If you are diabetic, definitely woo your Dentist

You may say, it sounds so funny, perhaps unconvincing too. What has a dentist got to do with Diabetes? How can he or she be more important than your Diabetologist or your family doctor who monitors your blood sugar levels, your medicines and Insulin? Well, it is through my experience that I have learnt the vital role that a dentist plays in your reversal of your Diabetes.

According to the American Diabetes Association, ``if your blood glucose levels are poorly controlled, you are more likely to develop serious gum disease and lose more teeth than non-diabetics. Like all infections, serious gum disease may be a factor in causing blood sugar to rise and may make diabetes harder to control. Other oral problems associated to diabetes include: thrush, an infection caused by fungus that grows in the mouth, and dry mouth which can cause soreness, ulcers, infections and cavities.
- See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/oral-health-and-hygiene/diabetes-and-oral-health.html?referrer=https://www.google.co.in/#sthash.mhF6yLAc.dpuf

I totally repent now about the way I ignored the health of my teeth. Although you have been taught since school days that you must visit a dentist once in six months, I've always ignored cavities and even chipping off of teeth. As a result, I have before me this great problem and expense of at least three implants and some fillings. Now, I've taken it seriously, when it is a tad late, but like they say, better late than never. 

so, why is the dentist so important, besides what the American Diabetes Association says? Very simple. As I had mentioned earlier, chewing and digestion of food is very important in your path in the reversal of diabetes. Now, it is a known fact that if your thoroughly chew your food (which is wheat-free, dairy-free and sugar-free) it becomes easy for your stomach to digest. Good digestion of food prevents any inflammation of the stomach. Medical experts now point out to the fact that indigestion and inflammation due to indigestion are one of the major causes for your blood sugar levels going haywire. 

 Health Expert, Chris Kresser states, ``inflammation is both the cause and the result of diabesity. Once obesity and/or insulin resistance have been established, each can further stimulate the production of inflammatory cytokines, forming a vicious cycle of inflammation and diabesity. It follows, then, that the key to preventing and treating diabesity is reducing inflammation. Unfortunately, few clinicians treating diabesity today understand this. Focusing exclusively on regulating blood sugar and fat hormones without addressing other potential causes of inflammation is bound to produce inferior results.

What are these “other causes” of inflammation? In a phrase: the modern lifestyle. Specifically, dietary triggers (fructose, wheat and industrial seed oils), stress, poor sleep, gut dysbiosis and environmental toxins all cause inflammation on their own. When combined together, they are an explosive mix.'' (www.chriskesser.com)

We’ll talk about each of those factors in future articles. For now, the takeaway is that inflammation is probably the single most important mechanism driving the diabesity epidemic.

As per an article in www.health.havard.edu, ``Body's response system is key driver of heart disease, diabetes and chronic conditions. Inflammation is an essential part of the body's healing system. Without it, injuries would fester and simple infections could be deadly. Too much of a good thing, though, is downright dangerous. Chronic low-grade inflammation is intimately involved in all stages of atherosclerosis, the process that leads to cholesterol-clogged arteries. This means that inflammation sets the stage for heart attacks, most strokes, peripheral artery disease, and even vascular dementia, a common cause of memory loss.

``Inflammation doesn't happen on its own. It is the body's response to a host of modern irritations like smoking, lack of exercise, high-fat and high-calorie meals, and highly processed foods.

``Medical researchers and pharmaceutical companies are hot on the trail of inflammation-busting drugs. Don't bother waiting - they are a long way off, are bound to be expensive, and will almost certainly have side effects. Instead, you can turn to simple tools that ease inflammation. We'll focus on diet here, but don't forget about avoiding cigarette smoke (yours or someone else's), exercising, watching your weight, and taking care of your teeth.

Simple changes

What you eat may fan the fires of inflammation. Here are some suggestions:

Get an oil change. Swap saturated and trans fats for olive oil, which has potent anti-inflammatory properties, or polyunsaturated fats, especially omega-3 fats from fish.

Don't be so refined. The bolus of blood sugar that accompanies a meal or snack of highly refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, French fries, sugar-laden soda, etc.) increases levels of inflammatory messengers called cytokines. Eating whole-grain bread, brown rice, and other whole grains smooths out the after-meal rise in blood sugar and insulin, and dampens cytokine production.

Promote produce. The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the lower the burden of inflammation. Why? They contain hundreds, perhaps thousands, of substances that squelch inflammation-rousing free radicals; some act as direct anti-inflammatory agents.

Go nuts. Adding walnuts, peanuts, almonds, and other nuts and seeds to your snacks and meals is another tasty way to ease inflammation.

Cocoa lovers rejoice? In laboratory studies, cocoa and dark chocolate slow the production of signaling molecules involved in inflammation. The trick is to get them without too much sugar and fat.

Alcohol in moderation. A drink a day seems to lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a powerful signal of inflammation. Too much alcohol has the opposite effect on CRP.

Spice it up. Herbs and spices such as turmeric, ginger, garlic, basil, pepper, and many others have anti-inflammatory properties.

