Type 1 diabetic in southern India

tilly-roo

Hi there --

I am off to southern India in 9 days and I am a type 1 diabetic. Are there any specific foods I should strongly avoid? I am going to make a list of them in my travel organiser. Any particular dishes/foods that are suitable for diabetics?

Any experiences from T1 diabetics that have travelled to India would also be great.

Many thanks

Indizen

In general, avoid fats: butter, oil, ghee, cream
Cut down on rice (100 kals per plate)
and rotis (70 kcal each)

Aim for a 500 kcal meal each time - 5 such meals

Fill up on green veggies, pulses, rasam, salads, yoghurt

Ask for more details

tilly-roo

What is rasam? And should I avoid chipatis? (Sorry if I spelt this wrong!) Also are there any particular curries I should avoid?

Hal

I'm Type 2. I find white rice shoots my blood sugar up, so I go for whole wheat breads - the common flatbread in the south is called a roti. I often get a thali (metal plate with a variety of curries) and fend the waiters off as they try to pile on the rice and look at me in astonishment as I refuse. There are lots of veg/pulse curries and you can get fairly simple plain proteins like Chicken Tikka. Green salads are hard to find.

federica

Traditional South Indian food is lots of rice and few vegetables/curries. But you can get roasted chicken, chicken tikka... I heard chapatis are better than rice. Salads are hard to find and not really recommended for hygienic reasons.

goangoangone

Dals are good for you. All beans and peas (pulses). Also I found brown rice which is absorbed more slowly. Wholewheat atta is used for chapatis and parothas.

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wonderwomanusa

I'm Type 2, and can only say that you should try to find busy non-veg restaurants to get some protein. A typical veggie meal on the train is chickpeas, dahl, white rice, chapatti, potato with a little spinach, and yoghurt with sugar ... yep, thousands of carbs in that meal!

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The map is not the territory. --Alfred Korzybski

goangoangone

You should look closer at the glycemic load than the actual food.
http://www.mendosa.com/gilists.htm

tilly-roo

Also, how do people see injecting in public in India? Will I be alright to inject in public generally? I use a pen device which is very discreet with a tiny needle. I inject in public in this country but am unsure about what the 'norm' is in India. I don't particularly want to have to go to a toilet to inject.

Indizen

Rasam is lentil soup served with every south Indian main meal.
Chapatis are the same as rotis = 70 kcal each. Have few of these, more of veggies and dal.

Indizen

Why do you have to inject in public? Even I use a pen device, which I use in the privacy of my room.

wat

I have seen people taking insulin on trains. But yes, I always thought it was better to do it in private but if you don't have privacy; I don't think there would be any problems in taking insulin from a pen device in public

wonderwomanusa

I had no problem injecting in restaurants and on trains, and I do not have a pen device ... I try to turn that side toward a wall or an empty chair, so's to not gross out the squeamish.