Diet plays a vital role in your treatment. So please follow your diet instructions diligently. Your meals need not be monotonous or unappetizing, if you follow the food exchange system. The food exchange that are listed, allow you to select a wide variety of food from each exchange.

At first you should measure all the food items to be sure of the amounts.

HOUSEHOLD MEASURES

1 CUP = 200 ml
1 Katori = ½ cup (100 ml)
1 Teaspoon = 5 gms.
1 Table = 15 gms.

FATS

Avoid saturated fats like butter, ghee and hydrogenated fats like vanaspati. Avoid fried foods like potato chips, pakoras, puris and samosas. Use vegetable oils except coconut oil for cooking.
A blend of oils is better than using a single oil for cooking. For example, use equal proportions of:

• Sunflower oil + Groundnut oil or
• Corn oil + Groundnut oil

MILK

Use skimmed or toned milk for tea, coffee, and curd preparations like raita, kadhi, paneer etc. and for drinking. Avoid whole milk, condensed milk, cream, milk, sweets, chocolates and processed cheese.

1-cup (200 ml) milk contains:
Protein = 5 gms;
Carbohydrates = 10 gms ;
Fats = Negligible ;60 Kcals

Milk Exchange: Food items mentioned below are equal to each other.
Skimmed/Toned milk = 200 ml (1 cup)
Skimmed milk powder = 20 gm (4 tea spoons)
Curds made from skimmed/toned milk = 200 ml (1 cup)

MEAT & MEAT PRODUCTS

Use lean cuts of meat, fish and chicken. Avoid organ meats like liver, kidney, brain, sweetbread, egg, yolk, pate, shellfish which includes prawns, lobsters, crabs, oyesters, fish roe like caviar as they are very high in cholesterol. Prepare lean cuts of meal, fish and poultry by boiling, roasting, baking, steaming or cooking with a very small amount of oil.
75 gms of chicken or fish contain:
Protein = 15 to 20 gms; Carbohydrate = Nil; Fat = 1 gms; 80 Kcals

MEAT EXCHANGE:
Chicken = 75 gms
Fish = 75 gms

PULSES

All whole pulses, legumes, grams like whole moong, rajmah, chana, rongi should be included in the diet as they are rich sources of fibre. Sprouted dals are rich sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre.
½ cup (30 gms) cooked dal contains:
Protein = 7 gms;
Carbohydrate = 17 gms;
Fat = Nil; 100 Kcals

PULSE EXCHANGE: Food items mentioned below are equal to each other.
Dal = 30 gms (½ cup cooked)
Sprouted dal = 30 gms (1 cup)
Roasted gram = 30 gms (½ cup)
Besan = 30 gms (6 tea spoons)

CEREALS

Whole grain cereals like whole wheat, oats, bran, dalia, bajra are rich sources of fibre, therefore, should be included in the diet.
20 gms of cereals contain:
Protein = 2 gms;
Carbohydrate = 15 gms;
Fat = Negligible; 70 Kcals

CEREAL EXCHANGE: Food items mentioned below are equal to each other.
Rice (uncooked) = 4 tea spoons
Dalia (uncooked) = 4 tea spoons
Sooji(uncooked) = 4 tea spoons
Vermiceli = 4 tea spoons
Cornflakes = 6 tea spoons
Wheat flour = 4½ tea spoons (1 medium chapati)
Idli = 1
Upma = ½ cup
Noodles/Spaghetti = ½ cup
Potato = 60 gms
Bread = 1 slice (30 gms)

VEGETABLES

All vegetables are good sources of fibre.

Bottle gourd Ashgourd Cabbage Cauliflower
Bitter gourd Ladyfinger Tomatoes Peas
Ridge gourd Pumpkin Green leafy vegetables
Tinda Brinjal Spinach Methi leaves
Radish French beans Celery Lettuce
Capsicum Carrot Mustard leaves Mint

VEGETABLE EXCHANGE: 100 gms of vegetable contain:

Protein = 2.3 gms; Carbohydrate = 12 to 15 gms; Fat = Nil; 40 Kcals

FRUITS

Fruits are good sources of dietary fibre, therefore, it is better to have whole fruits rather than having fruit juices and aerated drinks.

80 gms of fruits contain: Protein = Negligible; Carbohydrate = 10 gms; Fat = Negligible; 40 Kcals

FRUIT EXCHANGE: All fruits mentioned below are equivalent to 80 to 100 gms

Pear, Guava, Apple = 1 small Banana = 1 small
Apricot, plums = 1 small Custard apple = 1 small
Melon, Water melon = 1 slice (200 gms) Grapes = 15(60gm)
Orange = 1 medium Chikoo = 1 small
Papaya = 2" X 3 " slice Mango = 1 small
Dates = 1 small

It is important to control your weight. Record your weight once a week. If you are overweight, reducing your weight will help to reduce your blood pressure, blood cholesterol and triglycerides levels. Restrict the amount of sugar, honey, sweets, jams, jellies, dry fruits and nuts.

1 teaspoon of sugar contains:
Protein = Nil; Carbohydrate = 5 gms; Fat = Nil; 20 Kcals
…3-4…teaspoons of sugar …15-20 Gms per day

Diabetics should have their meals in short intervals in order to maintain their blood sugar levels. For example,

6.00 a.m Bed tea
9.00 a.m Breakfast
11.30 a.m mid morning snack
2.00 p.m Lunch
5.00-p.m Evening tea with snack
8.00 p.m Dinner
10.30 p.m Bed -time snack

If you have high blood pressure, take only the prescribed amount of salt. Avoid salted food like pickle, pappad, canned and tinned products, salted biscuits, salted nuts, salted chips, packed products with a large amount of baking powder or yeast, aji-no-motto, commercial dressing, carbonated beverages containing sodium benzoate, processed cheese, soup cubes etc.