Fueling Health: Meal Planning for Blood Sugar Control

Being diagnosed with diabetes can be draining. Knowing how to alter your eating habits, what to believe, and where to begin might be challenging. The most crucial concern one might face is about diet. There are a lot of lists of what not to eat so that you can manage blood sugar.

It can be challenging, isn’t it?

 However, you can simplify things by understanding what, when, and how much to consume. Simply find the solution that best suits your preferences, way of life, and budget. Starting small with any health adjustment is essential to form it into a habit.

To control blood sugar levels, you must eat the healthiest foods in moderation and adhere to a regular meal schedule. This diet is nutrient-balanced, low-fat, low-calorie, and generally low-carb.

Thus, it is wise to embark on a nutritious eating schedule. Here, we provide a comprehensive guide that will provide you with a thorough understanding of meal planning, with a sample chart to make things simpler and practical.

So read on to start your journey towards healthy eating!

Wise Food Selections for Blood Sugar Control

Make your calorie intake count by eating wholesome meals. Select fibre-rich foods, nutritious carbs, and “good” fats.

1. Healthy Carbohydrates

The most crucial factor is the kind of carbohydrates you consume, as some are healthier than others. What matters more in a diet is the kind of carbohydrates consumed rather than their high or low quantity.

Highly processed and refined food items are less healthful than whole grains like quinoa, dalia, barley, and whole wheat bread.

The body uses glucose from carbohydrates to support physical activity and internal functions ^[1]. However, the quality of the carbohydrates is crucial; certain foods high in carbohydrates are better than others:

• Fruits.
• Vegetables.
• Whole grains.
• Legumes, such as beans and peas.
• Low-fat dairy products, such as milk and cheese.

If you’re looking for whole wheat meal options, look no further than AASHIRVAAD WHOLE WHEAT ATTA. Direct from the farmers, Aashirvaad provides you with the best whole-wheat grains.

The finest grains, which are thick and have a golden amber hue, go into making this atta. With contemporary “chakki-grinding” technology, Aashirvaad creates atta that contains 100% Sampoorna Atta and 0% maida.

2. Fibre-Rich Foods

You may achieve a healthy digestive system by including high-fibre foods. However, fibre can do much more to enhance your health, including assisting with weight loss and managing cholesterol and blood pressure.

Dietary fibre involves all parts of plant foods that bypass the process of digestion and stays intact in your body. Most carbohydrates are converted to sugar by your digestive system. But fibre is different. It flows through your system unaltered and makes your stool bulkier^[2]. Foods high in fibre include:

• Legumes
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Whole Grains
• Nuts and seeds

Planning your meals can be difficult sometimes, and you’re always looking for new ways to increase your fibre intake. But you’re not sure how to go about it.

You don’t have to worry, though, since Aashirvaad Atta and a team of knowledgeable nutritionists developed the My Meal Plan, which estimates your daily fibre intake and creates a meal plan that satisfies recommended intake guidelines.

For knowledge on fibre food items, refer to our insightful article ‘Fibre Fuel: Top Vegetarian Foods for Weight Loss’ and make your journey to Happy Tummy exciting and yummy.[l1] 

3. Good fats

Adding healthy fats to food may slow down the digestion of carbohydrates, increase feelings of fullness, and enhance flavour. Furthermore, they are beneficial to hormone regulation, memory, and the absorption of certain nutrients, which are healthy fats.

Protein, carbs, and fat are the three macronutrients the body needs to function properly. Good fats like polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats should be a part of a balanced diet ^[3].

Some of the best sources of these fatty acids include:

• Avocados
• Olive oil
• Nuts, seeds, and fatty fish.
• Ghee

But don’t overdo it, as all fats are high in calories.

Try our AASHIRVAAD Sugar Release Control Atta, which combines legume and pulse flours with whole wheat flour to produce a unique “Special Grain Mix.”

This high-protein, high-fiber atta is made with ingredients like methi and oat. It also controls the rate of sugar release in your body to avoid sudden surges because it has a low Glycemic Index.

4. Herbs

Supplementing your diet with herbs that increase metabolism or prevent diabetes might be a good way to maintain good health. Include garlic, fenugreek, ginseng, and ginger in your regular regimen. 

Garlic decreases inflammation linked to diabetes; fenugreek slows down the absorption of carbohydrates; ginseng increases insulin sensitivity; and ginger helps manage blood sugar levels. All these herbs help improve insulin sensitivity ^[4]. 

Crafting Your Complete Blood Sugar Control Meal Plan

A healthy diet can be created using various strategies to help you maintain blood sugar levels within normal ranges. With the assistance of a dietician, you might discover that one or more of the following approaches is effective for you:

The Plate Method

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated. Putting your best effort toward a diet high in whole, nutrient-dense, fibre-rich foods is the finest thing you can do for your health.

