This week, Pooja tuned into a talk by Dr Aseem Malhotra. Here to share with you some of her takeaways, this is perfect for anyone looking to improve their blood sugar level.
Great to hear Dr Aseem Malhotra of @lifestylemedicinedoctor talk about the power of lifestyle and diet on diabetes–– His focus was on the Indian diet and where it often goes wrong. This is something we have been educating our clients about for almost a decade–– Take charge of your plate and start shifting away from t
he reliance on carbs. The Indian diet gets 70% of its calories from carbohydrates and most of these are refined. The amount of carbs translates to 15 tsp of sugar a day, and anything more than five is too much. When thinking about sugar, look past white sugar–– white rice, refined flour (which are used to make rotis and also a wide range of snacks) and potatoes can dominate the plate.
Our clients have tremendous success by simply adjusting a few things in the diet without losing the flavour or essence of what makes a traditional Indian meal. And yes this works well for a vegetarian diet as well.
Here are a few tips we share with those who want to improve their blood sugar levels–– This is a great starting point for anyone with blood sugar issues, PCOS and any inflammatory condition.
Reduce or remove carbohydrates. Especially roti and rice! Yes, it is possible to have an Indian meal without these. Cauliflower rice and shirataki rice are my favourites.
Eat more vegetables.
Protein is very important–– 80% of Indians are protein deficient.
Do not fear meat and fish–– We respect your religious and personal preferences but from a nutritional point of view, meat and fish are not to be feared.
Avoid fast food.
Avoid snacking. You do not need to eat as often as the food industry had led you to believe.
Use traditional fats–– Ghee is better than refined vegetable oils.
Eat fruit–– Do not juice it.