Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the person has high blood sugar levels because of inadequate insulin or the body's cells does not respond to insulin or both. There are three types of Diabetes - Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational Diabetes. Type 2 is the most common diabetes found all over the world. I have a family history of Diabetes. My mom, my MIL, my aunts all are diabetics. They try to keep the blood sugar levels by controlling the food intake. It is very easy to control the blood sugar level by controlling the food you consume along with some exercise and medication. Both mom and MIL did not take any medications but had the blood sugar levels controlled through perfect diet. I have not seen them doing exercise but they used to do all the house hold works and kept very busy from morning till night. My MIL used to take Murungaikeerai Soup every week which is very good to keep the blood sugar levels controlled. She also used to take bitter gourd, avoided sugar in her coffee and completely avoided sweets. Mom almost did the same and both successfully had their blood sugar level under control.
Avoid food items that are white in colour - White sugar, maida, white rice, white bread and so on...
It is said that Type 2 Diabetes can be prevented with a change in our life style - doing exercise, eating nutritious food, avoiding junks and maintaining a healthy weight. As both me and PK have entered the middle age group, I have changed all my meal plans completely. Though I make sweets and desserts for the blog, we try to keep the portions small. I have completely avoided using rice for dosas and have started using millets instead. The regular rice is substituted with basmati as it has a lower glycemic index when compared to the regular short grain rice. And we have been doing yoga and exercise to maintain weight. And we are also completely avoiding junk food. This has been going for the past couple of months and if I make it regular, I hope I can either prevent diabetes or at least keep it under control.
There are eight millet you can use in your daily cooking instead of rice:
Kodo Millet/ Varagu
Fox Tail Millet/ Tinai
Little Millet/ Samai
Proso Millet/ Pani Varagu
Barnyard Millet/ Kuthiraivally
Sorghum/ Solam
Pearl Millet/ Kambu
Finger Millet/ Keppai
Varagu Rice
Another addition to my diet is millet rice. Millet are powerhouses of milnerals, viamins, iron and magnesium, low in cholesterol and are gluten free. They lower the risk of diabetes. My aunt makes varagu rice and that is when I heard of it. Millet are tiny grains called as siru dhaniyam in Tamil. You can use it instead of rice in all the recipes and the outcome is absolutely delicious. For the world Diabetes Day I made Varagu Saadam, which I make once in a week at home. This is just like your usual white rice saadam but nutritious. Have it with any gravy and side dish of your choice and you will be enjoying your day.
It is very easy to make saadam with the millet. It can be either pressure cooked or cooked in a pot. If pressure cooking, add 3 cups of water for 1 cup of millet. Cover and pressure cook for 5 minutes. But I prefer cooking in a pot. Here I have given the step wise snaps for cooking rice in a pot.
Wash the rice until clear. In a pot ( I always use aluminium) keep adequate water and let it boil. Once it starts boiling, add the millet and salt. Allow it to boil on medium flame.
Check rice for doneness. If you press it it must be soft. When it comes to the stage, switch off stove.
Cover with a plate, place it on another vessel as shown and place a small tumbler for support. Wait until the water is completely drained. Place it on counter for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve along with a gravy and side dish of your choice.
Other Diabetic Friendly Dishes in my blog:
Labels: DIABETIC RECIPES, MILLET, VARAGU
