Q. Isolated fibre required for diabetes patient?

Isolated fibre: It is generally recommended that diabetics should substitute whole wheat flour with soya flour, whole Bengal flour or stalks of green leafy vegetables in the ratio 3:l while preparing dough for chapattis etc. as it helps in increasing the fibre content of meals and preventing peak rise post-prandially.

Wheat bran, bengal gram husk can be given in doses around 15 g/day. These show a hypoglycemic effect in diabetics. Wheat bran is best incorporated into biscuits ‘bran biscuits' and are available in the market as high/rich in the insoluble fibers. Guar gum (a soluble fiber) can also be incorporated in the form of biscuits or laddoos (20% level). Both these fibers have shown beneficial effect on blood sugar of diabetics and in type 2 diabetics have demonstrated a reduction in hypoglycemic drugs.