Restaurateur on a mission to manage type 2 diabetes

If there's one thing Art Smith has learned about healthy eating, it's that nobody wants a chef to go hungry.

"Being a chef, you're constantly around food, constantly being given food," Smith told the Daily News. "I think it says 'feed me' on here," he added, gesturing to his forehead.

The acclaimed restaurateur and best-selling cookbook author, who has whipped up his signature Southern fare for Oprah Winfrey, former Florida governor Jeb Bush and the Obamas, was forced to reckon with his eating habits five years ago when he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The disease runs in Smith's family, and both his father and grandfather died from sudden heart attack related to the condition.

Since that wake-up call, Smith, 53, has lost 100 pounds, reformed his diet and exercise habits, and been a vocal advocate of whole, unprocessed, plant-based fare. He's an executive chef of the LYFE Kitchen restaurant chain, where every dish is under 600 calories, and a supporter of Michelle Obama's Let's Move! campaign.

"It was important that I be a beacon for my family as well as for other people, to show them they could live well," Smith said.

“For me, it was working with my doctor to create an individualized diabetes management plan, which really helped me get back on track.”

As for his diet, it took some experimentation to find a balance that he could stick with for life.

"I went through a phase where I was running marathons, which was great, but I got teeny tiny. I couldn't be a real chef," he said. "I wasn't trying my food, I wasn't engaged in my food, and it didn't work."

Smith avoids sugar and processed foods in favor of whole grains, proteins like fish and egg whites, steel-cut oatmeal, Greek yogurt, fruit and plenty of water. These days he isn't focused on his weight, but rather on keeping his diabetes in check.

"To me, rather than jump on the scales, I'm gonna test my sugar," he said. "Mind you, it feels good to get into a pair of those jeans, but it's misleading.

"It is important to be aware of both high and low blood sugar, and managing low blood sugar is crucial for a type 2 diabetes patient, like me."

Restaurant menus are usually a minefield for people with diabetes, due to supersized portions and amped-up fat and sugar, and Smith’s latest project is aimed at making healthy restaurant choices a little easier.

For the Taking Diabetes to Heart campaign, an online resource sponsored by Merck, Smith shares his healthy recipes and eating tips, and he also challenged restaurants in select cities across the country to make one dish on their menus more diabetes-friendly. The restaurant meals were reviewed by an endocrinologist and registered dietitian, and all are low in processed carbs and rich in lean protein, fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats.

New Yorkers can look for the following dishes, which will appear on the restaurants’ menus through December:

- Carmine's Restaurant (200 W. 44th St.): Misti Salad with Fall Fruits and Walnuts

- Fred's Restaurant (476 Amsterdam Ave.): Strahan Super Bowl Salad

- Pappardella (316 Columbus Ave.): Seared Filet of Salmon

- Big D's Grub Truck (food truck; various locations): Ginger Chicken Tacos (see recipe below)

"I've said, if you can get restaurants to have just one healthy dish and label it on the menu, it will make a difference," Smith said. "I don't want people to feel excluded, but I want them to know what they can eat."