Diet
Goals of Diet Planning
will achieve these goals, which are the cornerstone of successful diabetes management…- Eat a balanced meal
- Have regular meals
- Achieve and maintain a desirable body weight
- Provide adequate nutrition for health and growth
The American Diabetes Association recommends
- Weight loss for all overweight or obese individuals who have risk for diabetes.
- For weight loss, either low carbohydrate or low fat calorie restricted diets may be effective for short period of time (One year).
- Moderate weight loss (7% of body weight) and regular physical activity 150 min/week can reduce risk of developing diabetes.
- It is recommended to have 20 to 35 gm of fiber per day in diet.
- Saturated fat should be less than 7% of total calories.
- Intake of trans fat (Dalda i.e. hydrogenated oils) should be minimized.
- Non nutritive sugars are safe when consumed within acceptable daily intake levels. You can use acesulfame postassium, aspartame, neotame, saccharin and sucrose.
- If adults with diabetes choose to use alcohol, daily intake should be limited to a moderate amount (one drink per day or less for adult women and two drinks per day or less for adult males)
Your doctor and dietician will decide the best diet plan for you.
Guide To Good Eating
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Guidelines For Meal Planning
- Space out meals. 3 main meals with 3 mid-snacks.
- Fasting should be avoided
- Eat the right amount of food at right times & never skip meals
- Favourable cooking methods are boiling, steaming, stewing, dry roasting, grilling, baking, poaching, and stir frying. Avoid deep or shallow frying.
Diet Composition Pie Chart
Fibre in the diet
Insoluble
Insoluble fibres have satiety value. They help in weight reduction, prevent constipation and colon cancer.
- Sources - wheat,wheat flour, jowar, bajra, bran,whole grains, vegetables, fruits with edible seeds like figs.
Soluble
Soluble fibres help in digestion and absorption of glucose. They help reduce blood cholesterol and tryglycerides.
- Sources - oats, legumes, guar, barley, fenugreek, beans, carrots, apples, guava, citrus fruits, strawberries
Recommendations for average daily intake
| Non-nutritive, Non-caloric Sweetener | |
| ADI Level | |
| Saccherine | Children
500 mg/day Adult 1000 mg/day |
| Aspartame | 50 mg/kg/day |
| Acesulfame-K | 15 mg/kg/day |
Food Exchanges Charts
Calorie values given in the appendices have been adopted from 'Nutritive Value of Indian Foods',National Institute of nutrition, ICMR, Hyderabad and 'Some Common Indian Recipes and their Nutritive Value', National Institute of Nutrition, ICMR Hyderabad. Minor variations may occur in the calorie values due to variations in household measures and cooking style. The values mentioned here are only approximate values.- Pulses / Meat / Fish
- Cereal Exchange
- Milk Exchange
- Vegetable Exchange
- Fruits Exchange
- Fats Exchange
Pulses / Meat / Fish
| Food Stuff | Approximate Household Measures | Approximate Weight/Volume |
| PULSES | ||
| Dals-mung, Arhar, Urad, Chana, Musur | ¾ Katori (cooked) | 25 gms. (uncooked) |
| Bengal gram | ¾ Katori (cooked) | 25 gms. (uncooked) |
| Rajmah | ½ Katori (cooked) | 25 gms. (uncooked) |
| Cow pea (Lobiya) | ¾ Katori (cooked) | 25 gms. (uncooked) |
| Field beans (Val) | ¾ Katori (cooked) | 25 gms. (uncooked) |
| Peas dry | ¾ Katori (cooked) | 25 gms. (uncooked) |
| Soya bean | ½ Katori (cooked) | 18 gms.(uncooked) |
| MEAT | 3 pieces | 67 gms. (raw) |
| Mutton | 1 breast | 73 gms. (raw) |
| Chicken | 1 slice | 70 gms. (raw) |
| Pork | 1 slice | 70 gms. (raw) |
| Beef | 1 slice | 45 gms. |
| FISH | ||
| Hilsa | 1 slice | 29 gms. |
| Bhetki | 2-3 pieces | 100 gms. |
| Pomfret white | 2-3 pieces | 100 gms. |
| Katla | 2-3 pieces | 72 gms. |
| Magur | 2-3 pieces | 100 gms. |
| Rohu | 2-3 pieces | 82 gms. |
| Prawn | 8-10 pieces | 100 gms. |
| Shrimp (small-dried) | 10 pieces | 22 gms. |
Cereal Exchange
| Food Stuff | Approximate Household Measures | Approximate Weight/Volume |
| Chappati | 1 approx. 6" diameter | 25 gms. |
| Dosai plain | ½ approx. 1" diameter | 25 gms. (cooked) |
| Iddli | 1 piece (medium size) | 56 gms. |
| Bread | 2 pieces small or 1 large | 32 gms. |
| Roll | 1 piece | 28 gms. |
| Spaghetti | ½ cup (cooked) | 22 gms. |
| Noodles | ½ cup (cooked) | 22 gms. (uncooked) |
