The Diabetic Pastry Chef demonstrates her favorite sugar-free Gingerbread recipe on tonight’s Divabetic’s Sugarfree Baking Party on Zoom starting at 7 PM EST.
Stacey Harris, the Diabetic Pastry Chef, will also share how cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom can help add flavor to your baked goods.
Additionally, we’ll spotlight ways to sparkle during the holidays with Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller and GUIDE Beauty Founder and Makeup Artist Terri Bryant.
Recently, Catherine launched her heroic adornment jewelry line, recycling vintage comic books into beautifully crafted accessories.
GUIDE Beauty Founder Terri Byrant introduces us to a new mascara that’s easier to apply for people suffering from neuropathy in their hands or a lack of finger dexterity.
Tonight’s fabulous diabetes outreach program is totally free!!!
Diabetes doesn’t have to dim your sparkle during the holidays. We’re presenting a Holiday Sugarfree Baking Party on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 7 PM, EST.
During this fun-filled BakingParty on Zoom, The Diabetic Pastry Chefprepares a Sugar–Free holiday dessert recipe and shares expert baking tips for substituting sugar substitutes in recipes.
Plus, Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller shares a sneak peek at Divabetic’s Gift Guide 2023. She showcases her new jewelry line, Power Pieces, made from upcycled comic books. These one-of-a-kind heroic adornments celebrate the inner power in all of us.
Win gifts courtesy of Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes’s Camper Cozy Mystery and Peak 10 Skin‘s Save My Sole Foot Rescue Cream during Mr. Divabetic’s random drawings. You must be present at our BakingParty to enter our gift drawings to win.
Over 150 people have participated in our past Divabetic Baking Parties on Zoom, so don’t miss out!
Register on Eventbrite. Register closes at 3 PM, EST.
There’s a good indication that murder might be part of the recipe when Nantucket’s ten-time reigning Baking Champion’s last name is ‘Coffin.’ Tune into Divabetic’s Mystery Podcast, Kill Me Madam.
Diabetes doesn’t have to dim your sparkle during the holidays. We’re sharing great gift ideas to keep you and your loved ones happy and healthy in our upcoming Gift Guide, demonstrating sugar-free baking tips and style advice.
Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, at Divabetic free culinary diabetes baking party on Zoom with Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 7 PM, EST
During this fun-filled BakingParty on Zoom, The Diabetic Pastry Chefprepares a Sugar–Free Dessert recipe, demonstrates her favorite kitchen tools, and shares expert baking tips for substituting sugar substitutes and alternative flours in recipes.
Win gifts courtesy of Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes’s Camper Cozy Mystery and Peak 10 Skin‘s Save My Sole Foot Rescue Cream during Mr. Divabetic’s random drawings. You must be present at our BakingParty to enter our gift drawings to win.
Recently, I hosted my Annual Pumpkin Carving party for friends. I made five mystery celebrity charcuterie boards for dinner.
Clever doesn’t cost a thing is my motto for entertaining. There are plenty of items to make your table dazzle available at the Dollar Store. I bought masks, placemats, pineapple lights, and plastic tablecloths. I anticipated the mess we would create from carving pumpkins, so I opted for a plastic tablecloth.
A broken toaster found on the street was my centerpiece. I transformed it using assorted black and orange flowers. My friends broke out in laughter the moment they saw it.
For dinner, I served Mystery Celebrity Charcuterie Boards. The items on Mystery Celebrity Charcuterie boards serve as clues to identify specific celebrities. The assortment of cheeses, meats, fruit, vegetables, and dips relates to movies, TV shows, books, celebrity family members, and songs. Once I present the boards and the mystery celebrity’s quote, my guests try to guess their identity.
Mystery Celebrity Charcuterie Boards is a lot of fun and a great icebreaker for people to interact with each other.
We played five rounds of a Halloween edition of Mystery Celebrity Charcuterie Boards on Friday. All my mystery celebrities are related to Halloween.
Celebrity Charcuterie – Halloween edition #1: Halloween movie quote related to Jamie Lee Curtis: “I wish I had you all alone, just the two of us. I’ll hold you close to me, so close to me, just the two of us.”
Celebrity Charcuterie – Halloween edition #2: Bette Midler quote from Hocus Pocus movie: “Oh, look, another glorious morning. It makes me sick!”
My friend Mark’s favorite Halloween movie is Hocus Pocus. No matter what quote I chose from the movie, I knew Mark would know it, which is why Bette’s Mystery Celebrity Charcuterie was made in her image. I found inspiration in a recent culinary curator’s Instagram post. I held off revealing the board until Mark shouted out the answer. Once Mark said, “Hocus Pocus,” I brought out the charcuterie board.
