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Dining with diabetes: Extension Service offers classes in Blair County

Courtesy photo / Some of the Dining with Diabetes classes will include food demonstrations and/or tastings and the sharing of recipes.

Barbara McConnell of Everett could be the poster child for the Penn State Extension Service’s Dining with Diabetes series of classes. She first took the classes in August 2014 and since has lost 80 pounds and lowered her blood pressure and blood sugar count.

“I have more energy, and this is the easiest program I have ever tried to lose weight,” McConnell says. “I took 16 prescriptions before and now only take five prescriptions and no diabetes medications. … I am excited to feel back in the driver’s seat again. Can’t say enough about how much better I feel and secondly how much healthier I am.”

The Blair County Extension Service office has scheduled the nationally accredited class series for the Southern Blair Senior Center in East Freedom for March 14, 21, 28 and April 4 and a followup on June 6. It is for adults with or at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and family members and friends are invited to attend, said Extension Educator Elaine Smith, a registered dietitian who will lead the classes.

Thanks to state grants, students only pay $5 for the series that is valued at $200 because it includes, among many features, testing for blood pressure and blood sugar measurements, called A1c, at the first and last classes, Smith said. Participants also receive incentives such as an exercise DVD, plate method placemat and a “Dining with Diabetes” Cookbook.

The deadline to register is March 7; go to https://extension.psu.edu/dining-with-

diabetes, click on Blair County and East Freedom location, or call (877) 345-0691.

Enrollment is limited, but future classes will be scheduled if the demand is high, Smith said.

The first class also involves paperwork and some lecture to explain the meaning of measurements and tests that diabetics should take and how to “manage their numbers, so to speak,” Smith said. The remaining classes will include food demonstrations and/or tastings, sharing of recipes that are diabetic friendly and information on carbohydrates, sodium and fats. Physical activity, goal setting and meal planning are among the subjects that will be covered, as well. The followup class in June will include re-testing to see if improvements have been made, as well as going over goals and how to plan ahead for eating out.

“Planning ahead is hard for a lot of people,” Smith said.

“There is so much information out there, and we really have a wonderful food supply; there are so many choices. One thing I will stress is making better choices among the whole gamut we have in our food supply and how to plan,” Smith added.

Managing blood pressure is important, she said, because high blood pressure — or hypertension — is twice as common in individuals with diabetes as it is in the general population, she said.

“So controlling blood pressure can reduce cardiovascular disease and diabetes-related complications,” she added.

Barbara Mearkle, another extension educator who has been leading these classes in Bedford County for years, will assist Smith.

She said she has seen many success stories like McConnell.

An annual impact report shows that half of the participants experienced a drop in their blood sugar measurement, and 60 percent saw a drop in blood pressure. Additionally, Smith said, nearly 50 percent increase the number of days they exercise and the number of days they eat a variety of fruits and vegetables.

Almost 1.5 million Pennsylvanians have diabetes and about a fourth of those don’t even know it, even though the disease is the seventh leading cause of death in the Keystone State.

“Diabetes is a very serious and costly disease, but research has shown that those who learn to manage their blood sugar levels, eat healthy and exercise regularly can lower their risk of complications and lead a healthier and more productive life,” according to Smith.

For those with pre-diabetes, they can learn to modify their lifestyle to avoid getting the deadly disease and its complications, she added.

Added McConnell: “I would love to encourage diabetics that life does not have to be such a struggle.”

Mirror Staff Writer Cherie Hicks is at 949-7030.

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