Not plain sweet talk

“Now you can eat without reservations”, says a board outside The Sassy Spoon, a trendy restaurant in Mumbai’s business district, Nariman Point. The restaurant, which caters to the elite in Mumbai, is not talking about reserving tables. It’s rather speaking to a section of consumers, who are mostly ignored by the food industry — diabetics.

Inside the restaurant, a popular advertising and theatre personality is engaged in conversation with Chef Irfan Pabaney. When Pabaney recommends the curried quinoa salad with prawns and veggies, the ad man asks, “You want me to try cuisine that’s designed for diabetics?” The chef is quick to assure him that the tag should not be confused with food that may not please a non-diabetic.

And Pabaney and his team have cooked a full course meal for both non-vegetarians and vegetarians. In soups, for instance, buttermilk replaces the cream to cut down the calories, or desserts such as the Blueberry Pannacotta are sugar-free or ingredients with a low glycemic index are used to put together the main course. Importantly, the kilocalories and nutritional chart are listed below every item on the diabetic-friendly menu.

That assurance should bring a smile to a set of consumers who have to frequently monitor their plates and menu cards every time they go out to eat. As a result, controlling one’s own temptation or treating oneself to a dessert often takes a back seat. And this is not a small niche of consumers we are talking about. If you look at the sheer numbers, about five per cent of the population in India suffers from diabetes. That’s an audience of nearly 70 million consumers that’s earned India the title of being the world’s capital for diabetes.

Seema Pinto, a diabetic, had to watch her plate every time she travelled. Instead of complaining, Pinto, a director at Semora Entertainment Works, decided to do something for consumers like herself and launched The Diabetic Food Trail (TDFT). In its second edition, several restaurants across the major metros have come together to cook up a storm for diabetics, pre-diabetics and health-conscious individuals. The food festival goes on till the end of November in more than 200 restaurants across Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru and Pune that have come on board to provide ‘diabetic-friendly’ cuisine. Some of the other participating restaurants and hotels include Hyatt Place & Hyatt Regency-Gurgaon, Taj Vivanta Pune, Radisson Blu in Chennai, and even fast food chains such as Faasos.

Apart from offering a culinary experience, Pinto adds that the focus of this edition is on the role of diet and fitness in effective diabetes management. “Given the hectic lifestyle of today’s youth and adults, it has become extremely difficult to maintain one’s health.” Keeping this in mind, Semora has introduced two more initiatives in this edition which include a diabetic masterclass and a diabetic fitness boot-camps.

The masterclass helps individuals understand the ingredients, nutritional values, read packaging labels, learn exciting recipes which will help elevate the eating habits of diabetics without compromising on taste. These classes are conducted by renowned nutritionists and chefs across the five cities.

Ali Harris Shere, vice-president, marketing, Britannia Industries, which is one of the sponsors of TDFT, lauds the programme. “It’s an excellent initiative to help diabetics be better equipped in managing the condition through changes in lifestyle and diet,” he says.

Some of the restaurant favourites from TDFT will also make it to the regular menus. But Pinto hopes that in the years to come, the food trail is not restricted to just three weeks in a year.

The vision is that all restaurants will serve a diabetic-friendly menu as part of the regular menu, thereby giving people a choice to eat healthy, throughout the year. She says. “With the current lifestyle being what it is, it isn’t uncommon for people to get diabetes at an early age. Most people are not aware that they are pre-diabetic and can postpone the onset of diabetes with a well-managed diet and fitness programme. This is an initiative on our part to make people aware and take action.”

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