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An Indian Diabetic Vegetarian Diet plan for Type 2 Diabetes

Table of Contents

How This Helps

Dietary guidelines- Objective of planning a diet for diabetic patients is to improve blood glucose levels and prevent any degeneration while following healthy eating habits.

See: Sweet Potato & Diabetes

Science and Research

Are you Diabetic and vegetarian? I have designed the diabetic meal plan using popular vegetarian Indian dishes mostly from north western part of India.  An ideal diabetic diet should have specifications as under:
 
Calories– Daily calorie intake of a diabetic patient varies from 1200-1800 kcal, depending upon weight and physical activity.
Carbohydrate– 60% of energy should be supplied by carbohydrates. However our focus should be on high fibre complex carbs as it helps maintain glycemic control.
Dietary fiber– Dietary fiber should be around 20g /1000kca; and not exceed 50g as too much of fiber can be difficult to digest and cause stomach upset. Soluble fiber should be around 10-25g.
Proteins– 20% of calories should come from proteins. as they promote satiety and helps patients to adhere to carbohydrate allowance.
Fat– Low fat diet increases insulin binding. 15-25% of energy should come from fats. Diet rich in MUFA and PUFA should be targeted whereas saturated fat should be <7% of total calories. Trans fat should ideally be 0%. Opt for oils like rice bran, canola, sunflower for cooking and olive oil for dressings. Avoid margarine, butter etc. Homemade white butter and pure ghee can be consumed in moderate amounts.
Vitamin & minerals– Essential to deal with the oxidative stress. Therefore we shall focus on a variety of antioxidant rich vegetables and high fiber fruits.
Points to note for Diabetic Patients:
 Concentrate on small frequent meals.
 Prefer whole flours (whole wheat, bajra, jowar, ragi) over refined flour and its products like breads, cakes, biscuits etc.
 Opt for whole fruits over juices. Try to incorporate fruits in the 1st half of the day and over empty stomach.
 Avoid refined sugar. Switch to natural sweeteners like honey, jaggery and brown sugar. But have all of these in control too.
 Include a lot of antioxidants to prevent degeneration. This would include a variety of vegetables, nuts, green tea etc.
 Learn about glycemic index (GI) of foods and consume Low GI foods.
This Indian diabetic vegetarian diet plan contains 1359kcal, 69g proteins (20.4%), 201g Carbohydrates (59.2%) and 30.2g fat (20.4%), 18.7g Dietary fibre. It is an Ideal sample plan for a sedentary normal weight Diabetic person.
Early Morning- 1 Tbsp Soaked Fenugreek (Methi)  Seeds-
 Nutritional information- Calories-36 kcal, Protein-2.5g, Carbohydrate- 6g, Fats- 0.5g,dietary fibre- 2.7g
Why?-Fenugreek seeds are high in soluble fibre, which helps lower blood sugar. Studies have shown that regular incorporation of fenugreek seeds in daily routine helps glucose tolerance.
  Breakfast- Thepla with coriander chutney- Wheat flour, Whole Gram flour, Curd, Kasuri methi.      
 Nutritional information- Calories-295 kcal, Protein-13g, Carbohydrate-45 g, Fats- 5.9g, Dietary fibre- 2g
Why? – A combination of grains and pulses supply us with complete proteins. Theplas are kneaded with curd which improves its protein content further and helps in digestion too. Proteins are good for diabetics because it supplies essential amino acids for tissue repair.
Nutritious touch- Use a combination of cereal and pulses to improve the quality of proteins rather than just using flour.
 Mid-morning Snacks- Chaas or Curd with water and cumin seeds (Curd, water, cumin seeds, curry leaves, cinnamon powder)
Nutritional information- Calories- 120 kcal, Protein-8 g,  Carbohydrate- 12g, Fats- 3 g
Why? Chaas or Curd with water and cumin seeds is a perfect summer cooler. It contains good fats and is rich in B complex vitamins. The addition of spices makes it antioxidant dense.
Nutritious touch- Add cinnamon powder instead of sugar to get a sweet flavour. At the same time get the antioxidant benefits of it too.
Lunch- Millet Rotla + Undhiyu Millet, Jowar Atta, gram flour, sweet potato, brinjal,yam,beans
Nutritional information- Calories-388 kcal, Protein-17g, Carbohydrate- 72g, Fats- 10 g, Dietary fibre-6g
Why? A perfect lunch is a meal that contains maximum number of food groups. This recipe has cereals, pulses and a variety of vegetables. All the ingredients used in the recipe have a low glycemic index and are extremely rich in fibre. Sweet potato is considered to be a “superfood” for diabetics. They stabilize blood sugar by lowering insulin resistance. The Vitamin C and Vitamin A, both good for immunity building are provided by this recipe.
Nutritious touch- Steam the muthiyas instead of frying and prepare them with jowar atta, gram flour and fenugreek to increase the fibre and protein values.
Evening Snacks- Nachni til Khakra – Ragi flour, Sesame seeds
 Nutritional information- Calories-120 kcal Protein-6.5g Carbohydrate-28g Fats-4.3g, Dietary fibre-3g
Why? Diabetics should always opt for good healthy evening snacks and prefer a light dinner as during night time our metabolism is low hence there are more chances of peaking up of blood glucose. Ragi and sesame seeds are extremely high in Calcium and iron. The fibre and polyphenol content of Ragi has been proved to lower glycemic response.
Nutritious touch- Try making the khakras without fats. If required use only pure ghee.
Dinner- Moong Salad with curd and vegetables. Whole Green gram Sprouts,Curd,Cucumber,Onion,Tomatoes 
 Nutritional information- Calories-250 kcal, Protein-13 g, Carbohydrate-28g, Fats-3.5g, Dietary fibre- 5g
Why? As said earlier, Diabetics should always prefer a light dinner. This salad is high in protein and low in carbohydrates. The variety of raw vegetables acts as a diabetic’s best friend. They increase the fibre content of the salad and release glucose slowly in the gut.
Nutritious touch- Sprout the green gram to increases its nutritive value and to make it easily digestible./
Bedtime- Kesar/Saffron Milk – Milk, saffron
Nutritional information- Calories-150 kcal, Protein-10 g, Carbohydrate- 10g ,Fats-3 g
Why? A diabetic should never sleep empty stomach as there is always a possibility of glucose going down, post mid night. Adding saffron to milk will not only improve its flavor but also prevent cellular damage due to its antioxidant content.
Nutritious touch- Use skimmed milk or cow’s milk as they have less saturated fats and more protein.

See: Insulin Plant Benefits & Precautions For Diabetes

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