5 Diabetes Friendly Recipes to Manage Blood Sugar Levels

Do you abstain yourself from your favorite foods just because you have diabetes? Are you one of those who thinks taste and health can’t go hand in hand? People with diabetes often think they need to steer clear of desserts, sweets and sugar. But, the fact is that while it is important for diabetics to control their calorie and sugar intake, they can still have everything they want just keeping the portion control in mind and at a proper planned gap. The meal portion and meal timings are extremely important in diabetes so that blood sugar spikes are prevented and sugar level is maintained. Even though it is a lifelong condition, it definitely can be best managed with careful diet control, proper medication (either oral or insulin) and exercise under your doctor’s and dietitian’s supervision. Healthy diet, exercise and medications provide a solid foundation for control and management of diabetes as mentioned earlier.
Given below are a few easy recipes that are diabetic friendly and will prevent blood glucose spiking.

Sprout and spinach appe

Ingredients: Spinach puree, sprout moong dal, Grated carrot, green chili and ginger, Suji (Rawa), Salt, Hing powder, Eno, Curd, Oil

Steps:

• Pressure cook the sprout moong dal and grind it once it’s cool.
• In a bowl, add suji, moong dal paste, grated carrot, green chili and ginger paste, salt, hing, curd and eno. Mix well.
• Keep aside for 15 mins, take the vessel (Appe patra) , grease with oil and add two spoons of batter in it.
• Cover it and cook for 3-4 mins. Serve hot.

Benefits:

• Spinach is a diabetes friendly veggie that is low in carbohydrate content, which keeps diabetes in check. Spinach is super-low in calories, and foods that have few calories are generally responsible for stabilizing blood sugar levels.
• Moong dal has been recommended as an alternative food for diabetic patients due to its high-fiber,protein content and low-glycemic index.

Mixed dal Dosa (Adai Dosa)

Serves 4

Ingredients: ½ cup rice/idli rice, ¼ cup moong dal, ¼ cup urad dal, ¼ cup tuvar dal, red chillies, ginger, cumin seeds, hing powder, onions, coriander, curry leaves and salt.

Steps:

• Rinse and then soak ½ cup regular rice (or idli rice), ¼ cup moong dal, ¼ cup urad dal, ¼ cup tuvar dal and 2 dry red chilies in 1.5 cups water for 2 to 3 hours.
• You can also keep overnight.
• Later drain all the water and add the rice, lentils and red chilies in a grinder jar. Also add 1.5 teaspoon chopped ginger and 1 pinch hing. At this step you can also add 1 green chili and ½ teaspoon cumin seeds.
• Add ⅔ to ¾ cup water and grind to a semi coarse batter. Do not make the batter fine.
• Take all the batter in a mixing bowl. Cover and keep aside for minimum 20 minutes or till 1 to 2 hours
• Finally, add chopped onions, coriander, curry leaves and salt as per taste
• After mixing it well, make a dosa just like the regular one.

Benefits:

• Mixed dal dosa is a complete protein packed dosa with very little carbohydrate which makes it a low glycemic index dish.
• Protein is essential for blood sugar control. It helps slow digestion and prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes, as well as increases feelings of fullness. Plus, it may help prevent overeating and promote excess body fat loss, two effects that are essential for healthy blood sugar levels.

Spiced Beet patties/tikkis

Serves 2

Ingredients: Beetroot (1), Potato (½), Ginger, garlic, chillies, Spice powders- Red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, dried mango powder, Bread crumbs, Oil, Salt as per taste

Steps:

• Boil both Beetroot and potato in a pressure cooker or a pan. Once both the beetroot and potato cool down, then peel and grate them in a bowl.
• Grind ginger, garlic and chillies in a blender/mixer and add that.
• Add Spice powders- Red chili powder, garam masala, coriander powder, dried mango powder and salt as per taste.
• Add bread-crumbs for binding the mixture.
• Shape them into patties or tikkis.
• Roll the tikkis in the bread crumbs and shallow fry them

Benefits:

• Beet is known to have many nutrients and few calories. Beets lower the risk of common diabetes complications, including nerve damage and eye damage.
• It also helps fight inflammation and helps to keep blood pressure in check.
• Along with starch, beet also contains protein and fiber which makes it a perfect evening snack.

Cucumber boat

Ingredients: Cucumber, Greek yogurt/Homemade yogurt/Hummus, Boiled chickpeas,Onion, Garlic,Red chili powder, Black pepper, Lemon juice,Olive oil,Salt.

Steps:

• Cut one cucumber in two halves. And then further into halves. One cucumber gives 4 portions that look like a boat.
• Make sure to wash it properly as we will be using the skin.
• If you feel it has a waxy coating, then soak the cucumber in vinegar and water for 3-4mins. Then wash it thoroughly.
• Once thoroughly washed, scoop out the cucumber seeds.
• Now, spread each cucumber boat with greek yogurt or homemade yogurt or hummus ( For vegans).

For Chickpeas salad:

• Mix together boiled chickpeas, onion, minced garlic, red chilly powder,lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Once it’s ready, fill the boat with a scoop of chickpeas salad.

Benefits:

• Cucumbers are refreshing and one gets instantly hydrated as they have a high water content. Cucumbers are low in calories and high in nutrients, fiber and antioxidants. What’s more, eating cucumbers makes you feel full and reduces hunger pangs. This in a way helps to maintain a healthy blood glucose level in pre diabetics and diabetics.
• Cucumber peel provides 40% of the daily value for vitamin K, vital for blood clotting and bone health.
• Can be a great option for an evening snack especially after a long day at work.

Chilly paneer/tofu lettuce wrap

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients: 6-8 leaves of romaine lettuce, 225g (8oz) block of paneer/tofu, chopped into small cubes, 1 green pepper, chopped finely, 2 garlic cloves, sliced, 1 tsp minced ginger

For the sauce: 2 Tbsp tomato puree, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp chili garlic sauce,1 tsp mirin,1 medium onion chopped as needed Oil for shallow frying, 1 small tomato chopped and salt as per taste.

Steps:

• First, whisk together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• Coat the bottom of a wok with oil, and heat to a high heat setting.
• Throw in the chopped onion and green pepper, stir fry for a couple of minutes, just to give them a head start before adding the paneer.
• Add the cubed paneer/tofu, and continue to stir fry at high heat, tossing regularly, until all ingredients are browned and crispy. It will be tricky to ensure that each tiny cube of paneer is browned evenly on all sides so don’t worry too much- there will be a mix of textures, and that’s good too!
• Add the garlic and ginger and stir fry for another minute. It should be smelling delicious at this point!
• Once the paneer/tofu, pepper and onions are nicely browned, turn the heat to low, pour in the sauce, and mix constantly to coat. It will sizzle and bubble a lot, but after a minute or two you will have a nice sticky mixture.
• To assemble the wraps, just spoon some filling into a lettuce leaf and eat taco-style! Delicious!

Benefits:

• Lettuce is an amazing, healthy alternative to bread or tortilla so carbohydrate is under check.
• It is low in calories, fats and sodium thus making it an ideal evening snack.
• Although it’s low in fiber, it has a high water content, making it a refreshing choice during hot weather.
• It is a good source of iron, folate, and vitamin C.
• Can be had during evening time or for dinner.

Over to You
Eat in a relaxed and stress free environment as stress can impair the digestion of food and also the production of insulin.