Celebrity Charcuterie – Halloween edition #3: Michael Jackson about the making of Thriller: “I have felt touched by something sacred. In those moments, I felt my spirit soar and become one with everything that exists.”
Celebrity Charcuterie – Halloween edition #4: Bela Lugosi from an interview: “Horror means something revolting. Anybody can show you a pailful of innards. But the object of the roles I played is not to turn your stomach – but merely to make your hair stand on end.”
Celebrity Charcuterie – Halloween edition#5: Boris Karloff from an interview: “I guess I’m pretty much of a lone wolf.”
We’re sharing excerpts of interviews from our favorite Divabetic podcasts over the years. This excerpt is from our Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis Turnaround podcast with Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND, and gospel singer Pat Lacy.
Amparo revealed her blood sugar level was 1700 when she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes on Divabetic’s World Menopause Day Zoom program. That scary moment became a wake-up call for Amparo to look closer at her lifestyle. Up until that point, Ampara never drank water. She consumed one Pepsi after another throughout the day.
Before she was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Amparo admitted she was constantly thirsty and frequently needed to use the restroom.
Symptoms of high blood sugar include:
Increased thirst
Frequent urination
Blurred vision
Tiredness or weakness
Headache
Nausea and vomiting
Shortness of breath
Stomach pain
Fruity breath odor
A very dry mouth
Our World Menopause Day panel was moderated by Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller and featured Donna Rice, Amparo, and Dr. Julianne Arena.
Dr. Julianne Arenais a double board-certified physician, a board-certified OBGYN who applies traditional, integrative methods and a multi-layered approach to helping women with sexual health and intimacy issues. She’s also a practitioner of Cliovana, the only treatment available that improves long-term clitoral stimulation with proven sound wave technology. Her goal is to help women create optimal and vibrant lives.
Catherine Schuller is the go-to person in the image industry for all things style and fashion for the plus-size woman. She began as a former Ford Model and became a spokesperson for the industry, a retail editor for Mode magazine, and wrote the highly acclaimed how-to guide The Ultimate Plus Size Modeling Guide, which has helped thousands of young women who want to enter the plus size modeling field. She is a frequently quoted media expert on the puls-size market and has appeared five times on The View, The Today Show, The Early Show, eight times on Neal Cavuto’s Your World, and many television and radio shows across the United States
Donna Rice is a registered nurse and a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. She is a national and international thought leader and author of four books, including Divabetic’s ebook Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide To Love And Intimacy With Diabetes. She is a Past President of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists and the Past President of the Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute for Baylor Health Care Systems in Dallas, Texas. Donna is the Chief Operating Officer for DiabetesSisters and The Chief Evangelist for Call-ai, working on voice-driven AI for diabetes care and education.
According to research, hormone levels (most notably estrogen and progesterone) fall dramatically during menopause. Changes to our hormones can affect our blood sugar levels and make managing diabetes more difficult.
Recently, I attended a virtual demonstration on Abbott’s partnership with WeightWatchers and how the connected app experience can help people living with diabetes, led by Abbott’s Chief Medical Officer Mahmood Kazemi and WeightWatchers’ Chief Scientific Officer Gary Foster.
The new partnership allows you to share FreeStyle Libre 2 CGM (continuous glucose monitor) data in the WW app and unlock a whole new level of support.
Note readings outside the standard glycemic target range and identify the meals and activities that may have played a part.
View your weight and glucose trends over time and discover their connection.
Be guided to healthier choices by the WW Diabetes-Tailored Plan, which is shown to help those living with diabetes lose weight and lower their A1c.
Gary Foster spoke passionately about helping people with diabetes manage their weight. He mentioned that 90% of those living with type 2 also live with obesity. People living with either health condition are deluged with thoughts about what you eat for diabetes and what you eat for obesity. As Gary mentioned, gaining the knowledge, inspiration, and tools to answer those questions is a full-time job.
New Weight Watchers (WW) members can enjoy a free month of the WeightWatchers Diabetes-Tailored Plan and connect the WW app with the FreeStyle Libre 2 system until December 31, 2023. Any new FreeStyle Libre 2 users may be eligible to receive a voucher for a free trial of the FreeStyle Libre 2 system when they sign up for the MyFreeStyle Libre program.
Enjoy highlights from Divabetic’s World Menopause Day Panel discussion on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Our panel was moderated by Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller and featured Dr. Julianne Arena, Donna Rice, and Amparo.
Enjoy highlights from Divabetic’s World Menopause Day Panel discussion on Wednesday, October 18, 2023. Our panel was moderated by Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller and featured Dr. Julianne Arena, Donna Rice, and Amparo.
