Hi everyone, thanks for this episode in the Giga Times. This episode we have an incredible guest. We have the sensational trailballity health coach, registered dietitian, entrepreneur, and content creator Shammain Dominguez. Shammaine founded Reverse Diabetes and Revolution, one of the most impactful online movements in metabolic health. Uh, with nearly over one million followers across all social media platforms and over 1,000 clients guided into type 2 diabetes remissions.
She's recognized as a leading voice in diabetes care by top medical publications. Charmaine's approach goes beyond trends, focusing on whole foods and plant focused nutrition that improves insulin sensitivity while still celebrating food and lifestyle. Welcome to the extraordinary Charmaine, and thanks for coming on the podcast.
Thank you so much for having me, Nick.
You're welcome, my friend. Alright, let's jump straight into it. Take us back. Tell us about your background, um, how I guess everything eventuated and how your family is and everything relating to that.
Yeah, sounds good. So it all started back in high school. That's when I started to have interest in nutrition. Um, and this is when I watched a lot of documentaries about um types of diabetes, about just different chronic conditions and how food can actually address the root cause of all of these things. And that's when it sparked my interest about nutrition. And so that's when I decided that's what I wanted to pursue. I wanted to be a doctor, but more so on the food side.
So that's when I wanted to become a registered dietitian. And fast forward, I came to America because back then I grew up in Hong Kong. Hong Kong didn't have a dietetics program. Um, and so ended up in LA, and that's where I pursued my bachelor, um, got my registered dietitian license, and that is when I started.
And I first started working in a plant-based clinic, and that's where my passion about type 2 diabetes started, because I think eight out of 10 patients that I saw every day had diabetes, but they didn't know that they can actually put it into remission or reverse it. They just knew that they can manage it.
And so when they were given that option, um, they were very hopeful, and it was just amazing to see the results in reversing their insulin resistance and helping them really get to the root cost of things. So once they change to their food, they're able to drop the meds, uh, which was very exciting. Um, some of my family members also have diabetes this wall, so it's definitely a very exciting topic for me to explore.
And I think just to be able to give people the hope that they can reverse it is definitely uh something that I'm very passionate about.
Yeah, sounds and fabulous. All right, tell me how did you get into um creating obviously um the reverse diabetes um revolution, reversing, should I say? And I guess you've gone really digital with online social media, you're very um obviously heavy on that. Tell me how that's all transpired.
Yeah, so it all started with COVID. Um I at first it started with TikTok, and I was pretty skeptical about TikTok because back then we all knew it was an app for people to go on, do some dancing trends, and I was like, oh, I'm not that you know, Gen Z, I'm a millennial. So, you know, I wasn't very interested in TikTok at that time.
Um, but someone I I think because I started working for a YouTuber at the time, and so um I saw how she was able to be very successful on social media, and so that inspired me to start my own social media. So I was like, okay, I'll just try it because you know a coach told me to try TikTok, um, and that's where we blew up. Um, and at first, you know, we we blew up because a lot of people are like reversing diabetes, that's never heard of.
Um, but uh what people don't know is that there's actually more and more research now showing that you can put type 2 diabetes into remission, you can reverse it, um, you can get off medications. It's just that, you know, there's that old school of teaching. Once you get it, you have it forever. Um, so that's something that, you know, got a lot of controversy on TikTok. Um, but you know, that's how we slowly grew. Um, and then we also grew up on Instagram.
Um I would say, like one of my strengths in growing um social media is that I just don't care about perfection. Um, I just can crunch out videos every day. So it started with very, very imperfect videos. It's still not perfect now, but um, I think the only thing I'm I'm very good at is just pumping out videos every single day. So um that's how you know we we grew our following and social media.
Yeah, that's amazing. And it sounds like you're very authentic, and you know, that's what people love is you know being authentic and being real. So all right, tell me about diabetes. Um, what are the warning signs that someone might be getting it?
Yeah, one of the biggest warning signs, and sometimes people don't even get any signs at all, but one of the biggest warning signs is fatigue. So if you're feeling tired all the time, um, if you feel very tired, especially like after meals or especially in the afternoons, um, that could be a sign of obviously feeling tired can be due to a lot of different things as well, but one of the most common ones is feeling fatigue.
