First Welsh cookery school opens for people with type 1 diabetes

Wales’ first cookery school for people with type 1 diabetes has been launched.
The cooking class is designed to show young people with type 1 diabetes how to make a healthy three-course dinner.
The school is held at Giovanni’s Restaurant in Cardiff, and in the first class Italian chefs showed 14 students with type 1 diabetes, aged between 18 and 30 years, how to make relatively low-sugar desserts such as strawberry cheesecake and panna cotta.
The first class, which was organised by Diabetes UK Cymru, also showed students how to make steak and bruschetta.
Michael McGuire, a dietician from Diabetes UK Cymru, said: “Moving away from home for the first time and learning how to cook for yourself is tough for anyone but for a young person with type 1 it can be a total minefield.
“We want to give these young people the confidence to cook for themselves and for friends, and to enjoy themselves with food.
“The feedback from the night was in addition to what we’d hoped for. We’re planning on holding more meet ups to motivate and inspire young people with type 1 in South Wales.”
Sara Crowley, 28, from Aberdare, attended the school’s first class, and told Wales Online that meeting other people with type 1 diabetes was just as beneficial as learning new cooking skills.
“It was good to meet other people going through the same experiences as men, it made me feel like the challenges I face are normal,” said Sara.
“We all shared our frustrations with one another. It was a bit like that saying, ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’.”
Editor’s note: For more information on eating healthily and keeping good blood glucose levels, download the free 365 Recipe Cookbook, which contains 440 pages of recipe ideas.