Diabetics Doing Happy Cooking with Chef Robert Lewis

[00:00:00] Rob Howe: Welcome back to the Diabetics Doing Things podcast, where we're telling the amazing, untold, wacky, weird, and inspiring stories of type 1 diabetics from across the world. I'm your host, Rob Howe, and I wanted to let you know that we now have over 500 years of living with T1D on the podcast, and we're on track to be over 1,000 by the end of the summer, which is pretty exciting. I also wanted to chat about my new email series, Friday T1D Feels, where I send you a personal note, no fancy graphics or anything like that, about what I've been thinking about in the world of type 1 diabetes during that week. If you're into that, just go to diabeticsdoingthings.com and sign up. I'd also like to take a minute to talk about hashtag coverage to control. JDRF is raising awareness around the fact that most of us don't get to pick the insulin pumps we have, just the ones our insurance will cover. Just imagine if your cell phone was like that. Except this isn't a phone, it's what keeps us alive. So let your voice be heard and tell your insurance company that T1Ds and their doctors should decide what kind of pumps they use, not the companies. I'm looking at you, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield. Let's get this right. Okay, enough chatter. Let's get back to the episode. Hello and welcome back to another episode of Diabetics Doing Things. We're telling the amazing stories of type 1 diabetics all over the world. And today, we have a very special episode for you guys, a new format that we're experimenting with. And my guest today is not a type 1 diabetic. He is a type 2 diabetic, Chef Robert Lewis. Robert, welcome to the show, my friend. Hey, thanks, Rob, for having me.

[00:01:41] Robert Lewis: It's awesome to be here.

[00:01:43] Rob Howe: Well, and some of you guys may know Robert as The Happy Diabetic on Instagram. And we met a couple weeks ago at the type 1 Nation event put on by JDRF here in the Dallas area where Chef Lewis was putting on a pretty awesome cooking presentation, I got to say. Thanks. Appreciate that. I like to call it my thunder show. And why do you call it the thunder show?

[00:02:08] Robert Lewis: You know, because mentally, I try to think about how much thunder, how much information, how much of a difference I can make in someone's life moment in 30 minutes or an hour, whatever I have. So I try to just bring it all full speed.

[00:02:26] Rob Howe: Well, I think you do that really effectively. And I think one of the things that struck me about your presentation specifically at type 1 Nation was, and I see a lot of presentations. I listen to a lot of podcasts. I absorb a lot of information. And it's very obvious right from the get-go that you really enjoy what you're doing. And you seem to have a lot of fun with it. And you and I were kind of chatting before we started recording. It's like it seems like that's your true self. Like the happy diabetic is Robert Lewis 100%.

[00:02:56] Robert Lewis: I believe it is. I mean, I'm super passionate about it. So, you know, that just kind of bubbles over with my enthusiasm. And, you know, it didn't happen by accident. But, you know, when I soon came to realize that I could possibly make a difference, that just got me fired up for sure.

[00:03:16] Rob Howe: Well, and I really want to talk about that because I think where, you know, a lot of young people especially struggle with deciding how to turn their passions into something that's maybe more than an idea and actually kind of living that out. what steps they were taking and what things sort of turned from inspiration into execution. So kind of tell us where the idea came from and how we got to today.

[00:03:43] Robert Lewis: Yeah, I mean, that's a great question. So I was on vacation with my family, heading back to Iowa on Interstate 80, not feeling really good. And so super thirsty, had to use every rest stop bathroom, super tired and sluggish. and I really thought I probably got some virus while swimming in a hot spring somewhere in Colorado but got back to the city where I live and went to go visit my doctor and he said well let's just do some testing and you know the long story short is the diagnosis of type 2 diabetes is what what happened next so I would say for a good six months I was totally in denial I was totally just, I mean, I didn't really understand it. I wasn't sure what it was. I didn't have good support from my doctors or, you know, my care folks. And I just thought, I'm sure I can cure this by, you know, reducing my carbohydrate intake, which I read somewhere on some, you know, internet website. And, you know, I figured, well, I'll just stop eating cereal and toast, and that's going to do it for me. Well, I mean, it wasn't going good and I wasn't very well. And so really it all just came about one day just taking some ownership and saying, you know, Robert, I've got to take a handle on this disease and figure out how to make it work for me.

[00:05:09] Rob Howe: So that was kind of the deal. And, you know, you mentioned something that I think is really important is that amazing yet dreaded resource of the internet when you start to, you know, look around for solutions, especially to health problems, because there are, you know, a million different rabbit holes you can find yourself falling down. Oh, absolutely. And while there are obviously like marked differences between type 1 and type 2 diabetes, um, and, you know, we can, we don't have to get into those. Many of our listeners will obviously know the two, the differences. And they're obviously two very, very, very different diseases. But, um, for you as the happy diabetic and as you were starting to find something that worked for you, obviously there are synergies and sort of alignment for the two diseases to come to on a nutritional standpoint.

[00:06:00] Robert Lewis: Yeah, absolutely. And being a chef all my life, the one thing I did realize early on in my diabetic journey was that food, along with exercise and many other items, was going to be key for my type 2 diabetes. And so as I was creating, I thought, good tasting recipes and friends were eating them and tasting them and thinking that they were amazing. You know, again, another long story, very short was someone said, well, where do I buy a cookbook? And I thought, well, now there's a really great idea.

