Cooking up healthful chow

Lauren Vane

When Rosa Olamendi suffered an accident three years ago, she went

into a diabetic shock and lost her eyesight for two months. She was a

size 20 and had high blood sugar, and the doctor said she had to make

a lifestyle change or she would spend the rest of her days in a

hospital bed.

Right then and there, Olamendi decided to start living healthy.

“I said, no you’re not gonna put me in the hospital,” Olamendi

recalled.

Olamendi has owned Olamendi’s restaurant in Laguna Beach for 19

years, and she insists on cooking without unnecessary fats and oils,

to make her food as healthful as she can. Now, several years after

her accident, Olamendi, 54, is a fit size 10 and proof that a

low-sugar diet can work miracles.

On Tuesday, Olamendi will share her healthy recipes by teaching a

diabetic cooking class, the first in a series sponsored by the Laguna

Beach Community Clinic.

The cooking class is part of a new program at the clinic to

educate Latinos living with diabetes. Some of the clinic’s diabetic

patients and their families will participate in the class. According

to the American Diabetic Assn., Latinos are the most likely

population group to develop pre-diabetes, a metabolic syndrome that

is a precursor to diabetes. The American Diabetic Assn. also contends

that Latinos are twice as likely to develop type II adult-onset

diabetes as are non-Latinos.

“What we’re trying to encourage our patients to do is change their

behavior and cook this way for their whole family,” said community

clinic Executive Director Ericka Waidley.

Olamendi, who was born in Veracruz, Mexico, said she wants to help

other Mexicans understand the importance of eating healthy.

“I’m part of the community, and I wanted to help my Mexican

people,” Olamendi said.

Olamendi is not diabetic, but she’s on the borderline, and her

doctor advised her to avoid starches and sugars, she said.

Olamendi has incorporated her healthy eating habits into the menu

of her restaurant. Many of the dishes, such as the chicken fajitas,

are prepared with that in mind. She cooks with olive oils and fresh

ingredients and never uses lard.

“Doing this class will make people comprehend that you cannot play

with diabetes,” Olamendi said.

Olamendi plans to talk about foods and snacks that diabetics can

prepare and how these changes can have both physical and

psychological impact, Olamendi said.

Participants will be invited to bring in some of the ingredients

they cook with and exchange those with healthier ingredients that can

be used in healthier cooking, Waidley said.

“We’re trying a new approach, and that is learning by doing,

rather than learning by teaching,” Waidley said.