diabetes – Page 16

12/18/2022

Serve, Taste or Trash Food Game At Central Farm Markets

We’re looking back on almost 20 years of Divabetic outreach.

One of my favorite memories is shooting our ‘man-in-the-street’ YouTube videos with my friend, Arthur Espino. We shot these videos with a camera (we weren’t using iPhones back then) without a microphone. I’d stop people as they walked by, and after we shot 3-4 interviews, I’d run home and edit the video.

In this video, I play the nutrition game Serve, Taste, or Trash! with the vendors and patrons at Central Farm Markets in Bethesda, MD.

This game was born out of my long-standing aversion to peas. Voicing your dislike for a particular vegetable aloud might inspire others to share different ways to enjoy it, which could ultimately change your mind about the taste. Personally, it led me to enjoy eating wasabi peas!

Fans of our popular Divabetic Mysteries podcasts know that my dislike of peas also inspired me to write and produce the mystery podcast Gypsies, Tramps & Peas.

Perhaps this video can inspire you to try another fruit or vegetable you dislike!

In the game, you’re given three choices of fruits and vegetables. You must decide which one you’d serve, which one you’d taste, and which one you’d trash.

Before you decide to “trash” a veggie for good, why not try to eat it raw?

Raw veggies can be more appetizing than their cooked counterparts to people who aren’t crazy about vegetables. The flavors of raw veggies can be milder than those of cooked ones. And the texture is crispy rather than mushy.

Special guest Kathy Gold RN, MSN, CDCES (who participated in countless Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes outreach events) from Washington, DC, helps raise awareness for diabetes in a fun and glamorous new way.

Since 2009, Central Farm Markets has provided residents with a place to buy the freshest produce, meats, dairy, seafood, and bakery goods from over 50 top-quality farmers and artisan food producers. It’s a great farm market! They were always very welcoming to our unique brand of diabetes outreach and us.

12/15/2022

Divabetic Holiday Podcast Inspired by Kelly Clarkson

We’re discussing celebrating the holidays without compromising our diabetes wellness on Divabetic’s Holiday podcast with musical inspiration from Kelly Clarkson.

The holidays are a wonderful time of year when you spend time catching up with family and friends. It’s also a time when there is a lot of focus on food, which can be very stressful if you have diabetes. You want to enjoy the holidays and eat delicious food, but managing your diabetes can pose challenges. With advanced planning and preparation, you can still enjoy holiday favorites without compromising your diabetes wellness goals.

Plan how you will handle meals that don’t align with your regular meal schedule. If you take insulin injections or a pill that lowers blood sugar, you may need to have a snack at your regular meal time to prevent a low blood sugar reaction. Speak to your diabetes care provider before the holidays to best plan how to handle mealtime changes throughout the holiday season.

Find out what you should know about diabetes, including types, symptoms, and causes, and share this information with your friends and family. People are more willing to help when they understand what you’re dealing with and how to help you.

Everyone makes a mistake now and then. It’s important not to judge yourself too harshly and focus instead on getting back on track.

The most important thing is getting back on track with your diabetes self-care goals.

Wrapped in Red quickly becomes a welcome gift to fans of the upbeat pop star and talk show host as Kelly Clarkson mixes classic carols and hymns with several originals co-written by the singer.

Kelly Clarkson’s inspiring us to lend our ‘voice’ to topics such as the link between HIV medications and type 2 diabetes, how the homeless manage diabetes, great gift ideas for loved ones with diabetes, and how you can lose weight during holidays (!) on this podcast. Plus, we challenge one lucky listener’s ‘Diabetes Health IQ’ during Mr. Divabetic’s Wrapped In Red Game segment.

Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Kathy Gold RN, MSN, CDCES, FAADE, Glucose Revival‘s Kris Maynard, Dr. Sara (Mandy) Reece, PharmD, CDCES, BC-ADM, BCACP, FAADE, Maria Sakowitz, MS, RDN, LDN, CLT, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach.

Glucose Revival believes you should live your best life. They make products for people with diabetes who suffer from low blood sugars. Their Thrive Glucose Necklace provides 15 grams of glucose in an easy-to-carry, easy-to-find, and easy-to-use form.

Just imagine not worrying about running, biking, swimming, camping, dancing, hiking, skiing, and living without worrying about taking care of the next low blood sugar.

The podcast features music from Kelly Clarkson’s Wrapped In Red courtesy of SONY Music.