I have experienced great changes in my digestive power after I have now been regularly visiting the dentist since the last year or so. He has declared that, ``your teeth will fall apart if you do not care.'' That scare motivates me to visit him. The benefits I find are that, I chew my food much better than before. This has resulted in lesser load for my stomach to digest it. I also eat only that food that I can chew. For example, mushroom pieces tend to slip down your mouth if you do not have enough teeth to bite them. So, I avoid them - mushroom soup is fine. Thankfully, I am able to chew on nuts - if you don't then get them ground them coarse and then have them. Remember, it is very important that you do not have indigestion or inflammation or indigestion because of eating wrong food, or eating the right food, without chewing. 

Chew, chew, chew. And eat only the right kind of food. It helps MAJORLY. Just do it and visit your Dentist regularly. He is your biggest saviour to fight Diabetes.

This evening, God willing, I would be going for Dr PramodTripathi's `Muktotsav' event wherein he is going to celebrate the victory of those patients who have cured themselves of Diabetes after successfully passing the GTT (Glucose Tolerance Test). Will write about it tomorrow.

Cheers and a Happy Sunday

World Diabetes Day: More than drugs, use the power within you to fight Diabetes

Just relax, there is something called pre-diabetes condition too and the good news is that you can overcome it by diet and exercise alone and actually keep away full blown Diabetes for the rest of your life. In fact, international medical experts advocate that you need your blood sugar levels only once in a year or two years if you are a pre-diabetic.

As per the American Diabetes Association and the UK Diabetic Association, did you know that you are a Diabetic patient when your 2 hour Post-Prandial test shows over 200 and that your are pre-diabetic if it is between 140 and 199? That you have diabetes only if your Fasting figures are beyond 125 and that you are fully diabetic only if it reads 126 or more? I am not saying that you should be complacent, just that you should worry more about your wrong diet and bad lifestye instead of being fearful about numbers. Following are figures culled from both the Association websites.

Blood sugar levels in diagnosing diabetes
Plasma glucose test	Normal	Prediabetes	Diabetes
Random	Below 11.1 mmol/l  Below 200 mg/dl	N/A	11.1 mmol/l or more  200 mg/dl or more
Fasting	Below 6.1 mmol/l  Below 108 mg/dl	6.1 to 6.9 mmol/l  108 to 125 mg/dl	7.0 mmol/l or more  126 mg/dl or more
2 hour post-prandial	Below 7.8 mmol/l  Below 140 mg/dl	7.8 to 11.0 mmol/l  140 to 199 mg/dl	11.1 mmol/l or more  200 mg/dl or more

(https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes_care/blood-sugar-level-ranges.html)

Results indicating prediabetes are: An A1C of 5.7% – 6.4% Fasting blood glucose of 100 – 125 mg/dl An OGTT 2 hour blood glucose of 140 mg/dl – 199 mg/dl - See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diagnosis/?referrer=https://www.google.co.in/#sthash.dKxZJbFI.dpuf

``Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

You will not develop type 2 diabetes automatically if you have prediabetes. For some people with prediabetes, early treatment can actually return blood glucose levels to the normal range. 

Research shows that you can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes by 58% by:

• Losing 7% of your body weight (or 15 pounds if you weigh 200 pounds)
• Exercising moderately (such as brisk walking) 30 minutes a day, five days a week

Don't worry if you can't get to your ideal body weight. Losing even 10 to 15 pounds can make a huge difference. 

If you have prediabetes, you should be checked for type 2 diabetes every one to two years. -

- See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diagnosis/?referrer=https://www.google.co.in/#sthash.dKxZJbFI.dpuf 

So today on World Diabetes Day, it is important not to fear about your blood sugar levels - instead build up courage and confidence to bring the levels down, through the right kind of diet and a little bit of exercise. Here are 10 motivational tips to change your food habits and lifestyle:

1. You so easily change your clothes, homes and cars. Just as easily, change your food habits. 

2. Opt for wheat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free diet. Instead of thinking about your blood sugar levels, think about how this diet is being advocated by nutritionists for weight loss and being followed by stars who you idolise. Think of how you are going to look younger and fit into stylish clothes once you slim down. And as you do that, you are taking care of your pre-diabetes/diabetes too, Isn't it a two-in-one victory?

3. Pre-diabetes/diabetes is an opportunity to completely overhaul your health, Just like you do spring cleaning for Diwali, do a spring cleaning of body - only give body spring cleaning 12 months of continuous treatment so that it becomes a way of life with you.

4. Enjoy inhaling more oxygen, pump in the iron like they say, through small bouts of exercise - a short walk, climbing up stairs or a hill, Pranayam, 15 minutes of cardio at the gym, dancing, shaking your body, playing with little - think of a variety to activate your body. The pleasure of feeling energetic and positive is all yours!

5. Such a good opportunity to break your bad habits of having too much tea or coffee. Opt for Black Coffee, Green Tea, Coconut Milk Tea, Almond tea,

6. Bring back natural foods in your kitchen, in bountiful. Vegetable juices, Green smoothies, salads, sprouts, fruits in moderation - wow, their colours, aroma and taste will bring joy to your living.