According to research, hormone levels (most notably estrogen and progesterone) fall dramatically during menopause. Changes to our hormones can affect our blood sugar levels and make managing diabetes more difficult.
Dr. Julianne Arena is a double board-certified physician, a board-certified OBGYN who applies traditional, integrative methods and a multi-layered approach to helping women with sexual health and intimacy issues. She’s also a practitioner of Cliovana, the only treatment available that improves long-term clitoral stimulation with proven sound wave technology. Her goal is to help women create optimal and vibrant lives.
Catherine Schuller is the go-to person in the image industry for all things style and fashion for the plus-size woman. She began as a former Ford Model and became a spokesperson for the industry, a retail editor for Mode magazine, and wrote the highly acclaimed how-to guide The Ultimate Plus Size Modeling Guide, which has helped thousands of young women who want to enter the plus size modeling field. She is a frequently quoted media expert on the puls-size market. She has appeared five times on The View, The Today Show, The Early Show, eight times on Neal Cavuto’s Your World, and many television and radio shows across the United States.
Donna Rice is a registered nurse and a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist. She is a national and international thought leader and author of four books, including Divabetic’s ebook Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide To Love And Intimacy With Diabetes. She is a Past President of the Association of Diabetes Care and Education Specialists and the Past President of the Diabetes Health and Wellness Institute for Baylor Health Care Systems in Dallas, Texas. Donna is the Chief Operating Officer for DiabetesSisters and The Chief Evangelist for Call-ai, working on voice-driven AI for diabetes care and education.
The common physical and emotional sexual complications of diabetes and treatment options for men and women
An overview of diabetes nutrition, physical activity, weight loss, and diabetes medications
Information on how aging impacts diabetes management and intimacy
Guidance on how to talk to your health care provider about intimacy-related issues
Ideas and techniques for building sexual intimacy and communicating effectively with your partner
Tips to help you avoid dangerous or money-wasting fraudulent sexual treatments
Authors Janis Roszler and Donna Rice use humor, helpful examples, and insightful questions to present key topics about sexual health in an engaging, approachable way. This series is perfect for anyone (regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, or health status) looking to rekindle intimacy with their partner or be proactive about their sexual and emotional well-being.
I received a package filled with lightning bolt-shaped styrofoam a few weeks ago. I didn’t throw them away. The shape was fantastic. Even though all of my Halloween Duck, Duck, Ghoul! displays are done. I wondered what I could make with the styrofoam. The styrofoam’s shape reminded me of the Bride Of Frankenstein’s eyebrows. So, I decided to make one more display. I studied pictures from the original movie.
According to Google, The Bride Of Frankenstein was created as a collaborative project between Dr. Frankenstein and his old university affiliate, Dr. Septimus Pretorius. The scientists create the Bride to give it to the monster as a mate, but the monster only wishes to have a friend.
The Bride’s gown in the 1935 movie is sublime. But its simple elegance and draping didn’t work on a duck. And trust me, I tried everything, including a Large Federal Express packing bag – I thought the corners would be perfect for the shoulders. So, I abandoned the idea of knocking off the original gown and let my imagination take over. When the legendary Vogue and Harpers Bazaar journalist Diana Vreeland wrote “the eye must travel” in her book in 1980, I doubt she was referring to the front door of Dollar General. But that’s precisely where my thrifty spirit for crafting took me.
After a fruitless search, I wandered into my local hardware store. Inspiration hit when I spotted mops and a package of large coffee filters. I ventured to two more stores in search of paper dollies to complete her dress. I topped off my display when the cheapest wig I could find on Amazon.
Throughout October, health guru High Voltage travels to select schools around New York City to create awareness and excitement to empower private and public schools to take a stand against the sugar industry. During these Shocktober rallies, High Voltage presents a powerful demonstration showing teens how to “Sugar Shock” their favorite drinks. Sugar Shock demonstrations allow teens to discover how much-added sugar they consume daily; when they do, most are SHOCKED!
Watch this video to see how many grams of sugar are in popular drinks!
Major sources of added sugars are sugary beverages (regular soft drinks, sweetened tea, coffee, energy drinks, and fruit drinks), candy, desserts, and sweet snacks (cakes, cookies, pies). Smaller amounts come from dairy desserts, milk products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt, and sweetened milk), breakfast cereals and bars, and other items.
The American Heart Associationrecommends limiting added sugars to 100 calories per day (6 teaspoons of sugar) for most women and no more than 150 calories per day (9 teaspoons) for most men.
We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast.
Added sugar is everywhere. But do we understand the impact it has on our diabetes health?
