This is My Story

Hi, my name is Nikki Wallis and I’m the face behind T1 Friendly Foodie. I’m a busy working mum, married with two small kids and I’ve lived with type 1 diabetes for over 35 years.

I love to cook and am passionate about food and food photography, which is what drove me to create the T1 Friendly Foodie blog! I’m also a passionate diabetes advocate and work with a number of diabetes organisations and nutritional organisations in Australia. 

T1 Friendly Foodie came about because I wanted to offer people a range of recipes that were truly diabetic-friendly. There are many recipes out there that are marketed for people with diabetes, but few are really suitable for those of us with type 1 diabetes. They are often high in carbohydrate and contain high GI sweeteners which I try to avoid in order to keep my HbA1c in target and to maintain stable Blood Glucose Levels (BGL).  T1 Friendly Foodie features my own recipes which I’ve developed, along with product information, and stories and tips on how I get through my diabetes ups and downs and tips for maintaining my diabetes target HbA1c of around 5%. 

My recipes are low-carb, low sugar (I don’t use cane sugar or any high GI sugar alternatives) and are low in fat. They are particularly great for people who are insulin-dependant (those with type 1 diabetes or insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes), or insulin resistant (people with type 2 diabetes not on insulin), but are also great for anyone with gestational diabetes, or anyone just keen to try a healthier alternative. 

I was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of eight. At the time, it was really hard to come to terms with the fact that my life would never be the same. What’s more, my twin sister was lucky enough not to get diabetes. But over the years I have come to embrace my diabetes and growing up in an extremely supportive family, I learnt very quickly to get on with it and to enjoy my life.

Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t easy watching my sister eat king sized Mars Bars after school in front of me, but looking back it was actually a blessing-in-disguise as it taught me willpower and discipline from an early age. Something that has stayed with me and that has allowed me to embrace my diabetes and to take the good with the bad (and don’t get me wrong there are many bad days)!

I had to learn quickly to embrace my new lifestyle and over the years, I have developed a passion for creating and transforming recipes to suit my diabetes. This inspired me to start the t1 Friendly Foodie blog and I hope it helps you to conquer your diabetic cravings and to live a happy, healthy life with diabetes!