5 Quick And Diabetes-Friendly Lunch-Box Recipes For Working Professionals

Expert-reviewed by Ashwini S.Kanade, Registered Dietician and Certified Diabetes Educator with 17 years of experience
Fact-checked by Aditya Nar, B.Pharm, MSc. Public Health and Health Economics

Taking a lunch-box to the office every day can be quite a challenge. However, the alternative (eating out or ordering in at office) isn’t a great option, especially if you’re diabetic.

Once you take the decision to eat home-cooked lunch at the office, the next step is to figure out what to carry, while keeping in mind their effect on blood sugar levels.

So here are five recipes, one for each day of the week:

1. Monday: Tomato Methi Brown Rice

How it helps:

• Tomatoes help to keep blood sugar levels in check and reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems in those with type 2 diabetes.^[1] Consuming tomatoes also increases your resistance to infections by reducing something called ‘oxidative stress‘ ^[2].
• Methi helps to decrease insulin resistance ^[3] and can control type 2 diabetes mellitus from getting worse ^[4].

*Make it with freshly cooked rice or even leftover rice to save time!

Courtesy: YouTube/Tarla Dalal

2. Tuesday: Oats and Green Peas Dosa

How it helps:

• Oats are rich in beta-glucan and fibre, which can significantly reduce cholesterol and blood sugar levels ^{[5, 6]}.
• Green peas are rich in fibre and protein that can help to slow down your digestion and keep your blood sugar levels in check. They also have a low glycemic index (GI) score ^[7].

Courtesy: YouTube/Tarla Dalal

3. Wednesday: Sprouted Moong Dal Salad

How it helps:

• Sprouted moong dal contains traces of vitamin B12 that keeps blood sugar levels in check ^[8].

Courtesy: YouTube/Tarla Dalal

4. Thursday: Stir Fry Brown Rice And Chicken

How it helps:

• Eating brown rice instead of white lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes ^[9]. This is mainly because brown rice is not processed and has higher fibre content. This reduces the GI score and causes a slow rise in blood sugar levels. 
• Chicken breasts can help to keep your blood sugar levels in check ^[10].

*Make it with leftover rice to save time!

Courtesy: YouTube/LibertyMedical

5. Friday: Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

How it helps:

• Mushrooms contain very little or no sugar at all and contain good carbs, minerals, vitamins which can prevent the onset of diabetes mellitus ^[11].
• Chicken breasts can help to keep your blood sugar levels in check ^[10]

*Use whole-grain brown pasta and chicken breasts.

Courtesy: YouTube/Get Curried

So let’s get cooking! And don’t forget to leave us a comment telling us which of these recipes you are most excited to try.

Photo Courtesy: Shutterstock

References:

1. Shidfar F, Froghifar N, Vafa M, Rajab A, Hosseini S, Shidfar S, Gohari M. The effects of tomato consumption on serum glucose, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A-I, homocysteine and blood pressure in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2011 May;62(3):289-94. doi: 10.3109/09637486.2010.529072. Epub 2010 Dec 8. PubMed PMID: 21138408.
2. Valero MA, Vidal A, Burgos R, Calvo FL, Martínez C, Luengo LM, Cuerda C.[Meta-analysis on the role of lycopene in type 2 diabetes mellitus]. Nutr Hosp.2011 Nov-Dec;26(6):1236-41. doi: 10.1590/S0212-16112011000600007. Review.Spanish. PubMed PMID: 22411366.
3. Gaddam A, Galla C, Thummisetti S, Marikanty RK, Palanisamy UD, Rao PV. Role of Fenugreek in the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus in prediabetes. Journal of Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders. 2015;14:74. doi:10.1186/s40200-015-0208-4.
4. Kassaian N, Azadbakht L, Forghani B, Amini M. Effect of fenugreek seeds on blood glucose and lipid profiles in type 2 diabetic patients. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2009 Jan;79(1):34-9. doi: 10.1024/0300-9831.79.1.34. PubMed PMID: 19839001.
5. Hou Q, Li Y, Li L, et al. The Metabolic Effects of Oats Intake in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2015;7(12):10369-10387. doi:10.3390/nu7125536.
6. Chen J, Raymond K. Beta-glucans in the treatment of diabetes and associated cardiovascular risks. Vascular Health and Risk Management. 2008;4(6):1265-1272.
7. Asif M. The prevention and control the type-2 diabetes by changing lifestyle and dietary pattern. Journal of Education and Health Promotion. 2014;3:1. doi:10.4103/2277-9531.127541.
8. Watanabe F, Yabuta Y, Bito T, Teng F. Vitamin B12-Containing Plant Food Sources for Vegetarians. Nutrients. 2014;6(5):1861-1873. doi:10.3390/nu6051861.
9. Sun Q, Spiegelman D, van Dam RM, et al. White Rice, Brown Rice, and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in US Men and Women. Archives of internal medicine. 2010;170(11):961-969. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2010.109.
10. Sim MK, Wong YC, Xu XG, Sim SZ, Tsi D. Hypoglycemic action of chicken meat extract in type-2 diabetic KKAy mice and GK rats. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem. 2009 Dec;73(12):2583-8. Epub 2009 Dec 7. PubMed PMID: 19966489.
11. Zhang JJ, Li Y, Zhou T, Xu DP, Zhang P, Li S, Li HB. Bioactivities and Health Benefits of Mushrooms Mainly from China. Molecules. 2016 Jul 20;21(7). pii: E938. doi: 10.3390/molecules21070938. Review. PubMed PMID: 27447602.

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