Fast Food Menus Are Less Healthy Than They Were 30 Years Ago

Fast food menus are less healthy than they were 30 years ago according to The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics study published last week. 

The researchers studied 1,787 entrees, sides and desserts at 10 chains — Arby’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr., Dairy Queen, Hardee’s, Jack in the Box, KFC, Long John Silver’s, McDonald’s and Wendy’s — from 1986 to 2016. In that time, the number of items in those three categories rose 226 percent.

Across the 10 chains, the researchers found, the average entree weighed 39 grams more in 2016 than in 1986 and had 90 more calories. It also had 41.6 percent of the recommended daily allotment of sodium, up from 27.8 percent.

Sodium content rose to 23.2 percent of the recommended daily allotment from 11.6 percent, even though portion size did not grow substantially.

Divabetic will presenting the first-ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience: Clued Innon Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City. Currently we have over 150 pre-registered for Clued Inn but there’s still room for you and your friends to participate! Register now at CluedInn.org.

Improve Your Heart Health at Home and Work

How’s your heart health? If you’re like millions of Americans—about 92 million in fact—you do have to watch your heart health due to cardiovascular disease or health effects after a stroke. That means you have to pay special attention to your heart health—to what you eat, to how you feel, to how much you’re moving. Even if don’t have some health conditions that affect your heart, you have to be conscious of how your health (mental, physical, emotional) is taking a toll on your most vital organ.                   

Let’s look at food for starters. If you’re like many Americans, your intake of sugar, salt, and processed food is far too high. And you might be siloing your food—eating too much of the same thing, over and over again. So how else can you keep your heart pumping, happy and healthy, even while you’re at work? This graphic helps you understand the issues.

What Becomes A Semi-Legend Most is Not ‘Fur’ But ‘Failure’!

Recently I had the opportunity to share my personal story with the Beyond Type 2 website. It quickly turned into a walk down memory lane for me as the memories of the humble beginnings of Divabetic (selling t-shirts, hosting support meetings at the YMCA, and working in the basement of dLife) came rushing back. 

I don’t think I would have been so honest or forthright in my writing if not for Boehringer Ingelheim’s sponsorship of Divabetic’s newest program, Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Rooms. This new sponsorship helped me push past multiple failed attempts at sponsorship and the never-ending negativity from the greater diabetes community, and get back in the game! 

I’m hoping my story can help inspire others because I know that not everyone is able to get past their failures. 

“Failure is always a demoralizing and upsetting experience. Failure makes your mind trick you into believing things that aren’t true,” according to the Psychology Today website. “Unless you learn to respond to failures in psychologically adaptive ways, they will paralyze you, demotivate you, and limit your likelihood of success going forward.”

Failure Distorts Your Perceptions of Your Abilities

This is true for me. I haven’t spoken about the ‘makeover’ years in quite awhile because I really thought I failed. My inability to get sponsorship for anything else after Divabetic’s  makeover program ended really broke my spirit. I didn’t think I was good at anything involving diabetes outreach. Additionally, several ‘haters’ on social media thought I was strictly ‘fluff’ and not informative or educational. I also was the target of homophobia after presenting a free diabetes outreach program at a well-known African-American Methodist Church which stopped me from ever presenting faith-based outreach again. 

The Pressure to Succeed Increases Performance Anxiety and Causes Choking

Everyone from the  Divabetic-Makeover Your Diabetes team kept asking me why we weren’t getting sponsored by another pharmaceutical company. What they didn’t know was that my proposals were being rejected on a daily basis! I became frustrated, angry and upset as I tried to rework the program into various formats and different sponsorship levels – all without success.

I remember hosting a Divabetic Zone at the Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD) Expo. The crowd loved us! Plenty of sponsors saw first-hand how our Divabetic area was packed throughout the day. I hosted portion control games, ‘Single Ladies, Single Servings’ and ‘Dancing In Cars’ workouts all day on Saturday afternoons but still no one returned my calls on Monday mornings.

The Psychologically Healthiest Response to Failure Is to Focus on Variables in Your Control 

After what seemed like my millionth failure in achieving sponsorship I chose to go inward. I stopped volunteering to be part of other people’s and organization’s diabetes outreach events and focused solely on Divabetic podcast and videos. I put my head down and focused on the work. I added music to Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcasts courtesy of SONY Music, created health games and reworked podcast segments with a variety of guests. 

