Millet porridge for type 2 diabetes: a recipe for diabetics

Diabetes mellitus is rightfully considered an insidious disease, and after hearing such a diagnosis, lifestyle correction in this case is inevitable. Consuming only the right foods that do not provoke an increase in blood glucose is the key to health.

Healthy carbohydrates found in porridge, including millet, are the main source of energy required for a patient with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Type II diabetes mellitus is characterized by the fact that excess sugar does not negatively affect the functioning of the pancreas. However, the cells of the smooth muscle tissue do not metabolize sugar at the same level.

With diabetes, it is possible and necessary to eat millet porridge, since it contains many useful mineral elements, carbohydrates, necessary for the full functioning of the body.

It is necessary to figure out what is the benefit of millet porridge, and why is it considered so useful? In addition, you need to understand whether pumpkin porridge is also useful, and is it possible to eat with type 2 diabetes?

Benefits of millet for diabetes

Millet is a grain crop, the processing of which produces millet, porridge is cooked from it and other dishes are prepared. The benefits of this product are considered undeniable, especially for type 1 and type 2 diseases.

When a doctor diagnoses a patient with diabetes, he without fail recommends a change in diet, and, of course, will advise you to include as many different cereals as possible in your daily diet.

Millet is considered the healthiest food, because mature grains contain a huge amount of carbohydrates, which provide the diabetic with the energy he needs.

The advantage is that it contains extremely complex carbohydrates, and the patient, after eating porridge, will not think about food for a long period of time, which has a positive effect not only on the patient’s condition, but also on his weight.

The composition of millet includes the following useful components:

• Vitamin B1 helps to normalize the functionality of the central nervous system, helps the body to fight stressful situations and nervous tension.
• Vitamin B2 provides an improvement in the skin and scalp.
• Vitamin B5 is vital for bone health.
• Without vitamin B6, the cardiovascular system will not function fully.
• Nicotinic acid helps to improve the condition of blood vessels.

Wheat porridge for diabetes mellitus enriches the patient’s body with potassium, fluorine, zinc, magnesium, iron, copper and manganese. It is due to its beneficial qualities and unique composition that porridge is allowed with such a disease, regardless of its type.

Millet harm in diabetes

Millet porridge has a small list of contraindications, however, they are still available. For example, if a person, against the background of diabetes, also has low acidity of gastric juice, or there is a tendency to constipation, then wheat porridge must be consumed in limited quantities, because it contains a lot of fiber.

If the patient cannot imagine life without this product, then it is necessary to introduce porridge into the diet gradually, starting once a week, while it is important to use it in extremely small portions.

However, diabetes mellitus is not always the only disease, and concomitant pathologies are often observed in which porridge does not become a “medicine.”

It is worth reducing the consumption of porridge, or completely excluding it from the diet in the following situations:

1. If a pregnant woman has gestational diabetes, then porridge is used with extreme caution and no more than twice a week. 
2. Some diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can become an obstacle to the variety of the millet porridge menu. For example, inflammation of the upper intestine.
3. With type 1 and type 2 diabetes, porridge should not be abused by the stronger sex, as it has a negative effect on male strength.
4. If the patient has a history of hypothyroidism, since certain components of millet do not allow iodine to be fully absorbed.

It is advisable to say that, despite the high calorie content of the product (348 calories per 100 grams), millet is still one of the foods that a diet with high sugar allows , so it can be safely eaten with diabetes, while not being afraid to gain excess weight. 

Popular recipes

As the information above shows, millet is an approved product for type 2 diabetes mellitus, and it can bring many benefits to the sick body.

However, before talking about the most delicious and healthy recipes, it should be emphasized that when choosing a cereal, its color is of no small importance – the more yellow the cereal is, the tastier the porridge will be.

Gourmets say that too light kernels in the finished dish turn into a lean and tasteless thing. The issue of cleaning the grains is also considered important, if they have seed or fruit coats, then they will taste bitter. Therefore, they must be cleaned before cooking.

The two types of diabetes (first and second) involve preparing millet porridge as follows:

• Wash the cereal kernels under running water, transfer to an enamel container and fill with cold water.
• Cooking is required until semi-finished.
• Then drain the water, pour clean water and cook until cooked.

Fresh or boiled vegetables will be an excellent side dish for such porridge (you can also steam it). If you add fresh fruit to the porridge, as well as a little dried fruit, it will become an excellent dessert. Having studied recipes for type 2 diabetics, you can find new and tasty dishes that are healthy for the body. 

Millet porridge with pumpkin is prepared as follows:

1. Peel the pumpkin, get rid of the grains, cut 700 grams of product into small pieces and send to a saucepan with water, cook for 15 minutes.
2. Process the millet, cook until half cooked, then drain the water and add porridge to the pumpkin.
3. Add skim milk – 250 ml, then cook everything for half an hour.
4. Close the thickened porridge with a lid and leave to evaporate for another 15 minutes.

Millet porridge for type 2 diabetes has undoubted benefits, and will become a lifesaver for every patient who wants to eat not only right, but also tasty.

Pumpkin is no less useful product, therefore, there are a huge number of delicious recipes based on it. To cook a diabetic porridge in milk, you need to cut and boil one kilogram of pumpkin until cooked, add skim milk, a small amount of rice to it, and cook everything until cooked.

Before serving, pumpkin porridge can be garnished with dried fruits, chopped nuts and sprinkled with a little cinnamon.

In any case, if you eat right and follow all the recommendations of your doctor, then even with diabetes mellitus, drug therapy can be minimized.