Graham Kerr, TV’s former Galloping Gourmet, and his producer/wife, Treena Kerr, will speak about their diet makeover May 7 at a fundraiser for low-income entrepreneurs in Denver.
When Treena suffered a heart attack and discovered she had diabetes, and Graham saw that lack of food was killing people in the developing world, while unwise and overconsumption was killing people in North America, the cooking couple realized they needed to overhaul their diet.
Their book, “Charting a Course to Wellness” ($19), published by the American Diabetes Association in 2004, is part confession, part self-help and part cookbook.
They will explain their concept of “outdulgence” – not buying harmful food, replacing it with cheaper and healthier food, and then donating the money you save to organizations that help the poor.
For the Kerrs, practicing “outdulgence” meant reducing their meat consumption by about $20 a week. They spent $10 of that on vegetables, and lost weight and lowered their cholesterol.
They took the other $10 a week and sponsored two children in Africa through a child sponsorship organization. They decided to snack on grapes instead of cookies, saving more than $200 a year per person on their grocery bill.
The key to successful weight loss, Kerr says, is focusing on the needs of others. “Food can make you sick, and food can make you well,” he said in an announcement of the event. “We are living proof.”
The Kerrs will share their ideas at a fundraiser for the Mennonite Economic Development Associates from 6:30-9:30 p.m. May 7 at the Radisson Hotel Denver Southeast, 3200 S. Parker Road in Aurora. Cost is $125 per person. Call Trinda Bishop, 303-771-0744.
The money raised will go to international and local Mennonite Economic Development Associates, which seeks to help low-income entrepreneurs in the developing world and their own communities.
The MEDA/Mi Casa Business Mentoring Program connects promising business owners with more experienced business mentors. For more information, contact MEDA at 800-665-7026, meda@meda.org or visit www.meda.org.
For information about Mi Casa or the Business Mentoring Program, contact Muezetta Cromer at mcromer@micasadenver.org or 303-539-5654.
