General Recommendations

DIET AND EXERCISE

IS INCORPORATING CHANGES IN A DAILY ROUTINE A STRESSFUL TASK?

WHAT CAN I CHOOSE WHILE EATING OUT?

IS DIET DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT INSULIN THERAPIES?
IS IT REALLY NECCESARY TO GIVE BEDTIME SNACKS?


• ALWAYS take a balanced and complete meal.
• CONSUME food as per meal timings.
• ATLEAST 5-6 meals should be consumed in a day.
• 2–3 HOUR GAP : between meals should be maintained or as advised by your dietician.
• ALWAYS indulge in healthy snacking in between meals.
• AVOID skipping meals completely.
• DRINK 8 – 10 glasses of water per day
• DO NOT drink water in between meal.
• INCREASE vegetable intake during the whole day.
• Mixed flour can be CHOSEN over whole wheat flour.
• ALWAYS boil the rice and discard the water once rice is cooked. It should be consumed with whole dals (like chana dal, moong dal, rajma, etc.) or with healthy green leafy or seasonal vegetables in the form of pulao or biryani
• INCLUDE more of natural food products for enhancing the flavor like cardamom powder, dry fruit powder, saunf, tulsi, haldi, dalchini instead of using sugar-free.
• For natural sweetness, INCLUDE fruit such as apple, guava, kiwi, orange, etc to water or milk.
• For FLAVOR in some of healthy snacks like sprouts or salads or fruits, include chaat masala or amchur powder or lemon juice or black salt.
• CONSUME more of homemade food instead of outside food.
• INDULGE in mindful eating: Pay attention to what you are eating, Do not eat unconsciously
• FOCUS on proper eating habits and regular meal timings. Do not skip or unnecessarily delay meals
• Engage in ATLEAST 20 – 30 minutes of physical activity everyday like running, skipping, yoga or any sport.
• Say NO to sweets.
• ALWAYS eat a balanced snack (with low to medium GI, protein and fat and fiber rich; such as vegetable daliya or oats or upma or poha; vegetable cheela; fruit shake; vegetable roll, fruit, etc) before going for a physical activity
• INCLUDE more of low G.I. food products which help in keeping blood sugar normal such as karela, methi, amla; however, every child does not have a liking for these food products so it is on a personal choice of child as well as family to include in a daily routine. Hence, TRY to include more of low G.I. foods such as more of pulse or vegetable or fruit salad; paneer or soya or egg based snacks or a combination of cereal and pulse like vegetable cheela or paneer and vegetable cutlet or any other


• EAT more color i.e. CONSUME more of fruit or vegetable salads (raw or cooked or steamed)
• INCREASE water intake in form of soup or a smoothie or a vegetable or fruit drink or a milk based drink before meal in place of a cold drink or a fruit juice.
• CHOOSE roasted or steamed or tandoori SNACK in place of a fried snack
• OPT for a vegetable snack or a soya or paneer or chicken/fish snack option instead of a potato or bread based snack
• OPT for a phulka or a tandoori roti or a parantha in place of naan.
• CHOOSE for vegetable pulao or biryani or boiled rice over jeera rice
• In case child wants to eat rice, PREFER to give ATLEAST 1 phulka or a roti first.
• MAKE a vegetable dish and a dal or any non-vegetarian curry as an important part of the whole meal.
• In case of a CHINESE meal, with vegetable noodles prefer to have 1 small bowl of noodles with double quantity of vegetable dish in place of Manchurian.
• In case of a SOUTH INDIAN meal, include a paneer dosa in place of a masala dosa or if having boiled rice, then opt for a vegetable dish accompanied with a rasam
• In case of TRAVELLING, carry ready to eat snacks which are readily available like dry fruits, fruit, salad, roasted chana or any other.
• DO NOT FORGET to read the food label of any packaged product keeping in mind the carbohydrate content of the product as well artificial sweetener or sugar content

Why following a Diet is Neccesary?

Following a healthy diet regime in coordination with insulin therapy and physical activity ALWAYS helps in maintaining regular blood sugar levels which further helps in preventing the complications associated with diabetes and also associated with the normal growth of body, thereby improving the overall quality of life, and helping in leading a normal and healthy life