Psychology Today advises people facing similar situations to break down the task or goal in question to those aspects that are in your control and those that are not. Then go through the list of aspects that are not in your control and figure out how to take control of them—by improving your skill-set, planning, relationships, knowledge, preparation, etc.

It worked for me! Feeling in control is a literal antidote to feelings of helplessness and demoralization that will motivate you to try again, minimize your chances of another failure, and increase your likelihood of success!

Podcasting allowed me to flex my creativity and explore new ways to educate people about diabetes and diabetes self-care. A  chance meeting with Best-Selling Author, Tonya Kappes at a Book Expo in New York led to Divabetic’s annual mystery podcast. Trust me, no one in their right mind was willing to hire me as a ‘mystery writer’ except for me (I couldn’t pay anyone else to do it!). Somehow I managed to convince my Diabetes Late Niteteam and colleagues to participate in a mystery radio podcast. We had so much fun that here we are six years later getting ready for present our sixth annual mystery podcast, ‘Gingerbread Men Prefer Blondes’ in September 2019. 

And that’s not all! Our annual mystery podcast was such a healing experience for me that I actually swallowed my pride and submitted a proposal in October for a new diabetes outreach program based on the mystery podcast. 

I happy to announce that Divabetic will presenting the first-ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience: Clued Inn on Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City. Currently we have over 150 pre-registered for Clued Inn but there’s still room for you and your friends to participate! Register now at CluedInn.org.

Combining Heart Health Education and Diabetes Alert Day Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDE

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. More than one in three women is living with some form of cardiovascular disease.

Women with high blood pressure have an 83 percent higher risk of heart attack then men with hypertension.

Women smokers have a 55 percent higher risk of heart attack than male smokers.

Women with type 2 diabetes are 47 percent more likely to have heart attacks than men living with diabetes.

The good news? Heart disease can often be prevented when people make healthy choices and manage their health conditions.

Risk factors that you can manage or treat with lifestyle changes and your healthcare provider’s help include:

High blood pressure

Smoking

High blood cholesterol

Lack of regular activity

Obesity or overweight

Diabetes

Risk factors that you can’t change include:

Age

Gender

Heredity (family health history)

Race

Previous stroke or heart attack

Start by knowing your numbers. You can’t manage what you don’t measure, which is why knowing your heart health risk is critical to prevent cardiovascular disease. Talk to your healthcare provider to learn about your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose, and BMI (Body Mass Index).

Your heart depends on it. For more information about heart health go to the American Heart Association website at www.heart.org.

Alert ! Day for Type 2 Diabetes Awareness

Tuesday, March 26, 2019 is the American Diabetes Association’s “Alert ! Day” for type 2 diabetes awareness.  Each year, held on the last Tuesday of March, is a one-day event that encourages everyone to take the type 2 diabetes risk test and participate in activities that will teach them about reducing their risk for diabetes.

Five factors are used to determine your risk for type 2 diabetes which include: your age, your gender, for women: whether you were ever diagnosed with gestational diabetes, whether you have a close family member with diabetes, whether you have high blood pressure, your level of physical activity, and your weight category.

Only your healthcare provider can tell you for sure if you have type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is more common in African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. Higher body weight increases diabetes risk for everyone.

The good news is you can manage your risk for type 2 diabetes. Small steps can make a big difference in helping you live a longer, healthier life. For more information about Alert ! Day go to: the American Diabetes Association’s website

Combining Diabetes Awareness with Heart Health Education

For one night only, on Tuesday, March 26, 2019, you can enjoy a FREE outreach event at NYC’s #1 Escape Room Experience, Clued Inn, with a heart health twist. Clued Inn’s goal is to enliven the mission of the American Diabetes Association’s Diabetes Alert Day with a one-day wake up call and encourage further action through an interactive, gaming experience. Clued Inn aims to change perceptions about early recognition of type 2 diabetes, inform about the link between type 2 diabetes and heart health, and promote intervention before it leads to cardiovascular disease.

