Mysuru: India is the Diabetes capital of the world with more than 50 million people suffering from type 2 diabetes. Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji, whose 75th birthday and Vajrotsava is being celebrated in a grand manner, is acutely aware of this problem that many of his devotees are diabetics.

Thousands of his devotees from all over the world have gathered to mark the birthday celebrations. Like every year, this year too, sumptuous food including breakfast, lunch and dinner is being served. However, to control diabetes what one needs to do is control, eating habits. As many devotees are diabetics, the Swamiji has taken a special interest to serve food that is healthy and suits them ­— in short, a special diabetic diet.

Nearly 300 people have registered as diabetics. Every day instead of coffee and tea they are served ragi porridge prepared with pepper, ginger and other ingredients in the morning. Majority prefer to drink this concoction.

During breakfast at 8.30 am, three idlis with quinoa (navane) chutney is served. The devotees eat fresh fruits like watermelon, apples, pomegranate at 11 am. For afternoon lunch, roti, parota, ragi balls, quinoa rice, different types of greens, payasam without sugar and a few other items are served. At 4 pm, biscuits and sugarless porridge and for dinner dry chapati, greens palya and other delicacies using millets are served.

The diabetics are very happy with the food and laud the Swamiji for his concern and care for them. “The interest that the Swamiji has taken about diabetics like us is truly commendable. He is a true Guru who has the interest of his devotees in mind. I have been eating a diabetic diet since the last four days and it has helped me keep my diabetes under control. If we reduce consumption of rice and eat millets and greens one can keep it under check,” says K. N. Ananthanarayan, a retired Railway official and a devotee of the Swamiji who is eating food at the Ashrama since the past four days.

Ashrama sources revealed that after the birthday celebrations, a one-day demonstration on diabetic diet will be held.

Millets, food of the rich

The organically grown foods, which have become a fad among the rich and the higher middle class, has become very expensive. Small millets, greens, ragi which are all poor man’s diet is now the rich man’s health diet. “Small millets, ragi, greens are all food that is eaten by poor people all over the country. However, with the rise in lifestyle diseases, the doctors and dieticians are discovering that the poor-man’s food is what suits the rich man now-a-days to stay healthy. As a result many of these organically grown foods like small millets have become very expensive,” said Agriculture Scientist Dr. Vasanth Kumar Thimkapura.

Swamiji creates awareness about diabetes

Sri Ganapathy Swamiji is known all over the world for his healing of diseases through music and he calls it the music therapy. With the increase of diabetes in the world, the Ashrama has come forward to create awareness about this silent killer. By consuming food grown using chemicals and fertilisers the people are prone to a lot of diseases and the primary one is diabetes.

The Swamiji, focusing on the diet for diabetics this time during his 75th birthday celebrations, has shown that he is aware of the health problems that a majority of the people in the country are facing today.

Introducing a diabetic-friendly diet is his way of spreading the message that if one eats properly by having two seasonal fruits and two vegetables and most importantly, timely food, then diabetes can be kept under control.

3.5 litre oil used in 5 days!

In the light of separate food prepared for diabetics, the use of oil is limited. Only 3.5 litres of oil has been used from May 21 till now, said the Ashrama sources.