All diabetics love their dessert. A sin they enjoy testing their limits with. Guilt only settles in much later, once the glucose levels have sufficiently spiked to dangerous levels. It’s then that all the sweetness fades away to strictly structured menus and disciplined diets. Seema Pinto understands this scenario well.
After years of struggling with diabetes, she has come up with a one-of-its-kind diabetic- friendly food festival called The Diabetic Food Trail, of which she and her husband Manoj Pinto are the conceptualisers. As directors of Semora Entertainment Works, a marketing and business solutions company, they present a guilt-free food experience that includes everything from much-loved comfort foods to gourmet offerings extraordinaire.
As a part of this, well-balanced meals by known chefs are being tabled at select restaurants in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai. Desserts are very much a part of this unique food initiative, wherein the afters include Papaya Low Fat Yoghurt Parfait with Crispy Oats, Almond Lime Panacotta, Poached Apple with Crunchy Yoghurt and Granola, Green Tea Ice-cream and more.
Commenced on the occasion of World Diabetes Day on November 14, it brings together restaurants such as Barbeque Nation, Berco’s, Smoke House Deli, Punjab Grill and others in the city. “All recipes have been validated by Geetha G H, who is a registered dietitian and a certified diabetes educator,” says Seema, whose sure dishes like Prawn Tolma at Lavaash by Saby, Chilled Melon Soup at Hyatt Regency, Quinoa Chard Pilaf at Fresc Co, Khumb Pudina Shorba with toasted Bajra Puffs at Punjab Grill will have everybody drooling.
Supported by Britannia NutriChoice; Essentials, a health brand; Biocon, a biopharmaceutical company; and Zomato, this comes as an attempt to raise awareness about a medical condition that goes undiagnosed in many cases. More than a festival laying out great food, it’s a knowledge-imparting exercise that will hopefully help in its early detection. “This is most significant, considering half the people with diabetes are oblivious of it,” says Manoj, who believes that the Diabetic Food Trail will have a significant impact on the food industry. “This project is an attempt to educate people about how diet affects blood-sugar management,” he says, adding, “We have made place mats with diabetes-centric trivia that should get people thinking.”
The Diabetic Food Trail should be back next year in a bigger avatar, believe Seema and Manoj. They aim to roll out in 12 cities, targetting twice the number of restaurants. This is only the beginning of things. We hope it ends on a sweet note.