Tag: Divabetic

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How Much Added Sugar Is Too Much?

The American Heart Association suggests women should have no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.

2 tablespoons of Barbeque Sauce (around 28 grams) can contain your total daily allowance of added sugar,  around 9 grams.

Almost half of the added sugar in the American diet comes from one source: sugary drinks (regular soft drinks, sweetened tea and coffee, energy drinks, and fruit drinks).

A standard 20-ounce (591-mL) bottle of a sports drink will contain 32.5 grams of added sugar and 161 calories. This is equivalent to 9 teaspoons of sugar, your daily allowance.

Here’s another eye-opening statistic:  a large flavored coffee or coffee drink can contain 45 grams of sugar, if not much more. That’s equivalent to about 11 teaspoons of added sugar per serving!

Other sources of added sugars are candy, desserts, sweet snacks (cakes, cookies, pies), dairy desserts, milk products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt, and sweetened milk), breakfast cereals and bars, and other items.

For example, a single cup (245 grams) of low-fat yogurt can contain over 45 grams of sugar, about 11 teaspoons. This is more than the daily limit for men and women in just a single cup.

New science shows that when we overload on added sugar, our brain receptors change, making it hard to regulate how much we eat. Sugar is addictive. It lights up the same reward receptors and triggers the same cascade of feel-good brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine as cocaine. And when you’re shaky, irritable, and looking for your next food “fix,” you may not even realize it—but you’re hooked.

If you’re struggling with managing your added sugar intake, check out the book Sugar SavvySolution: Kick Your Sugar Addiction for Life and Get Healthy by my friend, health guru Kathie Dolgin, High Voltage.

High Voltage’s Sugar Savvy Solution is more than a diet. It’s an eye-opening, confidence-building, life-affirming program that literally and scientifically helps remap your brain chemistry to change what you crave and want to eat. It’s a plan that will empower you from the top down and inside out. Sugar Savvy includes: • a complete 6-week plan to transform your eating and exercise habits • easy-to-assemble Power Meal Formulas plus more than 40 simple Power Meals and Snacks you can use to eat Sugar Savvy anywhere • Moving Affirmations that move your body and your spirit • inspirational stories and advice from the 17 Sugar Savvy Sisters who tried our program, every single one of whom lost weight • and much more! This one-of-a-kind plan beats obesity where it begins—in your brain. The Sugar Savvy motto is Eat whatever you want, but we will change your desires. 

“Science is just now catching up to what High Voltage figured out years ago: Breaking your sugar addiction isn’t about willpower, it’s about brain chemistry. Follow her innovative Sugar Savvy program to change what you crave, lose weight, and beat disease!” –Mark Hyman, MD, author of The Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet

I’m thrilled to announce that my friend, High Voltage will join the cast of Divabetic’s Annual Mystery podcast, Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu, this September! She will help us raise awareness of the dangers of excess amounts of added sugar in our diets.

Here’s a short 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.

Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu stars 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, Terri Seidman, and Lorraine Brooks. Music by Ivan Hampden Jr.

 

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A Woman’s Choice Poem By Lorraine Brooks

Poet Lorraine Brooks shared her newest poem, A Woman’s Choice, on last night’s Divabetic 12th Year Podcast Anniversary Special.  Overnight there’s been a tremendous response to Lorraine’s powerful verse.

A Woman’s Choice by Lorraine Brooks

A woman’s choice

a woman’s voice

A voice that claims

Her rightful domains

To make decisions

Without derision

To control our fate

To procreate

To love at will

To take a pill

I’ve had my fill

Of Capitol Hill

They tell me why

l must comply

With laws that make me

Someone’s property

Heaven forbid

l choose to get rid

Of a child of a rape

Or a need to escape

From abuse or unfairness

From lack of awareness.

A part of this nation

I want education

And as a minority

l resent superiority

l resent being told

I must fit in your mold

And that l must submit

To some old hypocrite

Who is hellbent on taking me

Back to last century.

But we’re not done fighting

For laws that need writing

For fairness and decency

And justice spread evenly.

The fight is not over

The US will recover

From all this confusion –

And once and for all honor its Constitution.

