Exercise Is Important!!

Some people hate to exercise, which is so sad because moving your body is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety and shake off a bad mood. You can also come up with a lot of creative ways to work through problems.

Exercise shouldn’t be drudgery or the way you compensate for overindulging.

It should be something you enjoy!

If you’re shaking your head in disbelief, why not figure out what setting appeals to you most? Ask yourself if you’d prefer to exercise outdoors or inside? Depending on where you live, you might be able to walk, run, bike, swim, or ski outdoors. Even gardening can count, as long as you’re working hard enough, so you sweat a little! Help yourself create healthy habits! If you join a gym, make sure it’s nearby, so you’ll be more likely to go there. Think about whether you’re more comfortable on your own or with a group. Most people agree that they do more sit-ups and push-ups in group exercise classes than they would on their own. Above all else, be kind to yourself. Find fun ways to reward yourself for working out and make a mental note of the days you work out instead of the days you don’t.

Tune in to the latest edition of Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast mixing music with diabetes information.

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, virtual diabetes support program with style. Divabetic’s dynamic diabetes program features ‘What To Wear When Nothing Fits for Summer’ presented by Divabetic Image & Style Advisor, Catherine Schuller and ‘How To Master The Menu at The Cookout’ presented by MaryAnn Nicolay MEd, NDTR on Tuesday, June 29, 2021, 7-8 PM, EST.

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05/19/202105/20/2021

New Product Alert: Nubocha Dairy-Free Gelato

Life with diabetes doesn’t have to mean a lifetime of deprivation when it comes to dessert thanks to a husband-wife team Gianluca Franzoni, a chocolatier who founded famed Italy chocolate brand Domori, and Katrina Smith. The two entrepreneurs just launched Nubocha — their award-winning, dairy-free gelato brand available all Sprouts grocery locations across the country, and direct-to-consumer via its website.

Nubocha is made with just three main ingredients: premium varietals of nuts or cacao, pure spring water, and allulose, a zero-calorie sugar found naturally in foods like raisins, figs, and maple syrup.

Allulose has the same taste and texture as table sugar. It is about 70% as sweet as sugar, which is similar to the sweetness of erythritol, another popular sweetener. Healthline reports that In animal and human studies, allulose has been found to lower blood sugar levels, increase insulin sensitivity and help protect the insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells.

Let’s not forget it’s dairy-free too! Instead of using more traditional non-dairy replacements like nut or coconut milks, their recipes combine pure spring water and creamy nut butters, which allows the true nature of their premium ingredients to stand out.

With only 250-330 calories per pint (less than other plant-based and dairy ice cream and gelato brands), Nubocha is 100% vegan, keto-friendly, Non-GMO Project verified, gluten-free, dairy-free and kosher-certified

The simplicity of Nubocha’s recipes and its unique use of spring water as a base, allow each thoughtfully sourced ingredient to shine, offering a healthier, flavorful gelato with no added sugar and less than 350 calories per pint.

Nubocha is available in five flavors: Chocolate Arriba, Italian Vanilla, Peanut Butter, Salted Caramel, and Pistachio. The pints retail starting at $8.99 per pint, and are available for national shipping via Amazon or Nubocha’s website. For more information visit Nubocha.com and follow Nubocha on Instagram @nubocha_gelato.

Rather than focus on foods to eliminate from your diet, focus on healthy foods to include in your diabetes diet. The best way to do that is to talk to a registered dietitian. Visit eatright.org, and click the Find a Registered Dietitian button (to the top right of the screen) for a list of nearby dietitians. Your insurance company. Many health insurance companies now provide coverage for nutrition counseling.

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

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04/17/2021

Divabetic Healthy Swap: Greek Yogurt for Sour Cream

Make cutting calories a little easier with this easy and flavorful substitute!

Maryann Nicolay MEd, NDTR shared how she makes an easy swap using Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream on Thursday’s free Divabetic Zoom program.

Greek Yogurt has fewer calories, less fat, and more protein and calcium.