And the reason why is because our body is not processing glucose effectively. So instead of processing it effectively, it just stays in the bloodstream. And so that's why a lot of times people feel really tired, um, feeling thirsty all the time, um, feeling like you have to go to the bathroom all the time, having dry skin is one of them, um, or having fruity breath is one of them.
Um, there's so there's definitely a plethora of different signs, or having um necroquants, this is where you have like dark patches on your neck or dark patches in your armpit, those are also signs of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes as well.
Great. Thanks for sharing. And what foods would you recommend to help uh minimize the impact or the potential of getting it later on in life or whenever?
Yeah. One of the signs that I forgot to mention was having blurry vision. But one of the foods that can help with that is actually dark green leafy vegetables. So that's something that can help you with your eyes with your vision, because a lot of times it actually, when you have high blood sugar, um, one, it affects your osmosis in your eyes. That's how you start getting blurry vision.
Um, so green leafy vegetables not only provides the fiber that can help you balance the blood sugar, but it also has chemical compounds that can quote unquote clean out the trash from your eyes. So that's something that's you know very exciting as well. Um, I think the second one is soluble fiber. I think a lot of people just think about cutting carbs and that's it.
But soluble fiber is actually what can address the root cost of insulin resistance and help you lower your blood lipids, which means fat in your blood. Um, that can help you reverse insulin resistance and improve um your blood sugars, if that makes sense. So that's another one. Soluble fiber, you can find it in things like apples and things like quinoa, barley, um, a little bit more carby whole foods, uh, whole plant foods, if that makes sense.
Um, and that's where, or or beans and lentils, that's where you'll be able to find the soluble fibers.
Yeah, awesome. And what about um is diabetes genetics? Like, so is there a chance that if you have it, um obviously previous generations that you can not get it? Or is there any way apart from obviously foods minimizing it as well?
Yeah, absolutely. So a lot of times genetics do increase your chance of getting type 2 diabetes. However, it doesn't mean all doom and gloom. Because if you change your lifestyle with your food, with exercise, it can definitely turn things around. So it could be that maybe your parents had it, your grandparents had it, but if in this generation, in your generation, if you do something about it, you can definitely nip in the butt bud, even not getting type 2 diabetes at all, or even reversing it.
Um, it's really about your lifestyle, your eating habits, your exercise. Um, I like to say that, or Dr. Neil Bernard, um, who's very, very um sorry, very famous in the realm of um dietetics and nutrition, he always talks about how with these genetic, you know, predisposed diseases, having these genes might be like having a gun, but the trigger is usually your lifestyle and what you eat and things like that.
Wonderful. Um, have you had any mentors in your career that's obviously helped you?
Sorry, what was that?
Have you had any mentors that have helped you in your career?
Yeah, absolutely. I've had many mentors in my career. I've had many business coaches, I would say. Um, that really helped me improve my you know, business, my systems, but also on how I show up on social media as well. Um, so definitely a lot of different coaches. Um, and I think even within my colleagues, I have dietitians that work within my company, they're also my mentors as well, because they always give me, you know, new information, new researches.
So they always teach me something new every single day. Um, and I would say my, you know, might be cheesy, but definitely my clients are also my mentors as well, just to be able to see them really take it in, sorry, take it by the reins and really be able to make those changes, um, even though it might not be easy at first. That's something that, you know, always inspires me as well.
Great. And what were your role models growing up? So even I guess relating to the medical industry as a whole, was there anyone that you really looked up to that inspired you?
Yeah, um, I would say definitely the um Michael Greger, Dr. Michael Greger really inspired me, um, Dr. Neil Bernard, um, people that I've actually seen in those documentaries when I was in high school, um, because they're the first pioneers that really looked at how we can reverse diseases with what we eat. Um, I would say Colin T. Campbelliswall, that's one of the researchers that teaches at Cornell University, um, that did the China study.
