Our diet basically includes carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, minerals, fibre, salt etc.

Basic food groups are : Cereals, meat group (fish, egg, meat and poultry), pulses and gram, milk and milk products, fat and oils, fruit group, and green vegetable etc.

Balanced diet: Diet should not be monotonous. It should be a balanced diet prepared by proportionate quantity of different food groups depending upon liking and disliking, age, sex, weight, height, occupation of the patient, type of diabetes and complications of diabetes, specially prepared diet during pregnancy, sick days, travelling etc.

Carbohydrate : allowance : 60 – 65% of total calories

Source : Cereals and Cereal Products mainly from whole grain cereals, wheat, rice, ragi, maize, sorghum, are the major examples. Other sources are pulses, beans, fresh fruits and vegetables etc.

In our country Cereals are staple foods. In Northern India Wheat is the staple diet, in North-Eastern India rice is the staple food while in south India Ragi is the staple food.

A diabetic patient can also take rice in right amount preferably mixed with dal or Rajmah and green vegetable in consultation with physician.

Avoid : Sugar / simple carbohydrate, refined diet

Glycaemic index : The blood glucose and insulin response in various carbohydrates are not similar. Individual foods containing the same caloric amount of carbohydrate (isocaloric) may elicit a widely different response on plasma glucose levels.

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