Sam Talbot is a young, good looking, all star chef who also happens to have type 1 diabetes. If he’d been around (instead of Mary Tyler Moore and Wilford Brimley, no disrespect) when I was a newly diagnosed teenager, I would have had a totally different image of diabetes. I interviewed Sam for my upcoming book, The Smart Woman’s Guide to Eating Right with Diabetes, and was inspired by everything he has to say. He says he follows a diabetes lifestyle, not a diabetes diet.
Sam’s book, The Sweet Life outlines this way of thinking, and when I asked him for a few tips to get started on a healthier way of living, here’s what he said:
- Look into your fridge, there are countless calories and hidden carbs in there, and do a clean sweep.
- Anything that’s store bought like bbq sauces and cereals gotta go.
- Get some books, do research and experiment.
- Go to the farmer’s market and have at it.
Sam’s must haves include:
- A double shot of wheat grass every morning
- Raw greens
- Shiitake noodles (an alternative to pasta)
- Hemp or almond milk (Sam says it’s easy to make yourself and here is a seemingly simple recipe)
- Almonds “God’s greatest gift”
- Flax seed- “can be hidden wherever they can fit, in rice and stews.”
Sam wants to change the myths about living with diabetes and says with a few good voices, we can spread awareness about living well with diabetes.