That was very interesting just to see how even in just one quote unquote race, they're they're able to see, you know, how diet impacts their health metrics. So it was very interesting to see it. So I would say those are definitely, you know, heroes, you know, that I could look up to growing up and that inspires my work nowadays.
Impressive. And what's the best piece of advice you ever received?
The best piece of advice that's the only way that you can fail is to give up. Um, I think a lot of times in no matter if it's social media, um, there's plenty of times that I'll see, you know, comments and I'll like tear up. My husband can tell you about that. Um, especially in the beginning. Um, and there's many times with you know, got comes with building a business, there's many different hurdles that you will have to go through.
And so there's many chances that, you know, you can give up, but um honestly, or or you could see it as failure, but I feel like because I didn't give up, I didn't fail. So I think a lot of times people, when they think about starting something, they're afraid to fail. Uh, but if you just keep on going, if you don't give up, you'll eventually be able to improve, fix whatever is in front of you, um, and be able to overcome. And so I think that is probably my strength.
Not that I'm the smartest, not that you know I'm the most um influential, but really because I just didn't give up. So I would say that's the best advice that I got when it comes to you know starting this empire or starting this journey.
Well, you're definitely on your way out, that's for sure.
Thank you so much. I appreciate that.
What's the best compliment you've ever received?
I didn't think about that. Those are good questions. I would say I would say the best compliment is people complimenting on the people on my team. I would say that's something that I would consider that the best compliment because I really don't know how I got these amazing people because I have amazing dietitians on my team, amazing coaches on my team, just amazing workers and um people on my team.
And so a lot of times that when, you know, yes, people can say that, you know, I help them a lot on social media, but I think the best compliment is just being able to have this team of people that have the same mission. And I'm really grateful because a lot of them, even on my team, share with me how, you know, this is their life goal, like this is their um passion. Um, I don't know that you know the Japanese word ikigai. Um, that means like it's it's like a Japanese word for your life passion.
Um, they believe that everyone should have, you know, their life passion. So um being able to tell that, you know, reversing diabetes revolution is their life passion is something that, you know, they're really grateful for is their, you know, mission. Uh I think that's something that is is the best compliment, is just having this amazing, amazing team.
Yeah, for sure. That's tremendous. Um, what inspires you daily?
What inspires me daily I would say is seeing people's testimonials and seeing people's wins every day. Um, it might not be, you know, a video that's coming out every day, but even just because we have a Slack channel um between us and the coaches, so we'll see uh our clients' progress and just seeing that is definitely something that inspires me every day.
And not just because of the numbers, not because that, you know, people are lowering their A1C or getting off medications, but I think it's actually seeing people post, you know, oh, like I, you know, actually went grocery shopping today, or like I ate veggies with my cookies today, or just those small actions to see them start taking actions, or I added vegetables to my breakfast.
Like, you know, that's something that a lot of people are like, oh, vegetable for breakfast, like that's gross, right? But even being able to see people take those actions and just be able to like see them in the community, see them in the um channel is something that really inspires me because I think what leads are ordinary working people, like they're not dietitians, like they're just ordinary working people that want to improve their lives.
So I think just seeing that pop up every day um definitely inspires me to keep going and to um have even more of a reminder of what we're doing because I think it's easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle, to get lost in the numbers, but when we are able to see, like, wow, like people's lives are actually changing, um, that's definitely something that's very exciting. So um, yeah.
Well, that's amazing.
Yeah.
With the medical industry as a whole, how has it uh evolved and changed since when you, I guess, you know, first started to where you are now? How has it um really changed and evolved?
Yeah, absolutely. Um, it's very interesting because what I teach a lot about is a plant-predominant diet. So um, you know, just encouraging people to eat a lot of plants. But I know that at first it got a lot of backlash because people are like, what? Like plants have carbs, like fruits have carbs, right? So people are very, very, we're very, very resistant to the idea. Um, so there's definitely a lot, I would say even on social media, you see a lot more people arguing in the comments.
Now people don't really argue in the comments anymore. Now they're kind of getting it, if that makes sense. Um, so that's definitely um a shift there. But also, actually, today I was um opening a catalog of different nutrition books because as dieticians, we get these catalogs of nutritional books where we can get continuing education. Um, so it was cool because I saw a lot more plant-based books on there.