[00:06:36] Rob Howe: So, you know, you talked about your background as a chef and like, you know, even before your diagnosis. So what meal do you think it was – and I mean this may be putting you on the spot, but what meal do you think it was that was setting off that cookbook response with people who were eating it? What meal was it the most? Do you remember?

[00:06:55] Robert Lewis: Wow. You know what? I think it was something very similar to what you saw in Dallas was a stir-fry Mediterranean-flavored chicken and vegetable dish. you know and then exploring the fact that you know the carbs on that was fairly low and you know it had all these great vegetables and people just you know the response was well this doesn't taste like a diabetic diet food i mean that's what people think you know of course i'm under the impression um that there is no such thing as a diabetic diet it's really how everyone should be eating and so with some amazing help with some dietitians i figured out what a good formula was for me and my diabetic health. And so that's what I built on. That was sort of my foundation.

[00:07:43] Rob Howe: And you bring up a good point. And this is something that I frequently run into when I'm giving advice. You and I are not certified dieticians, right? That's correct. And so we'll just agree on that as a disclaimer. But what we are are lovers of delicious food. So I think from there we are uh we can infer uh you know that we're experts in this uh in this field the

[00:08:07] Robert Lewis: two of us we certainly are experts in taste that we know that's true i you know if if i think of

[00:08:12] Rob Howe: one thing that i hope that people would say is that i have good taste for sure so uh let's kind of go back so following diagnosis so you you get to get the feedback from uh from people who are tasting your food and uh and now you have this idea planted that you're going to make a cookbook So you got with some dieticians and what was sort of the result of that exercise or what were some things that you learned along the way?

[00:08:38] Robert Lewis: Well, I learned a simple formula that, again, worked really well for me. So again, that's what I was building off of. You know, a lower carb diet, higher fiber, a little less fat, you know, reduce the sodium content and manage the portions. and so in my recipe development that's kind of what the foundation was you know that was the beginning of the foundation was that kind of you know thought about diabetic friendly foods and I really wanted to make recipes and cook food for people who maybe aren't great cooks and have not spent much time in the kitchen and have limited resources of where they buy their food fruits and vegetables and their proteins. And so, you know, my little thought was, well, I'm going to help people turn ordinary ingredients into something extraordinary, opposed to having to spend a lot of money on ingredients that you might never use ever again. Everyday foods. And I think that's

[00:09:42] Rob Howe: super important, right? Because, you know, diabetes is an everyday disease, right? There's not going to be a moment where we all kind of reach that point where we don't have to address it anymore. And so, you know, and I really like what you said about the access to the food that people have, because obviously not everybody in, even in the U S has access to like a whole foods or to a central market or a higher end shopping experience. Exactly. Right. Exactly. Right. I know you live in the Midwest. Yes. And I, I imagine that there are small towns nearby you as well that don't have those types of resources. So where did that kind of inspiration come from?

[00:10:27] Robert Lewis: That really came from talking to people, you know, asking people how they shopped and learning about, you know, how they – what their food eating behaviors were and what they had access to and what they liked about cooking and what they didn't like about cooking. And, you know, the one thing that really resonated was ingredients I don't understand that I'll never use again, recipes that have so many ingredients, I just I lose interest in it and foods that taste delicious that just take so long to prepare. I don't have a lot of time. So, again, I was just building my foundation, building my house, you know, my little house of recipes with all this information. and and really when it came right down to it I was sort of the same way although I'm a trained chef I mean I went to a good chef school in New York and um you know worked in some amazing hotels and restaurants but really when it comes right down to it after a long day you want to eat something that's delish that's easy to make uh and it's not expensive that is healthy

[00:11:31] Rob Howe: right because you know we're all we're all working really hard during the day we get home and the last thing we want to do is cook some really labor-intensive meal that by the time we get it on the table, we're not even able to enjoy it anymore because we just worked our butts off trying to get it made.

[00:11:46] Robert Lewis: That's right. Exactly. Go ahead. Sorry. No, I was just going to say, so that alone seemed to be a resounding message I was receiving from folks that I was working with and their level of frustration over that one issue for sure. and it really drove them into the drive-thrus because they thought that was just easier to do

[00:12:08] Rob Howe: right you sort of just concede you wave the wave the white flag and you say well i'll just do better tomorrow that's right uh and obviously like that's not going to do anybody any good um and even if you make you know good decisions um from a menu standpoint at a place like that um you know the the things you don't see are what kind of hurt you there whether that's preservatives or just, um, you know, oils that you wouldn't recommend. And I remember you started, uh, you started off your presentation at type 1 nation, uh, by kind of going through the things that you may find at the back of your pantry or things that you should throw away. Um, why don't you, uh, first of all, why don't you kind of walk us through those things? Um, those ingredients that maybe we're not picking up on, or maybe aren't as, uh, at the top of mind. Um, and then why we should toss them out and what we should replace them with?

