Raw foods, and those that had been baked or
grilled, were considered indigestible, as were any
vegetables that grew under the ground. Foods of low
digestibility were considered unsuitable for elderly,
debilitated, or young people. Thus, the
recommendation for diabetic patients to bake or grill
foods rather than fry them may not accord with
cultural perceptions of digestibility.
The structured vignette study showed almost
universal agreement that strong foods, solid fat, and
ghee should be avoided in diabetes. All 18 agreed that
Mr Ali should not eat spicy foods because of his
diabetes and that a person with diabetes should eat a
different diet from the rest of the family.