Is Besan Good For Diabetes?
Did you know that besan, which is a staple ingredient in your kitchen, can help lower your blood sugar levels? Know how adding besan to your diet can be beneficial for diabetics.
Besan is a staple flour in Indian kitchens. It is commonly known as gram flour and is derived from ground chickpeas. It is a versatile, edible, gluten-free flour that is yellow in color.
Besan is a healthy ingredient that can be incorporated into a wide variety of dishes. Besan has a number of health benefits and can also be used as a part of your skincare routine due to its exfoliating and skin-lightening properties. But how is it beneficial for diabetics? Let’s find out!
Besan (Gram Flour): Nutritional Profile
Besan is highly nutritious with its rich source of magnesium, copper, iron, manganese, phosphorus, thiamine, and folate. Besan has a higher content of protein and fiber when compared to regular wheat flour. It is also low in calories which makes it a perfect choice for those who want to keep their weight in check.
Here let’s take a look at the nutritional information for besan:
Nutritional Facts Per 100g | |
Calories | 387 gm |
Carbohydrates | 58 gm |
Sugar | 11 gm |
Dietary Fiber | 11 gm |
Saturated Fat | 0.7 gm |
Polyunsaturated Fat | 3 gm |
Monounsaturated Fat | 1.5 gm |
Protein | 22g |
Sodium | 64 mg |
Potassium | 846 mg |
What Makes Besan Diabetic Friendly?
Diabetes is a chronic condition where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal. It occurs when your body is not making or utilizing a hormone called insulin, efficiently. Insulin is a hormone that is secreted by your pancreas and it helps regulate blood glucose levels by facilitating its entry into your cells where it is converted to energy.
Besan is considered an effective home remedy to keep your blood sugar levels under control.
- Besan has a low glycemic index of 10. This makes it apt for diabetic patients. A particular glycemic index is assigned to a food based on how quickly it elevates your blood sugar levels after consumption.
- Besan is a good source of magnesium that helps in improving insulin sensitivity and reducing insulin resistance in the body. High insulin sensitivity will help your cells use glucose more efficiently, thereby reducing your blood glucose levels.
- Besan is also a good source of vitamins, thiamine and folate, which are essential for glucose metabolism (breaking down glucose into energy).
Therefore, including besan in your daily diet can help in keeping your blood sugar levels in check.
Ways to Consume Besan
There are a lot of yummy besan recipes that you can include in your daily diabetic diet. Here are some easy dishes that will help you reap the benefits of besan.
- Besan Toast: Bread topped with besan batter and cooked on a tawa is a filling and pleasant breakfast option.
- Besan Khandvi: It is a roll cooked with besan, curd, and spices. It can be served with chutney or tomato ketchup.
- Besan Roti: To make nutritious rotis, combine besan and multigrain flour in a 1:1 proportion. As besan is high in fiber, it keeps you full for a longer time.
There are many more interesting recipes ahead in the article for you!
How Much and How Frequently Should a Diabetic Consume Besan?
Besan can be consumed as a part of your daily diet. You can replace your regular wheat flour with besan in your dishes. You can incorporate besan in the form of rotis or chillas. You can consume 3 to 4 besan rotis or 1 to 2 besan chillas in a day.
Risks of Over Consumption of Beans
Besan generally has no side effects. However, if you consume high quantities of besan, it may cause digestion problems and deep-fried dishes may add to your calories.
Other Health Benefits of Besan
Besan gives you a good dose of several nutrients which makes it highly beneficial for your health. Here are a few health benefits of besan:
- Besan is rich in insoluble fiber that helps promote regular and healthy bowel movements and prevents constipation. Also, the fiber component of besan flour helps to reduce cholesterol levels, which aids in the effective circulation of the blood and maintains optimum heart health.
- The B-Vitamins, Thiamine, Riboflavin, and Pyridoxine in besan help in breaking down (metabolizing) proteins, carbohydrates, and fats in the food you consume and converting it into energy.
- Besan is high in healthy unsaturated fats that help in lowering your cholesterol levels.
- The high folate content in besan promotes the growth and multiplication of your blood cells.
- Besan is also high in minerals such as Phosphorus and Magnesium that help in maintaining strong bones.
Diabetes-Friendly Besan (Gram Flour) Recipes
1. Baked Besan Chakli (2 to 3 chaklis can be consumed in a day)
Ingredients:
- Besan (1 cup)
- Wheat flour (¼ cup)
- Sesame seeds (2 tsp)
- Chili (½ tsp)
- Turmeric (¼ tsp)
- Salt, Curd (2 tsp)
- Oil (2 tsp)
- Asafetida (¼ tsp)
Method:
- To make a dough, combine all of the dry ingredients and spices with a sufficient amount of water.
- Then make swirls using the batter with the help of a chakli-press instrument.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 180°C in a preheated oven.
