A change in dietary habits and lifestyle will help keep diabetes at bay .
To achieve this, people should revive traditional foods made of maize, corn, bitter gourd, pearl millet and wheat, said doctors at a day-long diabetes awareness programme organised under the auspices of Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project and Rotary Club of Princess, as part of World Diabetes Day observance, at the primary health centre at Uppliyakudi near Keeranur on Thursday.
They gave useful tips on keeping fit through practices such as simple exercise, morning walk, drawing water from well, and washing clothes.
A contest for women self-help group members on preparing diabetes-friendly dishes formed part of the programme, said D. Meenakshi, Joint Director of Health Services, Thanjavur, who inaugurated the contest and gave away the prizes to winners.
V.C. Subash Gandhi, District Project Coordinator, Tamil Nadu Health Systems Project, said that India has a considerable population suffering from diabetes and their number is on the rise.
Referring to ragi-based noodles prepared by one of the participants, he said that such dishes could help check diabetes. M. Sekar, Block Medical Officer, Andakulam, and S. Ramamurthy, Medical Officer of Primary Health Centre, screened SHG members for sugar level .
Rajakumari and Shakila, paramedics, listed out the dishes suitable for breakfast, lunch, and dinner to maintain normal sugar level.
Rajalakshmi and Sundari of Rotary Club of Princess offered felicitations. Eight teams (two per each team) dished out diabetes-friendly grub at the competition . The first prize went to Hemalatha and Indira.
