‘I thought after eating mangos our blood sugar will go high, but NO!’

Niranjan and Vidya Bhatia, participants at our 21-Day Health Retreat, were pleasantly surprised when they could happily enjoy mangoes and still maintain their blood sugar levels!

Sheera

Having diabetes should not stop you from having fruits – or sweets! We are certain you will enjoy this healthy and delicious sheera which is so easy to make too!

This traditional Indian dessert is typically made with cow’s milk. However, this recipe uses almond milk to make it healthier. You may also use an additional banana to reduce the amount of sweetener needed.

Ingredients

• ¼ – ½ cup raw cashew nuts
• 1 cup uncooked millet rava
• 2 cups almond milk
• 1-2 strands saffron, soaked in 2 tbsp almond milk
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 large ripe banana, finely chopped
• ½ cup golden raisins, soaked in water
• 1 tbsp (or to taste) date paste (optional)

Method

In a small skillet, toast the cashew nuts. Keep aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, toast millet rava on medium heat, until it turns just a couple of shades darker and tastes nutty. Transfer to a dish and keep aside.

In the same saucepan, combine almond milk, saffron, cardamom and banana and bring to a boil. Add the rava, stirring constantly to prevent any lumps forming. It will take just a minute or two before the rava absorbs most of the almond milk and becomes quite thick. Before taking off the heat, stir in toasted cashew nuts and raisins. The bananas and raisins bring a lot of sweetness to this dessert, so taste before you add a sweetener. If needed, add date paste.

Makes 4 cups

Note

1. Semolina or cream of wheat is a refined product and is not recommended in a whole food plant based diet. Millets like sorghum, pearl millet and ragi are available in the semolina form. Use these instead of the cream of wheat.
2. This recipe uses many nuts. Please keep your nut limit in mind if you are working on disease reversal.

Food For The Mind

FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP

If you love Facebook, then join us to be supported on your plant based journey. We are offering two possibilitie

1. SHARAN India is SHARAN’s main Facebook page which you can like and follow for getting useful daily updates and news from the plant based health world. You will also get news about the latest SHARAN events, see testimonials, and more.

2. SHARAN’s Vegan Support Group is an open support group to know more about vegan/plant-based lifestyle. Here you can ask questions and share inspiring stories, tips, recipes, etc.

All our doctors and presenters will be here to answer your questions and give you tips. If you have attended our events join this group to be a part of our family.

Please like the main SHARAN page and join the group(s) applicable to you.

Most cases of diabetes can be largely or completely reversed

If you want to get rid of any problem, you need to understand the cause of that problem and remove it. Cutting out sugar or carbohydrates does not reverse diabetes because they are not the cause of diabetes. The cause of diabetes is lack of insulin, or insulin resistance, which is the result of the following:

1. Diabetes is a hormonal problem All our hormones are orchestrated by the pituitary gland. When one hormone goes out of balance others also can get affected which is why we often get hormonal problems such as diabetes, PCOD, hypothyroidism, prostate enlargement and infertility in groups.

2. Hormones from outside Hormones can get out of balance by inadvertently ingesting hormones from external sources – all animal products including dairy are likely to be high in hormones, non-organic plant foods may have hormones and medications like steroids and oral contraceptives are hormones.

3. Fat Fat stored inside the muscle cells causes insulin resistance. Therefore, we must reduce all fats that are without fibre – oil, ghee, butter, and animal products including dairy and eggs – as they are full of fat. Hormones are stored in fat. Hormonal problems are more likely to occur in those who are overweight.

4. Lack of fibre Fibre holds on to fat and ushers it out of the body. Only plants have fibre. Plant foods should be had in a whole form as much as possible because refining/processing them results in loss of fibre.

5. Chemicals These are hormone disruptors. Medications, personal care products (soaps, shampoos, hair dyes, deodorants, toothpaste, hand sanitisers, perfumes, make up etc), home care products (incense, air fresheners, detergents, pest control, floor cleaners etc), non-organic fruits and vegetables and other foods, readymade products, plastics and artificial sweeteners have chemicals that can impact your condition.

6. Dairy Dairy and its derivatives contain fat, hormones and chemicals (pesticides, PCBs, urea, antibiotics and adulterants) and no fibre. Dairy is therefore a leading cause of diabetes.

7. Stress This is often the precipitating cause of diabetes. Check your levels each time you are stressed or sick – you will be surprised to see how your blood sugar has shot up.

8. Lack of exercise Exercise helps reduce stress by increasing serotonin and endorphins. It also helps to burn fat. Choose a form of exercise that you truly enjoy.

9. Lack of vitamin D Vitamin D is a hormone and unfortunately, almost everyone in urban areas suffers from a lack of it. It is important to regularly check the levels of this hormone, and supplement if necessary.

10. Beverages and cigarettes Tea, coffee, colas, alcohol and smoking raise blood sugar levels and should be completely avoided.