I used to eat idli, poha, and upma every morning. My nutritionist said to avoid all of these. I don't know what to eat!
Idli and dosa on their own do spike blood sugar quickly — but you don't have to eliminate them. Strategy: have 1–2 idlis with a large portion of sambar (protein + fibre) and curd, preceded by a handful of nuts. Lower GI breakfast options that work well for Indian moms: (1) Egg bhurji with one multigrain roti. (2) Paneer paratha (thin, small) with plain curd. (3) Moong dal cheela with mint chutney. (4) Oats uttapam with lots of vegetables. (5) Mixed seeds and nuts with full-fat curd. Always check YOUR reading 1 hour after breakfast to see what your body tolerates.
Game-changer for me: eating a handful of almonds and a boiled egg first thing before anything else. The protein creates a buffer and prevents the morning cortisol spike from spiking blood sugar when I eat carbs later. My morning readings dropped from 130s to 100–105 within a week of this change.
Moong dal chilla (cheela) became my daily breakfast staple — high protein, low GI, quick to make, tastes great with green chutney. Add grated carrot and onion to the batter for fibre. Never spiked my readings. I made a big batch of batter and stored it in the fridge for 3 days.
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