CINCINNATI — Students are becoming the teacher to go up against diabetes. They’re using healthy foods to try and help.
Anzora Adkins is 84 years old, but still learning how to cook healthily. She has to use special ingredients to manage her blood sugar and go up against type two diabetes.
“It’s difficult, right? However, when you think about this for your benefit, then you try to work accordingly,” said Adkins.
It’s the reason she comes to just about every nutrition class that these college students are teaching.
Monica Chea says she wanted to help teach healthy cooking to diabetics because of what happened in her own family.
“My mom actually is a diabetic, and she is a Cambodian American woman. So with her, the information that she was receiving professionally didn’t translate to her cultural food that she was normally eating. so it’s really important for me to understand how to communicate the education information that I know,” said Chea.
That’s why she’s working to get her nutrition degree with the help of a co-op. It’s a program that works in a similar way to an internship.
The University of Cincinnati teamed up with the nonprofit group St. Vincent de Paul where the classes are being held in Cincinnati.
The group estimates about 80 students a year go through the program.
For diabetics like Adkins, she says so far, it’s working.
“At my age I want god to keep me here longer. I’m going to eat what I’m supposed to eat,” said Adkins.
