DON BENJAMIN - No Gluten, All Grit

Host Coline Witt welcomes model, actor, and entrepreneur Don Benjamin to Eating While Broke. Don makes a childhood “hood classic” gluten-free Hamburger Helper using gluten-free noodles, ground turkey, and the sauce packet, while breaking down how a gluten allergy that began at 26 changed his life (and how expensive it can be to eat gluten-free on a budget). Don shares what it was like growing up in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota with his mom, his dad’s struggles with addiction and incarceration, and navigating identity as a biracial kid. He talks about his early dream of playing pro basketball, moving to Los Angeles at 19 on a $3,000 student loan, surviving on ramen and background acting, and the turning point after America’s Next Top Model (2013) leading to signing with Wilhelmina and landing major campaigns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.