Interestingly, we promoted the first-ever Diabetes & Cardiovascular Disease Escape Room Experience, Clued Inn, on this podcast. The program was held on National Diabetes Alert Day (March 26, 2019) in New York City and sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim.

12/14/2022

Divabetic Holiday Podcast Inspired by Mariah Carey

Divabetic encourages you not to let diabetes dim your holiday spirit with musical inspiration from Mariah Carey.

Mariah Carey’s “Merry Christmas” album is the best-selling Christmas album of all time. Merry Christmas boasts a variety of musical arrangements, sounds, and genres. Mariah Carey’s goal during recording was to provide an album with a “Christmas feel,” providing a mixture of soulful tracks and fun and joyous holiday treats.

In the years since its original release, All I Want for Christmas Is You has become established as a Christmas standard; it was once called “one of the few worthy modern additions to the holiday canon.

All I Want for Christmas Is You logs its ninth total week atop the Hot 100 and becomes the first song to have led in four distinct runs on the ranking. As a result, the singer-songwriter has broken the record by hitting the number one spot in 2019 (for three weeks), 2020 (two), and 2021 (three). The 1994 track is the first song to have led at No. 1 at four different times.

Having diabetes shouldn’t stop you from enjoying holiday celebrations and travel. With some planning and a little preparation, you can stay healthy on the road and at holiday gatherings with friends and family.

Preparation is the essential step in managing diabetes during holiday travel and festivities. Know what you’ll be eating, how to enjoy a few traditional favorites while sticking with a healthy meal plan, and how to pack necessary supplies for a trip, and you’re ready to celebrate!

Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, Unleash Your Inner Diabetes Dominator Author Daniele Hargenrader, CEO of Insulcloud Jose Luis, and Mama Rose Marie.

Throughout the podcast, we feature musical selections from Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas album courtesy of SONY Music.

12/03/2022

Cozy Up With Divabetic Mysteries: A Christmas Peril

The Holidays are full of surprises— especially after Mr. Divabetic gets a new job as the pastry chef at the St. Nicholas Nursing Home nestled in a cozy Christmas Village. But adjusting to life in a Christmas Village is not all sugarplums and candy canes. Especially when a cantankerous resident, a real-life Ebenezer Scrooge, named Mr. Pincher almost dies——shortly after eating one of Max’s peanut butter swirl brownies.

Despite all of the ingredients for danger, Mr. Divabetic and our team of amateur sleuths and his overly protective mother — set out to find the real culprit in the hopes that his name isn’t on a lethal naughty list.

Our story was inspired by Kevin Houdeshell’s tragic true-life story. Thanks to the Houdeshell family for their advocacy efforts on behalf of the Emergency Insulin Act of 2019 and the emergency prescription refill legislation. Known as Kevin’s or Howdy’s Law, it allows pharmacists to dispense an emergency supply of chronic maintenance medication if the doctor cannot be reached – a common-sense act that could save a life.

Starring Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, USA Best Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie Gentle, Terri Seidman, MaryAnn Nicolay, Trisha Artman, Catherine Schuller, Chef Robert Lewis, Seveda Williams, and Wendy Radford. Special thanks to the Houdeshell family and Pharmacist Mandy Reece. Original music by Ivan Hampden Jr., Celine Dion’s vocals courtesy of SONY Music. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir.

In the spirit of Scrooge’s awakening at the end of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, we encourage you to honor Christmas in your heart by living in the Past, The Present, and the Future. Try to embrace the Spirits of all Three and the lessons they teach.

10/01/2022

Weighing In on Divabetic’s Mystery Podcast

This past Tuesday, we presented a live performance of Divabetic’s 9th Annual Mystery podcast, Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu. The podcast is available on-demand to listen to at any time using the player below.

The goal of Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu is to empower people living with, at risk, and affected by diabetes to overcome the shame and blame associated with the disease, especially as it relates to their weight.

In a society where being thin equates with beauty, youth, intelligence, and success, there is often little sympathy or patience for people who struggle to maintain an acceptable weight.

According to statistics, more than 85% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, so it stands to reason that the main focus for managing Type 2 diabetes is reaching and staying at a perceived healthy weight. But it’s also important to note that people not considered overweight can still get both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

If you worry that you’ll never be thin enough to live well with diabetes, please be aware that there’s more to managing diabetes than the number on the scale. We urge you to seek healthcare collaborators who will listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and offer solutions to treat every number related to your diabetes accordingly.

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, lands his to-die-for job as a caterer for the nation’s hottest health guru, Wendy Wattage’s Wellness Retreat on the Jersey Shore. Everything seems low pressure and low calorie until the body of the nasty food critic, Marilyn Macaroni, is found stabbed to death with one of Max’s new chef knives. Now he’s the prime suspect in a big, fat murder investigation!

