Diabetes Diet Chart: What to Eat and What Not to Eat in Diabetes

Posted on 26 Aug, 2026 | Reviewed by Miss Madhurima Sarkar ✓ Verified

Diabetes Diet Chart: What to Eat and What Not to Eat in Diabetes

To summarize, if you are diabetic, you don’t necessarily have to stop eating rice, puffed rice, flattened rice or curd altogether. The trick is to control portions, to pair the right foods (like vegetables and protein) and to choose lower glycemic index choices.

Diabetes doesn't mean you have to say goodbye to good food. However, there is a lot of curiosity among people about the safety of everyday north bengal foods like rice, puffed rice, flattened rice or sweetened curd for diabetic people and how these can be consumed maintaining the blood sugar levels under control.

Here we are presenting a simple and complete diet chart for Nepali or Bengali eating habits, foods that are commonly eaten in North Bengal.

This chart is meant as a general guide only. Everyone’s body, age, medications and health conditions are different. Always consult a qualified doctor or dietitian for a personalized diet plan.

Read this blog in bengali also.

Importance of Diabetes Diet Chart

The conclusion is that a healthy diet, along with medication, can help control blood sugar swings, help you manage your weight and reduce the risk of long-term complications.

In diabetes, diet, along with medication, plays a major role in keeping blood sugar levels under control. Eating a balanced and appropriate diet can help to:

Control sugar spikes
Encourage healthy weight management
Reduce your risk of developing heart disease and kidney complications
May improve overall blood sugar control which may result in a reduction in medication requirements over time in some cases.

However, a healthy diet should not replace medical advice or prescribed treatment – it is simply an important part of a diabetes management plan.

Are Rice and Rice-Based Foods Safe for People with Diabetes?

Bottom line: Aim to limit rice to about 1 cup per meal and eat it with vegetables, lentils and protein to help slow the rise in blood sugar. Usually there is no need to eliminate rice altogether.

It is impossible for Nepalis or Bengalis to imagine a meal without rice. White rice has a relatively high glycemic index (a measure of how quickly a food can raise blood sugar levels) so if you have diabetes, it’s worth following a few guidelines:

Limit rice to around 1 cup per meal.
Whenever possible, choose brown or red rice.
Eat rice with lots of vegetables, lentils and protein like fish, eggs or chicken. This may help slow the rise in blood sugar.
Taking a walk after a meal can also help control blood sugar.

Rice doesn’t need to be eliminated altogether. The key is moderate portions and the right mix of foods.

Light Foods, such as Puffed Rice, Flattened Rice

The bottom line: Don’t eat puffed rice plain, mix it with vegetables or chickpeas. A small portion of poha can be a relatively better option when eaten with plain, unsweetened yogurt.

In North Bengal, puffed rice and flattened rice are commonly eaten for breakfast and as light meals in many homes. There are a few important precautions, however:

Rather than eating puffed rice alone, try combining it with vegetables, chickpeas or nuts to make a more balanced meal, and to help offset the impact on blood sugar.
Preferably with plain, unsweetened yogurt as a relatively better option, eat flattened rice in a small portion.
Prepare or fry puffed rice or flattened rice dishes with a minimum amount of oil.
Puffed rice or flattened rice can be a light alternative to a heavy dinner but portion control is the key.

Sweetened Curd and Dairy Products – How to Consume in Moderation

Bottom line: Use plain, unsweetened yogurt for regular consumption, not sweetened yogurt. While it’s fine to occasionally enjoy a little sweetened yogurt, balance it out by cutting down on the amount of added sugar and sugary food you eat in the rest of your meals for the day.

Sweetened yogurt is a favorite food in Nepal and Bengal, but the sugar added to it can be a problem for diabetics. Here are some easy substitutes:

Opt for unsweetened, plain yogurt rather than sweetened yogurt as it offers the benefits of natural probiotics.
If you are having a small serving of sweetened yogurt to celebrate a special occasion, try to eat less sugar and other carbohydrate-rich foods in the rest of the day’s meals.
In general, it’s better to opt for lower-fat or lower-fat milk.
Don’t eat the sweetened or flavored packaged yogurts, as they may contain high levels of added sugar.

Durga Puja and Festival Sweets – How to Enjoy Them Responsibly?

Briefly: You don’t have to give up sweets altogether. You can have a little piece sometimes and balance it out with the rest of your meals that day.

