Living with diabetes requires changes in food habits as well as lifestyle. A healthy diet plan for diabetics includes simple homemade meals and snacks. Being diagnosed with diabetes can feel overwhelming. As a beginner, one will need to make certain changes such as avoiding the intake of sugary drinks and eating plenty of non-starchy vegetables, fruits, lean protein, and whole grains. Read on to know what can be included in the diet if you or someone you know is dealing with diabetes.
Diabetic Diet Chart
Here’s a comprehensive guide on a healthy Diet Plan for Diabetics for a day:
1. Breakfast
Eggs are versatile and one may cook them in several ways to make a tasty breakfast. Each egg contains approximately 80 calories. One may have them with toast or make a frittata with veggies. You can also go for an egg omelette.
2. Greek Yoghurt with Berries: If one wants to keep the breakfast very light, have greek yoghurt topped with fresh berries. Yoghurt is a probiotic and can break down sugars and reduce blood sugar levels.
3. Paneer Stuffed Parathas: If you cannot imagine breakfast without parathas, don’t worry because you do not have to give it up entirely. Start the mornings with a crisp paneer stuffed paratha and maybe a bowl of yoghurt to aid digestion. It is best to use millet flour to make the parathas.
2. Lunch
Low Sodium Soup: Soup allows one to control carbohydrate intake. One can have tomato, pumpkin, carrot, chicken, and corn soup.
Sandwiches: These are easy to make and diabetic-friendly. Choose a bread that’s flat and does not have calories and carbs. Avoid butter and mayo and use any lean meat like turkey or chicken breast. Add a few slices of lettuce and tomato to make a healthy and tasty sandwich.
Rotis with Dal: A classic Indian lunch that is ideal for diabetic patients. One can have two chapatis with boiled dal.
3. Dinner
Oats Upma: Oats are wholesome and make you feel energetic. It also keeps you feeling full for a long time and helps control blood sugar levels. Due to its low glycemic index, oats upma makes for a great dinner option for diabetic patients. One can also add a side of salad.
Tuna Salad: Tuna fish salad is a healthy dinner option. One may have it with mayonnaise, celery, and onions. Tuna provides a lot of protein and no carbs, which is ideal for people who have diabetes. It is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids and helps to manage diabetes owing to its potential to lower inflammation and improve blood sugar control. One can make it healthier by adding cottage cheese or yoghurt.
Chicken Stir Fry: A simple and delicious dish that is full of protein, chicken stir fry is a diabetic-friendly dinner option. One can use low sodium soy sauce instead of salt. To incorporate more fibre, add lots of veggies like zucchini, carrots, broccoli, and green onions.
4. Snacks
You can have almonds if you feel snacky. Almonds are a highly nutritious snack. They provide vitamins, minerals, manganese, magnesium, and riboflavin. Almonds may help to control blood sugar in diabetic patients. Due to the combination of fiber, protein, and healthy fats in almonds, they can stabilize blood sugar and play an important role in diabetes management.
They also reduce cholesterol levels and promote weight management. Almonds are recommended in a type 2 diabetes food chart. Since almonds are quite high in calories, it is best to limit your portion size to about a handful.
Conclusion
Not only foods, but one can include healthy drinks in the diet plan for diabetics. Ginger water is good for diabetic patients. Ginger helps increase insulin sensitivity and regulates blood sugar. It can also ease indigestion. Methi or fenugreek seed contains fibre and methi water can also regulate the absorption of sugar and carbohydrates.
Diet plays an important role in blood sugar management. One may seek advice from a nutritionist and ask him or her to customize a diabetic diet chart. However, one must continue to take the prescribed medicines, regularly check the blood sugar levels, and consult the doctor as well.
