Idlis are made up of white rice which increases the GI score of the dish. Fermentation of rice batter further increases its GI score, which falls between the range of 60 -70. However, this can easily be balanced by sambhar rich in protein, and fibre, providing the goodness of lentils and vegetables alike.
Optimising glucose with healthier rice idli and sambhar options
• Try to manage your idli portions. Opt for 20-30 grams of mini idlis.
• The batter of idli can also be made healthier. Add curd or other nutritious lentils or simply replace white rice with black rice. This can also give your meal a healthy colour and a different flavour.
• To make your meal even more healthy, keep the proportions of sambhar more than the idlis.
The fermentation of rice increases the nutritional acids and gut bacteria. This also makes idli more satiating. The resultant spike in blood glucose is balanced out by the richness of sambhar, which makes this meal a healthy and nutritious choice.
