Certified diabetic educator Andy Oehrtman (left) helps Judy Kiely and Teri McGee prepare a recipe during their cooking for diabetes class in the Butte High School home economics kitchen. The class offered students an opportunity to cook and swap low fat, low carbohydrate, and low sugar recipes. (Derek Pruitt/The Montana Standard)
Provencal zucchini and yellow squash medley was just one of the
recipes prepared during a recent diabetic cooking class held at
Butte High. The class, which focused on cooking with vegetables,
was part of a diabetic education program titled "The ABCs of
Diabetes," routinely offered by the Community Health Center in
Butte.
The two-part program provides diabetics in the community a
chance to learn about the disease and management techniques,
followed by a hands-on opportunity to put that knowledge into
practice in the kitchen.
Certified diabetic educators Ida Reighard and Andy Oehrtman, a
registered dietician, along with former cook, Janet Kocusko, teamed
up to provide students with some new cooking strategies for
preparing low-fat, low-carbohydrate and low-sugar dishes.
At the end of the evening, the new chefs got to sample their
creations. They returned home with their hunger satisfied and a few
new "guilt-free" dishes to spice up their repertoire of meals.
Class participant Teri McGee was diagnosed with Type II diabetes
a year ago last June. McGee came to the class looking for
ammunition to help her face the daily battle of living with
diabetes.
"You can never know too much," she said. "I was hoping to get
more recipes that are healthy for diabetics," she added.
McGee's kitchen-mate, Judy Kiely, came for
similar reasons.
"I have a family member with diabetes and I was interested in
learning to cook healthier foods," she said.
For Anaconda couple Kathy and Mark Maki, the timing of the
course couldn't have been any better. The couple saw the class
advertised in the newspaper just after Kathy was diagnosed with a
pre-diabetic condition.
"I have what they call insulin resistance," said Kathy.
Making the necessary changes in diet to accommodate Kathy's
condition has been difficult.
"It's been confusing," said Mark, who came to the class as a
show of support for his wife.
According to Kathy, the classes have been helpful. "It takes
some of the confusion out of it. You start out and you're afraid to
eat anything," she said.
Kathy said that the classes have helped the couple get a better
grip on how to manage her condition, although she did admit that
she's not the first one in her household to deal with the
disease.
"We actually have a diabetic dog," she said. "The dog's diet is
easier to follow … you don't have to cook a lot for her," she
added, with a smile.
Certified diabetic educator Andy Oehrtman (left) helps Judy Kiely and Teri McGee prepare a recipe during their cooking for diabetes class in the Butte High School home economics kitchen. The class offered students an opportunity to cook and swap low fat, low carbohydrate, and low sugar recipes. (Derek Pruitt/The Montana Standard)