7. Such a good way of not getting confused when you visit grocery stores in malls. Thanks to cutting down on processed foods completely, you will pick and choose only the correct food. It saves you money and gives you that extra zing in your health.

8. This automatic reversal to a simple lifestyle so beautifully makes your day to day living so easy and uncomplicated. You know what you should eat and when and how so you do not indulge in popping food in your mouth every now and then.

9. You automatically become stress-free. There is no stress if you are not eating the wrong food, if you are not eating it when hungry. The body is not loaded so the energy that otherwise goes to digesting your extra food will be diverted to keep your mental faculties healthy and stong.

10. You are start loving the abundance of nature at a time when we have started loving `Brands' that churn out harmful, processed food and we buy it like we have become parasites of the system.

So, come on what are you waiting for? Just keep those blood sugar levels to where they should be, more by switching over to healthy and delicious good food and by being active. Slowly and steadily your doctor will be compelled to reduce your medicines and you may thereafter be motivated to simply get rid of them. Before that of course you have to switch over to this new lifestyle with great perseverance and self-belief.

Cheers

2nd sample of One Day Diet Plan

Steamed vegetable salad
 

The best tip for Diabetes is to eat when hungry and when hungry, to eat tasty food. It is how you perceive your dietary changes to control your sugar levels - either you say you are being denied of tasty food (which often means Indian or Western junk food which you have to abstain from, even for weight loss) or say this is an opportunity to go on an exploratory journey to have that nutritious and delicious food, which will support you to control your sugar levels and at the same time give you the pleasure of eating. That, food habits and being physically active are the key notes for countering Diabetes, is being reiterated by medical experts the world over. Hence, I say, instead of getting panic attacks with your blood sugar levels and believing that medicines are the ONLY way out, why not help your doctor to reduce your medicines by indulging in the right kind of food with low GI and one that is wheat-free, dairy-free and sugar-free? And finally get rid of your medicines, if possible, either through self-motivation, under your doctor's guidance or by joining programmes of medical experts like Dr Pramod Tripathi, Dr Biswaroop Chowdhury and so on. 

Today, I chart out a One Day Diet plan which is easy to follow. This is what I did yesterday.

I started the day with Coconut Milk tea. Did not have Green Smoothie or Nitric Oxide Salad as I was down with such a heavy,running nose that I had a kerchief to it all day. A bit better now. My friend asked me what did I take for a cold. I said, what can one take anyway? Except that I decided to go on a largely non-spicy diet.
Top notch journalist and my friend, Sucheta Dalal has strongly recommended Kara Coconut milk cream as the best option for your tea, as it does not contain emulsifiers and is pure. Here is the pic, do opt for this

Steamed Vegetable salad
For breakfast, I had Steamed Vegetable salad (see photograph at the beginning of this post).
Ingredients
Cauliflower - 100 gms
French beans - 50 gms
Carrot - one
Matki (or any other) sprouts - 2 tablespoons
Fresh Lime - 1/4th or depending on your taste
Corriander leaves and salt to taste

Method
Boil water and add all the vegetables and sprouts and boil for 2 minutes and close. Remove them in a bowl. The vegetables should be crunchy to eat and not over-boiled. Add salt, fresh lime and mix well. Garnish with chopped corriander leaves. Chew and eat. If the portion is too much, keep aside and have it as a 4 or 5 pm snack.

Methi parathas with Khapli (Emmer) wheat flour (Sorry don't know how to rotate this image

Methi Parathas with Khapli wheat atta

I wasn't going to be full for a long time with the steamed vegetables and felt like having something spicy so decided to make Khapli wheat Methi parathas for my lunch dabba. I also packed the remaining Steamed Vegetable Salad along with it

Ingredients

Khapli (Emmer) wheat atta: 250 gms

Methi leaves - half bunch

Unprocessed Til (Sesame) - two teaspoons

1 tbspn - cooking oil

Salt, chilli powder to taste

Method

Chop methi leaves, add to the atta. Add til, chilli powder and salt and knead. Please note that Khapli atta is not sticky as the usual atta we eat (which contains high gluten) so you need to add the cooking oil, heated. You have to also patiently knead it as being non-sticky it needs to be made into a consistency wherein your parathas do not break while you are rolling them. Roll out the parathas and cook them on the tawa. They turn out delicious and crisp and healthy too as methi highly recommended for Diabetes. Have it with the following chutneys

Green Corriander chutney and Flax seed chutney

I ended my day with Barley Dalia Upama. Barley Dalia is ideal for your dinner, to replace brown rice or bhakri or Khapli atta chapati. It is very light to digest but you have to get used to the taste. You may not like it for the first time but keep having it and you will get used to it. Upma can be made in so many ways, in the sense that you can add vegetables, sprouts, roasted peanuts etc of your choice. However, to keep it light you may only stick to adding vegetables.

Barley Dalia Upma

Ingredients

Barley Dalia - 1 cup

Vegetables - french beans, carrot, onion, tomato 

Green chillies and curry leaves.

