Diabetes Prevention Groups Unite for Free Lecture and Cooking Demonstration Tour

WASHINGTON— Several health organizations are uniting for a five-city tour of India, offering free lectures on diabetes reversal and cooking demonstrations. The events, which are free and open to the public, take place August 21 through September 4. The tour will take speakers to Krishnanagar, Mumbai, Trivandrum, Chandigarh, and Pune. Dates and locations are detailed below.

Members of the public who want to lose weight, lower cholesterol or blood pressure, manage diabetes, and improve overall health will benefit from the educational lectures.

Speakers and collaborating organizations include:

• Zeeshan Ali, Ph.D., Kickstart India program specialist with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (based in Washington, D.C.)
• Nandita Shah, L.C.E.H., founder and director of SHARAN India (based in Mumbai)
• Pramod Tripathi, M.B.B.S., founder and director of Freedom from Diabetes (based in Pune)
• The Lions Club of Chandigarh
• R. Saravanan, B.H.M.S., and G. Visakha Kumar, M.D., of Trivandrum
• Indranil Chakraborty of Krishnanagar
• Rashmi Menon, B.H.M.S. of Mumbai

Renowned chefs Mayavi Khandelwal in Mumbai and Aabha Gupta in Pune will teach audience members how to cook low-fat, plant-based meals. Audience members will also have the opportunity to try delicious, health-promoting food samples.

“We are reaching out to people who may have diabetes or be overweight to show them how to use nutrition to prevent chronic disease. We want to share our medical and scientific findings with the people in India through educational lectures and practical demonstrations,” says Dr. Ali, who is leading the lectures.

According to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 65 million people in India have been diagnosed with diabetes. With 71 million more thought to be prediabetic, India faces a serious public health crisis if nothing changes. Noncommunicable chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, now account for 53 percent of all deaths in India. Having worked closely with thousands of patients throughout the country, Dr. Tripathi and Dr. Shah have seen the power of food to transform India’s health. By teaching his patients about plant-based diets, Dr. Tripathi has helped more than 50,000 people lose weight, reduce the need for diabetes medications, and lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

Dr. Ali will discuss why diet changes are the cornerstone to treating and reversing type 2 diabetes. Dr. Shah and Dr. Tripathi will provide testimonials and give insight into the actual process that need to be followed to reverse diabetes. Rashmi Menon, B.H.M.S., will discuss the benefits beyond diabetes prevention and reversal that a plant-based diet can offer.

“The best way to keep the body healthy is to work with it rather than against it. Anyone can learn to prevent and reverse diseases just by attending one of the seminars and then practicing what they learnt for at least one month,” says Dr. Shah, who has inspired countless Indians through her Peas vs. Pills talks, cooking classes, and residential programs.

CONTACT: Please contact Zeeshan Ali at zali [at] pcrm.org (zali[at]pcrm[dot]org) or call 7354748570 for questions and interview requests.