If asked to name sugary foods, you may think of sweets, chocolate, sodas, table sugar, and perhaps fruit. But sugar also appears in savory foods such as ready meals, soups, salads, sauces, and ‘healthy’ foods such as breakfast cereals and yogurt. Furthermore, starches such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes also convert to sugar in our bloodstream, having the same impact on our bodies. These ‘hidden sugars’ can add a surprising amount to our daily intake.
Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller. Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. Throughout the podcast, we play music from ‘The Essential Sade’ album courtesy of SONY Music.
Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef,participated in Divabetic’s first-ever World Menopause Day program on Zoom. During the program, Stacey demonstrated how to make her Sugar-Free Butter-Rum Cakelets and answered participants’ questions.
Stacey defined ‘sugar-free baking’ as baking without any sugar. But she added that her recipes contain carbohydrates. After you eat carbohydrates (grains, flour, etc.) your body turns those carbohydrates into glucose (sugar). Glucose gives your cells energy. The glucose moves into the bloodstream and your blood sugar level rises.
Everyone has a different carbohydrate tolerance. One person may be able to eat a carb-heavy diet with no problem, and another may get blood sugar spikes and gain weight from eating very few carbohydrates. Both people can be healthy, as long as they are eating within their personal tolerance levels. Talk to your healthcare collaborator about what plan is best for you.
Mini bundt cakes with icing sugar on rack
Sugar-Free Butter- Rum Cakelets
Stacey says, “This cake comes together a little differently than most cakes, but is very moist with rum and delicious!”
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups sugar substitute of your choice
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup evaporated milk
4 large eggs
1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup rum of your choice.
Directions
Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, sugar substitute, butter, and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix on low speed for several minutes until the mixture is crumbly and sandy-looking.
Mix in the milk. Next, mix in the eggs one by one, mixing well after each, remembering to scrape the sides of the bowl well after each egg is added.
Add the rum and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Pour the batter and spread it into the cavities of two cakelet pans with six cavities each.
Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for about 35 or 40 minutes, or until the cakes look golden brown and begin to loosen from the sides of the pan. Let cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing.
Unmold the cakelets and, with a skewer, fork, or toothpick, prick holes into the cakelets straight down to the bottoms of each.
Butter-Rum Sauce
Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar substitute of your choice
1/4 cup water
1/2 to 3/4 cup rum of your choice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions
Add butter, sugar substitute, and water to a small saucepan. Bring to a slow boil and simmer for 7 or 8 minutes.
Remove from heat and cool completely. Add the rum and vanilla extract.
Slowly spoon the sauce over each cakelet. Cover cakelets with plastic wrap and allow to sit for several hours or overnight. The cakelets will not look glazed. They can be frozen or stored at room temperature for several days. Yield: 12 cakelets.
Mr. Divabetic talks to Dr. Michael Grego, the “Keto Doc,” on this podcast with musical inspiration from legendary DJ John Loungo.
The keto diet reduces the number of carbohydrates you eat and teaches your body to burn fat for fuel instead. The keto diet is high in fat, moderate in protein, and low in carbohydrates. The standard keto diet consists of 70% to 80% fats, 10% to 20% proteins, and 5% to 10% carbohydrates.
Dr. Grego is a Naturopathic Physician and the author of 3 books, The Nutritional Ketogenic Diet, Clean Keto vs. Dirty Keto, andThe InsulThin Diet.
Dr. Grego’s unique approach emphasizing insulin resistance and sugar has been foundational in creating the revolutionary insulThin Diet. We will discuss how he created his step-by-step nutrition blueprint for the popular Ketogenic diet.
Throughout the podcast, we feature music from The Essential John Luongo album courtesy of SONY Music.
If you have followed your favorite celebrity on social media, gone to a gym, or picked up a fashion magazine, you have probably heard about the keto diet. But what is it, what are the pros and cons of adhering to a keto diet, and what information should you share with your healthcare collaborators?
We will discuss these issues on October’s Divabetic podcastwith my special guest, Dr. Michael Grego. He is a Naturopathic Physician, a Chiropractic doctor, and the author of 3 books: The Nutritional Ketogenic Diet, Clean Keto vs Dirty Keto, and the latest best-selling book, The InsulThin Diet.
Keto is short for ketogenic, a process during which your body uses fat as its primary fuel source instead of carbohydrates. Calories on this diet primarily come from sources of dietary fat, such as butter, oil, and nuts, and moderate amounts of protein-rich foods, such as meat, full-fat cheese, fish, and eggs.
Before engaging in any dietary plan, please consult with your healthcare collaborators.
Throughout the podcast, we feature music from The Essential John Luongo album courtesy of SONY Music.
Our music inspiration, John Luongo, is considered the first to create dance remixes and extended mixes of our favorite songs. He’s a DJ, remixer, writer, publisher, and manager.
