East Indian Meal Plan for Diabetes

Diabetes Meal Plans

East India
West India
North India
South India
East India
South India
West India
North India

Meal Plan for Diabetes Patients, Featuring East Indian Dishes

Morning
Afternoon
Night

Early Morning (6:00 AM)

•1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (methi): overnight soaked or powder
•1 glass lukewarm water

Breakfast (8:00 AM)

• 1 wheat porota / 2 whole wheat toasted bread
• 1 cup tea / coffee made with skim milk and without sugar
• 1 boiled egg

Note: Roast paratha with less oil/ ghee. Can include coriander mint chutney.

Mid Morning Snack (11:00 AM)

• 1 medium size fresh fruit (Refer the list below)
• 1 glass buttermilk (ghol)

Note: Avoid adding salt/ sugar in buttermilk. Add roasted jeera powder and coriander mint leaves.

Lunch (1:00 PM)

• 1 cup mixed vegetable salad
• 1 + ½ cup brown rice / parboiled rice OR 2 Roti
• 1 cup dal
• 1 cup doi potol (Pointed Gourd In Yogurt Based Gravy)

Note: Use less oil / ghee.

Afternoon Snack (4:00PM)

• Handful of rosted chana / soaked almonds / walnuts / ½ cup roasted jhalmuri (kurmura + roasted peanuts)
• 1 cup coffee / tea made with skim milk / green tea without sugar

Note: If hungry in between, include a glass of unsalted unsweetened buttermilk (ghol)

Dinner (8:00 PM)

• 1 Roti
• ½ cup brown rice / parboiled rice
• 1 cup palong shaak
• 1 boiled egg OR 2 piece shallow fried / grilled fish OR Skinless chicken breast

Note: Use healthy fish options like Rohu / Rawas; Indian salmon / Hilsa / Katla.

Bed Time- If Hungry (10:00PM)

• Handful of soaked nuts + ½ fruit

Avoid
Moderate
HEALTHY REPLACEMENT

Types of Sugar : refined sugar, honey, date syrup, jaggery powder

Maida based items : bread, noodles, pasta, pav, naan, khari, toast, biscuits, cookies and cakes

Home-made wheat/ millet roti / chapati / broken wheat khichadi/ brown rice / quinoa / rolled oats

Sugary Beverages : colas, aerated drinks, fruit juices and sharbets

Buttermilk / vegetable soup / sattu powder mixed in water

Sweet Treats : chocolates, mithai’s , sugar based kheer, payasam and pastries

Whole fruit like : sweet lime (mosambi), orange, apple, papaya 5-6 cubes, peach, guava, muskmelon 5-6 pc, pear, strawberries,

Fried Snacks: chips, samosa, fried chicken and deep fried bhajiyas

Roasted / soaked nuts and seeds almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, chia seeds, flax seeds

Roasted chana/ makhanas, whole wheat/ bajra/ jowar / barley (jau) puffs /sprouts.

Plain white rice

Rice items : kurmura & poha

Unpolished rice + lots of cooked vegetable + raw salad + dal / dahi

Recommendations for Fruits and Vegetables:

RESTRICT
EAT MORE OFTEN

Root Vegetables : potatoes, sweet potatoes, yam (suran), taro (arbi), carrots 

Leafy vegetables, cauliflower, cabbage, capsicum, lady finger (bhindi), french beans, cluster beans (gavar) and tomatoes

Sweet tasting fruits : banana, custard apple (sitaphal), sapota (chikoo) , grapes, pineapple, watermelon, litchi and mango

1-2 whole fruits/ day : apple, orange, sweet lime (mosambi), semi ripe guava, peach, pear, 6-7 small cubes of papaya and strawberries

AVOID : FRUIT JUICES

Additional Tips:

  • Include small frequent meals instead of few larger meals.
  • Have one fruit at a time.
  • Avoid deep-frying of foods and use healthy cooking methods like grilling / poaching/ boiling/ steaming/ roasting.
  • Use limited amounts of cooking oils and prefer kachhi ghani or cold pressed oils based on your region. You can use oils like mustard oils, groundnut oil, rice bran oil, coconut oil and sesame oil.
  • Avoid red meat like mutton and beef, and processed meats like sausages and hot dog.
  • Restrict total fat (oil + ghee) consumption to ½ liter per person per month.
  • Include raw salads and cooked vegetables with every meal.
  • Prefer to remove fat from milk.
  • Minimize salt consumption and restrict it to less than one teaspoon per day.
  • Exercise 30-45 minutes at least five days a week.
Adapted from:
  1. Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes. Diabetes Care 2022; 45(Suppl.1): S60-S82.
  2. Indian Council of Medical Research. ICMR guidelines for management of type 2 diabetes. 2018. Available at: https://main.icmr.nic.in/sites/default/files/guidelines/ICMR_GuidelinesType2diabetes2018_0.pdf . Accessed 13 Sept 2022.
  3. Clinical Dietetics Manual; Indian Dietetic Association. 2nded. Seth V and Desai N. Elite Publishing House; 2018