Nonfat Greek Yogurt has approximately 130 calories per cup, 1 gram of fat, and 8 grams of carbohydrates. Regular Greek Yogurt has about 300 calories, 23 grams of fat, and 7 grams of carbohydrates per 1-cup serving. One cup of sour cream (even low-fat) has many more calories than Greek yogurt! One cup of reduced-fat sour cream has approximately 400 calories, 32 grams of fat, and 16 grams of carbohydrates.

We ran to the store on Friday morning to give this swap a test spin. It turns out Greek Yogurt and Sour Cream taste super similar too! It wasn’t weird tasting at all.

“What I love about Maryann’s swap is it’s so sly that you can sneak it past your inner saboteur,” says Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek. “There’s no taste deprivation, and it’s easy!

For swapping a dollop of Sour Cream on your baked potato, nachos, or chili, a 1-to-1 ratio for non-fat-free Greek Yogurt will do the trick. Add Greek yogurt to dressings or dips as a substitute for Sour Cream too.

Save the date for Divabetic’s next free Zoom program in June.

Divabetic’s Luther Vandross Tribute podcast guests include Lisa Fischer, Jason Miles, Jeff James, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Chuck Flowers.

By the time Luther Vandross headed to the studio to record his fifth album Give Me the Reason in 1986, he’d become one of the most successful soul singers of the first half of the eighties. His four previous albums have been either certified platinum or double-platinum in America.

For Luther Vandross’ fifth album Give Me the Reason, the album comprised nine tracks including the hits: So Amazing, There’s Nothing Better Than Love, Stop To Love and Give Me The Reason.

Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s Give Me The Reason album courtesy of SONY Music.

04/07/2021

Don’t Miss Divabetic’s Free Program in April on Zoom

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Join us for Divabetic’s next program on Zoom on Thursday, April 15, 2021, 7-8 PM.

MaryAnn Nicolay MEd, NDTR presents ‘How To Master The Menu at Your Favorite Mexican Restaurant’.

MaryAnn Nicolay is a Registered Dietetic Technician and has worked with the Diabetes Partnership of Cleveland for over 20 years. Her primary responsibility is to develop and implement diabetes education materials and activities in diverse and/or underserved communities.

Divabetic Image & Style Advisor, Catherine Schuller presents ‘What To Wear When Nothing Fits’.

Catherine Schuller is one of the Plus Size Industry’s pioneers. She is a former Ford model, consumer advocate, promoter, marketer, editor, image consultant (Certified by AICI), author, and entrepreneur.

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03/12/202103/17/2021

Free Divabetic Outreach Program on Zoom in April

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, virtual diabetes support program on Thursday, April 15, 2021, 7-8 PM. Click here to register

April’s program features two presentations: ‘What To Wear When Nothing Fits’ presented by Divabetic Image & Style Advisor, Catherine Schuller and ‘What To Eat When Dining Out Mexican’ presented by MaryAnn Nicolay MEd, NDTR.

What To Wear When Nothing Fits

We want to help you embrace the body you have now. Don’t put off looking great and feeling like yourself in your clothes until that elusive one day you hit your goal weight. One tip that style experts advise is to try Shift, A-line and Wrap Dresses to create a more hourglass shape.

What To Eat When Dining Out Mexican

Traditional Mexican food is loaded with carbohydrates which cause blood sugars to rise. One solution is to order tacos! As long as you order corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas since they are much smaller in size, and therefore lowercarbohydrates. Additionally, Guacamole is made from avocadoes, which are loaded with healthy fats and very low in carbohydrates.

Cost: Free.

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03/09/2021

How to Cook Farro

Farro is it’s an ancient whole grain, popular for its use in Middle Eastern and Italian cuisine. It’s packed with protein, fiber, and iron.

Keep in mind, farro is a type of wheat so it contains gluten just like any wheat product.

How to Cook Farro

Boil 2 cups water, 1 cup farro, and salt/salt-free seasoning in a medium saucepan.
Cover the pot, then reduce heat to a simmer.
Cook until grains are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes.
Drain any excess water, and then use it as a side dish or add to other recipes.

