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The benefits of eating fibre have been proven time and again in people with various health conditions, including diabetes. Whole grains are excellent sources of fibre and must be included in daily meals. One such grain is Dalia or Daliya.
It is also called cracked or broken wheat.
Dalia is used to prepare a type of porridge, upma or khichdi, and this nutritious food is often cooked in milk, curd, or water. If you want to know, “Is dalia good for diabetes?, this article is for you!
Nutritional Value of Dalia
Before we learn more about the benefits of dalia in diabetes, it is essential to understand its nutrients. [According to IFCT 2017]
| Nutrient | Nutritional Value (Per 100g) |
| Protein | 10.84 g |
| Total dietary fibre | 8.81 g |
| Total free sugars | 1.20 g |
| Calcium | 27.09 mg |
| Iron | 3.86 mg |
| sodium | 2.09 mg |
Glycemic Index of Dalia
Dalia has a high dietary fibre content, making it suitable for people with diabetes. The glycemic index (GI) of dalia is 48, which makes it a low-GI food. This means dalia grain is digested slowly and keeps your blood sugar levels stable.
Are there any benefits of eating Dalia in diabetes?
Due to its nutritional content, dalia offers several health benefits, especially for people with diabetes. These include:
1. Better blood sugar control
The external layer of dalia grain is rich in several nutrients, including dietary fibre. This prevents spikes in blood sugar levels and helps manage them better.
2. Help in weight loss
Dalia is fiber-rich, which makes it an excellent grain for weight loss. Combining this grain with other high-fibre foods like vegetables and pulses is a great way to ensure a nutritious diet for people with diabetes.
High-fibre and low carbohydrate content in dalia enable weight loss, which helps stabilise and maintain optimum blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.
3. Versatile
The versatility of dalia is beneficial for people with diabetes as they can prepare a variety of dishes with this grain. From pulses to vegetables, prepare flavourful dishes with foods permissible in your diabetes diet.
4. Good rice substitute
People with diabetes are often advised to avoid rice in their meals. If you find it challenging to satisfy your hunger without rice on the plate, replace it with dalia. One cup of dalia is equivalent to one cup of rice.
So, ask your nutritionist if you can replace rice with daliya to prepare your favourite rice-based dishes.
If you are a part of Fitterfly’s Diabetes Prime Program, we do this for you. We use a technology named PGR (Personalized Glycemic Response) with which our coaches will tell you which food item is causing your blood sugar to rise and which one is actually good for your body.
So, be it rice, dalia, roti or any other food item you love, we can tell you what is better for you or how to make it better for you.
To know your chances of Diabetes reversal, take the Diabetes Reversal TestDiabetes Reversal
Calculator
Risk of eating Dalia in diabetes
While dalia is a good grain to include in a diabetes diet, it can carry a few risks in the following scenarios:
- Using it to prepare sweet dishes that are loaded with sugar
- Combining it with high carbohydrate ingredients like potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, maida items like pasts, bread, store-bought frozen yoghurt, etc, etc. can cause a spike in blood sugar levels
Ways to incorporate Dalia into the diet
Dalia is a versatile whole grain ingredient long consumed for several health benefits. While a popular food for toddlers and young children, Dalia is an excellent dietary inclusion for people with diabetes.
Dalia can be used to prepare khichdi, upma, pulao, dosa, and chilla and even add them to your salad.
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Dalia recipes for people with diabetes
Here are three easy and quick Dalia recipes you can try!
1. Dalia dosa
Ingredients:
- Dalia: ½ cup
- Green moong: ¼ cup
- Urad dal: 2 tablespoons
- Fenugreek: 1 tablespoon
- Masoor dal: 2 tablespoons
- Chopped vegetables: green chillis, curry leaves, carrots, bell peppers (capsicum), beans, peas
- Turmeric and salt: as per taste and flavour
- Hing: A pinch
- Oil: 3 tsp
Procedure:
- Soak the dalia, urad dal, green moong, and masoor dal in water for around 2 hours.
- Make a paste with water. Blend the veggies into the paste.
- Add the spices to the batter and mix properly.
- Heat some oil on a tava and add a cup of batter. Spread evenly to make a dosa.
- Serve hot with a tomato chutney.