Can he and his team of friends, diabetes educators, and his nosey Italian mother, Mama Rose Marie, find the killer before the police arrive? Or will he be trading his fruit suit for coveralls with stripes?

Weight loss murder never tasted so good.

Starring Mr. Divabetic, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Maryann Horst Nicolay MEd, NTDR, Kathie Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage,’ Seveda Williams, Catherine Schuller and Lorraine Brooks. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Special thanks to our colleague, the multi-talented Wendy Radford.

Music from The Pink Panther and The Return of The Pink Panther soundtracks by Henry Mancini courtesy of SONY Music.

09/06/202209/06/2022

Mama’s Kitchen Table Makes For An Unforgettable Summer

Earlier this summer, the song Mama’s Kitchen Table by Ivan Hampden Jr. featuring Paulette McWilliams was a new entry on the UK Soul Chart debuting at #15.

Paulette and I co-wrote the lyrics and Ivan produced the track.

The three of us met while working for Luther Vandross. Ivan Hampden Jr. was Luther’s drummer, Paulette McWilliams was one of his backing vocalists, and I was his assistant.

Before working for Luther, Paulette was in The American Breed who later became Rufus, and she introduced Chaka Khan to them to take her place. She sang with Quincy Jones, featured on Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall” and has toured with Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and so many others. She was a guest on Richard Marzetti’s Solar Radio show on June 3, 2022. Click HERE to listen.

Ivan Hampden Jr. is a four-time Grammy winner and, as well as Luther’s albums, has appeared on albums by Ashford & Simpson, Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, The Temptations, Beyonce, Mavis Staple, and Ann Nesby to name some of the more famous ones.

After Luther’s stroke, related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes, I founded the nonprofit, Divabetic in 2003. Since then, I have reached thousands of at-risk people affected by and living with diabetes through live events, videos, and podcasts. I was thrilled to return to music with my friends, Ivan and Paulette. Seeing Mama’s Kitchen Table on the UK Soul Charts brought me so much joy. It was an unexpected but equally enchanting moment in an unforgettable Summer.

I’m also thrilled to announce the three of us teamed up again to write the new Christmas song, Pink Champagne, coming out in late Fall.

“Pink Champagne is dedicated to anyone experiencing a painful heartbreak during the holidays,” says Paulette McWilliams.

Breakups are hard. But the holidays seem to magnify the loneliness of heartache: parties with everyone coupled up, romantic Christmas music and movies, and those annual Christmas letters brimming with friends’ burgeoning families. The airwaves are filled with upbeat holiday classics leaving little room for sadness and contemplation.

Pink Champagne is a story of a woman’s journey from victim to victor at Christmastime. A mindset that Paulette believes can help someone with a broken heart find fulfillment.

“You can’t experience the joy of the holidays unless you let go of the painful emotions instead of holding them in,” she says. “I hope Pink Champagne helps people who are hurting be able to move on.”

Nancy Wilson’s Guess Who I Saw Today and Marlena Shaw’s Go Away Litte Boy inspired my lyrics and story.

A true classic, Guess Who I Saw Today was written by Murray Grand with lyrics by Elisse Boyd. The delicious, dignified, and elegant Nancy Wilson’s storytelling ability remains unsurpassed. Her timeless tone and delivery satisfy Jazz lovers of all generations.

For the first Lady of Blue Note, Marlena Shaw’s Go Away Little Boy lifted her career to new heights. Her dash of wit and attitude provide a virtual tour de force, a classic moment of 1970’s soul. Marlena’s recording is one part hilarious stand-up routine (a la Millie Jackson or Patti Labelle) and one part slow-jam mood music.

08/25/2022

57 Years Of Living With Type 1 Diabetes with FatCatAnna

”I’ve been living with type 1 diabetes for 57 years,” says diabetes advocate, mentor, and blogger FatCatAnna on August’s Divabetic’s podcast. “So I feel like a kid at heart.”

Anna shares what it was like to manage diabetes in the 1960s. “I started with one insulin injection a day. It was pork insulin called NPH.”

It might be hard to imagine that the first insulins developed were from animals. But over the last century, there have been several innovations in insulin therapy, starting with the isolation of insulin and the purification and concentration of animal pancreatic extracts.