Listen to Lorraine Brooks perform A Woman’s Choice on Divabetic’s 12th Year Podcast Anniversary Special. Other guests include Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, Ivan Hampden Jr.,  and Collage Artist Tom Cocotos. Hosted by Mr. DIvabetic with musical inspiration from Babyface courtesy of SONY Music.

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Celebrating 12 Years of Divabetic Podcasting

Tonight I celebrate my twelfth consecutive year of hosting monthly Divabetic podcasts. I am grateful to our listeners, guests, podcast team, and Sony Music for helping me stay true to a commitment I made to myself in 2003. I decided to help others affected by, at risk of, and living with diabetes to ‘keep their house a home’ by offering tools, time, and the expertise of professional credentialed healthcare collaborators.

My goal was then and continues to be to help others “keep their house a home” by preventing a stroke, related to mismanagement of diabetes, from occurring. I do this in memory of my boss, Luther Vandross.

Our Anniversary podcast’s musical inspiration is Kenneth Edmonds, who is known professionally as Babyface. He has written over 250 top-10 R&B and pop hits, working with the likes of Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston.

“The blessing of being able to write music and let music speak for itself is you let the melodies and let the lyrics and the groove talk to people instead of me talking to people,” says Babyface.

What makes Babyface so great? His ability to craft a song that touches our emotions captivates our ears and aligns every word in perfect harmony. It’s a rare gift that not many people have in music.

“I would say that I’ve been lucky. Being blessed and not really ever giving up,” says Babyface.

Anniversary podcast guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, FADCES, and Collage Artist Tom Cocotos.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your diabetes wellness journey! We’re looking forward to sharing more insight and advice on diabetes self-care from experts and peers, along with more great music in the next year!

 

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Divabetic’s 12th Year Podcast Anniversary Coming in July

We’re celebrating Divabetic’s 12th Year Anniversary of Podcasting with musical inspiration from Babyface and music from his A Closer Look album courtesy of SONY Music. Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, FADCES, and Collage Artist Tom Cocotos. Hosted by Max “Mr. Divabetic” Szadek.

Our musical inspiration, Kenneth Edmonds who is known professionally as Babyface, has written over 250 top-10 R&B and pop hits, working with the likes of Beyoncé, Aretha Franklin, Celine Dion, Luther Vandross, and Whitney Houston.

“The blessing of being able to write music and let music speak for itself is you let the melodies and let the lyrics and the groove talk to people instead of me talking to people,” says Babyface.

What makes Babyface so great? His ability to craft a song that touches our emotions captivates our ears and aligns every word in perfect harmony. It’s a rare gift that not many people have in music.

“I would say that I’ve been lucky. Being blessed and not really ever giving up,” says Babyface.

Thank you for allowing us to be part of your diabetes wellness journey! We’re looking forward to sharing more insight and advice on diabetes self-care from experts and peers, along with more great music in the next year!

 

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 Sugar-Free Banana Pudding Recipe by The Diabetic Pastry Chef 

This past Wednesday night, we presented another diva-style diabetes wellness program with our friend, Stacey Harris, who is known as The Diabetic Pastry Chef.

I love the way Stacey experiments and encourages others to experiment with different flours and sugar substitutes in recipes. For example, Stacey will substitute one cup of sugar for a half cup of Splenda and a half cup of Whey Low D or replace white flour with a mixture of almond, soy, or bean flour in her recipes. Her approach corresponds to leading experts’ belief that a ‘one size fits all’ diet doesn’t exist for people living with diabetes. They recommend that we should develop our own personal nutrition plans for diabetes wellness.  Read MORE.

Sugar-Free Banana Pudding Recipe by The Diabetic Pastry Chef 

Ingredients 

1 pkg. Sugar-free Vanilla Wafers

1- 1-oz. box Sugar-free Instant Vanilla Pudding

2 cups Whole Milk, Almond milk, or a combination of the two

1-2 ripe Bananas

1 cup of Sugar-free Whipped Cream or Sugar-free Whipped Topping

Directions

Prepare pudding per package directions using the 2 cups milk, almond milk, or a combination of the two; set aside. Line a small casserole dish, parfait dish, or trifle bowl with a layer of vanilla wafers. Top with a layer of prepared vanilla pudding. Add a layer of sliced bananas, and spread the top with a full layer or dollop of whipped cream. Garnish as desired (toasted coconut, raspberries, lemon twists, or cherries.

