Remember, going natural is the best way to healthy living. Do not eat artificially prepared food. Prepare fresh food and eat it while it is still fresh.

Avoid artificial sugars and refined food as much as possible. This holds good not only for diabetics, but for normal healthy non-diabetic individuals as well. A regular practitioner of yoga will, of course, naturally abstain from food containing artificial sugars.

Avoid overeating. Diabetics are often emotional eaters. Exercise restraint when it comes to eating. This helps maintain a regulated eating habit. It is very important to know the hunger signs well.

The art of restraint

As a yoga practitioner one learns the art of restraint, the art of tolerating hunger pangs for sometime without letting it get to the practitioner. There is a scientific reason for maintaining a restrained eating habit. Short-time starvation strengthens one's immunity levels through detoxification of the body organs. This is one of the cardinal principles of yoga.

Once a diabetic takes to yoga, there is not much need for 'exercising' restraint. The practice of pranayama and yogasanas ensures that this restraint comes about automatically. All one needs to do is avoid artificial, processed food. Food with high fiber content is central to a diabetic's diet to ensure that the bowels, heart, and circulatory system are in good shape.

Ayurvedic formulations work well

There are some excellent ayurvedic formulations that work very well. These formulations have no side effects and can be recommended to both healthy and sick individuals. One does not require a doctor's prescription for most of these ayurvedic preparations.

The purity of the preparations, though, is very important. The level of purity of the preparation determines its effect.

The juice of bottle gourd (if possible, mixed with about 20 ml of bitter gourd juice) with a slice of an apple roughly an inch thick makes for ideal breakfast material for diabetics.

An even better preparation is the juice of wheat grass. Eat bottle gourd as much as possible. Besides the juice, one can also boil it with some chopped onion and ginger.

Another option is a small helping of porridge made of broken wheat grains boiled in water with a pinch of salt, a few drops of lemon, and some coriander leaves. One has the option of boiling spinach with the porridge. Have a green vegetable salad with every meal. It is good to add tomatoes to the salad.

Avoid corn flakes as much as possible. They are fattening and also cause constipation. Besides, the packed corn flakes available nowadays have preservatives as well, which are not good for diabetics.

Avoid fruits like banana and mangoes, as these have high sugar content. However, certain citrus fruits are good for diabetics. Carrots are excellent as fillers and are a great source of fiber.

Yoghurt is good in the diet

Another good food item is yoghurt made out of skimmed milk. Make it at home and refrain using ready-to-eat packs available in the market. These contain preservatives.

You can prepare homemade yoghurt by mixing a spoonful of ready-to-eat yoghurt into a glass of lukewarm milk (during winter) and leaving it overnight. However, remember not to have yoghurt during dinner as its acidic nature is bad for the lungs, the joints as well as digestion during the night.

Combining Yoga with conventional medicine is beneficial

Importantly, one can continue with conventional medication and therapy while on yoga. This is during the initial stages of yoga therapy. After a while, once the improvements in the blood sugar levels start showing in the body, and remain that way, the medicines can be discontinued, but only after consulting with the doctor.