Follow these simple cooking tips to manage diabetes and reduce the risk of diabetes

The food choices we make are paramount when it comes to diabetes management. However, we often overlook other aspects of preparing a meal. When making diabetes-friendly meals, every step matters, from choosing the right ingredients to the cooking methods employed. In this article, we’ll explore seven diabetes-friendly cooking tips that will help you create a nutritious and blood sugar-friendly meal.

According to Annie Mattilda R, Sr Nutritionist and Head of R&D at Sugarfit, here are a few tips and tricks people need to follow while preparing food for diabetic patients.

1. Choose Whole Foods – When it comes to diabetes management, whole foods can be a boon for blood sugar. Opt for pulses, legumes, fresh vegetables, and lean meats instead of processed foods like ready-to-eat or ready-to-prepare foods, as they can affect the glycemic index of the food and may lead to higher glucose spikes.

2. Choose Healthy Cooking Methods: Selecting the right cooking methods is just as crucial as making healthy food choices. The cooking techniques we use have a significant impact on the digestibility, nutritional value, and glycemic index of the meals. Methods such as steaming, grilling, boiling, baking, and sautéing with healthy oils can help minimize nutrient loss in the food while enhancing taste and digestibility. Opting for these methods can contribute to better glycemic responses and aid in managing diabetes.

3. Every meal should include vegetables and protein: Returning to the concept of a balanced meal, it’s important to fill 50% of your plate with veggies, allocate 25% for protein, and reserve the remaining 25% for grains or starchy vegetables. Regardless of the cooking method, this combination should be used consistently for all meals. To simplify this, one-pot cooking methods can be employed, allowing you to prepare dishes like biryani, khichdi, and pulao with an abundance of vegetables and protein sources such as paneer, soya chunks, eggs, or lean meat.

4. Pay Attention to Cooking Time: The cooking time for each type of food varies, and it’s important to ensure that foods are cooked perfectly, without undercooking or overcooking. Undercooked food may lead to digestive issues and food poisoning, while overcooking can result in the loss of essential nutrients, affect transit time, alter the glycemic index of foods, and potentially release harmful compounds that can impact overall health.

5. Select Healthy Fats: When cooking, choose liquid fats like sesame seed oil, rice bran oil, olive oil, avocado oil, groundnut oil, and safflower oil, rather than solid fats such as butter, margarine, hydrogenated oils, and lard. The latter contain high levels of saturated fats, which can negatively affect cardiovascular health.

6. Be Mindful of Hidden Sugars: Hidden sugars, often concealed under different names in food products, can have adverse effects on blood glucose levels. Packaged foods such as sauces, purees, salad dressings, breakfast cereals, fruit juices, instant mixes, flavored yogurt, and fat-free or low-fat options may contain excessive sugars. Therefore, always make it a habit to read food labels and ingredient lists to avoid unnecessary spikes in glucose. Also, consider reducing or eliminating the use of added sugar in your recipes.

7. Be Mindful with Seasonings: Herbs and spices can impart a wealth of flavor to your dishes without adding extra sodium. They also contain beneficial antioxidants and minerals. Experiment with various seasonings such as ginger, thyme, rosemary, basil, turmeric, cinnamon, fenugreek, and cardamom to tantalize your taste buds while also enhancing diabetes management.