Method

Cook the Barley Dalia in a pan by adding two cups of water. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add jeera, green chillies and curry leaves. Add all vegetables, chopped. Stir for a few minutes and add the cooked Barley Dalia to it. Add salt and mix well. The Dalia being a bit sticky in nature may not appeal to your taste buds so try and make this dish as tasty as possible. My friend says it is a great one for reducing your blood sugar levels. Also, when you cook the one cup Dalia, the quantity is enough for two persons. So, keep aside half of it in the fridge for use the next day, in case you are making it for a single person.

In between these meals, I had my Rajgira flakes and almonds when I felt hunger pangs.

Cheers to healthy cooking and a healthy, fun-filled lifestyle!

Diabetes and travelling? It's the trickiest situation

Just tell yourself that you will strictly, strictly follow the wheat-free, dairy-free and sugar-free diet even if you are travelling, weekend or on long holidays. Just as you prepare your luggage, just prepare your mind that you will try and do your maximum best to stick to your wonderful diet and yet have a wonderful holiday. Once you have made up your mind, you will find there is enough food to choose from. And if by chance there isn't, you will remember that every, every place you go to has abundance of natural foods in the form of fruits and vegetables that can be eaten raw. And yes, if you are too hungry and cannot do without food, do have whatever is available but in modest quantity and chew, chew and chew. Restrain from having Carbs or indulge in bare minimum carbs.

A couple of days back, I had to travel to Delhi to attend the National Right To Information (RTI)Convention, a prestigious annual affair. The added bonanza being that I was a part of the team that has come out with a coffee table book on common citizens using RTI, which was to be released on this occasion. Usually, I carry my Chilkewali moong dal dosa/bhakris/methi parathas (made out of Khapli (Emmer) wheat atta) but this time somehow could not manage that. So, I packed my 250 ml bottle with Rajgira (Amaranth) flakes and stuffed almonds, walnuts and just in case I feel hunger pangs/feel sugar levels dropping, I carried a few almond sweets made by my friend with bare minimum coating of chocolate. I put them all in my purse and off I went to the airport. We took the Air India flight and it was dinner time. I banked upon the non-veg meal - you generally get a small portion of dal and chicken and you can easily ignore the rice. Firstly, the air hostess seemed so lost while serving the passengers. She was running helter skelter every few minutes - I thought perhaps it is her first flight and sloppy orientation by Air India management. She seemed to be taking so much time over every row and I heaved a sigh of relief when she approached our row, as I was really very hungry. ``Please give non-veg,'' I said. She simply shook her head and gestured it is ``over.'' I protested. I said, ``what? Over? Please get me a complaint form.'' I refused the veg meal. I was wondering at the mismanagement as the flight was even full. After about 15 minutes, a crew member, came with the non-veg meal, stating that he has provided me the `crew' meal. I said `what about you or someone who won't be having it?'' he said, ``i shall have the veg meal,not to worry on that count.'' I was happy at this customer service and savoured the meal, slowly chewing on my food, Then comes the hot drink they serve you. Coffee or Tea? I settled for Black Coffee. My point here is, get your way to the meal that you are supposed to eat. Now comes the question if you are a vegetarian. You have no option but to opt for the Veg Meal. Leave out the rice/bread/buns that they serve you and eat the salad, dal, vegetable. Round it up by Black Coffee or Black Tea. Have your Almonds/walnuts for that protein and have fistfuls of Rajgira flakes for giving you a filled up feeling in your stomach. Dr Pramod Tripathi and Dr Biswaroop Chowdhury do not recommend non-vegetarian if you are having Diabetes. However, although I'm largely a vegetarian, I have found non-veg useful when touring or going for parties. In the non-veg, I've found Fish most easy to digest and chicken, hard to digest. However, if you have just one or two pieces of chicken and chew them properly, it is better than going wrong on your diet.

We were put up at the Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi, which has been beautifully renovated on the lines of Vishrambag Wada of Pune. So far, so fine. The next morning, I went to the canteen to have my breakfast. The waiter rattled out the menu - Poha, Upma, Misal-Pav, Bread-Omlette. What's the choice? i asked for Omlette without the bread and Misal without the pav. The omlette was well made and I was quite full with that. Thank God that in one sense, the Misal was so horribly made that it was a big insult to Maharashtrian cuisine. So, I left that. I followed it up by Black Coffee. For a vegetarian, Misal would have been the only choice and here he or she would have been disappointed. This is when one tends to compromise with the diet and I can really understand. So, you take a call in such a situation. Either equip yourself with packed food like bhakri/Chilkewali Dal ka Dosa/Methi parathas with Khapli wheat/ apples. Or if you have no choice but to eat whatever is available as you are hungry and have your official work to attend to, then have whatever is available in very modest quantity and don't forget to chew your food and then try and make up in the next meal by looking out for the right kind of food. Our lunch was at the DRDO auditorium in South Delhi where veg and non-veg was served. I picked the Tawa Vegetable which also had karela in it, dal, one piece of chicken with gravy. I also had two teaspoons of ice-cream to wash away the spicy food that troubled my mouth. Generally, having gravies are not recommended but I have experienced that Indian gravies also act as digestives due to the spices besides acting as natural laxatives. So, I never hesitate to have gravy-laden food once in a while. Remember, whether for Diabetes or weight loss, you need to enjoy your food.