In many ways, type 2 diabetes is a puzzle since the most common symptoms vary from person to person. The same skills needed to succeed at the game are also necessary for preventing cardiovascular disease for people with type 2 diabetes.  The escape room experience fosters the same collaboration as diabetes management. Players explore possibilities, think of creative solutions, ask questions, listen to answers, and try new ways of doing things. No one goes it alone and there’s more than one way to find a solution. All of these behaviors can be put to good use when tackling a health issue with your healthcare provider(s). For these reasons, Clued Inn offers a fun learning experience for everyone to improve problem solving skills and learn about the connection between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It also gives at-risk individuals and their families better knowledge of the questions and conversations to be conducted at the next appointment they have with their healthcare provider.

Can you escape before it’s too late?

Solve the special “Diabetes and Heart Health” puzzles for a chance to receive prize giveaways, diabetes and heart health resources, and meet with nationally recognized diabetes educators. Online registration is quick and easy and the entire Escape Room Experience is totally free courtesy of the Clued Inn sponsor, Boehringer Ingelheim. For further information, and to register, go to www.CluedInn.org.

Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE

Dr. Beverly S. Adler, aka “Dr. Bev”, is a clinical psychologist and Certified Diabetes Educator with a private practice in Baldwin, NY. She was honored in 2016 with the “Certified Diabetes Educator Entrepreneur of the Year Award.”

She is the author/editor of two diabetes self-help books which include insightful lessons of empowerment written by successful men and women with diabetes.  She has published articles in print and online about diabetes management – always with the focus on emotional adjustment. Dr. Bev has been quoted in numerous magazines and contributed to a monthly diabetes advice column online. She is a frequent contributor to the Divabetic Diabetes Daily Wire, where she blogs about diabetes topics from the psychological perspective.

Dr. Bev has lived successfully with type 1 diabetes for 42 years. You can connect with her on her website www.AskDrBev.com and on Twitter @AskDrBev.

Emotional Eating vs. Binge Eating By Michelle May, M.D.

Have you noticed that you reach for food when you’re feeling stressed, bored, lonely, mad, or sad? 

When your habit is to use food instead of paying attention to what these emotions are trying to tell you about your underlying needs, those needs go unmet. And of course, those unmet needs will continue to drive emotional eating!

Emotional eating is using food to regulate emotions, in other words, attempting to manage your mood with food.

Emotional connections to food are normal; we eat to socialize, express love, have fun, soothe a hurt, and reward ourselves for a job well done. And there’s nothing wrong with that! Emotional eating only becomes a problem when it’s the primary way you cope with or avoid your feelings.

Emotional eating does sometimes leads to binge eating – but binge eating is not “just” overeating. In fact, it is defined as eating a significantly larger amount of food than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances. During a binge, a person feels out of control or feels that they can’t stop eating. Some describe it as a trance-like state.

Listen to Dr. Michelle May on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast. 

Other guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, R & B Singer Alyson Williams, ‘Here & Now’ Songwriter and Entertainer Terry Steele, Seveda Williams, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian and Luther Superfan John Price.

Throughout the  podcast we will be featuring selected songs from the album entitled ‘Busy Body’ courtesy of SONY Music. On ‘Busy Body’, Luther Vandross’ third album features ‘Superstar’‘For the Sweetness Of Your Love’, and the duet with Dionne Warwick entitled ‘ How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye’

Carson Daly’s Mother’s Heart Attack Linked to Diabetes

Recently TODAY Show’s co-host Carson Daly shared memories of his mother, who died of a heart attack in September 2017, to help raise awareness about the connection between Type 1 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Nearly two-thirds of people with diabetes have high blood pressure, and, according to the American Diabetes Association, people with diabetes are two to four times more likely to die of heart disease or have a stroke than people who don’t have the condition. 

The connection between diabetes and heart disease starts with high blood sugar levels according to the Everyday Health website. Over time, the high glucose in the bloodstream can damage the arteries, causing them to become stiff and hard. Fatty material that builds up on the inside of these blood vessels, a condition known as atherosclerosis.  This can eventually block blood flow to the heart or brain, leading to heart attack or stroke. Your risk of heart disease with diabetes is further elevated if you also have a family history of cardiovascular disease or stroke.

LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 25: Carson Daly and his mother Pattie Daly Caruso arrive at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on August 25, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

“I never would have guessed that my mom was going to die of a heart attack,” writes Carson Daly. “She had some health issues — nothing in the heart. No symptoms. Never saw it coming. So I find myself this month being hyperaware about women and their health, as it pertains to the heart. Heart disease is the most common cause of death in American women. And I have been directly impacted by that.”

