Being diabetic should mean that you live the rest of your life no longer enjoying the simple joy of a delicious meal. With hectic lifestyles and withering work-life balance, there is very little for a lot of corporate junkies to take delight in on a daily basis and as such, it comes as no surprise that a lot of people today live to eat. This sentiment becomes especially challenging when you are a foodie.
Preeti finds herself in exactly this situation. She works about 16 hours a day even though her official working hours are 9 am to 6 pm. She begins work almost daily at 8 am or earlier and responds to calls and emails all the way up to midnight.
When she is finally done with her work at about 12, aware that she has no time for any fun or any unwinding, she just wants to have a treat. Something to make the next day and the day after that and the day after that seem more palatable. Something like a nice cheesy pasta or aloo parathas. She also tends to reach for fried snacks and sugary beverages as she soldiers along her long day. (Sounds familiar?)
It’s not that she doesn’t enjoy her work; Preeti loves her job and is a complete ace at it. However, given that her existence is all work and almost no play (except for a lavish vacation every few months), she tends to get her dose of thrill from fried and sugary foods. It is no surprise then that Preeti has developed diabetes in her early 40s. But food is her only joy on a day-to-day basis! Preeti feels like it’s the end of the world. She laments that as it is she is vegetarian and the fact her options were already limited, to begin with.
But Preeti need not worry. There are a host of healthy vegetarian recipes for diabetics to try. We have handpicked 6, so to give our diabetic vegetarian followers a head start on controlling their diabetes.
1. Besan omelette/ eggless omelette
This is something like a besan chila. One simply needs to grind the besan and mix in a small number of spices and vegetables. The typical recipe uses bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes, but you can choose healthy and low glycemic vegetables as per your taste preferences. This is a very versatile healthy vegetarian recipe for diabetics as the besan omelet can be consumed for breakfast, as a meal, or even as a snack.
2. Zucchini noodles/ zucchini pasta
Most of your enjoyment of noodles and pasta actually comes from the sauces, garnish, and other ingredients. You can make zucchini pasta at home with a few simple tools and then jazz it up with garlic (that is a superfood for diabetics) and other low glycemic additions. You could whip up a homemade tomato sauce, for example, or just add in bell peppers and mushrooms. A few strands or tidbits of Parmesan can notch up this healthy vegetarian recipe for diabetics and is acceptable, provided your doctor has not banned it and you have the self-control to limit your intake.
3. Air fried veggies
This will satiate all those cravings for crisps, especially potato chips which are a fairly ubiquitous favorite. This healthy vegetarian recipe for diabetics is a good choice for anyone looking to shed a few pounds or even get glowing skin because all the oil from crisps is eliminated even though you get fairly crisped veggies by the time the air-fryer is done with them. Yes, you will need an air-fryer but it is an invaluable investment to help diabetics or indeed everyone in the family steer clear of deep-fried food. You can even make tikis and cutlets in an air fryer.
4. Chana chaat masala
Come chai time at about 4 o’clock or 5 o’clock, most Indians start craving a mouthwatering spicy and moderately heavy snack. As a diabetic, you ideally need to avoid sweetened tea and that means no cutting chai, masala chai, or tea for the chaiwallah near your office. You also certainly should not reach for a vada pav or those veggie sandwiches topped with sev, or other types of sandwiches, burgers, and heavy Indian snacks.
However, you can indeed opt for boiled or roasted chickpeas or Bengal gram topped with crunchy onions, tomatoes, green chilies for some zing, and mild spices. This is already a very popular healthy vegetarian recipe for diabetics.
5. Seedy, nutty spinach
Spinach has an earthy flavor that should be balanced with sweet and nutty flavors which would scale up its tastiness. Cook the spinach with a generous amount of garlic and then add in arugula, along with peanuts, pine nuts or walnuts (or a little of all three), sliced red grapes, and couscous (or quinoa if you are serving this healthy vegetarian recipe for diabetics and want to be on-trend, food-wise). Avoid the sweet lime dressing in your case. The non-diabetics at the table can add it on if they please. You can however put in a small amount of feta cheese.
6. Stir-fried cabbage
Ensure you stir “fry” long slices of cabbage only with water and no oil. Put some flavor into your pan with crushed peanuts, crushed mustard seeds, and fine slices of red chilies. You can also add other diabetic-friendly nuts and seeds for more bite. This healthy vegetarian recipe for diabetics might remind you of holidays in Thailand because of the peanut element.
Conclusion
If like Preeti, you have long hours and a hectic lifestyle, you should ensure that you have these healthy vegetarian options easily available within your household or in your tiffin bag to help you avoid less diabetic friendly options.