The idea of this narration is to give you my first hand experience of how I go about on tours or holidays. The best part is we need not think this is a diet where you are denied the food that you have been used to since childhood. Today, most dietitians recommend wheat-free food, what they call as gluten-free. A living example is that of my daughter who went to reduce weight and the first thing she asked her to do was to stay off wheat for a few weeks. My friend went to her doctor as she is suffering constant body pain and the  Doctor recommended that she should not touch wheat for three weeks at least. So there you are - keep going with the wheat-free, milk-free, sugar-free diet as much as you can. 

(If you are going on a tour/holidays abroad, then assess the local cuisine there and eat accordingly, within the frame work of the wheat-free, sugar-free, dairy-free diet.)

So here are some suggestions for food that you can have while travelling:

1. Fruits and salads. Buy fruits like apple and papaya and vegetables like cucumber and salad wherever you go. If possible, carry your Nutri Blender/Nutri Bullet so that you can have your Green Smoothie (vegetables and fruit for it would be available in most places).

2. Try and find South Indian (Udipi) restaurants for having Medu Wadas (Wadas made out of udid dal) and Tomato Omlette (dosa made out of besan (chana dal flour).

3. In any restaurant, go in for clear soups, dal, vegetables like Garlic Palak or any other (without potatoes), fish or chicken tikkas/curries/ eggs.

4. Go in for drinks like coconut water and salted Lime water/soda.

5. Carry with you, almonds, walnuts, flax seed chutney/roasted flax seed. Also carry a couple of bhakris/methi parathas out of Khapli (Emmer) wheat atta. Let your innovation flow as you can carry stuff which is healthy and nutritious. You may also carry peanuts and chana.

6. If you have to buy in food malls along the expressway, opt for pakodas, banana chips, soya chips. If you halt at the famous Datta Snacks on Pune-Mumbai expressway, then only have `Kothimbir (Corriander) wadis. These are fried but they are made of besan and are very tasty. You can carry them to the car and continue eating. You can have misal without the bun but try and avoid as you tend to eat fast as you are in a hurry to go back to the car and that does not augur well for controlling your sugar levels.

7. Fasting would be good during travelling/holidaying whenever you can, by having coconut water, Green Smoothie, salted lime water/soda interspersed with few almonds/walnuts/peanuts/chana (Mahabaleshwar ones are the best).

So, as you can see, there's a lot to eat and drink. Do so with cheer and pride. Eat only when hungry. Drink only when thirsty. Chew your food while you eat. Digesting your food, is the most important aspect of beating Diabetes - for that matter, any lifestyle disease or for losing weight. When your food is digested, there are lesser chances of inflammation and indigestion in your digestive system. This is what I have found, after self-study and self-research.

Happy journey and Happy touring/holidays!

That one last drink before you go to sleep

Several Indian spices which we use in our everyday Indian cooking have the ability of preventing so many ailments and aiding digestion. In the last few years, we have seen much ink flow on having turmeric (haldi) in your daily diet, for its anti-carcinogenic qualities and having constituents that can reverse Type 2 Diabetes.  The Indian cuisine has turmeric powder in practically every recipe. About three months back, while interviewing Asha and Ramesh Mirakhur, senior corporate leaders, I met Mr Mirakhur's 102 year old father, Mr Prithvi Nath Mirakhur. He is fighting fit, goes for a regular walk in the evenings and is a stickler for good diet. His probable secret of good healthy says his son, is perhaps the extra amount of turmeric (haldi) that he consumes. A portion of dal and vegetables is kept aside for him with extra seasoning of haldi. And, he has shunned green and red chillies from his food, since a long time. Of course, no one can be assured of longevity just because you are a stickler for diet and exercise - that is all God's grace - but surely with conscious eating and exercise, you can be assured of a good quality life, as long as you live. And I reiterate, there is no one singular ingredient that can work as a miraculous cure or prevention - it has to be the adoption of a healthy food and lifestyle combo. So, let us have a wholesome approach.

Here are some recipes for drinking your plain water at night, spiced up and warm and good for countering Diabetes. It is known as `Kadhas' in Ayurveda

Cinnamon Water

Water:  2 glasses
Cinnamon: 1/2 tspn powder or 1/2 inch stick
2 drops of lemon juice
Add the cinnamon to the 2 glasses of water and boil till it reduces to half quantity. Which means you get one glass of Cinnamon water. Strain it. Add lemon juice. Drink it warm, before sleeping. You can also make it in the morning and keep it for night.

According to Authority Nutrition, one of my favourite websites, ``Cinnamon is well known for its blood sugar lowering effects. Apart from the beneficial effects on insulin resistance, cinnamon can lower blood sugar by several other mechanisms. First, cinnamon has been shown to decrease the amount of glucose that enters the bloodstream after a meal.