If you believe you are at a higher risk for heart disease, don’t despair. Learning more about the link between heart disease and diabetes can help you take steps to help protect your heart and manage your diabetes.

Start by working with your doctor to keep your blood glucose level within the target range. You can check on your efforts by having A1C tests at least twice a year; these reveal your average blood sugar level for the past three months. A normal A1C level should be below 5.7.

Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Rooms

Join us for Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Rooms! Complete either the 60 second Diabetes Risk Test or the Heart IQ Quiz and register for free for the first-ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience scheduled for National Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 5- 10PM in New York City. Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Space Limited.  BOOK NOW 

Drinking 2 or more Diet Drinks a Day linked to High Risk of Stroke, Heart Attacks

Drinking two or more of any kind ofartificially sweetened drinks a day is linked to an increased risk of clot-based strokes, heart attacks and early death in women over 50, according to a new study by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.The risks were highest for women with no history of heart disease or diabetes and women who were obese or African-American.

Previous studies have focused on the bigger picture of cardiovascular disease,” said lead study author Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, an associate professor of clinical epidemiology and population health at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York. “Our study focused on the most common type of stroke, ischemic stroke and its subtypes, one of which was small-vessel blockage. The other interesting thing about our study is that we looked at who is more vulnerable.”

After controlling for lifestyle factors, the study found that women who consumed two or more artificially sweetened beverages each day were 31% more likely to have a clot-based stroke, 29% more likely to have heart disease and 16% more likely to die from any causethan women who drank diet beverages less than once a week or not at all.

The analysis then looked at women with no history of heart disease and diabetes, which are key risk factors for stroke. The risks rose dramatically if those women were obese or African-American.

“We should be drinking more water and natural beverages, such as unsweetened herbal teas,” Mossavar-Rahmani said. “We can’t just go all day drinking diet soda. Unlimited amounts are not harmless.”

Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Rooms

Join us for Clued Inn Escape Room, the first-ever, free Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience on National Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 5- 10PM in New York City. Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Space Limited.  BOOK NOW 

Understanding and Treating Heart Attack, Panic Attack, and Hypoglycemic Reaction Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDE

Heart attack, panic attack, and hypoglycemic reaction (low blood glucose) have symptoms which are common to all three conditions. However, treatment for all three are very different.

Symptoms of a Heart Attack:

Shortness of breath

Pressure, tightness, pain, or a squeezing or aching sensation in your chest or arms that may spread to you neck, jaw, shoulder, or upper back. (Note: women may have a heart attack without chest pain.)

Indigestion, heartburn or abdominal discomfort

Nausea or vomiting

Cold sweat

Lightheadedness or sudden dizziness

Unusual fatigue

Symptoms of a Panic Attack:

Sensations of shortness of breath or being smothered

Over-breathing (hyperventilating)

Nausea or abdominal distress

Dry heaving and/or gagging

Sweating

Feeling dizzy, unsteady, lightheaded or faint

Feeling of choking

Palpitations and/or accelerated heart rate

Chills or hot flushes

Trembling or shaking

Numbness or tingling sensations

Fear of losing control or going insane

Feeling that death is imminent

Symptoms of a Hypoglycemic Reaction (Low Blood Glucose):

Rapid heartbeat

Blurry vision

Sudden nervousness

Unexplained fatigue

Pale skin

Headache

Hunger

Shaking

Dizziness

Skin tingling

Sudden mood changes

Trouble thinking clearly or concentrating

Loss of consciousness, seizure, coma

What You Should Know About a Heart Attack

Heart disease is the most common cause of death for both women and men in the United States. However, of the nearly 500,000 heart attack deaths that occur each year, more than 239,000 are in women. Women’s symptoms may occur more often when women are resting. Mental stress may trigger heart attack symptoms in women. Sweating is typical for a heart attack, as is nausea, especially for women. Women of all ages should take heart health seriously. Women under the age of 65, and especially those with a family history of heart disease, need to pay close attention to heart disease risk factors. A heart attack is dangerous, and requires prompt medical attention.

