Diabetic-"s" Chef

An insight into the successful journey of Harsh Kedia.

"Hey ,why you are feeling low? take a chocolate and chill." These are the common lines we hear
generally, then what about diabetics feeling downhearted and cannot have a chocolate for its
high calorie content
A boy who himself was a diabetic has found an answer for this question. Harsh Kedia popularly
known as diabetic chef has started India's first diabetic friendly dessert brand.
Let us know how he started his journey that made him to be in the Forbes list.

May I know no about you in your own words?

I am a very simple ordinary boy from Bombay ,out there to do some extraordinary things. I am
not a superman or as reached as mother Teresa but I am doing what can I do in my best
capacity. Of course the motive behind what Iam doing is my own health. I work with something
that is very close to my suffering.

How did it start becoming a chef and the diabetic chef?

Most people who I am connected closely with ,whom I have been around know that I am type
1.5 diabetic which means that I am moving from type 2 to type 1 over the years.
When I was newly diagnosed I felt and I understood from everything that I could sort of gather
around and from people that there is no single person or company or organisation that is
actually working towards welfare,I mean extension by diabetic community. There was nobody
doing ethical business,doing any form of work directly towards food for diabetic people. It was
thought like a reply in the river that has come good 10 years back and that was idea of starting
something without having any idea of where we would go ,what we would do or how we would
do. I was around 14 year old average individual thought of a concept of making food for
diabetics.In 2014,the whole idea of diabetic friendly food serving the underserved audience is
how that made me a diabetic chef.
I was very much interested in cooking. My aunt's my mother,everyone just cooking food around
me sort of gave me that curiosity that how do you make the food and what is happening while
cooking. I was tiny kid looking into kadai from where it has begun. If someone asked me what
would I take to give up cooking I couldn't think of one thing. Cooking is that which gives some
sort of refreshment to me.

When and how you came to know that you are a diabetic?
I was diagnosed when I was a 14 and half year old boy. It was very strange how I got
diagnosed. I Came back from regular school entered my house through my shoes and my aunty
was checking her sugar levels, so simply even I checked mine and mine were skyrocket
whooping levels. I was probably diabetic few years before.

What were the reasons the doctor gave you to be diagnosed with diabetes at a very young
age?
I was obese. I have a family history of diabetes. Doctor didn't give me any exact reason
forgetting diagnosed with diabetis.
Even it was Difficult to determine weather I need insulin or not.

How did that make you feel when you are diagnosed with diabetes?
Literally I didn't feel anything. Everyone around me where over
reactive and it was very dramatic situation. I was like it happened what we can do about it. I
have my people crying for months I was like it's ok it has happened,what can we do about it. I
always had that don't care don't care attitude and I think that just played along with my health
also , of course I care about my health. I welcomed it as a part of me and didn't care about it
happening.

How do you describe the whole journey till now with good and bad times?
It is a very roller coastery type of journey If I put in one word. It has never been a straight line
consistently growing or like falling. I would never be able to define how journey has been, it has
been full of ups and downs. When there were ups they were major like touchwood goddess
kind. I have been able to take everything off my bucket list that I wanted to since I was 17. I am
finding reasons and finding things that I want to add to my bucket list and do. Earlier it was with
very professional achievements. I want to be on a newspaper, on a podcast, on a magazine, on
Forbes list and I did it. I really worked hard for it. Coming to bad times, extreme bad health,
suffering from mental health issues are some of them. There have been months where I could
not recover from fatigue and unexplained tiredness. I had issues in my eyes. When there was x
up the next day used to be 2x down.
Journey has been very fulfilling with ups and downs, it taught me a lot. I am very grateful for
everything that has happened.

What are the lessons you'd like to share from your journey?
If you have never burnt your hand you wouldn't be able to understand how to use them. You
have to fail twice, thrice, for n number of times to become successful. Things will be difficult
they will not be as easy as they look. It will take time, it will take its own course then things will
fall in plane. Your duty is to work really hard. Don't make the same mistake thrice I wouldn't say
twice because twice makes you understand that have made a mistake. It's OK to know and
don't know what to do in life.I Speak to people all the time, they say you haven't figured out, I
said I don't. I don't know what to do in next 5 years. I have a great business, I have a great idea
and I am working for it. What if it doesn't work out inspite of me being super positive and super
hard working. Everyone has something that they are great in that space.Even I was a college
dropout at 21band graduated in 24. Just do what your heart says.

There are many beliefs in society about diabetes, that it is due to overeating or it is due to
stressful life etc. What do you think reason for diabetes?
It is a lifestyle disorder, it is not that I eat much so I get diabetes or I am just so am I get
diabetes. It is a biological amalgamation of multiple things, it may be due abnormality in in
pancreas or it may be genetical. There is no exact standard reason for diabetis, it is a
multifactorial metabolic disorder.
We hear many things about avoiding sugar and substituting with jaggery etc. What are your
thoughts on what things should be kept in the mind while eating who are diabetic?
First and foremost I recommend you to speak to your doctor because it is a very case-by-case
situation. There are many things that people take in place of sugar like jaggery, palm jaggery ,
honey etc but I don't suggest them because, everyone are not compatible with them on the
other hand the foods you are getting nowadays are mostly adulterated. Safest kind of sugar
substitute is Stevia, there is no second thought about it.

What is the pickup line you give to the readers.

Follow your heart, don't do any thing because someone has suggested it. Don't be in a situation
regretting and thinking why did I do that. You always have a choice so do it with an extra mile
and achieve what you want.