Everyone has heard of diabetes and the dietary restrictions it imposes. Rather, diabetes has claimed our attention with scary statistics. It is estimated that by the year of 2025, diabetes prevalence will rise to 69.9 million compared to 32 million in the year of 2000.

• Diet chart for Diabetic patients is not much different from healthy eating style, we have forget the basics our grandmothers told us, Indian cooking is based on Ayurveda which is a 5,000 year-plus-old Indian health science. I can say if you can go back and think what were you eating 30 / 40 years ago and follow the same you will no more need diabetic diet chart to control or reverse your diabetes.
• Diabetic meal should include lots of protein. In addition to protein, fibre in the diabetic diet chart can reduce the rate of glucose absorption, lower blood sugar rise, increase the feeling of fullness, and ultimately reduces the food intake.Fresh vegetables and green leafy vegetables which are rich in fibre all vitamins and minerals and especially iron. Nuts for providing good fats which are energy providing compounds when the body needs them and helps in controlling heart diseases.
• No pills can cure /manage /control your diabetes and in fact they will make your diabetes worse in the long run.
• I refer eating nuts like almonds, walnuts, apricots, chia seeds etc. in this diet chart, eating them after soaking and removing the skin is recommended because Soaking nuts and seeds help neutralize enzyme inhibitors and increases potency of Vitamin B. It makes proteins more readily available and eradicates toxins contained in the colon and encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria like lactobacilli.
• Fenugreek seeds help in reducing the GI levels.
• Fenugreek benefits in weight management: One of the many benefits of methi seeds is their property that helps in weight loss. The compound galactomannan gives fullness when consumed. Moreover, methi contains soluble fibres which further enhances the feeling of fullness making you less hungry and hence eat less. Also, methi seeds contain very less carbohydrate content and the high fibre content besides giving fullness feeling increases the body’s metabolic rate. This is known to boost fat burning. Moreover, the increase of insulin absorption supports less storage of body fat which in turn promotes weight management.

Weekly meal plan for a diabetic patient

Day 1:

Early Morning Snack: 6-7almonds,1 apple,1tsp methi seeds soaked in hot water

Breakfast: Any sprouts salad with cucumber skimmed milk 1 glass

Snack: 1 cup green tea and 1 egg white omelette.

Lunch: 2 whole grain Atta rotis, a small cup of brown rice, cauliflower curry,2tbsp dal with any green leafy vegetable ,1 cup skimmed milk curd

Evening snack: 1 apple, small cup of green tea

Dinner: 2 whole grain Atta rotis with Bottle guard curry

Day 2

Early Morning Snack: 2-3 walnuts(soaked in water overnight)and 5 almonds

Breakfast: 2 Ragi dosas with peanut chutney,1 glass of fat free milk

Snack: Chicken salad with greens (chicken must be baked.)

Lunch: 1 bowl of kichidi made with broken brown rice and moong dal and carrots, methi and cabbage flavoured with coriander and 1 glass skimmed butter milk

Evening snack: 10 to 15 dates and 1 cup of green tea.

Dinner: 2 rotis with baked vegetables

Day 3

Early Morning Snack : 1 glass of apple cider juice, 6 -7 almonds.

Breakfast: 1 bowl of broken wheat poha with vegetable  and 1 cup of coffee without sugar

Snack: 1 cup of papaya fruit

Lunch: 1 cup brown rice, 1 cup horse gram tomato curry, 1 roti if you need and 1 cup yogurt(fat free)

Evening snack: 2 slices of baked cake made of oats and walnuts

Dinner: 2 ragi parathas stuffed with methi  or rajgira parathas

Day 4:

Early Morning Snack: Flax seeds fried and 1 apple

Breakfast: 2 slices of multigrain bread with egg white and spinach, 1 cup skimmed milk.

Snack: 1 small bowl (2tbsp) of roasted peanuts with little salt and masala.

Lunch: Little millets vegetable biryani made with cabbage, carrot, and methi

Evening snack: Handful of roasted peanuts and 1 cup green tea.

