Oats Upma

Oats Upma

A nutritious and delicious upma, made of oats, mixed vegetables. Good for diabetes. Recipe from Vanitha Paachakam !!

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Please use same measuring cup to measure oats and water.

For oats:

2 cups oats (Please measure oats in Indian standard measuring cup of 100 ml / 4 oz )

Heat a pan on medium heat. Dry oats for 3 minutes until light fragrant. Keep aside.

Other ingredients for seasoning:

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon jeera seeds (cumin seeds)

¼ teaspoon urad dal

2 green chillies, slit lengthwise

4 curry leaves

½ - inch ginger, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

5 French beans, wash and cut into ¼ - inch cubes

2 carrots (or 1 big size carrot), cut into ¼ - inch cubes

2 ½ cup water

½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Dry roasted oats

Method

Heat oil in a pan / kadai on medium heat. Add mustard seeds. When they crackle, add jeera and urad dal. Fry for 1 minute.

Add green chillies, curry leaves, ginger and onion. Fry until fragrant for 3 – 4 minutes.

Add cubed carrot and French beans (or you can also add green peas and peanuts). Mix all the ingredients well and fry for 3 – 4 minutes.

Add salt to taste and 2 ½ cups water. Cover with a tight lid and boil water. When water starts boiling, remove the lid and pour oats. Mix well , cover with a tight lid and cook again on a medium to low heat for 3 – 4 minutes or until oats well cooked / water dries up. Open the lid and mix well. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves (optional). Serve hot with fruits juice / milk …

Fruits which are High & Low in Sugar

Fruits which are high in sugar

Dried Fruits
Figs
Bananas
Apples
Cherries
Pomegranates
Pears
Mangoes
Grapes
Pineapple
Prunes

Fruits which are low in sugar

Melons
Watermelons
Peaches
Papayas
Oranges
Limes
Berries
Tomatoes
Apricots
Guava
Grapefruit


Microwave cleaning tip:

To soften hardened food spills in your microwave, put some lemon juice in a cup of water and allow it to boil. Let the boiling water sit for a few minutes before you take it out. Then wipe the interior of the microwave with a sudsy rag. Rinse with a clean wet rag and wipe dry.

Diet for Diabetes

Diet for Diabetes



Source - B positive, Apollo



Diet plays a significant role in controlling diabetes. The main objective of a diabetic diet is to maintain ideal body weight by providing adequate nutrition along with maintaining normal blood sugar levels in blood. It is achieved by a diet in protein and complex carbs and low in fats and simple carbs. There is no common diet that works for everyone. One has to be just careful about the following.



Fibre should be in every meal, in the form of raw fruits, vegetables, whole cereals etc.



Add wheat bran to your wheat flour, to increase fibre in your diet.

You can also add flax seed and fenugreek (methi) seeds into the wheat flour.



Bakery products and fast foods should be avoided.



Have nuts rich in mono unsaturated fat, such as walnuts and almonds (not more than four almonds).



Eat pasta and leafy salads along with beans, to reduce LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol.

Fat free milk, yogurt and cheese can be eaten.



White meats like chicken and fish are good, so is egg white.



Increase intake of dry beans and peas.

Intake of cinnamon, garlic, onion, bitter gourd, are known to considerably reduce blood sugar levels.

Blueberries, Red Grapefruit & Apples - Best Fruits for Diabetes

If you already follow a healthful meal plan filled with whole grains, fresh fruits and veggies, and lean protein, congratulations! You're on your way to a long, healthy life and are taking a major step in controlling your weight and blood glucose levels. Plus, you're probably already eating a bunch of the foods on this list.

For those who are taking the baby-steps approach to eating better, this list is even more helpful. Not only are these power foods high in fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals, they're also familiar and easy to find. That means you don't have to hunt down any exotic ingredients or shop at specialty grocery stores to find foods that will help you get on track with a healthful meal plan.

Source & Photo Credit - Diabeticlivingonline



Blueberries

Enjoy the benefits of blueberries on their own or in a variety of foods, including smoothies and pancakes. Blueberries provide dietary fiber, vitamin C, and flavonoids, a type of phytonutrient that offers antioxidant protection, such as boosting your immune system and fighting inflammation. Flavonoids may also help decrease the LDL (bad cholesterol)-oxidation process that can lead to arterial plaque, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Blueberries get their dark blue color from anthocyanins, another disease-fighting antioxidant that may benefit heart health. Blueberries have also been studied for their potential to protect and improve vision.

One serving is 3/4 cup and has 15 grams of carbs. You can enjoy fresh, in-season blueberries May through October or buy the frozen varieties year-round.

Red Grapefruit

Sweet, juicy, and delicious, the ruby red grapefruit packs more antioxidant power and possibly more heart benefits than the white grapefruit. In a preliminary 30-day test of 57 people with heart disease, those eating one red grapefruit daily decreased their LDL (bad) cholesterol by 20 percent and decreased triglycerides by 17 percent. In contrast, those eating a white grapefruit reduced LDL by 10 percent with no significant change in triglycerides, compared with a group of people who didn't eat the fruit.

Include the vitamin C-rich grapefruit as a juice, in salads, or by itself. The only way the body can get vitamin C is through food, such as citrus fruits, or supplements.

Grapefruit interacts with certain drugs, including statins and antiarrhythmic medications, so check with your health-care professional.

One serving of a large grapefruit is one half of the grapefruit or 3/4 cup of grapefruit sections.

Apples

The soluble and insoluble fiber in apples can benefit people with diabetes. According to a 2003 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a diet high in fiber can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease-a leading diabetes complication, which is often caused by high cholesterol, lack of exercise, and obesity. The good news is one medium-sized apple packs 3 grams of fiber--12 percent of the recommended 25 grams per day.

Plus, the soluble fiber in an apple may help slow digestion. According to the Cleveland Clinic, some research has indicated this slowing-down process may help regulate cholesterol and stabilize blood glucose.

Eating apples, especially with the skin, not only increases your fiber intake but provides vitamin C and flavonoids, a disease-fighting antioxidant.