It does this by interfering with numerous digestive enzymes, which slows the breakdown of carbohydrates in the digestive tract. Second, a compound in cinnamon can act on cells by mimicking insulin. This greatly improves glucose uptake by cells, although it acts much slower than insulin itself. Numerous human trials have confirmed the anti-diabetic effects of cinnamon, showing that it can lower fasting blood sugar levels by up to 10-29% .The effective dose is typically 1-6 grams of cinnamon per day (around 0.5-2 teaspoons).'' . For more read: (https://authoritynutrition.com/10-proven-benefits-of-cinnamon/)

Tulsi (holy Basil) water

Water: 2 glasses, 

Tulsi leaves: 8-10; Jeera (Cummin) 1/4th tspn, 1 grain of Pepper; 4-5 coriander seeds (dhania)

Add Tulsi leaves, Cummin and Pepper to the 2 glasses of water and boil to half. Which means you get one glass of Tulsi water. Strain. Drink it warm before sleeping.You can also make it in the morning before sleeping.

As per a study by US National Library of Medicine, National Institute of Health, ``It is commonly known as Tulsi. Since ancient times, this plant is known for its medicinal properties. The aqueous extract of leaves of Ocimum sanctum showed the significant reduction in blood sugar level in both normal and alloxan induced diabetic rats [41]. Significant reduction in fasting blood glucose, uronic acid, total amino acid, total cholesterol, triglyceride and total lipid indicated the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of tulsi in diabetic rats [42]. Oral administration of plant extract (200 mg/kg) for 30 days led to decrease in the plasma glucose level by approximately 9.06 and 26.4% on 15 and 30 days of the experiment respectively. Renal glycogen content increased 10 fold while skeletal muscle and hepatic glycogen levels decreased by 68 and 75% respectively in diabetic rats as compared to control [43]. This plant also showed antiasthemitic, antistress, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antitumor, gastric antiulcer activity, antioxidant, antimutagenic and immunostimulant activities.'' You can read more here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2275761/

Turmeric Water
Water: One glass
Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tspn
Flax Seed oil or Til oil: 1 tspn


Generally, Haldi Milk (that is adding haldi powder to milk) and having it at night is very popular in India. Since, milk is not good for Diabetic patients, here is how we improvise by using water instead. Add turmeric powder and oil to the one glass of water and boil it. Have it hot or warm, No need to strain.
Besides being anti-carcinogenic, it is good for diabetes too. The website link  https://draxe.com/turmeric-benefits/  states: ``For lowering blood sugar and reversing insulin resistance there’s arguably no better natural treatment than adding turmeric into your diet. In 2009, Biochemistry and Biophysical Research Communications published a study out of Auburn University that explored how supplementing with turmeric can help reverse diabetes. The study discovered that curcumin in turmeric is literally 400 times more potent than Metformin (a common diabetes drug) in activating AMPK which improves insulin sensitivity which can help reverse Type 2 Diabetes.In addition to correcting the causes of diabetes, curcumin has also been proven to help reverse many of the issues related to insulin resistance and hyperglycemia. Take, for instance, diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy. One of the most common complications of diabetes is damaged blood vessels which cause blindness. A study found that supplementing with curcumin can delay this horrible complication of diabetes because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.''

You can make such spiced up water by adding bitter gourd pieces or even Jamun.
So, spice up your water too and enjoy!

The One Day Diet Plan. Try it out

It is not really difficult to stay away from wheat and milk. It is the mindset and the social conditioning that makes us feel that there is nothing left to eat if we do away with these two foods which are considered as staple diets for almost all of us. You need to convince your mind that you are opting for something better, more nutritious, more healthy and yes, more tasty too! In order that you get `addicted' to good food habits, how about experimenting with just a One Day Diet Plan.


So, come on, you may try out this One Day Diet Plan and see how you feel by the end of the day. Organise yourself a day earlier so that all ingredients are in place. And make sure your will to experiment on it, is extremely strong! I have realised that you can switch over to a non-wheat, non-dairy and non-sugar diet only and only if you have your fridge and kitchen shelves are appropriately stocked up with the right kind of vegetables and groceries. Or else you are going to compromise. Since the last two days, my chana dal is over and I haven't had the time to buy it. I have supplemented it by Kabuli Chana and Rajma (which is not compromise really) but I'm just dying to get that space to buy my Chana Dal from that one particular shop that I like. Will do so after the marriage ceremony I have to attend today is over. 


Yesterday, Meenal pointed out an error in my post on `Being overweight is bad for Diabetes.' I mentioned `no proteins until lunch time.' What I meant was no carbohydrates until lunch time. I have made the correction accordingly and it now reads `No carbohydrates till lunch time; only protein and raw vegetables in the form of chutney, salads, smoothie etc.' Please note. Thank you, Meenal. for the alert.

The One Day Diet Plan (please note, you may assess your hunger and your food routine if you are on medicines for Diabetes. I wouldn't be able to make any suggestions as I use only food as a tool to counter Diabetes. You may discuss this diet plan with your doctor before you start). By the way, this diet plan is effective for `feeling good' and for weight loss too. Is this diet plan, my original one? No. I have made it a part of my daily life after studying all that Dr Tripathi stated in his lecture that I attended and reading Dr. Biswaroop Chowdhury's e-book, which incidentally is not available free on the Internet, since the last fortnight or so. I have added on my experience to these.

