Mary Ellen Phipps: Rethinking What We’ve Been Taught About Food and T1D

Mary Ellen Phipps, MPH, RDN, LD, has lived with type 1 diabetes since she was five years old and now helps others navigate food and diabetes through Milk & Honey Nutrition. This episode is for general educational purposes and is not a substitute for personalized medical advice. In this episode, Mary Ellen and Scott explore how diabetes nutrition guidance has changed over the years, from highly structured meal plans to greater flexibility around food. Mary Ellen explains why she believes balance is important: people should be able to enjoy the foods they know and love while also having practical strategies that can support more stable blood sugar and help them feel their best.

Drawing from her personal experience and professional work as a registered dietitian, Mary Ellen shares practical ways to make food work better without creating another set of rigid rules. She introduces her diabetes toolbox, with strategies such as pairing carbohydrates with protein, fat, or fiber to help slow digestion, changing food order when it makes sense, and experimenting with resistant starch. The goal is not to use every tool at every meal. It is to understand your options and choose what fits the food, the situation, and your life.

Mary Ellen and Scott also discuss the loss of support that can accompany the transition into adult diabetes care, perfectionism on social media, and why black-and-white nutrition claims deserve caution. Throughout the conversation, Mary Ellen returns to a reassuring message: blood sugar is data, not a moral judgment, and your body may respond differently from anyone else’s. As she puts it, “You are you.”

What You'll Learn

• Why Mary Ellen believes balance is important when thinking about food and type 1 diabetes
• How her diabetes toolbox helps people choose strategies based on their goals, preferences, and current situation
• What it can look like to add protein, fiber, fat, or vegetables to support a meal instead of restricting a food
• How food pairing and food order may help slow carbohydrate absorption and support steadier blood sugar
• What resistant starch is and why cooling foods such as potatoes, rice, or pasta may change how the body processes them
• Why nutrition strategies often associated with type 2 diabetes can also be useful for people with type 1
• How to experiment with nutrition tools without turning them into rigid rules or making every meal a project
• What to look for when online nutrition advice sounds overly certain, judgmental, or one-size-fits-all

Key Quotes

• “Your blood sugars are just data. That’s all it is. There is no moral value to what your blood sugar is or how your blood sugar ran that day.” - Mary Ellen Phipps
• “The expectation is never that you’re going to use every tool available to you at every eating occasion. It’s about what works for this situation, what have I educated myself about, and what can I use going forward?” - Mary Ellen Phipps
• “You are you. You’re not your neighbor next to you, and you’re not the person on social media. Your body is going to respond in a unique way.” - Mary Ellen Phipps

Resources & Links

• Milk & Honey Nutrition - https://milkandhoneynutrition.com/
• ADA Diabetes Food Hub - https://diabetesfoodhub.org/
• Blue Circle Health - https://bluecirclehealth.org

What is Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D?

The US healthcare system makes it difficult, expensive, and often impossible for people with T1D to access the care, education, and support they need to live. Around the Circle: Living Well with T1D brings together voices from across the type 1 diabetes community to share real stories, expert insight, and practical support for living well with T1D.

Hosted by the team at Blue Circle Health, a U.S.-based program transforming type 1 care, this podcast helps people go from just surviving to truly living well with type 1 diabetes. https://bluecirclehealth.org/.