The “Plate Method” is an easy technique to ensure you eat the right foods in the right amounts^[4].

The Diabetes Plate Method creates three parts out of a standard 9-inch plate. You put non-starchy vegetables on half of your plate, protein items on one-fourth, and carbohydrate items—like whole grains—on the remaining quarter^[5].

You can put meals like these on the nonstarchy vegetable side of your plate:                

• Spinach
• Carrots
• Mushrooms
• Okra
• Broccoli
• Asparagus
• Mixed salad greens
• Brussels sprouts
• Zucchini
• Tomatoes
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Green beans
• Squash
• Cabbage
• Cucumbers

The quarter containing protein foods may include:

• Cheese
• Plant-based protein foods such as black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, lentils
• Nuts and nut butter
• Tofu
• Edamame (soybeans)
• Hummus
• Paneer (cottage cheese)
• Chickpeas

The quarter of your plate filled with carbohydrate foods could include:

• Milk
• Yogurt
• Fruit
• Starchy vegetables such as potatoes
• Whole grain foods such as whole grain bread and pasta

Finding the right meal plans and foods is usually best done in consultation with the diabetes care team and nutritionists. Reach out to our certified nutritionist for a 45-minute consultation and get a customized nutrition plan created just for you.

Schedule a meeting with the dieticians and nutritionists. Following that, you can ask the nutritionist any questions you may have almost regarding any health concern.

A Sample Menu

Consider your size and degree of activity while making meal plans. The following 7-day meal plan is for someone needing 1,200 to 1,600 calories daily^[6].

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

By following this eating plan, you may avoid overly restrictive diets, calorie tracking, portion control, and worrying over what to put on your plate. Since the rule is adaptable, you can continue to eat healthily even when you’re not at home.

This eating strategy has the following advantages^[8]:

• Increased energy
• Improved mood
• Stability of blood sugar
• Keeping chronic diseases at bay
• Improved gut health
• Improved immunity

If you want some meal variation, millet is the best thing to incorporate in your diet. Try our AASHIRVAAD MILLETS, a unique blend of millets that provides your family with the many health benefits of a nutritious grain blend.

With each bite of rotis, the perfectly proportioned combination of millets allows you to experience each grain’s wholesome benefits and taste.

Key Factors for Blood Sugar Meal Planning

#1 Strike the Correct Balance and Keep Your Diet Simple

Your diet should be low in calories and fat and high in nutrients. You can aim for a 50–25–25 (the plate method) split, with most of the servings coming from non-starchy veggies (such as peppers or spinach), protein, and grains and carbohydrates (such as potatoes or beans)^[9].

Small amounts of healthy fats and a daily serving of fruit or dairy are also acceptable. The bottom line is to keep your diets simple, as fancy diets can adversely affect your health.

#2 Time Your Meals 

It matters when you eat, particularly if you take insulin at mealtimes. Your blood sugar and medication may be impacted by eating a large meal at the end of the day or eating irregularly ^[10].

So, try to eat during the same hours each day. Attempt to maintain a roughly constant serving size as well.

#3 Don’t Skip Meals 

If you are on medication for diabetes management, fasting for an extended period might lower blood sugar dangerously^[11]. Skipping breakfast can also have a bad effect on your mood and make you seek high-calorie foods later in the day.

So, try not to skip meals, as it might aggravate the challenges for you!

#4 Keep Your Portions in Check

Appropriate serving sizes play a crucial role in any diet plan. Your eyes might not be as precise when you initially start noticing the amount, particularly if you’re hungry.

For example, a portion of paneer is hardly bigger than your palm. It is best first to use a few tools, like measuring cups, scales, or spoons, until you get the feel of it.”

#5 Examine Your Level of Activity

Exercise facilitates the body’s usage of insulin and burns glucose. This implies that it may aid in blood sugar regulation. However, it can also impact how much food and medication you should take.

Long Story Short

Knowing what to eat may be tricky and confusing because there are so many different diets out there, all of which claim to be the best. Fortunately, maintaining a healthy diet doesn’t have to be stressful.

The best thing you can do for your health is concentrate on eating a diet rich in whole, nutrient-dense foods high in fibre. The only thing that matters is to ensureyou are consuming the proper meals in the right amounts.

And that’s it! You have more control over your health than you may think. The Plate method and carb counting are techniques for determining a healthy diet for managing diabetes.

So, you can get better health and more freedom with food when you adopt the Plate Method eating pattern. Say goodbye to highly restricted diets.

Frequently Asked Question