[00:13:01] Robert Lewis: Yeah, well, I think the number one thing is this whole idea of fat, this whole idea of oil that we use to cook with and the overuse of oils. I think in my event the other day, I talked about I get very frustrated when I see chefs on TV open up a bottle of olive oil and start lathering it all over everything like they're giving it a massage. I mean, I just think that's like not good. That's not good science. That's not good health. It's very frustrating for me because you don't need that much oil in your diet. You know, fat is an important part of your diet, no doubt. So the first thing I'm looking for are the oils that are not monounsaturated fats like vegetable oil. And I'm going to, you know, suggest that people trade out things like olive oil and extra virgin olive oil and flavored olive oils or coconut or canola oils. But again, I'm really going to stress everything in moderation.

[00:14:03] Rob Howe: And that was a big part of your presentation. And I think a lot of your philosophy is everything in moderation, right? And I think when I was younger, I worked at USA Boxing and I got to spend basically a weekend, I was kind of the valet for Evander Holyfield. And I asked him one time for a piece of advice, like, and he said, even too much of a good thing can be bad. Like if you drink too much water, you could drown. And I think like the moderation piece is so key. And the discipline piece is sort of a common thread throughout our diabetic treatment, right? You've got to, you know, be really, really regimented in the, in your carb counting and in your meal planning and in your insulin ratios. And so I think that definitely is a huge part of any sort of meal preparation. I did want to talk a little bit about just to get your perspective on something like vegetable oil, because I think it really is one of those marketing, just amazing marketing triumphs, right? Because it says vegetable, so it must be good, right? Right.

[00:15:08] Robert Lewis: Yeah, I mean, but there's so many products like that. But yeah, I mean, vegetable oil is not a monounsaturated fat, so it's not going to be the healthiest fat to cook with when there's so many better alternatives that not only create the conductivity of what oil does in a fry pan, but why not use something that's got some amazing flavor like an olive oil that can really enhance a dish in a way you never thought was possible? like garlic in a pan with some nice olive oil. I mean, it just creates some amazing flavor that you'll never happen with vegetable oil.

[00:15:46] Rob Howe: Totally agree. I think, you know, just five or six years ago, sort of making that discovery. And I think the awareness of oils in recent years, I think it's never been higher. Obviously, people bow down and worship coconut oil almost like it's the best thing they've ever tasted. And I love coconut oil. Don't get me wrong. I use it a lot. But I think the awareness of oils now has made people, I think, just heightened and to think about oils differently than they maybe had five, six years ago.

[00:16:20] Robert Lewis: I totally agree. And if you listen to any daytime talk show, they'll definitely get on a tangent on the latest and greatest craze. But I don't think there's any miracle food out there. I don't think there's such a thing. You know, I do think there is a responsible way of eating that is higher fiber and less carbohydrates. And, you know, cooking in a responsible way and eating a portion size that's realistic. I mean it's definitely not realistic Rob to expect people to never eat a cheeseburger ever again I mean and when I was diagnosed 20 years ago that's what was told to me don't look at that don't smell this don't get near it but we know today that's just not realistic so you've got to figure out a way to incorporate the foods you love into a healthy you know

[00:17:11] Rob Howe: lifestyle way of eating and I want to focus on on you for just a second before we get back to into the fun food conversation because so much of what I hear from type 1 diabetics, because I talk to a lot of them, and that's sort of just a byproduct of interviewing them on a podcast is I get to hear a lot of different diagnosis stories. What difference would it have made to you 20 years ago if instead of, well, you can never eat this, you can never eat that, You need to watch out for this. The doctor had said something along the lines of everything in moderation. These are the things that you need to know about these types of foods. And how would that have changed at least the initial journey for you with your diagnosis?

[00:17:59] Robert Lewis: Yeah, that's a great question. I wouldn't have rebelled like I did because it was just sort of like – and quite honestly, maybe mentally I wasn't in a space where I could really understand what the dieticians were telling me. All I knew was I have this disease. I have diabetes. I'm not really sure what it is, but I'm sure there's a way to cure it. Yeah. And of course, for me, the food thing was a big deal. So when I heard all these restrictions and, you know, counting carbs and some of these really initial ideas about eating, it just sort of rebelled. I rebelled. You know, I sort of like ran as fast as I could away from it. Well, I think it's one of those things,

[00:18:42] Rob Howe: it's a very sharp edge, right? And, you know, if you, you know, when you're talking about teaching people something, or especially, you know, younger people or children, you know, the quickest way to get them to guarantee that they don't do something is to just tell them not to do it, or that they do something is to tell them not to do it. Exactly. And so I think the education and awareness piece, I'm very glad that sort of the the food industry and the cooking industry and restaurants, it's very focused on fresh local craft ingredients now. And whether that's just the flavor of the month for, you know, for consumer taste or not, I think it's good for diabetics because you can you can say hey there are more things that i can have um as long as i'm continuing to watch what i eat and to and to keep everything in moderation like you said that's

[00:19:37] Robert Lewis: exactly right you know the portion size but you know the other side of that rob was too that all my friends who had no idea what diabetes was but only heard stories like oh yeah i guess you can't eat cheeseburgers again or you ate too many cheeseburgers that's why you have diabetes I mean that is so I mean that's like the diabetic police I mean I don't need another policeman in my life what I really need is a you know that type 3 helper person right and so again it was even more rebelling what I can't eat strawberries because they have too much sugar and you know I started listening to people who had no idea about this disease sort of attempt to influence the way I ate which luckily I ran across some amazing people who knew what they were talking about and said okay listen here's the real deal so I'm always big on telling people who are diagnosed with diabetes type 1 or type 2 go find yourself a certified registered dietitian of the world who can really help to get to know you better and know what you like to eat and explain to you the simplicity of eating healthy because it is pretty simple

[00:20:48] Rob Howe: And was that person for you, you're a registered dietitian? You just found the right one?