The first commercial insulin formulations were made with animal insulins, primarily beef and pork insulins, which had PK and PD properties similar to human insulin. However, a common problem with animal-source insulins was the formation of anti-insulin antibodies, leading to lipoatrophy and insulin resistance in many patients. Processing techniques were developed to purify active insulin. By 2006, the manufacturing of pork insulin (Iletin II) for human use was discontinued.

Today’s insulins include insulin mixtures, concentrated insulins, and insulins with alternate routes of administration, providing a wide array of options for people with diabetes.

Not only have insulin formulations changed over the past fifty years but so has

diabetes self-care management. By the 1960s, the development of urine strips for detecting blood sugars and the single-use syringe allowed faster and easier insulin therapy options. This was still a far cry from today’s self-care tools. Specifically, the invention of the blood glucose monitor for home use, something we take for granted, was still several years away.

“Back then, I just did a jab in the morning,” says Anna. “Then, I had to eat like a soldier at 8 AM, 12 PM, little snacks in between, and so on.”

Fifty-seven years later, her curious mind keeps on top of all the new forms of insulin therapy and technology today.

“I like to learn all kinds of new and different things in technology,” she adds. “Now, I’m using a CGM (continuous glucose monitor). That’s a game-changer for anyone who is on insulin. The fact that gives you insight into what’s happening and warns you when you’re going high or going low helps you use your insulin properly.”

Hear FatCatAnna‘s full interview using this link on Blog Talk Radio using the player below:

Barry Manilow’s classic hit, “I Made It Through The Rain,” sparks real-life confessions about overcoming challenges related to diabetes self-care on this episode of Divabetic’s monthly podcast.

Hear how singer, and songwriter Alyson Williams, who is living with type 2 diabetes, made a triumphant return to the stage after her near-death experience from COVID and “The Rollercoaster Ride Of Diabetes” blogger, FatCatAnna, who is living with type 1 diabetes, opens up about her attempted suicide and managing diabetes in a mental hospital.

Additionally, we’re sharing an honest, no-filter look at the daily grind of living with diabetes and practical ways to help you pivot and stay positive. We encourage others with diabetes to live life to the fullest and apply Barry Manilow’s attitude to their daily lives.

“I believe that we are who we choose to be. Nobody is going to come and save you. You’ve got to save yourself. Nobody is going to give you anything. You’ve got to go and fight for it,” says the Grammy, Tony, and Emmy award-winning music icon with 50 Top 40 hits, 12 #1 singles, and more than 85 million albums.

Guests include The First Lady of Def Jam Alyson Williams, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, diabetes advocate, blogger, and mentor FatCatAnna. Music from The Essential Barry Manilow courtesy of SONY Music. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.

08/12/2022

Don’t Give Up Poem By Lorraine Brooks

Don’t Give Up by Lorraine Brooks

Rain comes.
The rivers overflow and flood the plains.
Our hearts become full
And sometimes anguish and fear is what remains.
Hearts ache
Hands and bodies fail or become weak
Powerless and fearful
Relief and painless thoughts are what we seek.
Minds change
And overwhelming feelings turn to fear
It can feel hopeless
We don’t know what to do or how to bear.

But

The rain does stop
And the sun comes out.
And whatever it is you’re upset about
You work it through and find a way
And just as Manilow would say…
You made it through the rain
And kept your point of view.
You learned to deal with hurt and pain
And find a pathway through.
You learned that even on bad days
The sun’s behind the clouds
And even in life’s alleyways
That you can beat the odds.
So buckle up and buckle down
Do what you need to do
And in the words of Barry M
We can’t smile without YOU.

Poet Lorraine Brooks reads her latest poem, “Don’t Give Up,” on the August episode of Divabetic’s podcast. Listen using the tuner below:

Entertainer Barry Manilow‘s classic hit, “I Made It Through The Rain,” sparks real-life confessions about overcoming challenges related to diabetes self-care on this episode of Divabetic’s monthly podcast.

Hear how The First Lady of Def Jam, Alyson Williams, who is living with type 2 diabetes, made a triumphant return to the stage after her near-death experience from COVID and “The Rollercoaster Ride Of Diabetes” blogger FatCatAnna, who is living with type 1 diabetes, opens up about her attempted suicide and managing diabetes in a mental hospital.

Guests include The First Lady of Def Jam Alyson Williams, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, diabetes advocate, blogger, and mentor FatCatAnna. Music from The Essential Barry Manilow courtesy of SONY Music. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.

08/01/2022

Language Matters in Diabetes Care with Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, FADCES

On Divabetic’s March podcast, we’re talking about how language impacts people’s confidence to manage their diabetes self-care with musical inspiration from Prince. Tune in with the link.

