LINDEN &8212; Eating healthy is important to everyone, but to a certain cross-section of the American public it can be immediately linked to death or loss of limb. Diabetics must be even more cognitive of what they consume than the average American because of the serious repercussions they face if they become lax in their eating habits.

In order to help diabetic residents and people that live with diabetics in the area, the Marengo County Extension office is offering a cooking class geared toward the nutrition needs of diabetics. The extension also hope the class will benefit people who aren&8217;t necessarily diabetics but want to learn to eat in a more nutrition oriented way.

Lee said the class is a basic nutrition class focusing the needs of a diabetic diet. She said the class will focus on carbohydrates, fats, oils, vitamins and minerals. She said the nutrition needs of diabetics require a strict watch on what is prepared in order to keep them safe.

Lee said the goal is to find the best fuel efficiency out of the foods people eat. She said the goal is to provide energy while avoiding the negative payoff.

Lee said the program is not a new thing, but rather it has been instituted in communities across the United States. She said the success of the program has caused it to spread from the area where it first started.

Lee said she was confident the program is something that everyone can use. She said it can even benefit people that do not have diabetes. She said health eating is something everyone should be informed about.

Lee said the class will demonstrate cooking to the class members. She the class will demonstrate ways to cook during its sessions and members will be given recipes for diabetic friendly dishes.