by Tim Talevich

The two executives behind natural foods company Naturade, Tellis and Cook know all too well the tragic toll of an unhealthy diet. Both come from large families, and both have stories of relatives suffering and dying from diabetes linked to obesity, the result of unhealthy eating habits. And those habits have been passed from generation to generation, creating what Tellis calls a "culture of poor eating."

The mission of their company is to offer plant-based protein meal replacement shakes that can help people lose weight. Their target market is communities throughout the country where there's not a high awareness of what's in their food or of the clear connection between diet and certain diseases, and where affordable options aren't available.

Sadly, it's a massive market, as more than 34 million American adults have diabetes. On the positive side, data shows that changing their diet and losing weight, even a few pounds, can help people manage their diabetes and reduce the risk of developing other related problems, and even return blood sugars to normal levels for some people. But nudging people toward healthier eating habits is anything but easy, as foods high in fat, sugar and salt—and the huge marketing dollars behind them— are entrenched in our culture.

Cook and Tellis met as students at Duke University in the early 1990s. Over discussions, they learned of their shared family histories of diabetes. Tellis had two uncles who died from complications related to diabetes, including one who recently passed away after contracting COVID-19. On Cook’s side, two cousins have passed away, as did an aunt recently from COVID, complicated by underlying diabetes. “All of my grandparents, all of my grandfathers’ siblings, from the time that I was born, all had diabetes. It was their generation,” Cook says. “Going to visit them as a child, I would see insulin in the refrigerators. It was so prevalent, you just thought that was what was natural.” Both recall wondering: Do we have to accept that as a way of life?

They went separate ways for graduate business school but ended up together in Los Angeles. And both were interested in nding a business opportunity in the healthy foods area. They had notions about Los Angeles—healthy people, the “com- plete Baywatch scene,” Cook recalls. “But we immediately saw all these overweight kids. And then we read about the fact that there was a 40% child obesity crisis out here. And that’s what sparked in our minds that we could do something about it.”