| Macaroni | ||
| Vermicelli | ½ cup (cooked) | 22 gms. |
| Biscuits (salt) | 6 pieces | 15 gms. |
| Biscuits (Sweet) | 3 pieces | 18 gms. |
| Dalia | ½ cup (cooked) | 25 gms. (uncooked) |
| Rice (flaked) | 1 Katori | 25 gms. |
| Rice (puffed) | 2 cups | 25 gms. |
| Atta (whole wheat flour) | 25 gms. | |
| Maida | 25 gms. | |
| Suji (Rawa) | 25 gms. | |
| Ragi flour | 25 gms. | |
| Makai flour | 25 gms. | |
| Bajra flour | 25 gms. | |
| Makhana | 25 gms. | |
| Kotu flour | 25 gms. |
Milk Exchange
| Food Stuff | Approximate Household Measures | Approximate Weight/Volume |
| Milk (Cow) | 1 cup | 125 ml. |
| Milk (Buffalo) | ½ cup | 68 ml. |
| Milk (Toned) | 1 cup | 125 ml. |
| Milk (Skimmed) | 2 ½ cups | 275 ml. |
| Curds | 1 cup | 130 gms. |
| Buttermilk | 2 glasses | 530 ml. |
| Cheese | 1 cube | 25 gms. |
| Chainna (Paneer) | 1 piece | 1 piece 30 gms. |
| Mava or Khoa | 20 gms. | |
| Skimmed Milk Powder | 22 gms. | |
| Whole Milk Powder | 16 gms. |
Vegetable Exchange
| Group I (Approximate 350 gms. raw weight) |
Group II (Approximate 100 gms. raw weight) |
Group III (Approximate 200 gms. raw weight) |
Group IV (Approximately 50 gms. raw weight) |
| Bottle Gourd (Lauki) | Amaranth (Cholai) | Bitter Gourd (Karela) | Peas (Matar) |
| Ridge Gourd (Turiya) | Fenugreek (Methi) | Pumpkin (Kaddu, Kashiphal) | Potato (Alu) |
| Ash Gourd (Petha) | Beet root (Chukander) | Brinjal (Baigan, Ringan0 | Sweet potato (Shakarkandi) |
| Cucumber (Kakdi, Kheera) | Cluster beans (Gavar ki phalli) | Drumstick (Sajjan ki phali) | Cola Cassia (Arbi) |
| Carrot (Gajjar) | Ladies finger (Bhindi) | Yam (Zimikand or Suran) | |
| Onion (Pyaz) | Tinda | 530 ml. | |
| Broad beans (Papdi) | Papaya green (Papita) | 25 gms. | |
| Mint (Pudina) | Cauliflower (Phool gobi) | 1 piece 30 gms. | |
| Coriander (Dhaniya) | Cabbage (Patta gobi) Khol Khol (Ganth gobi) Turnip (Shalgam) Radish (Muli) Capsium (Shimla mirch) French beans (Fansi) |
20 gms. |
Fruits Exchange
Each portion equals 50 cal| Food Stuff | Approximate Household Measures | Approximate Weight/Volume |
| Banana | ½ medium size | 50 gms. |
| Dates | 2 pieces | 15 gms. |
| Mango | 1½ slices | 70 gms. |
| Peaches | 1 piece (2"dia) | 90 gms. |
| Raisin | 2 tablespoonful | 15 gms. |
| Custard apple(Seetaphal) | ½ medium size | 50 gms. |
| Grapes | 25 pieces | 80 gms. |
| Apple | 1 (2"dia) | 80 gms. |
| Guava | 1 (2"dia) | 100 gms. |
| Jamun | 15 pieces | 80 gms. |
| Orange | 1 (2"dia) | 100 gms. |
| Grape Fruit | ½ (3 ½"dia) | 120 gms. |
| Malta | 1 (medium) | 140 gms. |
| Plums | 2 (1½" dia) | 100 gms. |
| Pineapple | 1 ½ slices | 80 gms. |
| Pomegranate | 1 (small) | 75 gms. |
| Musk melon | ¼ (medium) | 200 gms. |
| Water melon | ¼ (small) | 175 gms. |
| Jack Fruit | 3 (medium pieces) | 60 gms. |
Fats Exchange
| Food Stuff | Approximate Household Measures |
| Butter | 2½ teaspoonful |
| Ghee | 2 teaspoonful |
| Vegetable ghee (Vanaspati) | 2 teaspoonful |
| Oils(Groundnut, cotton seed, Corn, Sunflower, Mustard, Til, Palm etc.) | 2 teaspoonful |
| Mayonnaise
Cream - Light - Heavy |
2 tablespoonful |
| NUTS | Approximate Weight |
| Almond (Badam) | 14 gms. |
| Walnut (Akhrot) | 13 gms. |
| Cashew Nut (Kaju) | 15 gms. |
| Ground Nut (Mungphali) | 16 gms. |
| Pistachio (Pista) | 14 gms. |
Diet Charts
Importance of breakfast in diabetics
Skipping breakfast, according to the conventional wisdom, is a mistake for people with diabetes .Many people often think that skipping breakfast will help them to control their sugars and lose weight, but that is in fact a myth. Eating breakfast stimulates metabolism and gives energy. Skipping breakfast will lower the metabolism and will decrease fat burning ability. Thus breakfast is the most important meal of the day.It plays a very important role especially in diabetic patients. At night, the body goes without food i.e. a source of glucose for up to 12 hours. During this prolonged period of fasting, a major source of blood glucose is liver glycogen, which can provide about 4 hour supply of glucose. This may spell trouble for diabetics who have taken blood glucose-lowering drugs. It becomes very important for diabetic to start the day with a new supply of glucose by eating breakfast. Breakfast is especially important for people with diabetes on insulin. If there's no food on board, that person runs the risk of hypoglycemia.
