bringal (eggplant), celery, spinach, mushrooms, sprouts ,tomatoes, turnips, okra, onions, mustard,bamboo shoots, radishes etc.
• Also avoid canned fruits and vegetables as they are loaded with sugar and salt respectively
• Have 1 cup of cooked vegetables  in every meal.
• In case of Daals - lentils, chicken, paneer, prefer having 1/2 to 1 cup during lunch and skip them during dinner.
• Have dinner by 7.30 pm and at bed time have a glass of milk to prevent any low sugar at night.

**Please keep monitoring your sugar levels regularly

For Non-Vegetarians

For non-vegetarians fish rich diet helps to manage diabetes better. Fish should be baked, steamed or broiled but NOT FRIED.

Home Remedy

• Take 1 /4th tea spoon of cinnamon in water and boil for a minute. Take this cinnamon tea everyday in the morning. It helps in controlling sugar as well as the cholesterol levels.

• Walnuts( soaked overnight) in summers also help in managing sugar levels

Exercises

• Have smaller portions of meals every 2 hours and walk around as much as possible. 
• Use stairs as much as possible. This helps in maintaining weight.