Thousands of years back doctors, physicians and Shamans used to treat diabetes patients by asking them to eat more sweets, and the reason behind this prescription was their observation that whenever a diabetes patient urinates the ants gathered there around the spot of the urination.
This phenomenon let them to believe that there was something in the urine of diabetic patients that was extremely sweet, and that is why they thought that the reason behind the diabetes was that a person was losing a lot of sugar from his or her body, and hence a possible cure for diabetes could be to replenish that lost sugar by way of urination.
As you can understand this treatment did not cure diabetes; in fact this only led to plenty of complications and in many cases, the patients simply died because of consuming too much sugar.
This kind of treatment went on till around year 1900. By 1940 the synthetic form of insulin became available to people, and as a result diabetes patients were able to overcome the threat of death by taking measured dosage of insulin.
And that is why insulin is considered to be one of the most important inventions in the history of Medical Science.
Insulin Resistance diet
Now although thanks to the insulin treatment available to us today, diabetes patients are generally able to survive, however, they don’t really thrive. Most patients even today don’t lead a fuller happy, and healthy life because they are never guided to get rid of diabetes. They are told to “manage diabetes” and “live with diabetes” and hardly ever talked about “diabetes reversal”.
But the fact is that in most cases diabetes reversal is possible. And the most important tool for this reversal is changes in lifestyle and diet. Food choices are basically the reason in most cases for acquiring Type 2 Diabetes, and thus it can be understood easily that dietary changes themselves may open the doors for diabetes reversal.
And given that diabetes is essentially insulin resistance, we basically need to employ a diet that reduces the flow of insulin in the body.
So, here we look at some aspects of an “insulin resistance diet” and answer some questions related with “food for diabetics”.
Which sabji is good for diabetes?
Food is an essential part of the human survival mechanism. We human beings start eating food soon after birth, and we continue to eat it throughout our life till the last day, and that is why everybody believes he or she knows something about food.
And that is why whenever something is said about food or nutrition or diet, different people tend to come out with their own versions and opinions about that particular topic. Heated discussions are common. However, most people generally agree on one food-related topic and that is: vegetables are good for human health.
And this is not a small thing; in a world where everybody has a very strong opinion about everything, especially in this online and social media era, vegetables are in most cases, a unifier.
Most people in the world consume vegetables on a daily basis. Vegetables happen to be a staple food for almost everybody alive on this planet.
And this is not without a reason. The beauty of vegetables is that they are nutrient-dense but not calorie-dense, and this is extremely important in a world where almost 2 billion people are coping with the issues of extra weight, obesity, morbid obesity or extreme BMI or negative body image.
Even within the cruciferous vegetables the amount of sulforaphane varies from one vegetable to another.
Broccoli is a great favorite as it can be used in various combinations in a multitude of recipes. Purple cabbage has more sulforaphane than green cabbage.
And brussels sprouts also have a good amount, but the recipes they can be used in are rather limited.
My personal favorite is simply drizzling olive oil on them, sprinkling a little salt and black pepper, and baking them for a couple of minutes in an oven.
Vegetables for diabetics
And that is why the briefest answer to the question “which sabji is good for diabetes” is that most sabji or vegetables are good for diabetes.
The reason is that diabetes is a disease where high blood glucose levels stay high for a very long time (either due to insufficient production of insulin or due to insulin resistance). And most vegetables add an extremely important fibrous punch to the diet, and dietary fiber lowers the glycemic load of the entire meal.
Vegetables like fresh beans, gourds, carrots, and capsicum, and several other vegetables are good simply because of their perennial availability.
Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts are superb because they supply Sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is a sulfur-rich compound and a powerful NRF2 activator. The beauty of Sulforaphane on the Human physiology level is its efficacy in reducing the ability of cancer cells to multiply. In other words, it can restrict tumor growth.
Best sabji for diabetic patient?
Although most vegetables are great for diabetic patients, the very best are those that supply most amount of fibre. And the biggest winners are obviously the green leafy vegetables.
And here we are lucky to be in a country where we have plenty of green leafy vegetables available throughout the year. Green leafy vegetables like methi leaves (fenugreek leaves) and palak (spinach) are available throughout the year. Chawli, ambatti (Indian sorrel), bathua and Sarson (mustard leaves) and a dozen other leaves are available according to the season.
