Food Habits that Ayurveda recommends to diabetes patients

Yes, diabetes is a medical problem. But, it is a lifestyle disease as well. You can do regular exercise and have a perfectly balanced diet to control your blood sugar. There are innumerable diabetes mellitus patients who lead normal lives by following a strict diet. Ayurveda has a different take on sugar diabetes. According to Ayurveda, an imbalance in the three Doshas is the principal cause of the disease. The depletion of the body tissues aggravates the Vata Dosha and causes diabetes. Similarly, Kapha Dosha and fatty tissue blocks and obstructs the channels (srotas). This is also a cause of diabetes. Hence, addressing these causes should be the right solution to the problem. Ayurveda recommends special food habits to combat diabetes. Let us look at them in brief.

First thing in the morning

Start your day with a cup of herbal infusion and honey. Mix a bark of cinnamon, a tablespoon of crushed mulethi, some crushed cardamom, and a teaspoon of crush coriander seeds. Pour hot water into this herbal mix. Sip this mixture slowly every morning.

Breakfast:

Ensure to have food rich in fibre for your breakfast. Whole cereals like Ragi, Bajra, and Maize are the best. You can also have steamed idlis and rotis as well. Complement these snacks with chutneys made of mint, coriander or tomato.

Mid-morning snack

A protein-rich snack like steamed and spiced sprouts along with lemon juice should be perfect. You can have Kulattha pulse beans, adhaki, and Canaka, especially if they are stored for a long time after harvesting.

Lunch:

As far as possible avoid taking white rice for lunch. The best cereal for Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes is Lapsi (Broken wheat). You can supplement the cereals with horse gram dal soup, steamed legumes, and a glass of buttermilk. Evening: Never have caffeinated drinks. Go for a glass of warm and spiced mulethi milk tea.

Dinner:

Oats porridge or Lapsi porridge along with a glass of buttermilk should be ideal. You can also have a bowl of steamed vegetables. It is also advisable to have wheat based preparations like roti and phulka as part of your diabetes diet.

Inference:

When you have high levels of blood glucose, you should ensure not to take sweets or consume fruits like grapes, etc. It is better to go with fruits like guavas, papaya, avocados, amla, etc. Ensure that the fruits you eat have a low glycaemic index.

Diabetes patients should eat small meals throughout the day rather than confining to a couple of large meals a day. Otherwise, you can end up with low blood sugar levels. This is very dangerous.