New Mexico State University to host Kitchen Creations diabetes cooking classes

Deming Headlight - 10/13/2020

LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Adults with diabetes can learn how to make healthy, delicious meals through a series of four virtual Kitchen Creations classes. Participants will learn food safety, how to plan and prepare meals, read food labels, manage carbohydrates and other tips.

The first class will begin at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2020. Participants can access classes with an electronic device or by phone.

Over four consecutive Tuesdays, participants will learn food safety, how to plan meals, read food labels and manage carbohydrates.

“It’s hard to imagine that a cooking class can be offered online; however, we understand that in these challenging times we must be creative and continue to offer programs to our community members,” said Beatriz Favela, LCSW. She is the Dona Ana County Extension Family and Consumer Sciences Agent and will be leading the classes with dietitian Janae Kraus, MA, RDN, LD and other extension agents.

Over 10 percent of adults in New Mexico have diabetes. Research has shown that lifestyle changes, including healthier eating, can help manage diabetes and reduce the risk of complications.

“Many people with diabetes struggle with what to eat,” said Cassandra Vanderpool, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist with NMSU. “Kitchen Creations opens their eyes to a wide variety of options to enjoy healthy eating. We are pleased to offer these classes online during the pandemic so participants can learn how to successfully manage diabetes at home.”

Over 1,000 New Mexicans participated in Kitchen Creations in the last two years. During one of our classes in Doña Ana County, a participant shared that he “would skip dinner as a strategy to control sugar levels because in the mornings his sugar levels were too high. When he enrolled in our classes, he was skeptical about the effectiveness of the program. He reported that every night he had the dinner cooked during our class, then he checked his glucose levels in the morning, and to his surprise, his glucose levels where within the normal range”.

To enroll in this online Kitchen Creations cooking school for free, contact: Jennifer Shafer at 575-546-8806 or jeshafer@nmsu.edu

For information about other online Kitchen Creations classes, contact Cassandra Vanderpool at 575-202-5065 or cvpool@nmsu.edu.

Kitchen Creations is sponsored by the New Mexico Department of Health Diabetes Prevention and Control Program and offered by the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service as part of the Paths to Health NM: Tools for Healthier Living initiative.

Visit www.pathstohealthnm.org for more information. NMSU, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator.

If you are an individual with a disability who is in need of an auxiliary aid or service to participate, please contact Cassandra Vanderpool, at 575-202-5065 by October 20, 2020.

This article originally appeared on Deming Headlight: New Mexico State University to host Kitchen Creations diabetes cooking classes

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