So there's um Dr. Um Michael Regger's How Not to Die, How Not to Diet, How Not to Age, um, also Fiber Fields, like a lot of more plant-predominant books are on there. Um, so that's really cool just to see why, like, okay, people are actually leaning more towards a plant-forward approach. Now, I don't ask people to go vegan or vegetarian if they don't want to. Actually, 90% of my clients are not vegans or vegetarians. Um, but it's really about you know adding more plants to their their meals.
Um, so I think even seeing there's more and more of a paradigm shift. Um, even seeing a lot of carnivore gurus now they're you know saying that you should eat carbs. You should have uh carbs again. So um that's definitely a huge paradigm shift uh that I've been seeing.
Great. And um, what excites you most about the future?
I think it's people's awareness um on health. I think maybe thanks to social media, I see more and more people be more health aware, be more aware of their um labs um or be more aware of the foods that they're take intaking. Um so that's definitely something that's also exciting to see. Um, it's really cool just to see people be able to learn a lot of different knowledge just from internet or even podcasts as well. Um, and so that's something that's very exciting.
So I think it's just the information that we'll be able to have. And I think even more research. Um, I think a lot more research, even though there are substantial research on reversing diabetes, on you know, putting diabetes into remission, I definitely would hope to see more and more research on that so people can just be further reaffirmed that it is something that's possible. Um, so yeah, that's something that I'm looking forward to in the future.
And being able to help more people, our goal is to help a million people um reverse type diabetes or pre-diabetes. So um that's a goal that I'll be looking forward to.
Yeah, tremendous. Uh, what's your favorite personal food?
I would say Asian food, um, obviously, but I think that's something that um I personally think Asian food is great because they feature a lot of vegetables. Um, so it's also something that's very easy to make a balanced meal as well. So there's your vegetables, there's your protein, and there's your grain that you can use. So um, and a lot of times they used methods like adding spices or like steaming, or sometimes like you know, slightly stir frying or marinating, fermenting.
Um, so there's a lot of different methods that they use to make the food flavorful without adding a lot of unhealthy ingredients. Um, so Aiden food would be my favorite, um, but especially like I'm not Korean, but I love Korean panchan, which is like the side dishes that they have. Um, that's something that's very refreshing. Uh sometimes I just go there just so that I can ask for unlimited panchan and all that good stuff. So uh that would be you know my personal favorite.
I just came back from China, so I got to eat a lot of uh delicious dishes. Uh, we had mushroom hot pot, which is really cool because we were in a province where they grew a lot of different mushrooms. It was called Yunnan. So they have a lot of different kinds of mushrooms, so we had like mushroom hot pot. Um, it was absolutely delicious. So um, yeah, I I love Asian food.
Impressive. Where's your favorite place to travel to?
Oh, sorry, what's that?
Where where is your favorite place to travel to?
Where is my favorite place to travel to? Um, it'll also be like my last last answer. It'll be Asia. Um, we love going to Asia, and last year we went to Japan four times because uh we just love you know the foods, the people, um, the vibes there. And then this year um we've been to uh I've been to Korea uh several times already. Korea is also very, very fun. Um, but China has been great as well. Um, just the scenery, um, the the people.
It's really cool just to see how the country progresses in their technology. Um, it was just totally different from when I visited, because I grew up in Hong Kong, so it was very Very different from when I visited China when I was little to now. Now it's way more advanced, it's much cleaner, um, and it's very fun um to travel to. So we we love going to Asia. So um I'm actually going again in October. So uh it's it's our favorite place to travel to.
Yeah, terrific. And what do you what do you like to do in your downtime? Apart from obviously your busy lifestyle, what do you like to do when you're away from everything and just you want to chill? What do you like to do on your Sundays?
Yeah, so I love painting. I've been picking up painting. So um, but I'm not the most creative person. So the way I paint is I like to watch other people's YouTube videos and I'll like copy them. Um so those, you know, are majority of my inspiration for painting. Um, but I've also picked up um, I don't know what it's called in English, but it's basically kind of like a wooden model.