[00:20:53] Robert Lewis: It was. It was because, you know, it was funny when I was diagnosed. I went to the, you know, I had my doctor and then I had my, the dietitian from the hospital. And then I, you know, had a diabetic educator who wanted me to poke my finger five times a day. And I'm like thinking, there's no way that's going to happen. But I did run across a dietitian who actually worked at a local supermarket. it. And she just said, let's walk down aisle number four. Let me just show you some things. And then it just sort of, you know, she sent me on a path where I could do the research and kind

[00:21:31] Rob Howe: of get a sense of, you know, the fact from the fancy. And what were some of those, if you remember, and I mean, even some that have evolved to today, walking down aisle four, what were some of those

[00:21:44] Robert Lewis: things that jumped out at you? Well, I think some of the interesting things was, were things like, and of course, you know, when I say aisle four, it's the whole grocery store, you know, I learned to shop the outside aisles of the grocery store, you know, and spend less time in the middle of the store where there's all these processed foods or processed carbs and, and those sorts of things. But, you know, the meats, the proteins, the vegetables, you know, the dairy products, All those things is where I spent most of my time. And she helped me just to understand that, you know, start there and then go get your laundry detergent.

[00:22:18] Rob Howe: Right, because don't leave – don't come home without that laundry detergent.

[00:22:22] Robert Lewis: Or the cat food, right. Absolutely not.

[00:22:25] Rob Howe: And I think that's good. I mean I've watched – and it's been in the forefront of my mind. So I've seen a lot of documentaries about sugar and a lot of documentaries about – I mean I'm sure everyone is familiar with Super Size Me. and things of that nature. I had the Whole30 co-founder Melissa Hartwig on the podcast. So I get a lot of questions about Whole30 and type 1 diabetes. What do you think keeps people from getting the right information? Is it just believing whatever the mainstream media, just not looking in the right places? What do you think it is?

[00:23:04] Robert Lewis: well in my case um you know my doctor initially just wasn't that educated on diabetes and i remember he just gave me a bunch of information said here go home and read this you know and and so here i was left on my own virtually to kind of figure it out and so i think you know i think the key today is the education and, you know, teach it in a way that's not intimidating or confusing and teach it in a way that people can relate to and that they can start making small baby step changes tomorrow. You know, not running to the market and buying 40 brand new items, but start with one thing. You know, if you've never used olive oil, start with that and see

[00:23:55] Rob Howe: where that takes you. And, and I want to make sure that we get back to kind of, you know, starting and we talked about oil and I want to make sure that you kind of get a chance to break down sort of, you know, how you approach, um, you know, cooking now, uh, and your meal planning, because I, I like being in and getting to see it in person. And, uh, if you get to go, if you get a chance to go see Robert, please go sit on the front row. Cause you get to get the full experience.

[00:24:22] Robert Lewis: It smells better up there anyways.

[00:24:23] Rob Howe: It does. It's very true. It seems so simple, so straightforward, and it was easy to catch on to, which is so important, especially when you only have 30 minutes. Right. You talked about your olive oil. You talked about chopping up your garlic. Where do you go next?

[00:24:39] Robert Lewis: Well, if I'm going to decrease the fat in my food, and fat is typically flavor, now I've got to reach for some herbs and spices and fresh ground pepper and the oregano. and the basils and all those interesting rosemary spices to give the food flavor. Because I think that's what people say a lot about eating is my food never tastes good. I've overcooked it and it never tastes good. So I'm all about the not overcooking, but flavoring it heavily so that when you eat it, you're satisfied that you've tasted something that was amazing. Yet here it was also good for you. So I'm going right into spices. I'm going right into fresh cracked pepper and I love garlic because garlic is super easy and inexpensive and just goes good with so many things as a matter of fact tonight for dinner I made salmon sautéed in a little garlic a little lime juice and a little extra virgin olive oil just simple, clean and away we went

[00:25:40] Rob Howe: and I love that because I think A, we talked about it before you come home after a long day at work you don't want to have to slave over a lot of preparation So you just make sure that salmon is ready to go, throw it on the pan and some oil and some fresh crab pepper, and you're good to go.

[00:25:55] Robert Lewis: Yeah. And the amazing thing about the world we live in today is we have a grocery chain in the Midwest. I think it's pretty much everywhere called Aldi's, right? Yeah. And it was always known as kind of like a lesser quality and cheaper foods, and you bagged your own. But I'm just telling you, that company – and I don't work for Aldi's, but I'll just tell you, they're on fire. I mean, they have amazing salmon there and they have amazing organic groceries there. And, you know, the whole food industry is moving in a way where it's accessible today. I mean, you can buy salmon everywhere, whether it's frozen or whether it's in the case that was once frozen, they make you believe that it's fresh. It's just available to you. But I run into a lot of people say, you know what? I've never had salmon that tasted so good. When my mother made it, it was always like shoe leather.

