Living With a Health Condition: Daily Food and Habit Tips for 9 Conditions

When a doctor tells you that you have diabetes, BP, PCOS or another long-term condition, the medicines are only part of the plan. The rest happens every day at home: what goes on your plate, how you sleep, and knowing when something needs a doctor's attention.

Below are practical tips for 9 common conditions: what to do every day, one common myth, and when to call your doctor. Each one links to the matching Disease Management Guide.

Daily Food and Habit Tips for 9 Conditions

01

Diabetes

Every day

• Use the plate method: half vegetables, a quarter dal, paneer or curd, a quarter roti or rice
• You don't have to give up rice or roti; the amount matters most
• Eat whole fruit instead of juice, and spread meals evenly through the day
• Walk for 10 to 15 minutes after meals

MythJaggery, honey and dates are safe sweeteners for diabetes.

FactThey raise blood sugar much like white sugar. Keep any sweetener small and count it as part of the meal.

Call your doctor if your readings often stay above the targets your doctor set, you get frequent lows (shaking, sweating, confusion), or a wound on your foot isn't healing.

Disease Management GuideDiabetes Management GuideA simple, picture-based guide with Indian foods rated, meal plans and daily routines, to use alongside your doctor.

See the guide →

02

High blood pressure

Every day

• Cut back on pickles, papad, namkeen and packaged food, the biggest sources of hidden salt
• Add flavour with lemon, herbs, jeera and pepper instead of extra salt
• Eat more vegetables, fruit, dal and curd
• Check your BP at home at the same time each day and keep a record

MythSendha namak or pink salt is fine in any amount.

FactThey're still mostly sodium, just like table salt. The total amount is what counts.

Call your doctor if your reading is 180/120 or higher, or high BP comes with chest pain, a severe headache, breathlessness, weakness or blurred vision. Treat this as an emergency.

Disease Management GuideBlood Pressure Management GuideA simple, picture-based guide with Indian foods rated, meal plans and daily routines, to use alongside your doctor.

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03

PCOS

Every day

• Add protein to every meal: dal, paneer, curd, chana or sprouts
• Choose whole grains and millets over maida and sugary snacks
• Do strength training or yoga two or three times a week
• Keep a regular sleep routine and a simple cycle diary

MythPCOS only happens to women who are overweight.

FactLean women can have PCOS too. The habits that help are similar, whatever your weight.

Call your doctor if you haven't had a period for three months and aren't pregnant, bleeding is very heavy, or you've been trying to conceive for a year (six months if you're over 35).

Disease Management GuidePCOS Management GuideA simple, picture-based guide with Indian foods rated, meal plans and daily routines, to use alongside your doctor.

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04

Anaemia

Every day

• Have an iron-rich food at every meal: greens, dals, chana, rajma, ragi or til
• Pair it with vitamin C: lemon, amla, guava or tomato
• Keep tea and coffee an hour away from meals
• Take iron tablets exactly as your doctor prescribed

MythEating lots of spinach is enough to fix anaemia.

FactIron from spinach is poorly absorbed. Food helps, but the cause of anaemia also needs to be found and treated by a doctor.

Call your doctor if you feel breathless at rest, have chest pain or fainting, notice black stools, or have very heavy periods.

Disease Management GuideAnaemia Management GuideA simple, picture-based guide with Indian foods rated, meal plans and daily routines, to use alongside your doctor.

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05

Asthma

Every day

• Use your inhaler exactly as prescribed, and ask your doctor to check your technique
• Use a spacer if you find inhalers hard to time
• Keep your reliever inhaler with you at all times
• Keep the home smoke-free and wash bedding in hot water every week

MythInhalers are addictive, and tablets are safer.

FactInhalers send a small dose straight to the lungs and are the standard treatment. They are not addictive.

Call your doctor if you need your reliever more often than usual. Get emergency help if you can't speak in full sentences, your lips look blue, or the reliever isn't helping.

Disease Management GuideAsthma Management GuideA simple, picture-based guide with Indian foods rated, meal plans and daily routines, to use alongside your doctor.

See the guide →

06

Constipation

Every day

• Add fibre slowly over a few weeks, with more water as you go
• Try soaked anjeer, papaya, guava and whole grains
• Keep a regular toilet time and use a small footstool
• Walk every day

MythTaking a laxative every day is harmless.

FactLong-term use without advice isn't a real fix. Talk to your doctor about a plan to cut down slowly.

Call your doctor if you see blood in your stool, lose weight without trying, have severe stomach pain, or can't pass stool or gas and are vomiting.

Disease Management GuideConstipation Management GuideA simple, picture-based guide with Indian foods rated, meal plans and daily routines, to use alongside your doctor.

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07

Depression

Every day

• Keep a simple routine: regular sleep, regular meals and a short walk in daylight
• Break tasks into small steps and count each one you finish
• Stay in touch with at least one person you trust
• Take medicines as prescribed and never stop antidepressants suddenly

MythDepression is a weakness. You can just snap out of it.

FactDepression is a health condition, not a choice, and it can be treated.

Call your doctor if your mood is getting worse or you can't manage daily life. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, call Tele MANAS on 14416 (free, 24x7) or 112 right away.

Disease Management GuideDepression Management GuideA simple, picture-based guide with Indian foods rated, meal plans and daily routines, to use alongside your doctor.

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08

Migraine

Every day

• Eat at regular times and drink water through the day
• Keep the same sleep and wake times
• Use a headache diary to find your own triggers
• Take painkillers only as your doctor advises

MythTaking a painkiller every time a headache starts is always fine.

FactUsing painkillers on many days a month can make headaches more frequent. This is called medication-overuse headache.

Call your doctor if you get a sudden, very severe headache, or a headache with fever and a stiff neck, weakness, confusion, or trouble speaking or seeing.

Disease Management GuideMigraine Management GuideA simple, picture-based guide with Indian foods rated, meal plans and daily routines, to use alongside your doctor.

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09

Epilepsy

Every day

• Take your medicines at the same time every day, with a phone reminder
• Sleep well, because missed sleep is a common trigger
• Avoid alcohol, and keep a seizure diary for your doctor
• Take a shower instead of a bath, and never swim alone

MythDuring a fit, put a spoon in the mouth or make the person smell a shoe or onion.

FactNever put anything in the mouth. Turn the person on their side, cushion the head, move hard objects away and time the seizure.

Call your doctor if seizures change or come more often than usual. Call 112 if a seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, another one follows straight after, the person is injured or doesn't wake up, or it happens in water.

Disease Management GuideEpilepsy Management GuideA simple, picture-based guide with Indian foods rated, meal plans and daily routines, to use alongside your doctor.

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About the Management Guides

Each guide is a full-colour soft copy PDF of 144 to 232 pages, written for Indian homes in plain words, with foods rated, meal plans, swaps and trackers to use alongside your doctor's treatment. The download link arrives by email right after payment.

Find the guide for your condition. Browse all 9 Disease Management Guides →