So they give you instructions on how to build it from like a map, and then they give you like little wooden pieces and you just put it together. You can make like a little bookshelf um that has like little figurines inside. Um, I just bought one that has like a Sakura tree with a tree house there. So it's using so I I do like crafts a lot, but I would say I'm very interesting because I'm not the most creative. I just like copying, you know, or just being told what to do, if that makes sense.
So that's the thing I like to do. Um, I also love watching movies and TVs as well. Um, that's something I love to do, and I love just hanging out with friends too. I am an extrovert, so I love to, you know, talk to people and just hang out with my girlfriends to um try new food places. Um, so yeah, that's what I like to do usually.
Yeah, wonderful. And when you look back at your career um today, are there any specific moments that when you reflect that you stand out for you that you're like, wow, this happened or that happened?
Yeah, I would say I think like I would say one is being able to see my social media grow so much. I remember starting from zero um and just being able to see it grow and see my hard work pay off. And sometimes I'm like, wow, like I'm so glad I started.
And I still remember different conversations that I've had people had with people when I start, um, because I remember like starting everything, I was so scared, and then I was talking to um a family friend and has like a plumbing or not plumbing, he had um like a concrete business. Um, and so we were just talking about like starting, and you know, he was the one that um told me the only way that I can fail is if I give up. Um, and so that's something that was very inspiring for me.
Um, I would say, even just having really difficult times when people like in the team like come and go. Um, I think especially when people come and go, I can feel like dang, like, or or you know, really pivotal people that you know had to leave um, you know, the team. I think I just felt like dang, like can I do this on my own? Like, can I, you know, conquer this? Um, and I did. And so it's sometimes I think even you know, thinking about that, I think like I was not very confident in myself.
Um, and I think I put a lot of like confidence in other people, but I think even just looking back, I felt like God was like, okay, like no, like you can do this, you can actually, you know, manage the whole team, you can do all of these things. And so that's something that you know I look back on. I'm like, wow, like I'm I'm grateful that I had those moments I had to choose to trust in myself. Um, so yeah, those are definitely moments I look back, I'm like, okay, yes, like I did it.
Um, and so yeah.
Yeah, marvelous. It's inspiring, you know, it's incredible what you've achieved. So yeah, well done.
Thank you. Thank you so much.
All right, if you were 18 again, and you could change anything, it could be personally or professionally, what would you change?
I think I would change about my self-perception. I think a lot of times we can see that you know, maybe it's conditioning since we were little, um, but just not having that much confidence in myself. And so I definitely would change that um because I think that now looking back, I'm like, wow, like I didn't have to be that scared. Like I could be a little bit more confident. Um, I, you know, could be a lot more influential if I wasn't that scared.
So I think even thinking about that, I'm like, wow, like I wish I could, you know, just go back and tell myself, like, yes, like you can do it. Um, just you know, believe in yourself. And so that's something that I would change. And also I think to not be scared of what people say, because sometimes it's actually good that some, you know, what you say can contradict with other people because you know it means that you are standing up for something, right? I love the musical um Hamilton.
It just, you know, between how Hamilton was um and how the other, I forgot his name, um, but uh how the other character was. But Hamilton was someone that always stood up for something. And so I think even in my career, like I had to stand up for a lot of things I believe in and other people may not believe in. And it might cause people to, you know, argue in the comments. And it's okay, it's okay to have those because that means I'm standing up for something.
Um, and because I am standing up for something, a lot of times people also gravitate towards that. Yes, there's people that you know may not agree with me, but those that you know are looking for another solution or looking for, you know, um a way out, that's something that you know might be what they needed to hear in the moment.
Yeah, incredible. Thanks for sharing. Charmaine, thank you for coming on the podcast. I do appreciate it. It's amazing everything you've done, everything you're doing. And yeah, I wish you nothing but the best in the future.
Thank you, Nick. I appreciate your you having me, and it was fun to be here. And I appreciate your amazing questions and great interview, Aslaw. Thank you.
Thank you. I had a lot of fun, thank you.