It can be hard to avoid sweets altogether during the festive season – and you don’t have to. With a few simple strategies, you can enjoy the festivities, but keep your blood sugar under control:

Instead of eating many sweets during the day, have one small sweet.
If you eat sweets, cut back a little on the amount of rice or other carbohydrate-rich foods in your other meals.
Do not eat sweets on an empty stomach. Take a little after your main meal instead.
Sandesh or sweetened chhena (cottage cheese) with less sugar added might be a little better options.
Do not cut down on your normal exercise and walking even during the Puja days.

We are putting together a detailed guide on how to control diabetes during Durga Puja. Stay tuned for updates.

Glycemic Index (GI) and Safe Portions - A Short Guide

Briefly: Low-GI foods increase blood sugar more slowly. The table below shows the approximate GI and the suggested portion sizes of some of your favorite foods.

The Glycemic Index ( GI ) is a measure of how quickly a food will raise blood sugar levels. The lower the GI, the slower the rise in blood sugar tends to be.

The following table is a general guide as the actual effect can vary person to person.

Food	GI (Approx.)	Safe Quantity	Recommendation
White Rice	70–75 (High)	1 cup (cooked)	Eat with vegetables and protein
Brown/Red Rice	50–55 (Moderate)	1–1.5 cups	A good alternative to white rice
Puffed Rice (Muri)	70–80 (High)	1 small bowl	Do not eat alone; have it with vegetables/chickpeas
Flattened Rice (Chira/Poha), soaked	60–65 (Moderate–High)	1 handful	Relatively better when eaten with plain curd
Sweetened Curd	35–50* (Depends on sugar content)	2–3 tablespoons (occasionally)	Avoid regularly; choose plain curd instead
Whole Wheat Roti	45–50 (Moderate)	2 medium	A relatively safer alternative to rice

Note: *GI values differ slightly between studies, and may depend on the cooking method. This is a list to provide a general overview and should be checked against reliable clinical sources before publication.

Nutritionist Ms. Madhurima Sarkar's advice: In most of the patients that we see at our clinic, rice-based carbohydrates form a major part of lunch and dinner.

Reducing the size of one of these meals can have a significant impact on overall blood sugar control.

Weekly Diet Chart Summary (Breakfast–Lunch–Dinner)

Meal Time	Option 1	Option 2	Option 3
Breakfast	2 rotis + vegetables + boiled egg	Small portion of puffed rice (muri) + chickpea ghugni	Oats + low-fat milk
Lunch	1 cup rice + dal (1 cup) + vegetables (2 bowls) + fish + plain curd	3 rotis + vegetables (2 bowls) + dal (1 cup) + fish (50 g) / chicken (3 pieces)	1 cup rice + dal + vegetables + fish + paneer curry / soybean curry (1 cup)
Evening Snack	Makhana + tea (without sugar)	Cucumber/carrot + chickpeas	Muri makha (puffed rice mixed with vegetables)
Dinner	2 rotis + vegetables + dal	1 cup rice (small portion) + dal + vegetables	Roti + vegetables + 1 cup milk

Foods to Avoid

To summarize, avoid sugary drinks, avoid fried foods, avoid packaged snacks, avoid foods made with refined flour (maida), avoid too many refined carbohydrates.

Tea or coffee with added sugar, Soft drinks
Fried foods and food with high oil and spices content
Packaged foods and processed snacks
Excessive amounts of white rice, refined flour (maida) or refined carbs
Sweet bakery and high sugar

How Kins Diabetes Can Help

At Kins Diabetes we provide NABH and NABL accredited services. We prepare personalized diet plans for each patient depending on their age, medicines and overall health condition. You will know exactly which foods are most suitable for your individual needs by speaking directly with our specialist doctors and dietitians.

Miss Madhurima Sarkar

M.Sc. in Dietetics & Community Nutrition Management

Experience : 8+ Years

About Dr. Appointment

Book your appointment today to find out more about your personalized diet plan.

This article has been medically reviewed by Ms. Madhurima Sarkar, Nutritionist, KINS Diabetes (NABH/NABL accredited) This is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice.

References:

Sources for the GI/portion claims in the blog

Rice:

Prasad et al., Food Chemistry 2018, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — GI of popular Indian rice varieties: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28867097/
Traditional Indian carbohydrate foods GI study, PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2273190/
Indian Journal of Medical Research — carbohydrate profiling & glycaemic indices of traditional Indian foods (cites ICMR-NIN food composition tables): https://ijmr.org.in/carbohydrate-profiling-glycaemic-indices-of-selected-traditional-indian-foods/

Muri/Puffed rice: