Eat Street Culinary School served up renewed optimism for people suffering from the adverse effects of type 1 and 2 diabetes on Sunday, May 26, with its first class dedicated to the disease, called eating delicious foods while preventing diabetes.
The class was taught by registered dietician Chef Eda Martin who broke through some common fallacies from the opening sentence, saying that diabetes does not mean the end of good food.
Eat Street Culinary School served up renewed optimism for people suffering from the adverse effects of type 1 and 2 diabetes on Sunday, May 26, with its first class dedicated to the disease, called eating delicious foods while preventing diabetes.
The class was taught by registered dietician Chef Eda Martin who broke through some common fallacies from the opening sentence, saying that diabetes does not mean the end of good food.
“I teach a healthy lifestyle with regards to a food regimen without sacrificing flavor,” she said. “Exercise is another key part of the equation.”
Diabetes is usually categorized as either type 1 (genetic) or type 2, caused by external factors, such as lifestyle and diet. Glucose is needed by cells for energy and thousands of chemical reactions.
Both type 1 and 2 are diagnosed when blood glucose levels are 126 ml/dl or higher after fasting, and is caused by an inadequate or ineffective utilization of insulin in the body or both.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and performs many functions, including glucose reduction after meals.
“Think of insulin as the key to unlock your cells and let glucose into your body,” Martin said. “Without it, functional levels of multiple tissues and organs in the body degrade.”
High levels of blood glucose are related to adverse side effects like elevated levels of triglycerides in the blood, chronic inflammation, increased blood pressure and hardening of the arteries.
“If you have high glucose levels in your bloodstream it acts like a broken bottle scratching your arteries,” Martin said. “Things will stick there and that is how plaque forms and the diameter of your arteries narrow.”
The attendees enjoyed making whole wheat pasta and red pepper sauce, marinated soft-shell chicken tacos made with fresh whole wheat tortillas and a decadent peach dessert made with wine and vanilla yogurt.
Student Linda Jones said the class opens new doors for her during meals.
“I was more restrictive than I needed to be,” she said. “We learned how to make tortillas and pasta that I can eat today, which is exciting because I had backed off pasta because of my diabetes. I have felt deprived for the last six months.”
Diligence has kept her diabetes in check, Jones said, and the new items she learned to cook will keep her balanced.
“I don’t have diabetes right now because I have been very careful about measuring out the carbohydrates in my diet, but I do not want to get out of control. This menu helps me move forward,” she said.
Husband David Jones said he and Linda cook together when they are home.
“We are fortunate enough to be retired, so we shop together and police each other’s diets,” he said. “The items we have at home come from a joint effort. My wife and I have known the Owner, Chef Katie Averill, for a long time and wanted to check out what’s up for diabetics.”
Linda Jones gave the meal they cooked at Eat Street a thumbs up.
“The chicken soft taco was one of the best I ever ate,” she said. “The chicken marinade with the little green onions was outstanding, the red pepper sauce had a nice layer of flavor, and the tortilla had great texture and flavor.”
Changing the tortilla thickness will be one improvement David Jones will make.
“I folded the first one, but the second taco broke apart a little bit,” he said. “We need to work on our tortilla flattening.”
Martin has always been an advocate for healthy eating.
“I can cook everything, but my true passion is healthy gourmet cuisine,” she said. “You can cook anything in a healthier way.”
Among the items Martin has elevated are beef bourguignon, lasagna and pastries.
“Once I learned the classical technique I used healthy ingredients,” she said. “I teach people how to live and eat healthy, which involve whole grains, complex carbohydrates, fiber, fruits, lean meat, low fat dairy, vegetables and healthy fats. That is what everyone should eat.”
Diabetics who skip snacks to control their diet are making a mistake.
“A person who misses breakfast because they do not feel hungry in the morning usually gets very hungry by lunch, and eats everything known to man,” Martin said. “That makes your blood sugar skyrocket, so you exercise and stop eating again, which drops your blood sugar very low, which creates a hypoglycemic situation. Going from extreme highs to extreme lows is not stable.”
Portion control is the best way to manage overindulging during a meal.
“The only real way to manage those situations is by understanding how to compensate with items that do not make your blood sugar go through the roof,” Martin said. “If you decide to have a piece of pizza a good idea is to only have half, and add a big salad full of greens, nuts and carrots, for example.”
People who are looking to take a healthy lifestyle turn should start with whole grains and olive oil.
“I teach people to always use whole grains, but if the first step is going half way it is a really great start,” Martin said.
One simple trick to make comfort food like potatoes go further is adding healthy items.
“A potato the size of a computer mouse is 1.5 servings and really easy to over-consume,” Martin said. “I teach people to make a half-portion of mashed and add cauliflower.”
People seeking more information about healthy lifestyle choices can email Martin at edavesterman.com.
“I have healthy recipes that anyone can follow on my website,” she said. “The American Dietetic Association also has an informational site.”
Martin is currently developing a line of products she will market.
“I have been cooking privately and producing pizza dough, whole wheat pastas and tortillas,” she said. “People can order those items and the instructions explain proper serving sizes.”
Ambitious people who want to start growing foods can find quick success with herbs.
“I am a big advocate for growing and eating foods and items like mint, thyme, arugula and rosemary is easy to maintain,” Martin said. “If you want to get a little bit more fancy tomatoes is a good way to go.”
People who think they are way over weight can feel better by dropping just a few pounds.
“A five percent reduction has been proven to help control diabetes,” Martin said. “If someone weighs 160 that means the goal is losing eight pounds.”
Averill said she is proud to expand her services and bring in experts who can make a difference.
“I teach what I am good at and bring in someone like Eda, who has a bachelor’s degree in nutrition for classes like diabetes education,” she said. “Over the summer I plan on expanding this program. I am already teaching a healthy meal class, and plan on adding heart healthy and more gluten free classes, in addition to diabetes education.”
The students told Averill the class was a lot of fun.
“This was a lot more educational and fact based,” she said. “People need an education if they suffer from diabetes. Regular classes teach students how to work a recipe, but Eda taught health, diabetes, and how to make it all work in a lifestyle.”
The next healthy dinner class is Wednesday, May 29.
Eat Street is located in downtown Anaheim, at 270 S. Clementine St.
For more information about specialty classes at the school, visit eatstreetculinary.com, or email Averill at info@eatstreetculinary.com.