[00:26:47] Rob Howe: Well, and I'm quoting my dad here, but I mean, salmon should not be cooked more than medium in his mind. He wants his salmon medium rare at the most because you get all that good flavor in there. Right, right. And I want to talk a little bit about Aldi as well because – and I don't work for Aldi and this podcast is not sponsored by Aldi yet. But I get my chicken thighs there every week and I eat a little bit of a higher protein, higher fat content. like natural fats and a little bit more oils. But I get my chicken thighs there. I get four pounds of chicken thighs, all organic, no preservatives, free range for $7. I get four pounds of chicken thighs. So that's enough chicken for me to eat at home all week, lunch and dinner. It's amazing. And so, yeah, price is competitive. It's super high quality. And yeah, I can't say enough because I thought, much like you said, I fell into that messaging trap that Aldi doesn't have high quality foods, but they totally do.

[00:27:49] Robert Lewis: They totally do. Now, the fun thing is, if you go back next week, you might find a different brand of thighs or a different snack or something, but that's just part of the adventure.

[00:28:02] Rob Howe: Right, because it changes pretty quick. You got to think quick on your feet.

[00:28:06] Robert Lewis: You do.

[00:28:08] Rob Howe: Okay, so yeah, we're back to the meal.

[00:28:15] Robert Lewis: Okay. So, okay, so tell me the question again. I'm sorry. Sorry.

[00:28:22] Rob Howe: So, yeah. So now we've got our oils. We've got our garlic. We've got – probably selected our protein. How are we going to break out the rest of our plate?

[00:28:32] Robert Lewis: Well, lots of vegetables. So that's going to come next for me. And for me, I love vegetables. But, again, growing up, my mother made Brussels sprouts that were like way overcooked, super bitter, and not very good and love my mother but she was challenged in the vegetable area so I know a lot of people have that experience that don't like vegetables don't like vegetables so I'm just simply going to say you need to get over it because there are so many great vegetables and I love to oven roast vegetables matter of fact that's what I did tonight you know I turned my oven on at 425 degrees a little extra virgin olive oil broccoli I had some button mushrooms and roasted them in the oven for about 35 minutes, and they were amazing. Then I squirted it with a little bit of lime juice.

[00:29:22] Rob Howe: Got to have that little extra citrus flavor. Love that. Yeah.

[00:29:25] Robert Lewis: I think it's no fat and virtually no calories to it, and I'm not sure what all is in a lime, but it was pretty delish. So for me, it's going to be protein. It's going to be lots of vegetables, and that's typically the way we eat. maybe some couscous, maybe some brown rice. I'm not really a potato fan. My wife loves potatoes, but, you know, so we'll do potatoes. But, you know, again, it's going to be the size of a

[00:29:55] Rob Howe: computer mouse for me if I'm going to eat one. Right. And I think you mentioned, and hopefully, I'm sure a lot of people who, you know, grew up in the 90s and early 2000s will appreciate this, is just the amount of computer mice that are just in drawers and cabinets around the country.

[00:30:12] Robert Lewis: Absolutely.

[00:30:14] Rob Howe: So, you know, when you're talking about portion control and you're saying everything in moderation and you use a computer mouse, you know, how do you structure your plate? If you're going to have your protein, your vegetables, and all through the lens of a computer mouse, what does that look like?

[00:30:29] Robert Lewis: You know, I usually say, you know, the meat portion about the size of a computer mouse and then vegetables would be two computer mice. you know, think of the palm of your hand as that protein source. Put both your hands together.

[00:30:43] Rob Howe: That's probably going to be my vegetable portion. Great. Now, and obviously, you know, hand is just, it's a really convenient way to look at a measurement. Right. I mean, you should never

[00:30:56] Robert Lewis: go away hungry, but I don't eat two times a day. I mean, I try to space out my eating so that I don't run into any one moment during the day where I'm ravenously hungry because that's when I get in trouble.

[00:31:10] Rob Howe: Well, and I think so much of diabetes management is preparation. So whether that be for a type 1 who's on a pump, not leaving the house if you know that you have a low reservoir in your pump without your insulin and your infusion sets so that you can change them on the go. Right. Or not going out of town without the proper supplies. Like an extra battery, I think it was the one I – the last one I got caught without on a trip was without a battery. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to get batteries, but you take my point. So even something for you, just sort of knowing yourself and knowing what you're trying to do and setting that intention when you leave the house every day, what do you bring with you?

[00:31:52] Robert Lewis: So I bring little bags filled with my favorite snacks. So I know that at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, I'm probably going to get a little bit hungry. so I'll bring things like pistachios in the shell I'll bring some carrots or broccoli I'll bring some string cheese and I try to find things that are portioned you know so it's like string cheese is easily to portion or you know a bag full of carrots and so I'm always taking that or a high fiber bar kind of an event that I also buy at Aldi's but and I'll bring those snacks with me. So I'm never really caught ever without that little snack. So I don't starve myself. And then come lunchtime, I just overeat. So that's critical for me.