Dinner: 2 ragi dosa with coconut and peanut chutney

Day 5:

Early Morning Snack: 2-3 walnuts and fruit of your choice

Breakfast: 1 bowl  of oats cooked in skimmed milk.2 boiled egg whites

Snack: Low fat paneer tikka 1tbsp which is baked only

Lunch: 2 chapatis (multigrain)with raw banana curry cooked in little milk, 1 cup curd

Evening snack: 1 small cup of roasted chick peas

Dinner: 1 green gram dosa with green chutney

Day 6:

Early Morning Snack: Half ripe banana and nuts of your choice

Breakfast: 2 multi grain idli with chana dal chutney,1 glass buttermilk

Snack: Ragi porridge 1 cup

Lunch: Palak and carrot paratha (2 no’s) with egg kurma (made with only egg white)

Evening snack: Roasted Bengal gram laddu made with less ghee and jaggery.

Dinner: 2 idlis with sambar (dal and vegetable)

Day 7:

Early Morning Snack: Raw guava

Breakfast: Eat any of your favourite breakfast but not deep fried and very less quantity

Snack: 1 bowl  of cranberries

Lunch: Sunday is your day. Any biryani of your choice (steam cooked  , with little oil )it can be veg or non-veg and 1 glass of skimmed butter milk

Evening snack: 1 apple or kiwi or handful of pumpkin seeds

Dinner: Very light dinner. Oats upma 1 cup and 1 cup buttermilk

Facts about the recommended menu:-

1. Green tea is rich in antioxidants.
2. All sprouts are rich in proteins and they fill the stomach and make you feel less hungry.
3. .Important thing is brown rice is rich in manganese which helps in natural insulin production it is also rich in vitamin B3 ( helpful in decreasing insulin resistance), I understand you are convinced to eat brown rice at least once in a week, next best to brown rice is hand pounded rice.
4. Vegetables are rich in minerals and vitamins and fibre which help in reducing the rate of glucose absorption.
5. Drink a glass of Butter milk, buttermilk will help to increase good bacteria in your intestine which in-turn helps in overall health of digestive system.Butter milk also can keep you full for longer times, which means less hunger and less eating which can also be very effective for people thinking of weight loss.
6. Dates have low glycaemic index there are at least 15 minerals in dates, including selenium, an element believed to help prevent cancer and important in immune function, protein, containing 23 types of amino acids, some of which are not present in the most popular fruits, such as oranges, apples, and bananas. These can be kept as ready snack, just ensure you don’t eat more than 4 dates at a time.
7. Butter milk also can keep you full for longer times, which means less hunger and less eating which can also be very effective for people thinking of weight loss.
8. Have handful of roasted chana also known as whole black gram,  This snack is low in fat and packed with energy, and it works well to satisfy hunger, keeping blood sugar levels stable
9. Raw banana is high in protein, many other nutrients, has low Glycaemic Index and high resistant starch making it suitable diabetics.
10. Horse gram is one of the healthiest legumes, ideal for weight loss.
11. Have a handful of cranberries, cranberries have 5 times more antioxidants than cauliflower and help in regulating blood sugar levels, increasing HDL and reduce high triglycerides besides being very delicious. They are also helpful in weight loss, kidney health, oral hygiene and immunity boost.
12. Ragi is rich in calcium so it is good for bone density and ragi also controls blood glucose levels, and hyperglycaemic and oxidative stress.
13. This green gram dosa is famous in Andhra and it is a mouth-watering breakfast but it is equally nutritious and can keep you full for longer times
14. Animal studies suggest that pumpkin seeds may help improve insulin regulation and help prevent diabetic complications by decreasing oxidative stress. Pumpkin seeds also helps in improving prostate health and it may lead to a significant increase in good “HDL” cholesterol along with decreases in blood pressure, hot flashes, headaches, joint pains and other menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal women & you can try something new like Oolong tea (rich in detoxifying agents) / White tea, which provides relief to diabetic people from symptoms such as decrease plasma glucose levels, increase insulin secretion and excessive thirst (polydipsia). Intake of white tea also helps in losing weight.
15. Ragi Porridge loaded with many vitamins and minerals.