Upcoming course to offer tips for diabetics, family
Q: How can I manage my diabetes and still enjoy food?
A: Learning to manage diabetes is important in order to reduce long-term health consequences that include changes in vision, nerve and kidney damage, and heart and circulatory problems. However, for some, following a meal plan is the hardest step in controlling diabetes.
To help individuals who have diabetes or have a family or friend with the disease, K-State Research and Extension in Douglas County is offering a four-session cooking school on “Dining with Diabetes.” Through this course, you will have the opportunity to learn how to reduce the effects of diabetes and still enjoy food.
The goals of this program are to:
¢ increase knowledge about healthy foods.
¢ prepare healthy versions of familiar foods.
¢ demonstrate new cooking techniques.
¢ provide taste testing of new recipes.
¢ provide basic information about diabetes and nutrition.
¢ provide opportunities for people with diabetes to share and learn from one another.
The series of four cooking classes will be offered Wednesdays, starting Oct. 25. The classes will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Douglas County Extension center, located on the fairgrounds.
The cost to attend Dining with Diabetes will be $30 per participant, or $50 per couple living in the same household. However, no one will be denied participation due to inability to pay. The registration fee will include course materials, recipes and food tasting.
For the first session, Mary L. Meck Higgins, assistant professor in human nutrition from K-State Research and Extension, is coming to share information on diabetes awareness and management. There also will be an opportunity to sample a variety of healthy dishes. During the three sessions to follow, I will teach participants how to modify current food intake, plan and enjoy meals using a variety of foods, and eat out in restaurants.
To enroll or to ask a question, contact me at 843-7058. Pre-registration, due by Oct. 20, is required so we will know how much food to prepare. Space is limited, so early registration is encouraged.
Q: I get e-mails that claim certain foods can cause all kinds of health problems or form dangerous substances. How do I know if they are true?
A: To help you find the truth behind these e-mails, try these Web sites:
¢ http://urbanlegends. about.com/
Q: Wow, it seems like everyone is eating on the run these days. Is it just my imagination, or is it true?
A: No, it’s not your imagination. According to Food Technology, every day about 100 million people in the United States use vending machines; 6 million people visit a 7-Eleven store in North America; and 55 million worldwide stop at their local McDonald’s.
Consuming lunch in the car is growing. Surveys show that one in four restaurant meals are ordered from a car. The foods most often ordered include burgers, 37 percent; sandwiches, 15 percent; pizza, 9 percent, and Mexican, 6 percent. Breakfast on-the-go also is gaining popularity, with 7 percent of all breakfast meals eaten away from home. Common breakfast foods eaten include: fruit, coffee, soft drinks, bars, and sandwiches. Afternoon and late night snacks are big business. Sales reported for the quarter ending February 2006 show an increase of 7 percent from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 11 percent after 9 p.m. The most common foods sold for afternoon and late night snacks include soda, burgers, fries, pizza, diet soda, salty snacks, nuggets/strips, tacos, chicken sandwiches and ice cream.
Vending machine marketers are working to increase healthy food and drink choices. In 2005, the amount of regular soda gallons sold fell. Energy drinks increased 81 percent, sports drinks 21 percent, bottled water increased 11 percent, ready-to-drink tea increased 2 percent, but fruit drinks fell 2 percent.
Healthier food choices showed promising increases. They include meat snacks up 34 percent, fruit snacks up 11 percent, granola bars up 17 percent, and cereal snacks up 25 percent.