After years of trying to choose a career path, Chris Smith decided to follow his passion for cooking and his desire to please people's palate by becoming a chef.
At age 24, Smith found himself successfully juggling being a student at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and working at Manhattan’s four-star Le Cirque restaurant.
Soon afterward, he noticed that his energy was fading and he experienced dramatic weight loss, dropping to only 105 pounds on his 5-foot 10-inch frame. Initially, he attributed these symptoms to a demanding schedule that had him working 14-hour days. But a visit to his doctor and a blood test revealed something more serious. Smith had type I diabetes. His blood glucose of 300 was at an extremely dangerous level and proved to be enough of an incentive for him to start making some serious lifestyle changes.
Type 1 diabetes is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes and accounts for up to 10 percent of the 18 million cases of diabetes in the United States. It usually begins by the time a person reaches adolescence and has no cure.
Having type 1 diabetes means that the pancreas is producing little or no insulin. Patient treatment involves daily insulin injections and modified diets to help control blood glucose levels. Experts recommend using the food pyramid, especially when trying to choose a wide range of healthy foods.
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Cooking for diabetics
Professional chef and diabetic Chris Smith developed a cookbook for people with diabetes.
 
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Equally important is the timing of meals to help insure that a person’s system absorbs insulin properly. Doctors will set patients insulin schedule to coincide with their meal patterns. Consequently, skipping or delaying meals can cause serious insulin reactions. Patients do have some options when it comes to controlling their food intake. Counting carbohydrates or choosing foods from different food groups are meal plans patients are encouraged to practice. In addition, maintaining a healthy weight and consistent blood glucose levels are the ideal goals of all meal plans for diabetics. Doing so can help reduce the risk of developing the long-term complications associated with the disease.
Smith saw that in the world of gourmet, flavor often equaled fat. His diabetes got him thinking about a new approach to gourmet cooking. He also wanted to change the myth that being on a restrictive diet as a diabetic was equivalent to not being able to eat like a normal person. He dubbed himself “The Diabetic Chef” with the mission of “re-teaching” people how to cook healthy meals the entire family could enjoy.
He calls his template “MVP” for “Moderation, Variety and Portion Control.” To that philosophy, he adds ways to reduce fat and add flavor, like using cooking sprays to cut fat and herbs and spices to add flavor. Smith said many people know that herbs and spices add flavor, but don’t know how to use them properly. He recently published a 190-page cookbook called The Diabetic Chef that is full of delicious, healthy recipes even those on the run can prepare. In addition, Smith also conducts cooking workshops that he tailors for the specific health needs of the group. Smith said his lessons are not just for diabetics, but also for all people who want to eat and live healthier.
