Cooking class to focus on diabetes

Adults with diabetes can learn how to make healthy meals at a Kitchen Creations cooking school next month.

The class will begin at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 7 at the Quay County Extension Office at 216 E. Center St. in Tucumcari. The four classes will be taught by Brenda Bishop, extension FCS agent, and Jessie Robinson, a retired nutritionist.

Participants will learn food safety, how to plan meals, read food labels, balance carbohydrates and other tips. They also will prepare and sample recipes.

The classes will be on Feb. 7, 14, 21 and 28.

“During each session, participants will have the opportunity to prepare affordable tasty dishes that will easily fit into their meal plan,” Bishop said. “We purchase all of the ingredients locally and select recipes that we hope fit the cultures of the families attending.”

According to the 2016 New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 10.7 percent of adults had been diagnosed with diabetes. The national average for 2015 was 9.9 percent.

Research has shown lifestyle changes, including healthier eating, can help people manage diabetes.

To enroll in the Kitchen Creations cooking school for free, call the Quay County Extension Office at 461-0562. The New Mexico Department of Health Diabetes Prevention and Control Program sponsors the program, and it will be offered by the NMSU Cooperative Extension Service. Class Fills quickly so call soon. Those in need of an auxiliary aid to participate in the program should call 461-0562 by Jan. 15.