Especially for those managing diabetes, advise eating smaller amounts of grain foods, such as rice or roti, and smaller portions of starchy vegetables, especially potatoes. The Indian diet, especially the vegetarian diet, tends to be high in carbohydrate-based foods, which often fill the majority of the plate at any meal.
Encourage vegetarians to include one to two nonstarchy vege- tables in their meal plans, such as one cooked vegetable and a salad.
Suggest adding more vegetables to nonvegetarian traditional dishes. For example, add spinach, lauki, tomatoes, and other vegetables to chicken or fish dishes.
Advise limits on desserts that are high in fat and sugars. Examples include mithai, such as barfis, gulab jamun, halwa, jalebi, kulfi, kheer, ladoo, rasmalai, and rasgulla, orWestern baked pastries, such as cakes and cookies. Encourage fresh fruit for dessert.
When appropriate, suggest limitations of highly processed, conve- nience foods, including frozen dinners and packaged traditional Indian meals, which are readily available. Be sure to suggest convenient, healthy alternatives that meet the person’s needs.
Discuss portion sizes. Using small bowls (as katories) can help with understanding of portions for dal, subji, and other dishes.