Eating is less of a chore than many might think

HIS MISSION: Jason Aziz is a traveling chef who, after a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis, shares his message of a healthy eating all over.

By Toby Henry

Sunday News Correspondent

Auburn, NH

Nutrition expert Jason Aziz is taking his role as a 'traveling chef' to a new level as part of his mission to teach people that healthy eating is 'less of a chore' than they realize.

Aziz, a clinical exercise physiologist at Concord Hospital for the past 10 years, has already introduced many Internet viewers to his brief cardio workouts and warm-ups. During the past year, his routines have garnered more than 20,000 views on the popular YouTube video site, and the veteran fitness expert has also performed his culinary skills in person in scores of private home kitchens in southern New Hampshire.

But Aziz said his message about diet and diabetes management is more than a business, and these food guidelines have long been part of his own personal practice. About 10 years ago, he was himself diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, a disease which destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, and he said his illness spurred him on to share his knowledge of healthy food with others.

'After the diagnosis, I really started looking more at biochemistry and what happens when food enters the body.' He said. 'My fitness clients were always asking me for nutritional advice, because they always saw how good I was eating, so I started sharing with them these techniques to make eating less of a chore---as a diabetic.

He said part of his typical approach toward cooking involves 'healthy substitutions' such as replacing cheeses with lower-fat counterparts. Giving an example, he said cheese is typically a fatty product no matter what it's flavor, but substituting asiago or Romano cheese for a higher-fat cheese can help cut the fat in many 'guiltless' pasta dishes.

'I have always been an athlete, always concerned in eating lean, and it's not really hard to figure out that if you make the food yourself, you really know where all the fat is coming from,' he said.

Lea Patnode, director of the Easter Seals' Merrimack office, said Aziz has taught his healthy eating tips to dozens of her clients over the past year.

'It's very 'real' food, and not a lot of processed (food),' she said. 'The recipes really allow you to become creative and use whatever fruits and vegetables are in season. He also provides our group homes with actual grocery lists, and he even knows how much everything costs. It really helps keep the homes we run to stay under budget.'

Aziz said new recipes will soon be headed to DVD through the skill of his friend and video producer, Jay Lasoff. Their venture, 'Jason's Fit Kitchen,' will celebrate its one-year anniversary in August with two new cooking videos slated to hit the shelves.

More information is available online at www.jasonsfitkitchen.com