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We’re talking about diabetes wellness with music from Jessye Norman on March’s Divabetic Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

“Singing is a very physical responsibility. It requires being as healthy as possible so that we can keep this instrument that we carry around in our throats rather than a nice box that we put away at night so it can do what it needs to do,” says Jessye Norman. “It’s important to take care of our bodies where our voice lives. During an opera performance one can use as many calories as a marathon runner.”

Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Mandy Reece PharmD CDCES, BC-ADM, BCACP, FADCES, Maximize Your Metabolism Authors Dr. Noel Maclaren and Sunita Singh Maclaren, and Know Diabetes By Heart Ambassador, Sarah.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Jessye Norman’s Roots: My Life, My Song (Live at The Philharmonie Berlin) album courtesy of SONY Music.

03/03/202103/03/2021

Healthy Red Quinoa Tabouli Recipe by Jill Weisenberger

Last night, Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND shared her delicious Red Quinoa Tabouli recipe, answer our questions and even recommended some helpful kitchen tools at Divabetic’s Cooking Party on Zoom.

Jill’s latest book, The Beginner’s Guide To What To Eat With Type 2 Diabetes will teach you how to enjoy eating again without all the worry and guilt.

You’ll learn to fit in your favorite treat foods, so you never feel deprived, choose the right foods to avoid blood sugar spikes, keep track of the carb counts in your usual foods, eat to feel full – no more long-lasting hunger pangs, and more!

Enjoy a diva-licious discount on Diabetes Smarts bonus information when you purchase Jill Weisenberger’s The Beginner’s Guide To What To Eat With Type 2 Diabetes. To save, enter the code ‘DIVABETIC’ for the bonuses to be free here.

“Enjoy this refreshing Mediterranean-style salad as a side dish with hot or cold foods, or make it into a meal with the addition of kabobs, chickpeas, chicken or salmon,” says Jill Weisenberger.

Healthy Red Quinoa Tabouli Recipe by Jill Weisenberger

Ingredients

Salad

1 cup red quinoa cooked according to package directions with salt omitted (about 3 cups cooked)
2 cups tightly packed finely chopped fresh parsley (about 3.5 ounces) Use more as desired.
1/2 tightly packed cup finely chopped fresh mint (about 3/4 ounce)
2 cups quartered cherry tomatoes (about 13 ounces)
1½ cups diced cucumber (about 8 ounces)
½ cup diced scallions (about 1.25 ounces)

SEE FULL RECIPE

Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND guests on this episode of Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with music from Maria Callas. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from the Grandiose Stimmen: Maria Callas album courtesy of SONY Music.

03/01/202103/01/2021

Free Diabetes Cooking Party with Jill Weisenberger on Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free Virtual Cooking Party with special guest, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND on Zoom on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 7-8 PM. Jill will be sharing her favorite Quinoa recipes with us.

The dietary fiber content in quinoa is higher found in many other grains. This means that quinoa can be particularly beneficial for people with diabetes, since fiber and protein are considered important for keeping tighter blood sugar management.

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Having diabetes doesn’t mean you need to deny yourself all the foods you love, but you do want to make healthier food choices. One good choice is to eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, which are heavy in nutrition but light in calories.

Jill Weisenberger’s candid and energetic approach and her sound nutrition and fitness advice has earned her a place as one of 10 Dietitians You Need to Follow on Social Media in US News & World Report. Jill offers healthy and delicious recipe ideas and nutrition strategies that are based in sound nutrition science.