Words can elevate or destroy someone’s perception of themselves and their health.

Our musical inspiration chose to be identified as the infamous “Love Symbol” rather than a word for many years. He wrote: “It’s all about thinking in new ways, tuning in 2 a new free-quency.”

Could using symbols rather than words, like Prince, help you manage your diabetes wellness?

Unfortunately, much of the language around diabetes has been focused on adverse outcomes and complications and laden with judgment and blame without considering individual needs, beliefs, and choices.

Some enlightened health professionals, like our friend, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, FADCES choose to encourage and use collaborative messages to enhance a person’s health outcomes. “How we collaborate with people with diabetes plays an important role in treatment outcomes and the psychosocial well-being of the individuals,” says Susan.

“As health care professionals, we often want to “fix” problems and forget to “listen” to the person with the lived experience. Rather than overwhelming a person with information, she says it’s vital to listen to what is most important to an individual and discuss that issue at the beginning of the appointment or conversation. “For example, if someone is concerned that they can’t afford their medication, they will not be ready to listen to information about nutrition or physical activity. Collaboration and active listening on the part of a clinician is essential to help build a good rapport and help reduce stress for a person living with diabetes.“

We encourage you to show yourself some love!

Divabetic March podcast guests include Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, CDN, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, with music from Prince & The New Power Generation’s Love Symbol album courtesy of SONY Music.

07/29/202207/29/2022

Arthel Neville Gets Carried Away With Words To Help Empower Women

I’d like to acknowledge the generosity of my friend and Divabetic supporter, Arhel Neville!

Arthel is helping me shower the cast and crew of Divabetic’s upcoming Mystery podcast: “Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu” with gratitude by supplying everyone with beautiful Arthel Neville Design™ handbags. Her generous heart is one of the many reasons I love her so much!

“As a mentor, I’ve always been looked upon for words of encouragement. As a result, I’ve adopted sisters of all ages across the globe,” says Arthel. “I find inspiration in inspiring others, and I’m all about female empowerment. This led me to create Arthel Neville Design™, an accessories collection adorned with my original quotes.”

These words of affirmation made it onto her new accessories collection, as they serve as a personal reminder of proud accomplishments and doors Arthel dares to continue to open. By accessorizing with Arthel Neville Design™, she wishes her original quotes will encourage and inspire ‘girls’ of all stripes.

I met Arthel almost twenty years ago when I took a brief break working for Luther Vandross to go on a European Tour with Lionel Richie. I’m still unsure how I convinced Luther to let me have three weeks off. Arthel visited her fiance and future husband, the talented Taku Hirano. Taku played percussion in Lionel’s band under the music direction of Chuckii Booker. Arthel and I became fast friends. A few years later, she graciously agreed to be our celebrity co-host at two Divabetic – Makeover Your Diabetes outreach programs in her hometown, New Orleans.

Earlier this year, Arthel offered her beautiful tote bags as prize giveaways at Divabetic’s Mother’s Day-themed Baking Party featuring the Diabetic Pastry Chef on Zoom. Our next Baking Party is scheduled for Wednesday, September 28, 2022, at 7 PM EST. Click HERE to register.

Arthel hopes her accessories line will speak to you and allow you to send a message about yourself to others. Arthel Neville Design™ – an accessories collection that lets us get carried away with words.

Arthel Neville’s help boosting attitudes toward women at risk, affected by and living with diabetes means so much to our community.

At Divabetic we aim to help our community overcome barriers and live to their potential. Specifically, shame and guilt are two common barriers for many women (and men) living with type 2 diabetes. We want to encourage you to live well with diabetes.

Make sure to tune in to Divabetic’s upcoming Mystery podcast, Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu, on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, 6 – 7 PM EST.

Here’s a quick synopsis: The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic lands his to-die-for job as a caterer for the nation’s hottest health guru, Wendy Wattage’s Wellness Retreat on the Jersey Shore. Everything is hunky-dory until the body of the nasty food critic, Marilyn Macaroni, is found stabbed to death with one of Max’s new chef knives. Now he’s the prime suspect in a big, fat murder investigation! Can he and his team of friends, diabetes educators, and his nosey Italian mother, Mama Rose Marie, find the killer before the police arrive? Weight loss murder never tasted so good.

Starring Max “Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Maryann Horst Nicolay MEd, NTDR, Kathie Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage,’ Seveda Williams, Catherine Schuller, and Lorraine Brooks. Music by Ivan Hampden Jr.