NOT A FORBIDDEN LIST · A PRACTICAL PLATE

Bihar Food Atlas: practical portions for familiar food

The answer is rarely a simple yes or no. Portion, preparation, combination, medicines, kidney health and your glucose pattern all matter.

½
vegetables¼
protein¼
rice / roti

A simple starting idea

Change the balance, not your culture.

Half non-starchy vegetables, one part suitable protein and one part carbohydrate such as rice or roti can be a visual starting point—not a personal prescription.

Discussion starter

Rice

Small bowl

Keep the portion deliberate; add vegetables and a protein source such as dal, curd, egg, fish or lean meat.

Discussion starter

Roti

1 medium phulka

Thickness, flour and ghee change the meal. Roti is not automatically unlimited because it is homemade.

Discussion starter

Sattu

Small unsweetened serving

Count the roasted gram used and avoid turning it into a sugary drink. Pair according to the rest of the meal.

Discussion starter

Litti–chokha

Start smaller

Litti size, number, filling and ghee matter. Add more chokha or vegetables and avoid treating several littis as a light snack.

Discussion starter

Mango or banana

One modest fruit portion

Whole fruit can often fit; juice, shakes and very large portions produce a different glucose load.

Discussion starter

Makhana

Small bowl

Dry-roasted makhana can fit, but large fried, salted or sweetened portions stop being a light snack.

Discussion starter

Dal

One bowl with the meal

Dal adds protein and fibre but still contributes carbohydrate. The rice/roti and dal portions work together.

Discussion starter

Curd

Small plain bowl

Choose unsweetened curd. Flavoured products may contain substantial added sugar.

Discussion starter

Usna or arwa rice

Use the same small-bowl starting point

Rice type changes texture and sometimes glucose response, but neither is unlimited. Portion and what you eat with it matter more.

Discussion starter

Chura–dahi

Measure both chura and curd

Use plain curd, avoid added sugar and keep the chura portion visible rather than estimating from a large bowl.

Discussion starter

Litchi

A modest whole-fruit portion

Litchi can fit for many people, but a large bowl or juice delivers much more carbohydrate than a measured portion.

Discussion starter

Potato

Treat it as the meal's starch

Potato is not automatically forbidden. Avoid combining a large potato portion with large rice or roti portions in the same meal.

Do not treat these portions as fixed rules. Needs can differ for children, pregnancy, type 1 diabetes, insulin use, kidney disease, weight goals and heavy physical work.

FAMILIAR MEAL · BETTER BALANCE

Look at the meal pattern before replacing the food.

These are not prescriptions or exact carbohydrate counts. They show how portion and pairing can change a familiar meal.

Rice meal

A smaller visible rice portion + plenty of seasonal vegetables + dal, curd, egg, fish or lean meat.

Roti meal

One deliberate roti portion + sabzi + a suitable protein. Count potato as another starch, not a free vegetable.

Litti–chokha meal

Start with fewer or smaller littis, limit extra ghee and expand the chokha, salad or vegetable side.

Chura–dahi breakfast

Measure chura, use unsweetened curd, avoid added sugar and consider nuts or another suitable protein.

Jaggery, honey and brown sugar

Their glucose effect may differ in detail, but none is a free sweetener or a diabetes treatment. Quantity still matters.

Author and medical reviewer

Dr. Pratyush Kumar · DNB Family Medicine, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital · DFID Diabetes Fellowship, CMC Vellore

Medically reviewed October 2026 · General education, not an individual prescription.