[00:32:42] Rob Howe: And again, like knowing yourself and kind of knowing what your triggers are and what your maybe avalanche foods are, your avalanche moods with your relationship with food. Yeah.

[00:32:55] Robert Lewis: Go ahead. No, I was going to say, yeah, absolutely. I mean, because when that avalanche occurs, you know, unfortunately, I don't have a lot of self-control. So if I'm not really, you know, got my mindset about the way I eat throughout the day to make sure I'm not having wild blood sugars, it might not be a pretty picture.

[00:33:17] Rob Howe: right and i think a lot of us can relate and i mean there are certainly days where you know you can be really disciplined for quite a good period of time but uh catch you on the wrong day or maybe some other event happens like um my mood specifically as it relates to food uh if i'm having a particularly tough day or i take a or there's a particularly stressful situation whether at work or otherwise uh you know i'm gonna want a giant chipotle burrito and i'm not gonna get a salad when I go, I'm going to, I'm going to need that burrito with, uh, with rice and beans. So exactly right. So I think, I think those things are really important to understand, uh, in that relationship as well. Right. Exactly. Um, I want to shift gears a little bit because I think we've talked, you know, we've talked a lot about the what, um, but I want to talk about kind of who, who you are and, and, and why you do what you do and why you love it. Because I can tell, uh, just within five minutes of meeting you, you're a guy that's very passionate about what you do and that really stems from wanting to help people and also shining your light and sharing your gift. So when you were – after that conversation with your friends about the food and the cookbook and as the happy diabetic sort of has come into light, what are those moments that really fill up your cup or like really keep your flame burning bright?

[00:34:41] Robert Lewis: That's a great question. So, I mean, there's so many. It would be hard to pick, but I think when I can see that I'm connecting with someone who is helpless and who has lost hope and who comes to me after a presentation and say, I know I can do this. You know, after watching you explain the deal, I know I can do it. you know and that is just super energizing because listen i grew up in southern california i mean i went to a chef school i was not a great student in in school i just thought you know i don't know i wonder if i'll ever make a difference in this world i mean really i i was surrounded by people that did and i thought i really want to leave my mark somehow and i'll just never forget the first time I stood up in front of a group of people and it was a large group and you know my event was over and I walked over to my little boothy booth and this is prior to any cookbook ever being written you know here was 30 or 40 people wanting to talk to me about what they just saw and what they just learned and I'll tell you it was like a drug it was like oh my gosh I I'm not gonna I'm not a doctor and I'm not going to be an attorney, but I have some gifts that maybe I can help people. And so that's my fuel. That's my passion. I mean, I definitely want to leave a legacy. And I think part of the legacy for me is making a difference in people's lives. And you hear that used a lot. And it's kind of a cliche term. But I'll just tell you, there isn't a moment where I'm working with someone or doing a cooking demonstration where when it's over, I know that I've made a difference because they tell me and they affirm me. And they say, keep what you're doing and what you're doing matters. And it's really great. And I mean, I never would have

[00:36:46] Rob Howe: thought that. I would have never imagined that. And I think what a great lesson and for our younger listeners too, because, you know, you go through your life and you start to think about, you know, am I making a difference? Is what I'm doing, you know, is what I'm currently doing going to set me on a path where I can, you know, help people or really leave a legacy, like you said. And then to find that, uh, maybe in a, and I, and I know you went to, to chef school and you've been a chef, but that something that's so like right aligned with what you were already doing just positioned in a different way um they can it actually it can actually really impact someone's life for the better that's uh that's profound i mean if i

[00:37:30] Robert Lewis: had never gotten my diabetes my my diagnosis for diabetes who knows i mean i i mean who knows you know but the fact that you know that proverbial wine uh leavens into lemonade kind of a thing right i mean that's really what it was for me but listen did i ever think i could write a book write a cookbook well but you surround yourself with amazing people who are passionate also who says hey let me help and i'll take the help and yeah it's i mean it's incredible i don't know what to say i mean i'm super humbled i'm super blessed um you know i i tell people because they think this is like an overnight thing wow this is like overnight sensation whatever that means but i was diagnosed in 1998 right almost 20 years ago and that's when i really started doing this so it was just a matter of digging some dirt and putting some seeds in the in the ground and fertilizing it and and watering it and hoping something would grow and it was just patience and patience and patience, that's the race I'm in, the race of patience. Take your time. Think about it carefully. Be deliberate and be diligent and work hard, but it doesn't happen overnight. That's what I really tell young people. You just got to develop your thing and develop your craft and just work at it. Oh, man, I couldn't agree more. I think

[00:39:04] Rob Howe: so much of life's great treasures come from compound interest and that's not just financially right just putting that little bit in over a longer period of time uh and seeing what it can grow into right absolutely well you kind of you kind of go ahead sorry no that's okay i was just

[00:39:21] Robert Lewis: gonna say you know and the discouraging thing is some years the crops aren't very good but you learn why the crops aren't good and you do something different and then next year it's like

[00:39:32] Rob Howe: wow, this has been an amazing year. No, that's, and I mean, that in itself is a whole nother lesson, right? Being, you know, gentle and continuing to be patient with yourself. Right. And learning from both victory and, you know, sometimes defeat. Right. Like I was saying, you sort of stole my next question. I was going to ask if you could go back almost 20 years and tell yourself one thing, what would it be? But I feel like, you know, be patient and continue to put the work in would be a great start. Yeah, because, you know,

