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masterchef canada's marissa leon-john cooking simple and fabulous food for people with diabetes
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chef marissa leon-john is known for her inventive caribbean flavours and delighting people with incredible food. “i love to watch people take bites of things that i've created and they close their eyes and they're like, wow, just taken to another place.”
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changing up your diet to make it healthier is one important step to take when you’re diagnosed with diabetes. but it certainly doesn’t mean eating bland like nothing but steamed broccoli and boiled chicken.
that’s especially true when you have a friend like masterchef canada’s marissa leon-john. the montreal private chef and contestant on the hit reality show knows how to transform dishes into heart-healthy, lower-carb eats that are recommended for people living with diabetes so they can more easily keep blood sugars in the normal range.
“diabetes really isn’t a bland food sentence for you,” she says of the suggested eating plan for those diagnosed. “and it’s important for people to know that because it can be really discouraging and overwhelming if you go based solely on the misinformation out there.”
sugar and food myths of diabetes
there’s the misconception that diabetes means no sugar, treats or rich foods—but that’s not true. the condition happens when your body can’t produce or use the hormone insulin as it should to regulate blood sugar that fuels body processes. so, when someone with diabetes has a sweet treat or high-carbohydrate food, they typically take more insulin to handle the increase of rising sugar levels.
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according to their individual diabetes meal plan, people can make room for sweet treats, for example, by substituting them with other carbohydrates throughout the day, watching portion sizes and also creating desserts that have healthy fats, whole grains and fibre, like greek yogurt with berries and toasted flax seed, recommended by diabetes care community.
a few years ago, a close friend of chef marissa was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, worried that he’d have to give up all the things he loved to eat. so, being a good friend and culinary pro, chef marissa stepped in to create a meal plan and follow it along with him.
“i took it as a personal challenge. i said, ‘hey, i don’t believe that you have to eliminate all the delicious things in your life just because you’ve got [diabetes].’ and so i took it upon myself because he didn’t believe me. so i said, ‘i’m going to change my diet and i’m going to develop recipes. and it’s not even developing recipes. i’m just going to modify recipes of foods that i adore. and i’m going to share these with you. and you tell me if it’s meeting the mark.’ i did it for about a year.”
lucky guy, because chef marissa is known for her inventive caribbean flavours and delighting people with incredible food. “i love to watch people take bites of things that i’ve created and they close their eyes and they’re like, wow, just taken to another place.” her mastery is self-taught, growing up in a multicultural family who all loved to cook and share meals together, enjoying caribbean, filipino, indian, greek and italian favourites.
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“i grew up with a very broad view of food. i was not pigeonholed. kraft dinner and hot dogs were something my friends would eat a lot of it.”
ingredient swaps for better blood sugar management
her tips for modifying recipes? for creamy salad dressings, instead of using full fat mayonnaise, opt for greek yogurt. use canola oil as a healthy lubricant for your food. “you can roast your potatoes with a little bit of canola oil, keeping the fat low and still add all the spices. people forget that spices add your flavour. it’s not only butter,” she laughs. don’t all chefs love butter?
“the trick is to open up your spice cabinet. there are so many beautiful flavours. also open up your mind to the world of different cuisines. i think of indian food that is very vegetarian friendly, extremely flavourful and relatively low fat. so you’ve got low sugar, low fat, high vegetables, high fibre, just pick your favourite indian recipe and give it a go.”
what does the science say about diabetes management? researchers at the diabetes and metabolic care center at the university hospitals of cleveland note the first-line treatment is lifestyle modifications with dietary interventions at the forefront. they reviewed the literature on diets for publication in the journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism in 2025, noting the mediterranean and plant-based diets have demonstrated benefits for the prevention and treatment of diabetes, weight reduction, lipid improvements and overall cardiovascular risk reduction.
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the mediterranean eating style emphasizes plant-based foods (vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds), olive oil as the main source of dietary fat, and fish and other seafood. you can also have moderate amounts of dairy (cheese and yogurt) eggs, wine and occasional red meats and sweets.
healthy eating for everyone
eating for diabetes is actually healthy eating for everyone.
while chef marissa’s friend is retired and would rather sit and eat than do all the chopping prep and cooking, she helped him see the switch to healthy eating as modification, not restriction. “it’s about opening yourself up to trying new flavours. blow the dust off the spices you haven’t used in a million years, understanding that they provide a lot of flavour.”
she admits that there were a lot of lettuce wraps to cut down on carbs, but also home-made spice mixes like taco seasoning that takes five minutes to do and puts you in control of the salt content (and there’s no additives or preservatives).
“it really makes a world of difference because nine times out of 10, it’s more delicious when you make it yourself. so it’s just these little changes and a commitment. it’s a commitment to yourself, like, hey, i want to put good things into my body and i want to make them taste good. and i can do that myself.”
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more recently, two of her family members were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, so she’s helped support their eating and diabetes management as well.
and she’s hoping to inspire others to cook and eat healthy as a celebrity ambassador for the diabetes canada aprons in action campaign that kicked off this march. the fundraising campaign has people register to create an original recipe and join a skill-building series to boost kitchen confidence with tips from the celebrity chef ambassadors. participants also compete for the chance to cook live on stage with one of the celebrity chefs at a celebration gala and be featured in a digital cookbook.
“i like helping to motivate folks through accessible, easy, delicious recipes,” chef marissa says of the campaign.
“more people than we know have diabetes. and there’s this box when it comes to type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes, so it’s just blowing the top off that box and showing folks that there is really good food out there for us. and not only that, if i have diabetes and i’ve invited you for dinner, understand that we’re going to be eating really well. it’s going to be great.”
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