Dietitian suggests 5 easy tips to manage diabetes in your family: ‘Never have rice and roti together’

To manage diabetes, a dietitian suggests tips like sprinkling cinnamon on fruits, avoiding having rice and roti together, and more.

Managing diabetes can be a task. While taking medications, having a balanced meal, and doing regular exercise are beneficial, sometimes small changes in your lifestyle can make a huge difference.

Quick tips for diabetes

On May 31, Shweta J Panchal, a clinical nutritionist, shared a video in which she suggested five small changes people with diabetes can make in their daily habits. “When someone in your family has diabetes, small changes can make a huge difference,” she wrote. Here are the changes she suggested:

1. Sprinkle cinnamon on fruit - it helps control sugar levels.

If you are eating fruits, try to sprinkle some cinnamon on the slices. It helps:

• Control sugar levels
• Cuts out sugar responses which are present in fruits
• Improve insulin sensitivity

2. Finish dinner by 7 PM

Don't eat meals late in the evening; instead, have your last meal by 7 PM. If you have meals after 7, then you won't ever be able to stabilise your sugar levels. Why? Because late meals can spike your blood sugar.

3. Walk after meals

Take a 10-minute walk after every meal, even if it’s just at home.

4. Don’t mix rice and roti

Never have rice and roti in the same meal. It just overloads your sugar levels.

5. Start every meal with some fibre

Whenever you start a meal, try and begin it with a portion of fibre, like salads. It slows down sugar absorption.

According to the World Health Organisation, diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. Per the International Diabetes Federation, by 2050, 1 in 8 adults, approximately 853 million, will be living with diabetes, an increase of 46 percent. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we adopt changes that can help manage the disease.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.