Good breakfast will also prevent people with diabetes from overeating during lunch – which might increase their blood sugar levels. A well-planned breakfast that is nutritionally balanced and provides adequate energy should be consumed. However, elimination of total carbohydrates is definitely not recommended. It’s just a myth that total elimination of Carbs from the diet will bring the sugars under control as body converts carbohydrates into glucose. But the fact is that glucose is the main source of energy for the body and the only source of energy for the brain. Researches also have proven that glycemic control is better when carbohydrates are spread out throughout the day.
Atleast 25 % of total calories should come from breakfast. Breakfast should consist of combination of high fiber food along with a good quality protein such as egg white, milk and milk products etc with small amount of fat. Such combination helps to prevent spikes in blood glucose as they are digested slowly.
| Lime water | 3 tsp sugar |
| Glucose biscuit | 3 in no |
| Glucon D | 3 tsp or 1 tbsp |
| Black currants | |
| Dates shake | 1cup milk (150) + 2 dates |
| Dry Dates | 3 in no |
| Bread | 1 ½ no |
| Pulpy orange | 75 ml |
| Sugar cane juice | 150 ml |
Use our Diabetic Meal Plan Tool to keep your diabetes under control
Calorie Count
- Calorie Count - Beverages
- Calorie Count - Alcoholic Beverages
- Calorie Count - Cooked food
Calorie Count - Beverages
| Beverage | Approximate Measures | Caloric Content |
| Aerated soft drinks | 1 bottle | 78 |
| Lemonade | 1 glass | 90 |
| Fruit Juices | ||
| Apple | ¾ glass | 87 |
| Sweet Lime (fresh) | 1 glass | 52 |
| Orange (fresh) | 1 glass | 111 |
| Pineapple (canned) | ¾ glass | 104 |
| Tomato (canned) | ¾ glass | 34 |
| Coconut water | 1 coconut | 120 |
| Tea (clear, unsweetened) | 1 cup | 2 |
| Coffee (clear, unsweetened) | 1 cup | 5 |
| Chocolate (all milk) | 1 glass | 208 |
| Bournvita powder | 3 teaspoonful | 88 |
| Horlicks | 5 teaspoonful | 88 |
| Protinex | 2 teaspoonful | 88 |
| Soups | ||
| Clear vegetable soup | 1 cup | Negligible |
| Chicken noodle soup | 1 cup | 59 |
| Chicken soup | 1 cup | 75 |
| Cream of tomato | 1 cup | 173 |
| Cream of mushroom | 1 cup | 149 |
| Cream of peas | 1 cup | 128 |
Calorie Count - Alcoholic Beverages
| Beverage | Approximate Measures | Caloric Content |
| Beer | 1 glass | 114 |
| Rum | 1 Jigger | 105 |
| Gin | 1 Jigger | 105 |
| Whiskey | 1 Jigger | 105 |
| Champagne | 1 glass | 84 |
| Sherry | 1 glass | 84 |
| Vodka | 1 Jigger | 125 |
Calorie Count - Cooked food
| Food | Approximate Weight | Approximate Calories |
| Kachori | 100 gms | 500 |
| Plain Dosai | 100 gms | 360 |
| Iddli | 100 gms | 132 |
| Pongal | 100 gms | 356 |
| Uthappa | 100 gms | 330 |
| Puri | 40 gms | 184 |
| Khichadi | 100 gms | 168 |
| Papdi chat | 100 gms | 474 |
| Dhokla | 100 gms | 122 |
| Uppama | 100 gms | 233 |
| Poha | 100 gms | 118 |
Household Measures
Approximate household measures:- 1 Glass = 250 ml.
- 1 Cup = 125 ml.
- 1 Katori = 200 ml.
- 1 Jigger = 45 ml.
- 1 Sherry glass = 60 ml.
- 1 Wine glass = 120 ml.