2. Besan Chilla (1 to 2 besan chillas can be consumed in a day)
Ingredients:
- Besan (1 cup)
- Water (1 cup)
- Sliced onions (½ cup)
- Chili powder (1 tsp)
- Ajwain (1 tsp)
- Salt (½ tsp)
- Green chili
- Methi leaves (½ cup)
- Oil (4 tsp)
Method:
- To make a thick batter, combine all of the dry ingredients with water.
- Allow it to rest for 20 minutes.
- Heat some oil in a pan and pour the batter into a circular shape and spread it out.
- Cook till the edges turn brown, then toss it over.
- Cook both sides well and serve hot.
3. Besan Vegetables Pakoras (4 to 5 pakoras can be consumed in a day)
Ingredients:
- Chopped – onions, capsicum, and cauliflower (1 cup each)
- Besan (100 g)
- Cumin powder, Coriander powder, Turmeric, Garam masala ( 1 tsp)
- Chopped chillies – 1
- Baking soda (½ tsp)
- Water (100 ml)
- Oil (5 tbsp)
Method:
- To make a thick paste-like consistency, combine besan, spices, baking soda, and water together.
- Heat the oil in a skillet and cook the veggies dipped in the besan mixture one at a time until golden brown.
4. Besan Tortillas
Ingredients:
- Besan (1 ½ cup)
- Salt and Pepper (1 tsp)
- Warm water (1 ¾ cup)
- Oil (1 tsp)
- Ground nutmeg
Method:
- Prepare the dough by combining all of the ingredients.
- Set it aside for 15 minutes.
- Roll to flatten the kneaded dough.
- Heat the pan and cook both sides until it puffs up and turns golden brown.
5. Dhokla
Ingredients:
- Besan (1 ½ cup)
- Suji (3 tbsp)
- Ginger paste (½ tsp)
- Chopped chili – 1 or 2
- Turmeric (¼ tsp)
- Sugar (1 tsp)
- Salt (½ tsp)
- Lemon juice (1 tbsp)
- Oil (1 tbsp)
- Water (1 cup)
- Eno (½ tsp)
- Sesame (1 tsp)
- Cumin and Mustard seeds (½ tsp)
- Asafetida (a pinch)
- Curry leaves (as needed)
- Chopped coriander (as needed)
Method:
- In a mixing bowl, combine besan and suji with ginger paste, chillies, seasonings, asafetida, lime juice, and oil.
- Spread this mixture in a steaming tray and steam for 20 minutes.
- Fry the cumin and mustard seeds with the curry leaves, then add water, lemon juice, salt, and sugar to taste.
- Bring the syrup to a boil and pour it over the Dhokla.
- Garnish with coriander if desired.
Also Checkout: Is Muesli Good for Diabetes
Don’t Have Time To Read?
- Besan is a staple flour in Indian kitchens. It is commonly known as gram flour and is a type of flour derived from ground chickpeas. It is a versatile, edible, gluten-free flour that is yellow in color.
- Besan has a low glycemic index of 10. This makes it apt for diabetic patients.
- Besan is a good source of magnesium that helps in improving insulin sensitivity and reducing insulin resistance in the body. High insulin sensitivity will help your cells use glucose more efficiently, reducing your blood glucose levels.
- Besan is also a good source of Thiamine and Folate, which are essential for glucose metabolism.
- You can include a number of diabetic-friendly besan recipes in your daily diet such as besan pakoras, besan chilla, besan roti, and dhoklas.
- Use the Phable Care App to consult India’s leading diabetologists, order medicines, book lab tests, integrate blood sugar monitoring and other devices to get real-time remote care from the comfort of your home. Also, check out our Diabetes Management Program which provides 360º care. Let’s treat diabetes together.
Friendly Asked Questions
Besan does not cause an increase in your blood sugar. It has a low glycemic index of 10 which helps you manage your blood sugar levels efficiently. The high magnesium content in besan helps improve insulin sensitivity helping your cells utilize glucose better.
If you have diabetes, besan or gram flour can be your first choice. Other flours that you can choose from include, amaranth, buckwheat, and ragi. They are high in dietary fibre and low in calories.
Besan has an extremely low GI of 10 which makes it apt for use in diabetics. Besan is rich in magnesium which helps improve insulin sensitivity. It thus helps your cells use up glucose efficiently. It also contains Thiamine and Folate which promote glucose metabolism (converting glucose into energy).
Besan ka ladoo is a traditional Indian dessert. As besan is low in glycemic index, it is suitable for diabetics. However, if you have diabetes, try to limit yourself to one ladoo per day. Also, make sure you monitor your blood sugar levels regularly and stick to a healthy diet.
The main function of your kidneys is to remove waste products from the blood. If you are suffering from kidney disease, you should watch your protein intake. Besan is rich in protein and it leads to the build-up of nitrogenous waste products in the blood which puts a load on your kidneys affecting their function. Therefore kidney patients can avoid the consumption of besan.
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