02/19/2009

'Diabetic Chef' to Inspire, Empower in Columbus March 30

Writer:

Martha Filipic
filipic.3@cfaes.osu.edu
(614) 292-9833

Source:

Cindy Oliveri, OSU Extension
oliveri.1@osu.edu

Chris Smith, The Diabetic Chef
thedchef@aol.com

Ticket Update: You can order tickets for "Cooking for a Healthy Lifestyle with the Diabetic Chef" online http://estore.osu-extension.org/ (search for "cooking" in the "Search Products" box on the left side of the page) through March 29. Tickets ordered after March 23 will be held at a will-call table at the event.

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- When people first get a diagnosis of diabetes, they often feel an extreme loss of control. They fear the illness will take over their entire life.

Chris Smith knows from experience. At age 27, when he was a student at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, doctors first attributed his chronic fatigue and stomach cramps to stress. After seven months of continuing symptoms, Smith began experiencing an urgent need to urinate and started losing weight -- dropping 30 pounds in six weeks -- and he went to the doctor for answers.

"I was down to 105 pounds, and I'm 5-foot-10," he said. Finally, a doctor did a blood sugar test, "and 45 seconds later I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes," he said.

That day, his life changed. But he still became a chef, and now he draws upon his life and his skills to help others with diabetes -- and anyone interested in adopting healthier skills in the kitchen and throughout their lives.

Smith, author of "Cooking with the Diabetic Chef" and "The Diabetic Chef's Year-Round Cookbook," is coming to Columbus for a live cooking demonstration and a message of empowerment, sponsored by Ohio State University Extension's Dining With Diabetes program.

"Cooking for a Healthy Lifestyle with the Diabetic Chef" will be 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, March 30, at the Msgr. Joseph Jessing Conference Center, Pontifical College Josephinum, 7625 N. High St. The event is limited to the first 300 who purchase tickets, available by credit card for $12 each, which includes shipping and tax, at OSU Extension's online store, http://estore.osu-extension.org/ (search for "cooking"). A free health fair focused on diabetes treatment and prevention will precede the event, 4:30-6:30 p.m. For more information, call (614) 292-9833.

"The physician who diagnosed me said I needed to leave the cooking industry," Smith said. "Because of the long hours and the amount of time chefs spend on their feet, he was worried about circulatory problems developing -- that can be a long-term problem for people affected with diabetes. But I went to a new doctor, and I'll never forget what he said: Diabetes is one of the few diseases you can actually manage and control. That was a very empowering message for me, and I share that message with my audience."

Smith is currently Executive Chef at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina and a contributing editor to the Better Homes & Gardens quarterly magazine Diabetic Living, but said he found his calling in public speaking. "When I started speaking to groups, I realized this is what I was meant to do," Smith said. His message emphasizes the importance of moderation, variety and portion control -- all while creating meals full of flavor.

During his March 30 presentation, one of Chef Smith's demonstrations will be what he calls a "template recipe" -- a simple chicken breast. "Once you learn a few techniques, you can copy them with any meat item. They're very easy to do and the result is meat that is nice, tender and moist." The presentation isn't limited to those with diabetes. "Every single American is my audience," he said. "I hesitate to call what I promote a 'diabetic diet.' It really is just a healthy lifestyle."

Ohio State University Extension's Dining with Diabetes program began in 2003. The program, offered in more than 50 counties across the state, is comprised of three sessions and a follow-up, during which participants enjoy foods prepared on-site while learning about portion sizes, food labels, and how to prepare well-balanced, healthy meals. Programs are led jointly by OSU Extension educators and registered dietitians or certified diabetic educators and more than 2,000 Ohioans participate each year. The program, which is holding its annual statewide update for Dining with Diabetes leaders on March 31, is also sponsoring a free health fair before The Diabetic Chef's presentation, said Cindy Oliveri, Extension family and consumer sciences specialist and coordinator of the Diabetes Education Team.

"We wanted to reach out to the general public and present something similar to a commercial cooking school, but geared to people who are interested in healthy cooking," Oliveri said. "Everyone needs new strategies to prepare healthy meals, especially people who have been diagnosed with diabetes. A lot of people with diabetes think, 'Oh, now I'm on a special diet, it's going to be boring.' But eating healthfully doesn't have to be boring, and I think Chef Smith will break a lot of those myths."

For more information about OSU Extension's Dining with Diabetes program, contact Cindy Oliveri at oliveri.1@osu.edu. For more information on Chris Smith, see his Web site at http://www.thediabeticchef.com/.

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Editor:

Upcoming "Dining with Diabetes" programs in central Ohio (advance registration is necessary) include:

Franklin County: Programs in Franklin County are organized upon request; contact Susan Shockey, OSU Extension educator in Franklin County, at (614) 866-6900 ext. 206 or shockey.3@cfaes.osu.edu.

Licking County: March 3, 5 and 10, at the Kendal at Granville, and April 14, 16 and 22, at Licking Memorial Hospital in Newark. Contact Shari Gallup, OSU Extension educator in Licking County, (740) 670-5315 or gallup.1@cfaes.osu.edu.

Fairfield County: March 3, 10 and 17, at the Fairfield County office of OSU Extension, 831 College Ave., Lancaster. Contact Cora French-Robinson, OSU Extension educator in Fairfield County, (740) 653-5419 ext. 12 or e-mail french-robinson.1@osu.edu.