Celebrity Chef Charles Mattocks believes farmers markets are the best place to buy fresh foods for your family in order to maintain a healthy diet.
Charles Mattocks is a celebrity chef who gained popularity with the cooking show “The Poor Chef.” He tirelessly promoted the idea that we can eat cheap, but well, by cooking healthy family meals that cost only $7.
He has written three books, with the most recent one to be released in June. In The Budget-Friendly Fresh and Local Diabetes Cookbook he talks about how farmers markets can bring to our table fresh, locally grown foods, so we can maintain a healthy diet.
Why diabetes? Well, because several years ago, Mattocks himself was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. Since then, he’s been an active advocate, trying to raise awareness about how people with the disease can turn their lives around, mainly through the right diet and exercise.
Mattocks even went to India, where diabetes is pandemic, to pursue the issue. Collaborating with local doctors, Mattocks and his team did a free Remote Viewing (RV) Testing Tour, and tested hundreds of people. A documentary film called The Diabetic You shot in India is being edited at the moment, and it captures his humanitarian trip to the country.
Some time ago he also shot the reality TV show Reversed, where diabetics were attempting to slow down the progress of the disease with the help of dietitians, nutritionists and personal trainers. He is currently trying to sell the show to a network and make the “reverse process” accessible to more people out there.
In addition, Mattocks constantly educates at home and abroad, and inspires people with diabetes to not lose faith. He is a role model, but also gives practical advice on how to manage the disease while leading a full and productive life.
He’s appeared on The Dr. Oz Show, and contributes to the site’s blog. He’s been on The Today Show, CNN, The Talk and much more.
We asked Charles Mattocks to share with us directly how he learned to keep the disease at bay. Along with the serious lifestyle changes he had to make in order to stay healthy, we asked if he takes any dietary supplements in order to manage the disease. Take a look:
When you found out you had Type 2 Diabetes, what was your first thought? Did you know anything about the disease prior to the diagnosis?
CM: My first thought was I was going to die. I knew nothing about diabetes, let alone being diagnosed with a disease or a condition like this. We all think we are never going to age, get sick or have our bodies wear out on us. So this was way out of line for someone who prided himself on being fit and so-called eating healthy.
I did have some signs. I was urinating a bit too much, but I thought it may be an infection of some sort. Thank goodness, I went to the doctor that day. I could have had those signs pass in a day or so, and never knew about this for years. The sad thing is, I had good health insurance, and went for regular checkups. But he never mentioned this, so I would have to assume my blood work would have shown something.
If you have to explain it to the people who are just being diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes, what does it mean to live with such a diagnosis? Any words of encouragement?
CM: I would say that the keys to your health lay in your hands. You need to educate yourself on this condition; you need to become your own doctor, your own nutritionist, your own personal trainer, your own therapist.
If you stay strict and stay on top of their diet and exercise and take all the right steps, you can lead a healthy life. I would also suggest sharing what you’re dealing with to help encourage others.
We don’t have enough solid people in diabetes. I recall when I first got in diabetes, only a few days of being diagnosed, I went in a diabetes support group online. And those folks are down right nasty at times. They know it all, and have all the answers. But that’s not what we need, we need more positive people.
“Share what you’re dealing with to help encourage others.”
You raise awareness with your meals for $7 that we all can eat healthy, without making a big dent on our budget. However, a lot of people get stuck on the idea that high quality food is expensive. What would you say to them? Actually, what does “healthy” mean in your view?
CM: I would say, take a look at what our mothers and grandparents made for us. Most of us come from humble beginnings, and the best meals I have ever had were from my grandmother, who put a few things from around the house together and it tasted amazing.
It just takes a bit of time; it takes putting some care into feeding your family; it takes finding the best deals; it takes heading to the farmer’s market and getting some fresh fruits and veggies.
Healthy in my view means not processed and not filled with carbs and fats, but raw and healthy foods that with each bite can only help maintain your body and give you everything you need to keep fit. What is expensive is fast foods and bad foods. I have spent more at McDonald’s, grabbing some saturated fat and carbs, than getting food for the week.
How do you come up with the healthy recipes? Do you have a special method of selecting the ingredients and the food products?
CM: Most chefs or people who love to cook, take things from their past or their culture. Me being from the islands, I love the foods that make Jamaica one of the best places in the world to eat. The raw foods and Ital [organic Jamaican food] foods are so amazing. We use so much of the earth and all it has to offer, we love our fruits and our vegetables.