[00:40:02] Robert Lewis: I mean, you want to be a success at something. You want to make your mark at something. And it just doesn't always move fast. And you can be very frustrated. Or you can just say, you know what? I'm done. I mean, I'm not a marathon runner, but I have a sister-in-law who has run like 300 marathons. She's like a marathon beast. But the one thing that always amazes me is, you know, at the start of the marathon, you really can't see the finish line. Right? But you know it's there. And it's miles away and you never can see it. But all of a sudden, you come over the hill and there's the finish line. That's kind of how it was for me. I ran this marathon knowing there was a finish line, but I couldn't see it. And it is easy to be discouraged because you don't see that finish line. And people are tripping you and throwing water on you and telling you you're a failure and telling you that this is dumb work and get a real job. And all those things that the world hits you with can be very discouraging. But really, you have to kind of look in the mirror and say, OK, I know who I am. I know what I need to do. And I'm just going to do it no matter what anybody thinks.

[00:41:14] Rob Howe: And I mean, I think that's super important to focus on as well, because, you know, this this wasn't your full time and still isn't. You know, we talked a little bit about this before. It still isn't your full time effort. Like you still have other responsibilities. So, you know, was this a weekend? Was it evenings? Was it mornings? Was it all of the above? And talk a little bit about the support that you had around you that kind of helped you during those times where, you know, the things people say started to get to you or you started to lose a little bit of that perspective.

[00:41:43] Robert Lewis: Yeah. Well, I just did the math. I said, okay, I only need to sleep about seven hours, right? I mean, how many hours? And then there's another eight hours at my normal job. So I can come home and spend three, four hours working on a project. I mean, I could sit in front of the TV at that time or do something really different, but I wanted to develop the Happy Diabetic. And so any free moment that I had, and my family's super supportive of that. And they were quite helpful because, I mean, even today, it's a family event. I mean, my son is my designer and cookbook artist. My daughter is the food photographer. another daughter is the the text writer and proofer and uh my wife helps manage everybody so it's really a team effort around here for for me because listen i'm a good cook and that's about it so you know you have to understand your limitations and embrace people that can help you and take the help and say wow it's amazing well i didn't know if it was going to be possible for

[00:42:51] Rob Howe: me to like you more than I did before we got on this podcast, but I like listening to, you know, you have a whole family of like, uh, uh, basically a design agency. And, uh, I love that. That's fantastic. Yeah. Yeah. I have a great family. Uh, they're awesome. So give me, and I kind of want to shift gears a little bit, uh, as well back, back a little bit more to the, uh, to the day to day in the kitchen. What's one item in a kitchen that you can't live without?

[00:43:23] Robert Lewis: Macaroni and cheese.

[00:43:26] Rob Howe: Yeah, there's no way around it. That's the one?

[00:43:30] Robert Lewis: Go big or go home.

[00:43:32] Rob Howe: I love it.

[00:43:35] Robert Lewis: Yeah, I mean, I think that and certainly I love chicken. I think that's a versatile protein. I love fish, but I especially love herbs because I think that's where the flavor comes from in a lot of good cooking that has no calories and no fat. And it's like a palette of paint to combine different herbs to create amazing combinations of flavor that you might never have tried.

[00:44:08] Rob Howe: No, totally agree. And I think, you know, you can get kind of, you can experiment with herbs pretty easily, right? Right. I know in our, in the cooking demonstration, you used, you know, fresh herbs from the garden. And you mentioned that some herbs just grow like weeds. You can just pull them out from anywhere. Right. Exactly right. Yeah. So. Go ahead. Yeah. No, go ahead. I was going to say the next thing, a non-food item, so like in the kitchen, what's one piece of equipment or a piece of cutlery that you couldn't live without? Well, it would be cutlery. It would be like a 10 or 12-inch French knife. And why is that? I love it.

[00:44:53] Robert Lewis: It's just so – I mean it feels good in my hand and it's one of those knives that are just good for everything. you know you can you know dice and chop and cut meat and it's just just super super versatile and it's a chef's knife right so when learning how to cook in chef school i got my little knife kit and it had a chef's knife in it and it had all these knives but for some reason that that chef style 12 10 12 inch knife with a big blade just that was kind of my thing kind of like a badge of honor, right? Just right. Right. Right. Right. I mean, I think cooking is fairly primitive, right? You have fire, you have a metal pan, and you and you have food, right? So I mean, a lot of people ask me, what kind of pans do I use? Do I buy expensive pans? But I'll just be really honest about that. If you were to come to my kitchen, I go to Ikea and buy pans that aren't very expensive because I'd rather spend all my food budget dollar on produce and proteins and herbs and spices and those kinds of things and high quality foods and grass-fed beef and you know interesting fats like you know animal fats and fun things to to cook with I mean a pan heats up it gets hot and it sizzles like the hundred dollar pan or the four dollar pan that's my take

[00:46:21] Rob Howe: on it. No, I love it. Now I don't feel so bad about my Ikea kitchenware. Yeah, that's what I use.

