Does food shopping seem confusing for diabetics? 10 tips for healthy food choices for diabetics.
Have diabetic relatives at home and confused about what to shop for them. Worry not, herewith are some tips that can help you choose healthier options from your nearby mall.
- Start with dals and pulses section: prefer healthy dals i.e. ones with skin, for example chilke wali moong ki dal, whole moong, whole masoor, etc. Prefer variety of pulses like lobia/ rajmah/ chana/ soyabean/etc.
2. Then prefer nuts and oilseeds: prefer walnuts, almonds, kharek. Walnuts are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids and are essential for maintaining healthy heart. Kharek is a good source of iron. Prefer white and black til — they can be roasted and added on salads. White til contains good amount of calcium while black til contributes to iron.
3. Head to vegetables section: when we say green leafy vegetables, people usually think of just palak and methi. However, its important to note that others like green and red amaranth, sua bhaji (shepu), lettuce, iceberg, raddish leaves, too are green and leafy and should be chosen. Carbohydrate rich potatoes can be replaced with white/ yellow pumpkin.
4. Then fruits: Select healthy fruits like papaya, apple, berries, pineapple, pomegranate, kiwi, orange, pear, peach, melons, etc.
Avoid fruits like banana/ chickoo, sitaphal, mango and grapes for diabetics.
5. Now go to milk & milk products section: Prefer skimmed milk or zero or 1% fat milk. Avoid whole milk. Check milk for expiry date. Prefer low fat curd or paneer. Avoid khoa (mawa/ khoya/ khava). Avoid milk based sweets or desserts.
6. Then prefer eggs, fish & poultry: Prefer eggs/ fresh fish/ lean meat like leaner cuts of chicken. Avoid red meat. Avoid tinned fish or meat items.
7. Prefer cereals & breads towards end: Prefer multigrain attas (flours). Prefer variety of flours like whole wheat flour, jowar flour, bajra, nachni flour, etc. Avoid bread section completely and if needed select multigrain breads.
8. Lastly prefer oils and fats: Choose healthy oils like olive oil (for toppings) and either ricella oil/ canola oil/ groundnut oil/ mustard oil/sunflower oil/ safflower oil (for cooking). Avoid margarine/butter/ creams. You may choose to opt for cold pressed oils.
9. Skip packaged foods section completely: Avoid packed items like biscuits/ chivdas/ farsan/ packed curries/ instant cereals/ instant soups/ gravy premixes/ fruit juices/ cold drinks/ sweets/ chocolates/ desserts/papads/ pickles/ jams/ jellies/etc.
10. Do not forget to visit non-stick cookware section: Invest in good quality non-stick pans and tawas that allow cooking with less oil.
11. Bonus health tip: If you are a diabetic as well as have high blood pressure or if you have just high blood pressure, prefer low sodium salt like Tata Lite, Lona, etc. They help in reducing high blood pressure, but note that they too need to be used in less quantity only.
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