‘Diabetic Chef’ offers talk on surviving the holidays

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By Alana Kansaku-sarmiento

The Times, Nov 10, 2011

Submitted photo / The Times

Chris Smith, known as The Diabetic Chef, will talk at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital in Tualatin on Nov. 17.

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Chris Smith, known as “The Diabetic Chef,” will be at the Legacy Meridian Park Medical Center on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. to discuss lifestyle and eating habits that can be easily utilized for diabetics, but won’t alienate them from family and friends at the dining table.

“The first Thanksgiving after I was diagnosed, there were people who prepared special food for me. I was separated with food because of my illness,” Smith said. “The idea is we can all eat this food; it’s healthy for you, and everyone’s going to benefit.”

Smith was diagnosed with diabetes in 1993 while he was still a culinary school student.

“I was tired all the time, but I could justify my fatigue because I was working 80 hours a week, externing in New York City at one of the best restaurants in the world,” Smith said. “I was thirsty all the time, literally drinking three to four gallons of liquid a day, going to my doctor constantly over a seven-month period for the treatment of a stomach ulcer that did not exist. In the last six weeks before my diagnosis, I lost 30 pounds, leaving me at 105 pounds…I’m five-foot-ten. I thought I had cancer.”

Smith prepared himself for the worst, but when he was informed that he had diabetes, doctors told him that this is one of the few diseases that can be controlled.

“I’m a very optimistic person, so to be told, ‘Once you become educated, this is something you can manage,’ I was relieved; thankful that I knew what this was and that I was able to understand how I could be a part of the solution, how to be proactive in managing my diabetes.”

Before the year was up, the chef was traveling, speaking to members of the diabetic community, sharing how to manage the disease and utilize recipes that are designed to please the whole family.

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