You can’t deep-breathe your way out of a heart attack, but you can deep-breathe your way through a panic attack. If you feel your heart is racing, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth several times in a row. If it helps, you’re probably just panicking.  If it’s a heart attack, that deep-breathing is going to hurt.

What You Should Know About a Panic Attack

A panic attack is very sudden in onset and includes an intense fear and anxiety. Panic attacks will be over within 10 minutes (and often less), while heart attacks can last much longer. During a panic attack your body goes into fight or flight mode – your breathing rate increase, muscles tense, and heart rate quicken. A panic attack imposes no immediate danger; it is not going to cause a heart attack. Though it can feel like it, a panic attack won’t kill you.

What You Should Know About a Hypoglycemic Reaction (also known as an Insulin Reaction)

The American Diabetes Association defines hypoglycemia, or low blood glucose, in terms of two levels. Level 1 is when the blood glucose level is lower than 70 mg/dL. Level 2, known as severe hypoglycemia, is when the blood glucose level is lower than 54 mg/dL and requires the assistance from another person to treat. Severe hypoglycemia is classed as a diabetes emergency. If you experience any of the symptoms of hypoglycemia, even if you suspect anxiety, you should check your blood glucose. If you have low blood glucose and it causes symptoms, do not ignore it. Low blood glucose can be potentially life-threatening.

How to Treat a Heart Attack:

Call 911 or your local emergency number. Whenever you’re in doubt about your symptoms, seek care without delay. Only medical tests can rule out the possibility of a heart attack.

Chew and swallow an aspirin, unless you are allergic to aspirin or have been told by your doctor never to take aspirin.

Take nitroglycerin, if prescribed.

Begin CPR if the person is unconscious.

Lifestyle Changes to Reduce the Risk of Heart Disease:

Quit or don’t smoke.

Exercise regularly.

Maintain a healthy weight.

Eat a healthy diet that includes whole grains, a variety of fruits and vegetables, low fat or fat-free dairy products, and lean meats. Avoid saturated or trans fat, added sugars, and high amounts of salt.

How to Treat a Panic Attack:

Use deep breathing. While hyperventilating is a symptom of panic attacks that can increase fear, deep breathing can reduce symptoms of panic during an attack.

Close your eyes. Some panic attacks come from triggers that overwhelm you.  To reduce the stimuli, close your eyes during your panic attack.  This can block out any extra stimuli and make it easier to focus on your breathing.

Find a focus object. Some people find it helpful to find a single object to focus all of their attention on during a panic attack.  Pick one object in clear sight and consciously note everything about it.

Picture your happy place. What’s the most relaxing place in the world that you can think of and picture yourself there; try to focus on the details as much as possible. This place should be quiet, calm, and relaxing.

Lifestyle Changes to Manage Panic Symptoms:

Avoid caffeine, alcohol, smoking and recreational drugs. All of these can trigger or worsen panic attacks.

Practice stress management and relaxation techniques. For example, yoga, deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation may be helpful.

Get physically active. Aerobic activity may have a calming effect on your mood.

How to Treat a Hypoglycemic Reaction:

Early symptoms can usually be treated by following the 15-15 rule. Eat or drink 15 grams of a fast-acting carbohydrate. Fast-acting carbohydrates are foods that are easily converted to sugar in the body, such as glucose tablets or gel, fruit juice, or regular soda (not diet soda).

Check your blood glucose again in 15 minutes. If it is still low (below 70 mg/dL) repeat the step above.

If your next meal is more than an hour away, you will need to eat one carbohydrate choice as a snack (along with protein) to keep your blood glucose from going low again.

If you have type 1 diabetes and your blood glucose drops too low, you may pass out. If you do, a drug called glucagon should be injected into your skin, like you do with insulin This can be done by a family member or friend who has been taught how to do it. Since glucagon may cause you to vomit, you should be placed on your side when the injection is given. If no one knows how to give the injection, you should be taken to a hospital. You need a prescription for a glucagon kit. You should awaken about 10 minutes after the glucagon is injected. If you do not, you should be taken to a hospital at once.

Lifestyle Changes to Manage Blood Glucose:

Pay attention to feelings of hunger and give your body what it needs to function properly.

Always carry a fast-acting carbohydrate with you in case you need to treat an insulin reaction.

If you can’t figure out why you have low blood glucose, call your healthcare provider, as your medicine may need to be adjusted.

