I can’t quite believe that my new cookbook “Life Without Diabetes, The Cookbook” will be out in 5 days.
Anyone who has pre-ordered (me included!!) will be receiving their copy from Thursday 3rd July – which just blows my mind! So much love has gone into this book. Love, hope, encouragement, some personal stories and many delicious recipes made with simple ingredients and easy to follow methods. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them.
I feel very lucky to be able to create recipes that bring hope and enjoyment to many of you, especially those living with all types of diabetes, insulin resistance and other health conditions. It is a wonderful experience to have been able to turn such a life changing diagnosis for me, back in March 2005, into a career. I have spent the last decade writing, learning and developing recipes so it was a huge honour to be asked to create the vision for this book.
Almost 2 years ago, I was asked by my agent whether I would like to write a companion cookbook to Prof Taylor’s Sunday Times Top 10 best selling book Life Without Diabetes and there was no way I was going to say no. The opportunity to learn from someone so emenent, so calm and kind and to know that I had his full support on the work I was doing has been invaluable and inspiring. Pro Taylor’s Life Without Diabetes book explains exactly what is happening in the body as type 2 develops and presents a brilliant 3-step weight loss plan that will enable you to reverse your type 2 and live a full and healthy life beyond it. But the big question has always been what happens after? What happens for people who have put their diabetes into remission and how do they eat?
That was the biggest question and where I was able to really put my stamp on the book. I have lived with T1 diabetes for 20 years and I have tried so many diets. My weight has been a constant yoyo since my early teens and combined with polycystic ovarian syndrome, has left me feeling totally stumped as to why weight loss and weight management are just so hard. Approaching my late 30s hasn’t helped either.
For me, I have come to realise that nutrition isn’t linear and there is no one size fits all. For me, in order to maintain a stable weight I have to have an understanding of the whole profile- including calories. This comes from the realisation of having gained a significant amount of weight in 2020-2021 and, as a result, developed double diabetes (t1 diabetes alongside symptoms of T2 diabetes / insulin resistance). A story I will share another day. But one that made me re-evaluate what worked for my body, how I eat and how much I eat. Alongside this, what works for me is following a lower carb lifestyle, a lifestyle rich in delicious foods I can enjoy with my whole family. Lower carb isn’t devoid of any carbs, for me, it just means by eating a smaller amount I don’t need as much insulin, I don’t experience the double arrow up spikes and the plunging lows, I feel less hungry and I don’t have the epic cravings I get when eating a higher carb diet.
So, after many months of recipe development, a wonderful 2 week photoshoot of the recipes with the most brilliant team of women, the publisher Short Books have created this beautiful recipe book which follows Roy’s 3-step-plan. The book itself can be used as the full plan or it can simply just be used as a recipe book. All the nutritional information is there, so for those with type 1 diabetes counting carbs, the numbers are there!
As you know, I have T1 diabetes so, for me, sadly there is no life without diabetes but every recipe I have created in this book is written for anyone. All the recipes are also:
gluten free
low in carbs
grain free
nutritional info including carbs, calories, protein and fat
The recipes I have developed use real food ingredients- all the ingredients that I love and I know so many of you do too. The recipes have been developed by me, tested on my children, husband and recipes enjoyed during many of my cooking classes too.
There are 85 delicious recipes! which I hope you will absolutely love.
So, with only 5 days to go, here is a snapshot of some of the recipes you will find in the book. Many I make regularly at my cooking classes and here at home for my family.
For those who have been on this journey with me for a long time, thank you from the bottom of my heart and mixing bowl…. and for those just finding my account now, hello and welcome. Diabetes is relentless. The number crunching and the 24/7, 365 pursuit for balance with absolutely no pause button. The invisible juggle of blood sugars, while maintaining life, job, kids, relationships and everything else can feel like the ultimate burden… But I hope my recipes here, on my social media or in my book(s) can bring you and your family and friends some joy.
Please do let me know what you try and send me pictures / comments!
With love and thanks,
Emma
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