How Kerala man's green jackfruit flour is helping fight diabetes

James Joseph has over 20 years of manufacturing, sales and marketing experience in India, North America, and Europe with globally reputed companies like Microsoft, 3M and Ford. In his last role as the Director, Executive Engagement at Microsoft India, he was responsible for strengthening Microsoft's relationship with the senior executives of top 200 enterprises in India and prior to that, he was responsible for the manufacturing industry marketing for Microsoft UK. Before joining Microsoft UK, he held manufacturing, supply chain, business development, sales and marketing positions at Minda, 3M, Ford Motor Company, i2 Technologies and Informatica. In his current capacity, James Joseph is burning midnight oils in helping people control blood sugar in 90 days, making and selling Green Jackfruit Powder.

Speaking to Bizz Buzz exclusively, James Joseph, founder, Jackfruit365, from the stable of Ernakulam, Kerala-based Diet Fibre 365 Food Products Pvt Ltd, explains how just adding one tablespoon per person per meal to one's rice flour or wheat flour one can cook roti, idli or dosa normally and get a healthy, dietary meal without compromising on the 'pleasure of eating.'

Diabetes is a lifestyle disease, so it is said and if one changes one's dietary habits, it can be controlled to a great extent. What is your take on this?

Yes. Diabetes is a lifestyle-based disease and it can easily be managed by taking charge of diet and weight management. Many people resolve to salad bowls since they sound healthy. Though salad is healthy, unfortunately, many end up taking it with common enemies of diabetes: sugar, calories and salt. Dressings, toppings and cheeses, in particular, can cause these to add up quickly. Those who cannot have healthy salads with each meal can easily add green jackfruit flour to their favourite meals without the need to modify their taste, green jackfruit flour integrates easily into roti, dosa, idli, poori, paratha, upma, oats or pancakes.

Change your food habits, lose weights and control diabetes - it all sounds so simple. But there is something called 'pleasure of eating' and it is not so easy to give up the pleasure of eating. Isn't it? So the bigger question is: How to maintain 'Pleasure of eating' regular meals for diabetic patients?

Living with diabetes requires you to do multiple things such as keeping a track of vitals, medication routines and working towards maintaining a healthy body, at all times. If this wasn't overwhelming enough, compromising on one's dietary preferences adds to the woes. While body science may not always be in our direct control, what if the way to our hearts - the tummy - can be tantalised with your favourite yummies, and simultaneously keep the disease at bay? It may come across as perplexing, but the Indian flora offers a vast variety of natural plant-based remedies.

Could you please give us some examples?

Hyderabadi cuisine is a blend of spices that cannot be found anywhere else in India. The dietary preferences include a mix of North and South Indian staple food. At home, daily meals comprising roti, idli or pesarattu can be consumed by just replacing one tablespoon of the respective flour with green jackfruit flour. Enthusiast cooks with a non-vegetarian preference can go for fishes like Indian salmon or Budatha maga, Hilsa Herring or Pulasa, Horse mackerel or Pulli Para and sardines or Noona Kavallu, they are prominent sources of omega 3 fatty acids, selenium and vitamin D and do not contain carbohydrate content. Thus, do not increase the blood sugar level. Consuming salmon also helps slow the digestion process and keeps you full for longer. With the rising inclination towards vegan culture and vegetarianism, green jackfruit stands to be a delicious meat substitute globally - it has the ability to absorb spices quickly, same as marinated meat and is highly fibrous.

I must add here that having diabetes can mean making big changes in how and what one eats. The Indian culinary world offers an array of delectable dishes, many of which may pose a health risk, especially for diabetics, but the ease with which the green jackfruit flour integrates into the dietary preferences of the Telugu culture makes it a setting example for consumption along with most of the staple foods across India. Since green jackfruit flour blends beautifully into most recipes, it can also change the way we look at healthy foods and gluten-free foods in particular.

Is there any clinical study in support of what you are saying?

Yes, a number of clinical studies have been carried out in recent years to show potential links between the use of plant-based natural remedies and improved blood glucose control. This has led to an increase in diabetic people adopting natural ingredients to manage their condition. The recently published consensus report by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and European Association for Studies on Diabetes (EASD) state that "Nutrition therapy is integral to diabetes management, with goals of promoting and supporting healthy eating patterns, addressing individual nutrition needs, maintaining the pleasure of eating, and providing the person with diabetes with the tools for developing healthy eating." One can maintain the 'pleasure of eating' by providing positive messages about food choices while limiting food choices only when indicated by scientific evidence.

And then to learn more about the efficacy of green jackfruit flour in controlling blood sugar, a gold standard study was conducted in India at the Government Institute of Medical Sciences, Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh which involved randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled human trials. This study suggested a therapeutic potential of the green jackfruit flour meal in improving glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, following the consumption of the green jackfruit flour meal thrice a day (a total of 30 grams) for a period of 12 weeks.

What about the acceptability of these? Are people adopting these new food habits in real life?

Yes, in tandem with these studies and their findings, people with Diabetes (PWD) are increasingly adopting plant-based foods. Diets are now being modified to include aloe vera, cinnamon or dalchini, fenugreek or methi, ginger or adarak, bitter gourd or karela and ladies' finger or okra. Leafy greens like spinach and beans such as kidney beans, soybeans or soya beans and chickpeas are gaining popularity. However, to reap their benefits, dietary preferences need to be altered and taste thereof needs to be developed.

Nonetheless, one such superfood, not so popular in the list, is the evergreen jackfruit or chakka or kathal, which helps in controlling blood sugar, and adding a tablespoon of green jackfruit flour in regular food will give the freedom of consuming a majority of traditional Indian meals, without the fear of dietary restrictions.

How does green jackfruit flour or powder help?

While the green Jackfruit flour or powder does not have a strong aroma or taste but the fiber and protein in green jackfruit can slow down digestion, thus aiding in the slower release of glucose from food in your gut, which helps stabilise the blood glucose levels. Also, the fiber and protein keep one satiated for longer, which helps cut down overeating, leading to healthy weight management. Regular consumption of green jackfruit flour, made from 100 per cent green jackfruits can lower the HbA1c levels, fasting blood sugar levels, and postprandial (post-meal) blood sugar levels. Thus, green jackfruit flour can be a good addition to your diet if you have diabetes.