Understanding the symptoms for heart attack, panic attack, and hypoglycemia is important so you can receive the right treatment. In addition, it’s also important to make lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of heart attack, manage panic symptoms, and manage blood glucose. 

Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE

Dr. Beverly S. Adler, aka “Dr. Bev”, is a clinical psychologist and Certified Diabetes Educator with a private practice in Baldwin, NY. She was honored in 2016 with the “Certified Diabetes Educator Entrepreneur of the Year Award.”

She is the author/editor of two diabetes self-help books which include insightful lessons of empowerment written by successful men and women with diabetes.  She has published articles in print and online about diabetes management – always with the focus on emotional adjustment. Dr. Bev has been quoted in numerous magazines and contributed to a monthly diabetes advice column online. She is a frequent contributor to the Divabetic Diabetes Daily Wire, where she blogs about diabetes topics from the psychological perspective.

Dr. Bev has lived successfully with type 1 diabetes for 42 years. You can connect with her on her website www.AskDrBev.com and on Twitter @AskDrBev.

Join us for Clued Inn Escape Room, the first-ever, free Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience on National Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 5- 10PM in New York City. Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Space Limited.  BOOK NOW 

Get Clued Inn About Your Shape

Divabetic hosts a sneak peek of Clued Inn: The First-Ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience at Hale Organic Salon in New York City scheduled for National Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Guest presenters: Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE, Susan Weiner MS RDN CDE CDN FAADE, Catherine Schuller and Joe Murray will be discussing how your body shape relates to your risk for heart disease.

Does your Body Shape signal Heart Problems?

Having an apple shaped body – one where too much fat is stored around the middle (waist) –  may be a warning sign that you are at risk for heart disease and other health problems, including Type 2 diabetes and cancer states Dr. Tony Hampton, an obesity expert at Advocate Trinity Hospital in Chicago and a member of the Obesity Medicine Association.

A clue to your risk is where your body stores excess fat. So, paying attention to the size of your waistline may be a more effective strategy for good health than focusing strictly on your Body Mass Index (BMI), or your overall weight.

Body types shaped like a carrot, a pear or an hour glass tend to carry lower risk for heart disease, even when carrying extra fat.Divabetic’s Sneak Peek for Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room features Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE (author of MY SWEET LIFE: Successful Men with Diabetes and MY SWEET LIFE: Successful Women with Diabetes), Susan Weiner MS RDN CDE CDN FAADE (author of The Complete Diabetes Organizer, Diabetes: 365 Tips for Living Well) Hale Organic Salon owner and Master Stylist Joe Murray. The program is hosted by Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek.

Don’t miss Clued Inn, the first-time Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience scheduled for Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim. Free Admission. Space Limited. BOOK NOW

Get ‘Clued In’ About Your Heart Age

The New York City Health Departments wants to help NYCers get ‘CLUED IN’ about their risk for heart disease by using the Heart Age Calculator to determine your heart age.

The Heart Age Calculator asks eight questions including height, weight, blood pressure and whether you smoke, to come up with the result. Users  learn their heart age compared to their actual age.

Calculate Your Heart Age Now

Health officials say the average New Yorker has a heart age nearly six years older than their actual age, which puts them at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke.

“New Yorkers are famously young at heart, but heart disease and stroke remain leading causes of death in New York City,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett. “Using the Heart Age Calculator is a simple, easy first step that lets New Yorkers check on their heart age and takes steps toward heart health.”

The Health Department said residents of the Bronx had a heart age 7.2 years older than their actual age, compared to residents of Staten Island (6.9 years), Queens (6.0 years), Brooklyn (5.9 years), and Manhattan (3.8 years).

But not everyone is happy with their results judging by the comments posted on Facebook. Many people are outraged over the lack of questions about exercise routines and diets to determine the results.

The Heart Age Calculator also provides resources for managing factors that increase heart disease and stroke risk, such as high blood pressure, overweight and obesity, diabetes, and smoking. It is designed for people ages 30 to 74 who do not have a history of cardiovascular disease.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. with 1 in 4 deaths caused by heart disease each year. 

Don’t miss Clued Inn Escape Room, the first-ever Escape Room Experience with a Heart Health twist on on National Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019, 5- 10PM in New York City. BOOK NOW