2. Dalia Pulav
Ingredients
- Dalia: ½ cup
- Chopped vegetables: carrots, beans, green peas, bell peppers
- Jeera powder: ½ tsp
- Dhaniya powder: ½ tsp
- Salt
- Oil/ghee
Procedure
- Dry roast the dalia in a pan for 3 mins and keep aside.
- Pour oil into a pan and add the jeera till they crackle.
- Add some veggies and fry them until they are partially cooked yet crunchy.
- Add the roasted dalia to the pan and mix well. Add salt as per taste.
- Add two cups of water and stir. Allow the mixture to cook for 10-15 mins till the dalia cooks.
- Garnish with coriander and serve hot.
- Serve it with either dal or dahi.
- You can also add paneer cubes or cooked chana/chole to it. Non-vegetarians can add pieces of chicken or eggs to increase the protein component of their meal.
3. Dalia fruit porridge
Ingredients
- Dalia: 1 cup
- Milk: 4 cups
- Dalchini powder: 1 tsp
- Elaichi powder: 1 tsp
- Chopped fruits
Procedure
- Dry roast dalia for five mins.
- Add the milk and spices and cook the dalia with a lid for five minutes.
- Take the dalia out of the cooker and into a serving dish.
- Now add your fruits of choice (as permitted by your nutritionist) and serve hot.
4. Haleem
Ingredients
(For 10 servings)
- Mutton: 2 kg
- Dalia: 2 cups
- Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tsp
- Urad dal: 5 tsp
- Chana dal: 5 tsp
- Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
- Turmeric: ¼ tsp
- Curd: 2 cup
- Cashews: ½ cup
- Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
- Black peppercorns: ½ tsp
- Cinnamon stick: ½
- Ghee: ½ cup
- Coriander leaves: 1 cup
- Mint leaves (pudina): ½ cup
- Green chillis: 6
- Tur daal:3 tsp
- Yellow moong dal: 3 tsp
- Water: as required
- Salt: to taste
Procedure
- Soak dalia in water for 30 mins.
- Fry the onions until golden brown and keep aside.
- Trim the mutton to remove excess fat and pressure cook it over medium flame for 15 to 20 mins
- To the mutton, add ginger-garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, ½ tsp garam masala powder, and a pinch of turmeric powder.
- Pressure cook this mixture for 8 to 10 mins and on simmer for 15 to 20 mins.
- Shred the mutton and keep it aside.
- Cook the dalia with the other dals, a tsp of ginger-garlic paste, 2-3 green chillis, a pinch of turmeric, peppercorns and 8 cups of water. Cook till it is cooked completely and water is absorbed.
- Blend this mixture.
- In another container, take oil and add the whole spices, shredded mutton and remaining green chillis. Add coriander and saute for 2 to 3 mins.
- Add curd and saute for another 15 mins.
- Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil.
- To this add the blended dalia and dal mixture and ghee.
- Let this simmer and cook slowly for half an hour.
- Serve hot and garnish with fried onions, mint leaves and cashews.
Replace mutton or lamb (red meat) with chicken if you wish to have haleem more regularly.
FitterTake
Daliya is a whole grain that offers several health benefits, including stabilizing blood sugar levels. The high fiber and zero sugar content make this whole grain beneficial for people with diabetes.
For those of you wondering, “Is dalia good for diabetes?” cooking and preparing dalia correctly is essential to preserve its diabetes-related benefits. Using dalia to prepare sweet dishes or dishes with added sugar or unhealthy fats does not help people with diabetes.
If you want personalized guidance on your meals and want to understand which food is good for you and which is not, the Fitterfly Diabetes Prime Program could be just what you’ve been looking for.
Speak to one of our Program Advisors by just giving us a missed call at 08069450746, and we will definitely get back to you.
This blog provides general information for educational and informational purposes only and shouldn't be seen as professional advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best time to eat dalia?
There is no specific time of the day when it is best to eat dalia. You can at it as specified by your dietician.
Does Dalia increase blood sugar levels?
Dalia contains complex carbohydrates, including dietary fibre, that take a long time to digest. For this reason, dalia does not generally cause a sudden spike in blood sugar levels and is a good food for people with diabetes.
How much dalia can people with diabetes consume in a day?
Though Dalia is a good grain for people with diabetes, the exact quantity one needs to consume depends on what their nutritionist recommends. Always follow your doctor or nutritionist’s recommendation regarding the amount of Dalia you can consume during the day.
