Sam Talbot Offers Advice to Paula Deen
By: Rosemina Nazarali
Published: February 18, 2012

Former Top Chef contestant, Sam Talbot, wanted to offer some advice to Paula Deen. As a chef from the south with Type 1 Diabetes, Talbot can identify with Deen's dilemma of finding a balance between her unhealthy recipes and her own health issues. 
"I made a point of taking those traditional foods and making modern healthy tweaks," Talbot said of his cookbook The Sweet Life: Diabetes Without Boundaries. "That's what Sweet Life is all about: Taking those childhood flavors... trading out flour and sugar -- and not once sacrificing flavor." 
Talbot is able to stay away from processed sugar and uses coconut and flax seed in his recipes instead. 
"No one is perfect, and more importantly, everyone likes to bend the rules a bit," he said. "That's okay. It's a learning curve. But it doesn't have to be scary or the end of the world. If there's a way to sneak alternatives into the recipes [Paula Deen] knows and loves, it will be a win win for everyone."