Jill Weisenberger is the author of The Beginner’s Guide To What To Eat With Type 2 Diabetes. Jill’s guide will teach you how to enjoy eating again without all the worry and guilt. You’ll learn to:

balance macros (protein, fat and carbohydrate), so you’ll have energy and good nutrition all day
plan meals even if no one else in your family has diabetes
fit in your favorite treat foods, so you never feel deprived
choose the right foods to avoid blood sugar spikes
pick the most healthful carbohydrate-containing foods for your body, so you can feel confident about tending to your heart and blood sugar at the same time
keep track of the carb counts in your usual foods
eat to feel full – no more long-lasting hunger pangs!
set the right goals for you

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Nationally Recognized Dietitian & Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist Jill Weisenberger prepares her favorite Quinoa recipes and shares nutrition tips for people with type 2 diabetes.

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02/27/202102/28/2021

Quinoa Gets A ‘Quin-Wow!’ Makeover with Jill Weisenberger

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa) has become the latest superfood to take America by storm.

Some people even call it the ‘Beyonce’ of Supergrains!

But is this gluten-free, high-protein grain-like relative of spinach and beets worth the hype?

We asked our friend and colleague, Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDCES, FAND, CHWC, who recently published The Beginner’s Guide To What To Eat With Type 2 Diabetes, for her advice.

Q: What puts the ‘Quin-Wow! into Quinoa and makes it so special?

Jill Weisenberger (JW): I love it for its taste, versatility and nutrition profile. We classify quinoa as a whole grain and eat it like it’s a whole grain, but technically it’s a seed. Nutritionally, it has all the essential amino acids, lots of fiber, B vitamins, magnesium and other vitamins and minerals, as well as health-boosting phytonutrients.

Eat it hot or cold, in soups or stews, in place of rice or pasta and even as a cooked breakfast cereal. And it’s great sweet or savory.

Q: Why should someone with type 2 diabetes and/or prediabetes consider adding Quinoa to their meal plan?

JW: In general, eating whole grains is associated with less risk of type 2 diabetes. And whole grains are an important part of a balanced diet. Quinoa is a little higher in protein than most, but the goal is not to focus on one or two whole grains. Instead, we should eat a diet as varied as possible to get the best range of nutrients and other disease-fighters. I especially like quinoa because it’s an intact whole grain, as opposed to one highly refined. Of course, you can find it in crackers, breads and other processed foods – and that’s perfectly fine – but eating the intact seed is quite good for us.

Q: Can Quinoa help manage blood sugar levels?

JW: Not in any direct way, but a balanced diet in general helps manage blood sugar and other metabolic problems associated with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Q: What are some do’s and don’ts for cooking Quinoa?

JW: Rinse it first to rid the bitter saponins, which are natural pesticides. You can cook it like rice: 2 parts liquid: 1 part quinoa. I typically prepare it in my rice cooker with half water and half broth. This gives it a great flavor without too much sodium.

Experiment with quinoa as a base for a whole-grain salad, a nourish bowl, as the starchy side to soup up sauces, and as a str on it’s own flavored with your favorite herbs, spices and cooked vegetables.

Love New Recipes?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free Virtual Cooking Party with special guest, Author of The Beginner’s Guide To What To Eat With Type 2 Diabetes, Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND on Zoom on Tuesday, March 2, 2021, 7-8 PM, EST. Jill shares her favorite quinoa recipes with us!

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02/25/202102/25/2021

A ‘Handy’ Guide To Figuring Out Portion Sizes

Lately I feel the real culprit in managing my weight is portion size. It’s not what I eat, it’s how much I eat. I’ve been learning the hard way that the amount of food I used to eat at 20 or 30 is making me gain weight! Old eating habits are hard to break too.

When I was growing up, my father told me to “clean your plate.”

The problem is that dinner plates, especially in restaurants, have gotten bigger. And so has the amount of food we put on them. If I clean my plate now, I’m overeating.

If you struggle like me with portion sizes, the best help might be right in the palm of your hand.

Use Your Hand To Figure Out Portion Sizes

Your fist = the size of a cup

The palm = the size of 3 ounces of meat

Your thumb = the size of 1 ounce of cheese

Another helpful tip is to check food labels and restaurant menus for hidden calories. Learn to “eyeball” your food to gauge what’s too much — and what’s just right.

The good news is that experts agree that when you downsize to healthy portions, your body will, too!