How are you avoiding unnecessary stress and anxiety? 

Are you like me? I’m keeping my spirits up by reading, reading, reading and staying off of social media during the pandemic. One of my favorite book series is the Camper & Criminals Cozy Mysteries by Best-Selling Author, Tonya Kappes. 

The amateur sleuth in the series, Mae West, goes from lavish to lacking over night. Mae’s husband, now ex, had a huge Ponzi scheme going on until he got caught. Not only did he cheat their friends out of most of their savings but he also left Mae penniless. When Mae meets with their lawyer she quickly finds that the only thing she has left is an RV and a Campground located in Normal, Kentucky. When her ex escapes from prison and is then found dead in Normal there is no shortage of suspects to be had. Mae’s attempt at a fresh start in Normal is quickly overshadowed by a quest to figure out who wanted her ex dead the most.

Unfortunately I’ve been known to polish off a bag of pretzels while I’m reading Tonya’s Camper & Criminals series without noticing! Since many Divabetics like to read after dinner and/or before bedtime, I contacted our good friend, a Diabetes Late Nite podcast guest, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator and Best-Selling Author Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, FAND for her recommendation on late night snack ideas.

3 Tips for Healthy Snacking for Book Lovers by Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, FAND

1. Plate your snacks. It’s pretty easy to polish off a bag of pretzels or a row of cookies if you eat from the package. It’s also pretty easy to remove a serving and put it in a dish. Why not treat yourself like you’re special enough to eat out of a dish. You are, you know.

2. Treat snacks as nutrition opportunities. Run through what you’ve eaten today, and take note of what’s missing. My guess is that most folks didn’t meet the recommendations for fruits and vegetables, so snack on one of those.

3. Be original.  If you’re worried about making poor snack choices, create your own snack menu. Write down at least 5 healthful snack ideas that you enjoy. Keep this list in the kitchen. When it’s snack time, choose one item from your personalized menu.

And What’s one of Jill’s  favorite snack ideas?

JW: I’m a big veggie pusher, so I like any raw veggies, or veggies dipped into a healthful yogurt sauce or some salsa. If you want something a little different, I recommend the dehydrated or baked carrots or beets. They’re super crunchy and are delicious by themselves or with a dip.

Jill Weisenberger’s comprehensive guide, ‘Prediabetes: A Complete Guide: Your Lifestyle Reset to Stop Prediabetes and Other Chronic Illnesses’ will lead you through dozens of concrete steps you can take to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other lifestyle-related chronic diseases. Taking an individualized approach to your lifestyle “reset,” this book will allow you to choose your own path to wellness, help you gain a greater sense of wellbeing, boost your confidence in your abilities to maintain a healthful lifestyle, and potentially even help you reverse prediabetes and avoid type 2 diabetes and other chronic illnesses. You’ll be feeling better than you have in years!

Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND is a great resource for all things nutrition, food and diabetes. Whether she’s speaking, writing, chatting on social media, appearing on TV or working with individuals, her candid and energetic approach appeals to busy people, and her sound nutrition and fitness advice gets results. In fact, her appreciation for science and ability to translate science into actionable information earned her a place in US News & World Report’s 10 Dietitian’s You Need to Follow on Social Media.

Mr. Divabetic’s healthy culinary misadventures continue in Divabetic’s 6th Annual Diabetes Mystery Podcast, Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes. when he enters a baking competition with headless cookies and pureed kale hot cocoa for the judges to sample. As if this dreadful combination wasn’t bad enough to land him at the bottom of the throwdown, his mother, Mama Rose Marie, is accused of poisoning one of the celebrity judges! Things go from bad to worse when the snake phobic Mr. Divabetic hears about the giant python’s escape.         

Now, the happy healthcare host must decide to face his fear of snakes and recipe rejection or throw in his apron and risk getting caught up in another murder investigation. Can Mr. Divabetic and his team of amateur sleuths hunt down the real killer and get Mama Rose Marie out of jail? Will he be the next murder victim? Can he ever create an edible recipe?

The cast of Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes features Mama Rose Marie, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach (Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE and MaryAnn Nicolay BA, DTR), The Happy Diabetic Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, Coach The Cure’s Trisha Artman, Jillian Walsh, Wendy Radford, Dave Jones, Lorraine Brooks and Max Szadek.

Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from the original Broadway cast recording of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes courtesy of SONY MUSIC.