So I take from what I grew up with and put a few twists to it and that’s what I love to share with others. Many people I have met have never had curry or Ackee and other great dishes from Jamaica, so I focus on allowing them to add these dishes to their daily menu.
Its about giving people a few more options. Food can get boring if you let it. Most of us only have a few meals we are good at, so giving them a few tricks and tips that can turn that chicken into a work of art, is what I love to do.
People who have just been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes have to make great adjustments to their way of life and eating habits. Can you give them any advice about where to start?
CM: To be very honest, they should start by looking in the mirror and being very honest with themselves. They need to know where they are in the scheme of their health. If they are eating badly and won’t admit certain things, then they can’t make the changes.
So the first advice is do a serious and true assessment of your eating habits, and then strip it all down. Start with a day to fast and meditate. Then try going raw. What I mean by that is try veggies and fruits for about two days.Then introduce yourself to lean meats that are not fried but baked with little to no oils.
Stick to water and stay away from the juice. Now this may seem a bit much right away, but when it comes to your life and health, I think, taking immediate steps are key. We don’t want to drag our feet, because we will only turn back to the bad habits so many of us live by each day.
What’s the most valuable lesson your living with Type 2 Diabetes has taught you?CM: I hate to say it, but the most valuable lesson I have learned is not to always trust the doctor. I say this because many of them are so happy to slap you with medication, and don’t allow us to truly figure out and change what may be our issue.
If I am diagnosed with diabetes, I want to find out why I have diabetes. Is it something I’m eating? Is it my lack of exercise? How’s my sleep or how are my stress levels?
I need to figure out the cause and address those things first. If I can make a change, then I can affect my condition in many cases. I also want to know, if I have to take meds, how can I reduce them over time or come off of these pills. I just think that some doctors have become lazy in many cases, and don’t give us enough credit to change.
“My work in India was a dream come true.”
Please tell us more about your work in India? Are there any major differences between the Western and the Eastern diet?
CM: My work in India was a dream come true. I always wanted to go. There is a high rate of diabetes in India, and it allowed us to film there as well as team up with a local doctor whom we helped put together some testing. We were fortunate to have some great folks donate testing supplies and ship them to India.
I think, the greatest joy was to just be able to share with the world what’s going on in India. To be very honest, there are not many real differences. Many people from around the world find that they are limited to what they eat because of budget. So be it a person in India or a person in Brooklyn NYC, many are limited on what they can afford or where they can buy it.
So I think it’s across the board that finding or being able to eat healthy can be a challenge in many aspects.
Where do you stand on the question about whether dietary supplements could help in the support and management of the numerous consequences of diabetes?
CM: I live on supplements per se. When I was diagnosed, I knew there were many things I could do, and did a ton of reading, because I wanted to find a natural way to help with my diabetes. I also have high cholesterol and there are many natural things that can help reduce or stabilize these conditions. So I take everything from Fish Oils to Co-Q10, and the list goes on.
I have done well, and my numbers have been maintained with these supplements along with a serious lifestyle change. Do your research, because there are some great products on the market.
Would you tell us what is your medley of daily supplement intake? What supplement(s) have you found to work best when it comes to managing the disease?
CM: I take about six supplements myself, and between my diet and exercise I truly believe this is what has kept me healthy.
I take Glutathione, Co-Q10, Resveratrol, Vitamin D, Zinc, Fish Oil, Flax Seed Oil, and a few others.
If you had the opportunity to make your own custom supplements formula, what will it be?
CM: I would love to create something that can stabilize blood sugar and blood pressure all in one. Those two are true killers, and need to be dealt with. If we can do it naturally, we could change the face of health around the world. Let’s hope someone is working on it.
Please explain what is the concept behind the Reverse Treatment? Could it have a long lasting effect?
CM: I feel many symptoms can be Reversed, and what I mean by that is to stop the forward progress. I have slowed down the forward progress, and I don’t need medicine now. That’s not to say that in a few months or years, if I don’t maintain my diet and health I won’t need any. The condition has not gone away, it’s at bay, and I want to keep it that way. I can have a bad week and eat badly and not exercise, and I can see my numbers going up little by little.
So yes, Reversed is not just about the physical but the emotional and mental state of your health. It can be applied to anyone – rich or poor. If you take your health seriously and do the right things, you can live the best life you can.
The TV show will address many of these issues. That’s why I created it – to show people that there are others with the same problems. To show that eating right and understanding how to cope with the many facets of diabetes could allow them true hope.
All my best,
Stefani Thionnet
Stay focused and never give up!
