Last week I had the amazing opportunity to celebrate the release of my first book<\/a> with friends, family, and colleagues at pages: a bookstore<\/a>, in Manhattan Beach. It was the perfect setting to enjoy some of my favorite desserts from the book, sip some great wine from Rebel Coast Winery<\/a>, and chat about why it’s so important we eat what we love…always!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

During the event, I had the opportunity to tell my story and how this cookbook came to fruition. I always enjoy reflecting on my previous 10+ years as a Registered Dietitian\u00a0and how it has helped me\u00a0develop my personal nutrition philosophy.<\/p>\n

Having been raised and educated in the South, I always felt that food should be enjoyed…and shared. Food is used\u00a0to celebrate anything and everything. Whether it is a birthday, holiday, baby shower, or casual Saturday gathering, sharing a dish is a way to show you care. At the beginning of my career, I realized that not everyone has this luxury and many feel isolated at social gatherings if they have to follow a special eating plan.<\/p>\n

During the first three years of my career, I worked as a clinical dietitian. In the hospital, I was responsible for calculating tube feedings, IV nutrition, and helping people gain or maintain their weight after a cancer diagnosis or surgery. I enjoyed my work and knew I played an important role\u00a0for the 1-2 weeks they were admitted to the hospital. However, I didn’t always get a chance to talk with the patients (many were on a ventilator) and often I didn’t know their outcome–How did they recover? Did they gain the weight they needed? Were they okay?<\/p>\n

So after several years I decided I wanted to pursue a job opportunity that helped me educate others about what they could do on a daily basis to prevent chronic conditions. I landed a corporate wellness job at a well-known aerospace engineering company here in LA. One of the things I decided to do while I was there was to set up a diabetes\u00a0screening booth. When employees walked through the door in the morning, if they were interested, they could sign a consent form and have their blood sugar checked. And what I saw was shocking. The amount of people that had pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes and had no idea about it blew. me. away. These were well educated individuals with health insurance and they cared about their overall well-being. What was going on here? And so I knew I had to learn more. This started my very dedicated path to becoming a diabetes educator and gaining as much insight as possible regarding the current diabetes epidemic.<\/p>\n

Since I became a diabetes educator, I have had the privilege of helping thousands\u00a0of individuals improve their blood sugar through what they eat and other lifestyle habits. But after years of meeting with people, I realized that most had the same question the first time I would meet them….’can I still eat my favorite foods?’ I’m not exaggerating when I tell you I hear this question almost daily. Can I still eat… mac and cheese? My mom’s famous pumpkin pie? My wife’s amazing tamales? It is\u00a0a real concern for so many.<\/p>\n

That was when I knew there was a need for this type of cookbook. A cookbook that has everyone’s favorite foods, but a healthier (and still delicious) version of it. \u00a0It was wonderful to to be able to celebrate the creation of this book with so many people that are so very dear to my heart.<\/p>\n

I was humbled at the amazing turn out, had a great time sharing my story, signing so many books (that we SOLD OUT!), and I’m glad everyone was able to sample a few of my favorite recipes.<\/p>\n