Lip smacking and healthy recipes for Diabetes

                                           Some Delightful Recipes
I was delighted when a friend of mine called me up and said, ``I can't wait to read about the recipes you are going to post.'' Even I am so thrilled to share some recipes, that are vital, not only to counter Diabetes, but to fight any lifestyle diseases, make you lose weight but also to make your skin glow and to bring back the bountiful energy which you always had but lost it somewhere along the way of bad eating habits. Remember, I again reiterate that if you can bring your sugar levels down by corrections in your eating habits, your doctor will automatically reduce your medicines and insulin. So, help your doctor in his effort to take good care of you. Although I must say most Allopathic doctors look at any other alternative method of controlling Diabetes with cynicism - they will say, oh this is just a fad, you will follow Dr Tripathi for sometime and then you cannot keep up with so many restrictions. And patients also fall to this trap - they are okay with keeping up with having Diabetes medicines which are not only known to have side effects but your dose keeps on increasing till the time you may become even insulin resistant, but they will not self-determine to have delicious food to control/cure it. Similarly, people will spend thousands of rupees to fly-by-night dieticians (there are many good dietitians but these days I am shocked to know some who simply fleece you and at the end of it all that they tell you is to stay off wheat for a few weeks!) My friends, believe in yourself. believe in your body which has a tremendous capacity to cure you miraculously of so many ailments, even skin diseases which take time to cure.
Anyway, you must be impatient for the recipes by now, just as I am to tell you all, so here they go:

                                                           Coconut Milk Tea

Dr Pramod Tripathi in his lecture, which I attended, said that you should go off milk completely including that little milk in your tea too, He advocated green tea as the best option to have when you wake up. I tried that but did not feel satisfied, in fact felt a bit acidic. Oh, I did not want to give up on that hot cup of tea, one is so used to after waking up! He had talked about coconut milk tea. I tried and I'm quite hooked on to it.
Ingredients:
Coconut Milk Powder - 1 heaped teaspoon. (Maggi is my favourite brand or you could go in for any other. I tried with ready-made coconut milk and also home made coconut milk but did not like the taste). 
Stivia Powder (you can order it online, besides getting it in some medical shops)- 1 flat teaspoon. Sugar-free tablets are known to be bad for health. Best is to have it without any of these. I am trying to adopt to `Jasthamadh' powder (Glycyrrhiza) but the colour of tea does not look good. 
Method
Take coconut milk powder in your tea mug. Boil one cup of water and add Stivia powder. While boiling remove 2 teaspoons of water and add to the milk powder and mix - it will look like milk. Add one flat teaspoon of tea powder to the boiling water and close immediately. Strain into your tea mug. 
The tea looks very light. 
I enjoy the mild flavour of coconut while sipping my tea.
If you can adopt to Green tea, that is the best.


                                Green Smoothie

(This is a Nutri blender, sorry don't know how to make this image in the correct position, so please pardon)

Please remember that you MUST invest in a Nutri Blender, so that making smoothie becomes so much easier with better benefits as unlike, the usual mixers which give out heat and burn away vital nutrients.

Ingredients
Banana - 1
Spinach leaves - 4-5 leaves
Curry leaves - 10-15 leaves
Corriander leaves - 4-5 strands
Mint leaves - 4-5 strands
Betel leaves - 2
You can also add wheat grass powder (1tspn), Ambat chuka leaves etc.
Salt to taste.

Wash all leaves thoroughly - that's very important. Put all ingredients into the Nutri Blender or your normal grinder. Add one cup of water. Blend it all in the Nutri Blender or your normal mixer. Pour it in a glass (this makes two glasses). Enjoy, it is so very delicious! Remember, betel leaves and curry leaves have a high amount of calcium. So, don't worry about the calcium in milk.
It is very delicious. It is Dr Pramod Tripathi's recommendation.Have it an hour after your green tea or coconut milk tea. He says you should have it twice a day. You can also use other fruits like Apple but I did not like the taste. Use apple if your sugar is high and you want it to come down. Otherwise, I've found my sugar levels normal having it with banana. Besides, this Green Smoothie helped in lessening my pigmentation marks on my face, to a very large extent. I get compliments for my skin these days. More than that, my husband, Vishwas, had pigmentation marks all through from his knees to the calves. I used to tell him it is hereditary as his dad also had it. But lo and behold, they have simply disappeared. I am really thrilled about that.