Preferably, the night earlier, have your dinner latest by 8 p m. 

1,If you are an early riser like me (I wake up at 3 a m-4 a m), then you may start with green tea or coconut milk tea (I have coconut milk tea as I need to get that instant energy to do my writings). Or if you can also have warm water with only 1/4th lemon juice (if I have more than that I have a problem with my throat and I can have this only once in a while. Having it regularly has not suited me. However, if it suits you, go ahead with more portion of lemon juice). After this, if you feel hunger pangs, have two walnuts or three almonds.
However, if you wake up at 6 a m or later than that, you can skip the above and straightaway have  the Green Smoothie. (I have given the recipes of Coconut milk tea and Green Smoothie in my post titled (Lip smacking and healthy recipes for Diabetes). Before having the smoothie, take one tablespoon cocum extract (you get it in the market without sugar). Add 2 tbspns of water to it and have it at one shot. It sets the digestive system rolling. You have it everyday when get up in the morning or on alternate days or once in a while. You judge for yourself.

2. Give one hour time after you have had your Smoothie. If you are still hungry, remember Smoothie can be a replacement for your breakfast too. I need something more after one hour of having Smoothie. So, have the Nitric Oxide Salad (recipe given in my post titled Lip smacking and healthy recipes for Diabetes). This should take care of your morning eating. 

3. Around 11 am: If you are slightly hungry, then have a fistful of Rajgira flakes (amaranth), 1 tablespoon of chana or peanuts or two walnuts/almonds (walnuts do not suit me). If you are hungrier than that, carry in a small tiffin (if you are working) a very small dosa of Chilkewali Moong dal or Besan dosa (I have given some recipes in my post - Some breakfast recipes (dump that bread)

4. Lunch - between 1 pm and 2.30 pm -  have the following for lunch - 1 small Bhakri - keep that on the side where you serve your vegetables in your plate. Now load the remaining 3/4th or more with a generous helping of any vegetable (I have given some recipes in my post (vegetable recipes so easy to make). Please have vegetables like all kinds of beans, yellow pumpkin and so on. One portion of any dal - one katori. A good helping of any salad tempered with oil like Flax seed oil or Tll oil or Olive oil. Please chew your food and take 20-3 mins to have your lunch

5. 4 pm to 5 p m - Coconut milk or Green Tea. You have this after breakfast also if you like instead of having Rajgira or chana or peanuts.

6. 6-7 pm: Time for a nice soup - I have Dudhi (lauki / bottle gourd)-Carrot soup.  You may have any cold soup or a fresh drink (I have given suggestions in my post, `10 safe drinks you can have for Diabetes). The portion should depend on your hunger. The soups should not be based out of cornflour or any thick cream. Clear soups are light and easy to digest,

8 pm: Two tablespoons of Brown Rice or you may avoid carbohydrates completely and have a Chilke wali Moong dal dosa. Have it with a large portion of any green vegetable - my favourite for the night is Lasuni Palak, You must have different kinds of greens available in the market and make them real tasty. If you like you can have a small portion of raita made out of cucumber, tomato with a dash of Soya curd. If you are a non-veg, you could have a couple of chicken tikkas, provided you chew them well, eat slowly. Better is a grilled fish or even 3-4 fish tikkas, eaten slowly and without combining with any carbohydrate.

Before sleeping, have warm cinnamon (Dalchini) water with 1 tspn of Flax seed oil or Til oil in it. Take two glasses of water. add half teaspoon of Dalchini powder or a small stick of it. Boil to half. Strain. Add oil and sip it. Check out if Dalchini is too hot for your body. Then have once in a while like I do. You can make different kinds of such concoctions for the night.

How do you like this diet? Please try out and let me know. Remember, eat enough as much as your stomach wants it. No use of half-starving and no use of over-stuffing. You have to find that correct portion for yourself. Which you will, as you chew your food and eat the right kind of food, you will come to a moderate proportion of food consumption. And with this nutritious food, you will not feel falsely hungry

Remember, bland food is not always the right kind of food. The right kind of food made tasty is the ultimate solution to control Diabetes, any lifestyle disease and to lost weight and have your face glowing.At the end of the day, this Diet Plan makes you feel so light and happy.

Do let me know if you try it out. Cheers

Adding this: ( PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A SAMPLE MENU. YOU MAY KEEP CHANGING IT BY MAKING DIFFERENT KINDS OF VEGETABLES, SOUPS AND EVEN DEVIATE ONCE IN A WHILE BY MAKING PAV BHAJI (WITHOUT POTATOES), PAKODAS. BUT TO BE EATEN ONLY WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY).

Tomorrow: That last drink of the Day. What should it be? Some recipes of the drink you could have before a night's sleep.