[00:46:27] Robert Lewis: Still makes great food, right? It does. I mean, someone told me the story one time of Genghis Khan. He would take his shield, wipe it off, turn it upside down, and that's what they

[00:46:40] Rob Howe: used to cook on. Hey, I love it. And I mean, how many other lessons can you get from Genghis Khan? I mean, the guy knows his stuff, right? That's right.

[00:46:49] Robert Lewis: That's exactly right. Just clean it off really good.

[00:46:52] Rob Howe: Right. That's absolutely important, especially if you're on a warmongering trip.

[00:46:57] Robert Lewis: Yeah, you've been appaling people all day.

[00:47:02] Rob Howe: I asked this question to all my guests. For you, I want to rephrase it a little bit, just because I think your story is so inspiring on a lot of different levels. if you were say in an airport about to have to board they're going to close the gate you run into someone who is either struggling with their diagnosis or you know struggling to figure out you know what to do from a you know a food standpoint or they're working on a project or they're or they're kind of lost in there and discouraged and you know finding what it is they really want to be or want to do, what's the one thing you would tell that person if you had a minute and a half?

[00:47:45] Robert Lewis: I would say explore your passion. Explore what gets you goosebumps on your arm. Find out what really makes you tingle inside with excitement when you think about something. You know, and if you can, you know, move in a direction that makes that happen, that's an amazing thing. You know, so many people do things they're not passionate about and then wake up 30 years later and say, huh, I really do hate my job. Or, gosh, why didn't I do that?

[00:48:24] Rob Howe: I mean, most of the time, what's the worst that could happen, right?

[00:48:27] Robert Lewis: Right. Right. Well, you know, again, though, you have to deal with your family and friends saying that you're stupid. That's ridiculous. No one in their right mind would ever want to be a chef. You know, no one in your right mind. You were never good at school. You can't write a cookbook. What are you doing? You know, so if I listen to those people, there probably wouldn't have been a cookbook. And I might not have been a chef and I didn't follow my passion. But again, for me, not to stray too far off, my oldest brother, Howard, is the guy that said to me, you know what? You're creative and you like to cook. Why don't we look at chef schools? Now, I would have never thought about that in a million years. And so he's the guy that said, hey, there's a school in New York, and I'm living in L.A. There's a school in New York. When you get out of high school, let's apply there and let's see if you can get in. And that's kind of how it happened for me. so I definitely had someone and I didn't have a dad my dad died when I was 14 so you know my brothers kind of took care of me and you know um he was definitely looking out for me that's for sure so if I had to really go back to it all I would say you know Howard my oldest brother was the guy that really set me on this path but he he knew what I liked and he recognized

[00:49:45] Rob Howe: it and was very encouraging. Well, and you listened. I think sometimes, especially when I was that age coming out of high school, if someone had given me advice that maybe was different than what I had an idea for my life, that I might have just totally resisted it and what things that I maybe missed. So props to you for really following through on that. And I'm glad he mentioned it to

[00:50:08] Robert Lewis: you yeah i mean in 1974 no one wanted to be a chef i mean you were on a on a professional track in my neighborhood you know or a musician right i mean that was the thing and i remember my mother saying a chef are you kidding really you know but you know then 10 years later when chefing became very trendy she was like all over it so well you know whatever hey keep it up with la trends is

[00:50:37] Rob Howe: hard enough, right? Yeah, that's for sure. Well, Robert, thank you so much for coming on the episode. I continually am impressed by you and just being around you is a joy. So all my listeners, I'd encourage if Chef Lewis is coming to your event or is nearby to go see his talks, it will be 100% worth your time. Even if you're a chef yourself, just go and enjoy it and have a good time chop it up um where can we find you online i know um you've got a podcast as well um we're gonna work on uh possibly me coming on as uh and appearing on but yeah plug this is your

[00:51:19] Robert Lewis: chance plug your channels you know what i think the best and the best way to find me is through my website happydiabetic.com so on my website you'll see all my social media links i'm instagramming it i've got a couple facebook pages i got a couple great places where people are connecting. You can find me on Instagram. You can find me on Twitter. All the links are at my website. My podcast is called The Happy Diabetic Kitchen, and that's available on iTunes or Stitcher and Google Play. There's a link to that also on my website. And there's great recipes. There's a VIP newsletter you can subscribe to. But I do want to say this, Rob, and thanks for having me on. It was awesome meeting you and learning about your amazing story for sure. I have a contact button on my website, right? So you can contact me, and I'm really encouraging people to do that. I mean, discouraged, don't know what to do, want a recipe, send me a recipe. I'll do the nutritionals. I'll happy diabetic shepherd for you. But I really want to connect with people to see if I can, again, a little cliche, but I want to make a difference in someone's life. So I think I've got some abilities to make that difference happen, but I need you to connect with me. So I look forward to people just connecting via my website. That's probably the best way to find me.

[00:52:44] Rob Howe: Fantastic. And I couldn't agree more. It's amazing how many people I talk to who say their whole world opened up when they just reached out and asked somebody for help. so totally encourage you to do that and we'll definitely keep an eye out for what moves the happy diabetic makes next

[00:53:02] Robert Lewis: Rob I feel the love man thanks so much