How Five Times a Feast Helped a Diabetic Woman Transform Her Life
Before taking part in the Institute’s Five Times a Feast cooking series at Amazing Grace Lutheran Church, Ms. Carol knew her poor diet was harming her health.
“I would eat junk food, drink sugary drinks…fried foods,” she said. “My doctor’s been telling me… I’m diabetic. I have high blood pressure. I need to change my eating habits, or it will do harmful things to my body.”
As is the case for many people, awareness of the consequences wasn’t enough to incite a turn-around in Ms. Carol’s habits. Neither was access to information. Cookbooks of healthy recipes gathered dust at her home.
But Five Times a Feast’s enthusiastic food educator, supportive team environment, and ingredients for delicious, healthy meals inspired a transformation in Ms. Carol. After two months, she saw a decrease in her weight and blood pressure, gained better control of her blood sugar, and had begun riding a bicycle around her neighborhood.
“Five Times a Feast assisted me in reaching the goals that both my doctor and I want for me,” she said. “Eating differently did something to my mind in a positive way. It encouraged me. It motivated me to not just eat healthy, but do healthy activities.”
To carry the program’s influence forward, she became a Five Times a Feast cooking coach and now leads cooking sessions at the church.