Being overweight is bad for Diabetes

The American Diabetes Association website (www.diabetes.org) gives so much importance on eating the right kind of food and exercising regularly. In fact, it is a very colourful website guiding the reader through recipes, exercise patterns and so on. In sharp contrast, there are several websites of various diabetes organisations in India and each one is more depressing than the other. There seems to be a total disinterest in information dissemination to the people of India who are afflicted by Diabetes and would like to have comprehensive information. It almost seems as if they, inadvertently or otherwise, want to drug us and make that the most effective mode of treatment. Nevertheless, we are thankfully living in the age of Technology where you can access information from anywhere at the click of the mouse. So, do regularly visit the American Diabetes Association website.

Regarding being overweight, the American Diabetes Association clearly mentions: ``When you have diabetes, being overweight or obese increases your risk for complications. Losing just a few pounds through exercise and eating well can help with your diabetes control and can reduce your risk for other health problems. You will also have more energy and feel better in general!'' (See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/weight-loss/?loc=ff-slabnav#sthash.JMxO9QhC.dpuf)

So, do you have to run a mile or go through an hour or so of Gym to achieve weight loss? Over the last two decades, I have tried so many varieties of weight loss, but I am happy to inform you, through my experience, that, indeed just switching over to a wheat-free, dairy-free and sugar-free diet is 90% enough to make you lose weight. Our chairman of our housing society visited our home the other day for a Diwali brunch that we had invited him for her. About a fortnight back when he had come over, I had spoken of the wheat-free, dairy-free and sugar-free diet. He has Diabetes for two decades and was fascinated when I told him that he could opt for tea with coconut milk. So, when he came for the Diwali brunch he told me that he completely switched over to coconut milk and weaned away from all milk products (which anyway he hardly consumed) and lo and behold, he lost 4 kgs, within 10 days' time. He said, ``I just stopped milk by having my tea with coconut milk and I've lost 4 kgs.'' 

Switch over to wheat-free, dairy free diet
Believe me, if you wean off wheat and wheat products and milk and milk products, you start shedding your extra flab. I have lost over 10 kgs in the last 1.5 years or so. As per my experience, most of what looks flab is actually inflammation from inside due to flatulence and continuous indigestion caused by milk and milk products because of possible lactose intolerance and wheat and wheat products because of the hybrid wheat which we use, which contains high gluten. Once you stay away from these, your body automatically starts becoming trimmer - you lose your inches first. And I am very happy to note that most of the Dietitians recommend a wheat-free meals these days, at least those in Pune, And of course, in any case, whether you are a Diabetic or not, pastries and biscuits are anyway considered as weight-gainers. Also, as I have experiences, the best part about this diet is that, you maintain your weight with not too much accent or a tough exercise regimen. 
So no.1 requirement for losing weight - no wheat and wheat products, no milk and milk products and of course no sugar

You have to shed off that ugly belly!
It is difficult to lose on your stomach - and that goes last! Don't fret, you will be so encouraged when you start losing weight with this diet and brief exercises (which I have mentioned in my earlier post) that you will get motivated to have a trimmer waist and a flat stomach (flat stomach is the hardest and I too have achieved only 70% of it). Some of my sarees which I had not worn since years are out of the cupboard now, as the blouses have started fitting me. I feel good that my stomach does not pout out when I wear my salwar kameezes. But this is just the cosmetic part of it - the real thing is that, with this weight loss and weight maintenance, you can keep your blood sugar levels under control. Why does this happen? From my experience, your metabolism improves as digestion improves (you are not having junk) in the form of any wheat products (wada pav, burgers, pizzas and so on or pastries, ice-creams, Indian sweets which have high amount of milk, khoya and sugar). All these junk foods interfere with your digestion.

At the lecture in Boat Club which I had attended and which was my inspiration to drive away diabetes with food and exercise, Dr Pramod Tripathi had mentioned that you must have a really trim waist to ward off Diabetes. If not as trim as a coca-cola figure, you can surely attempt to have a slim waist and a flat stomach - the first sign that you have achieved the first step of a flat tummy is when you press on it and find it is soft (not hardened by flatulence and fat deposits).Thereafter, you will be motivated to do exercises that tone up the muscles there. 

For those of you who are heavily overweight, please do not be happy that Plus Stores have sprouted here and there, catering to your obesity. Please make it a mission that you will not have to visit those stores ever in your life. Like Adnan Sami achieved it so remarkably and is slim now since several years. Read about how he did it by google searching.

So, here is my quick suggestion to begin your weight loss programme
* No carbohydrates till lunch time; only protein and raw vegetables in the form of chutney, salads, smoothie etc
* Raw food till lunch time
* Green tea or coconut milk tea (recipe given in my earlier post) only
* Munch on Rajgira flakes (Amaranth) or at best almonds, roasted peanuts or chanas in between meals if you feel hungry. I have about 150 to 200 gms of Rajgira flakes during the day (pop some in the mouth to ease my hunger pangs)
* Eat when really hungry
*Drink water when really thirsty
*Chew your food thoroughly, thoroughly, thoroughly
* Do not starve - eat well withing the prescribed diet
* Definitely include til oil or Flax Seed oil in your salads and soups
* Exercise for about 10 to 15 mins
* Be active throughout the day. 

Tomorrow: The one day Diet Plan