Certain other vegetables which are great for diabetes are cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli.
Almost 30 years back broccoli was not available easily in our country, however, nowadays its availability has improved.
Brussels sprouts are yet another cruciferous vegetable, but it is not a commonly available vegetable in India.
Cabbage and cauliflower are the most common cruciferous vegetables in Indian vegetable markets, but they too have an issue: excessive pesticide usage.
Both of these are unfortunate victims of an excessive spray of agrochemicals, which have extremely long-lasting side effects.
So although both of these are very good vegetables, but I’d recommend them only if you can get organically grown ones.
As you know, both of these vegetables have no skin, so all the chemicals sprayed on them go directly inside them. Pumpkins, ash gourd, carrots, and beets type of vegetables have a small safety net in that at least we peel off a little pesticide residue, but cauliflower is simply cut, rinsed, and cooked.
So the bottom line is: stay away from chemical versions and go for the organically grown ones.
On a personal note, in spite of being a huge lover of cauliflower, now it is more than two decades that I have not eaten it.
Here when we are talking about “best sabji for diabetic patient” or the “best vegetables for diabetes” it is also necessary to mention that the best sabzi or best vegetable needs to be fresh… garden fresh. There are many people who are in the habit of consuming pre-cooked and ready-to-eat vegetables, vegetables that have been cooked and packed in plastic bags and then sold in supermarkets. Such vegetables are cooked several months before actual consumption, and obviously, the preservatives and chemicals pumped into them (to increase their shelf life) steal the goodness of those vegetables.
Packed, precooked ready-to-eat vegetables are a poor substitute for fresh vegetables. Many people consume Sarson da saag or palak paneer in pre-cooked, ready-to-eat versions, however, such vegetables are not suitable for diabetic patients, because the preservative and chemicals added to them can often cause dysbiosis in the body.
Real food is food that comes from “nature” and not from plants or factories.
According to Dr. Jason Fung, the author of The Complete Guide to Fasting: “Foods should be recognizable in their natural state as something that was alive or has come out of the ground. Boxes of Cheerios do not grow in the ground. If it comes prepackaged in a bag or a box, it should be avoided. If it has a nutrition label, it should be avoided. Real foods, whether broccoli or beef, have no labels. The true secret to healthy eating is this: Just eat real food.”
What curry is good for diabetes?
Curry is one food product that is synonymous with our country. People around the world associate the word curry with India. Curry is the anglicized form of KARI which is a Tamil word, and which simply means “sauce” and “relish for rice”.
Definition-wise, curry is a dish containing some sauce or gravy which contains some spice mix as well. Most curries have a base. In India, there are plenty of popular bases. Tomato is a common base. In Southern India, coconut milk is a base. And in many north Indian states, onion and garlic form the base of the curry. In Konkan ground, cashew past is a popular base.
Most curries are fantastic blends of spices and condiments, and most curries employ liberal usage of various vegetables and lentils in different combinations.
Diabetes-friendly curry
Curries that are good for diabetes are those that combine lots of lentils with lots of green leafy vegetables or other vegetables.
Beans and lentils and pulses add a lot of protein to the curries, and protein is generally satiating. As a result, after the meal is over, the person does not have immediate food cravings or desire for snacks during the next couple of hours. This indirectly saves that person from the burden of eating extra calories or coping with yet another jump in blood glucose which is extremely vital for a diabetic patient to avoid. There are enough studies that point out the fact that the more blood glucose excursions during a day, the worse the insulin resistance.
Similarly, those curries are great that contain a lot of fresh condiments. Spices and condiments come with their own micronutrient profile, and that’s generally great for diabetics. Plenty of studies have shown that many herbs and spices are packed with anti-aging, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative properties. Some even directly contribute to lowering blood glucose and cholesterol, and all these help a diabetic patient at various levels.
According to William Davis, the author of Wheat Belly: “Seasonings should not begin and end at salt and pepper. Herbs and spices not only are a great source of variety but also add to the nutritional profile of a meal. Fresh or dried basil, oregano, cinnamon, cumin, nutmeg, and dozens of other herbs and spices are available in any well-stocked grocery store.”
Put down the French fries, no matter how lean you are. Seriously—you’re better off having some rum or smoking a cigar. Super Humans don’t eat fried food, even if it’s crispy and delicious.
Dave Asprey
