Nathaniel Mitchell Sr. fills a pie crust with crawfish filling. Mitchell enjoys cooking as much as he does eating, but has learned diabetics can still eat what they love with portion control.

The Teche Area is well known for its celebrations surrounding the unique cuisine of the area. With each celebration comes an abundance of food, all seasoned to perfection and cooked to satisfy even the most discriminating palates.

Delectable gumbo made from a dark brown roux, perfectly seasoned fried fish, jambalaya, deep-fried turkey injected with Cajun seasoning, overstuffed poboys filled with golden fried shrimp or oysters, grillades prepared in bacon drippings, boudin and cracklins and crawfish etouffee slathered in butter are among the many dishes that have become traditional favorites. Although not the healthiest of foods, the dishes have become traditional favorites that have been savored and enjoyed at many of the local festivals and cookoffs.

Nathaniel Mitchell Sr., founder of The Diabetic Kitchen support and management group, said it is no secret that visitors from far and near will come to any celebration if good food is offered, but organizers of the first Health Food Festival sponsored by the support group are wondering what the response will be to a festival featuring all heart-healthy food. Festival organizers are challenging the community to put heart-healthy food to the test Nov. 23 and take advantage of an opportunity to sample some creative dishes prepared on the lighter side and taste some of the updated dishes with twists on the traditional using healthful cooking techniques.

“Festivals are an eating frenzy, but we are trying to show that you can still enjoy food when it is prepared healthier. We decided to try a festival concentrating on all the foods being on the heart- healthy side,” said Mitchell.

“We want to show people that healthy food doesn’t have to be bland or without seasoning and you can still enjoy the food you love. You can still have that gumbo you love so much, only prepare it with a dry roux instead of one made with a lot of oil. For those favorites that aren’t as healthy, it is about eating in moderation.”

There is no need to toss out the old family recipes that are high in calories, fat and sodium, just make healthier ingredient substitutions, Mitchell said.

Opt for healthier ingredient recipe choices such as:

• Replacing a whole egg with cholesterol-free egg substitute or two egg whites for one whole egg.

• For whipped cream topping, use fat-free evaporated milk that has been chilled thoroughly before blended to replace the high calories found in whipping cream.

• Replace the higher calorie sour cream with a low fat version.

• Cut down on fatty salad dressings by mixing it with plain nonfat dressing.

• Use only the leanest ground beef or pork with no more than 10 percent fat content.

• A diet low in sodium can be achieved by using less salt and adding onion and garlic powder, pepper or any combination of spices to enhance flavor.

• Soy sauce can be replaced with the low sodium version without losing the flavor of the dish.

• Use a pan with a nonstick surface so it can be coated with vegetable srpay to avoid using large amounts of oil.

• When grilling or broiling food, place on a rack to avoid fats from dripping into foods and prevent saturation of fats.d

November is American Diabetes Month and organizers of the 95-member support group are hoping the festival will not only create awareness of the extraordinary effort it takes to live a day with the disease, but to also show how food choices can make a difference to help manage diabetes and assist in the prevention of type 2diabetes.

As the numbers continue to grow among children and adults with diabetes, Mitchell said the group is trying to create awareness of the importance of healthy eating.

Statistical figures on the American Diabetes Association website shows almost 26 million children and adults in the Untied States have diabetes. Another 79 million Americans have pre-diabetes and are at the risk for the developing type 2 diabetes.

Recent estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless preventive steps are taken. Two out of three people with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke and diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure and new cases of blindness among adults.

“We realize we are in the heart of Acadiana where there is plenty of good Cajun and Creole cooking, but we still can put a healthy spin on what we eat daily and when it is not so healthy, limit our portions. We are hoping the festival will prove that healthy food can still be tasty,” said Mitchell.

Booth rental space for cooks is $50 per booth, but all proceeds from the $1 per serving fee will go to the vendor.

“There are still booths available for anyone who would like to come out cook. The only requirement is that it is a heart-healthy dish,” said Mitchell.