                           Nitric Oxide Salad

Ingredients: (serving for two people)
Tomatoes - 2 
Beetroot - 1
10-15 almonds - soaked overnight
Fresh grated coconut - 2 tbsps
Sprouts - Matki or Moong - 2 to 3 heaped tablespoons
Lemon - half
Corriander leaves for garnishing
1 green chilli (if you like, I don't).

Cut tomatoes into small pieces; grate beetroot (after removing its skin), coarsely grind almonds, sprouts may be added as it is or you can run through grinder only once for less than 30 seconds, freshly grated coconut can be grated and stored in fridge in an air tight container and used for 3-4 days.
Now, mix all the ingredients - to get that oneness you may mix it with your hand or you may use only spoon. Pour it in two bowls - give one to another member of the family, so that the taste of goodness spreads.
Enjoy! It is so very delicious.
Remember you have to chew and eat this salad. Sit in your garden, balcony or in front of the TV and give 20 mins to eating this salad. Forget all your tensions and distress. Just meditate as you chew and find the luscious extracts of coconut and tomato extract tingling your tongue, before you push it down.
This recipe has been recommended by Dr Biswaroop Chowdhury to bring your sugar levels down. I have experienced that. In fact, my husband also relishes it (he has discovered a new-found energy within him, within 3-4 days of consuming it. He had a mild stroke in 2014 but says his energy levels are anew after eating this salad). My sister too is amazed at what it has done to her energy levels. Several of my friends have also found it beneficial.


                                Rainbow Salad

Ingredients:

Chana Dal - 1/2 katori
Capsicum - 1
Tomatoes - 1 big size
French beans - 10-15 beans
Salt to taste,
Haldi (turmeric powder) - 1/4th tspn
Hing (Aesfotedia) - a pinch

Steam Chana Dal until soft (enough to retain its identity - not mashed up type).
In a pan, add steamed chana dal. Then add all other ingredients and stir quickly ONLY FOR 2 minutes. This ensures that nutrients in vegetables are not lost. Pour it in a bowl or plate and have this as your lunch. Chew, chew, chew and eat, please. Dr Biswaroop Chowdhury highly recommends this for lunch and dinner for bringing down your sugar levels within 72 hours, and believe me, it really works. I have tried it when my sugar level went a bit high. In fact, this is what I pack in my lunch dabba. However, after three to four days I find it bland and my stomach yearns for normal food or if you continue your sugar level may go low. I then switch over to Bhakri, sabji and dal and again revert to Rainbow Salad. Dr Chowdhury says the colours of this salad are very appealing to the stomach. It is delicious. To remove its blandness I have it with Kpra's lemon pickle (not the sweetened one) or have green chutney along with it. Dr Tripathi has said that Chana Dal family has low glycemic index (glycemic index or glycaemic index (GI) is a number associated with a particular type of food that indicates the food's effect on a person's blood glucose (also called blood sugar) level.) 

Remember, eating should be a joyous experience. You should not suffer eating bland food. You can have tasty food despite your Diabetes. Diabetes gives you a chance to reform your bad food habits - with tremendous results! Believe more on yourself towards control of Diabetes through natural foods rather than toxic medicines. At the same time, be prudent - take advice of your doctor regarding medication - but help him to slash off your medicines by eating the right food and bringing your sugar levels down. Ultimately, take over from the doctor and be your own doctor!

Tomorrow: Stacking up your kitchen shelves and Fridge with alternate foods.