Multitasking wonderwoman Chef Lala is not just the person to turn to for a good enchilada. She is a nutritionist specializing in children’s needs and obesity, a spokesperson for the American Diabetes Association and the author of the cookbook Latin Lover Lite.

Some days, just finding the time to sit down is hard enough for her, yet she took some time out of her day to talk to Savvy Miss about the importance of good nutrition and raising awareness about diabetes, a disease that affects almost 20 million Americans.

SM: Why is diabetes so close to your heart?
Lala: Three of my four grandparents died of complications from diabetes. My father now suffers from diabetes. Food is so closely related to the disease and that’s my business—that’s what I do! I think there are a lot of misconceptions about what you can and cannot do [when you have diabetes], so education is key. I think empowering the community is very important.

SM: How do you raise awareness?
Lala: I teach [people] how to cook. I do keynote speaking for Speaking of Women’s Health to teach [women] about staying in school and empowering them with education. [For the] Discovery Health Channel, I did the National Body Challenge. The people I went in and helped were a Latino family. The gentleman, who was in his thirties, was diabetic and his wife only had her way of cooking. She was taught to fry everything, and that happens a lot because that’s how you are brought up. So I taught them a couple of steps that you can take to make sure your choices are better without losing all the flavor. And they loved it! I also talked to them about the repercussions if they didn’t change.