Question

A family has been served moong dal, boiled rice, potato and carrot bhajia and chapati for lunch. Evaluate the adequacy of this meal to suit the requirements of a lactating mother and the suitability for a member suffering from diabetes. Support your answer with adequate reasons.

Answer 1

The adequacy of each item for lunch is given below with reasons.

• Moong Dal The lactating mother should be given more dal (for more proteins) with little spices. Coriander leaves / palak leaves (for vitamin A) and lemon (for vitamin C) should be added in the dal for her. For the family member suffering from diabetes, whole dal can be given to provide less protein and more fibre.
• Boiled Rice Add broccoli (for folic acid and zinc) to the rice as a garnishing for the lactating mother. For the diabetic, polished rice shoula De totally avoided, as it raises the blood sugar level. However, he can eat brown (unpolished) rice.
• Potato and Carrot Bhajiya The carrot gives Vitamin A and the potatoes give carbohydrates (giving energy), which are both essential for the lactating mother. The diabetic should only eat the carrots. The potatoes will raise the blood sugar; so he should avoid them.
• Chapati As the lactating mother needs more calcium, plain chapatis are inadequate. The dough of the chapatis should be mixed with paneer and then kneaded to give the additional calcium. The diabetic should eat chapatis made from coarse cereals like ragi or jowar. Fine cereals should be avoided, as they raise the blood sugar level.