Do You Know?

Cup for cup, whole fat milk contains fewer carbohydrates than low-fat or skim because more of its volume is made up of fat, which does not contain lactose. It also has slightly less protein.

Stacey Harris has a blog full of great recipes. Click HERE.

Personally, I feel the kitchen is a great place to stretch, your creativity. It’s been widely reported that baking has the benefit of enhancing creative expression – which has been found to have a strong connection with overall wellbeing. Lately, I have been having fun creating fruit platters to glamorize good health!

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic talks to divas living with type 1 and type 2 diabetes about their favorite forms of exercise at NYC Summer Streets.

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Win A Splenda Gift Basket At Divabetic’s Baking Party

We’re giving away this fantastic Splenda Gift Basket to one lucky winner during our raffle on tonight’s free Divabetic Baking Party with Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Zoom starting at 7 PM EST.

Splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar, yet those little yellow packets have no effect on blood sugar according to leading registered dietitians

Don’t miss this fun, fabulous virtual program. Registration is open on Eventbrite until 2 PM

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with our special guest, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef, on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

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Mr. Divabetic Gets His Energy Up!

This photo was taken in 2012 when I worked on the amazing national nonprofit organization, Energy Up! Program promoting healthy attitudes in young women with my friend and mentor, High Voltage.
The mission of Energy Up! is to prevent childhood obesity. Energy Up! is the only health and wellness childhood obesity program built on the Energy Up! Addiction model with a published medical study.
At the time, I was also working full-time on Divabetic ‘s ongoing outreach programs and podcasts. It was an amazing moment in my life to be working on two programs to encourage women of all ages to stay healthy and upbeat about their wellness. High Voltage and I share a passion for glamorizing good health. She loves to add sparkle to her events just like I do! 
 
Fast-forward to this year. High Voltage still continues to motivate and inspire me every step, every day in my personal wellness journey.
 
I’m thrilled to announce that High Voltage joins the cast of Divabetic’s Annual Mystery podcast entitled Tomorrow’s Not On The Menu, debuting in Fall. She is helping us raise awareness of the high amounts of added sugar in our diets. The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 6 percent of calories each day.

 

The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to no more than 6 percent of calories each day.
For most American women, that’s no more than 100 calories per day or about 6 teaspoons of sugar. For men, it’s 150 calories per day or about 9 teaspoons. The AHA recommendations focus on all added sugars without singling out any particular types, such as high-fructose corn syrup.

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?

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with our special guest, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef, on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

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Mayor Adams’s $10 A Day Diet Dispels Common Myth About Healthy Eating

“There is a myth out there that states eating healthy is too expensive. You can take a bag of lentils which costs about $2.80. You can make lentil stew, lentil burger, you can make lentil pasta,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

He pledged to live on a $10 a day plant-based diet to dispel the myth that healthy diets are expensive.
 
Mayor Adams’s motivation to eat healthy seems to stem from his mother’s battle with type 2 diabetes health-related complications. It’s important to point out that mismanaged diabetes leads to complications, not diabetes alone.
 
In 2016, Mayor Adams witnessed his mother inject herself with insulin to manage her Type 2 diabetes.  
 
He said, “Despite several years of being on this injection routine, the grimace on her face clearly showed that she had never gotten used to the sharp pain. When I left her home, I sat in my car and had a conversation with God. “I am not a doctor,” he added, “but I wish I could do something for my mother to address her diabetes.”
 
I grimace too when people beat up on insulin.  Insulin is a miracle! Every day I am grateful to Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best for their discovery. So many wonderful people, including my brother, require insulin therapy to stay alive. Turning insulin into the enemy makes me nuts. 
 
That said, I respect the Mayor’s initiative to dispel common misconceptions about healthy eating and to bring awareness to the healthy food deserts in New York City. 

“We want you to show New Yorkers- not only what happens in the hospitals-  but we want to show New Yorkers that you can have culturally sensitive food that is healthy. That is not what people have been shown,” said Mayor Adams.

While Mayor Adams has long claimed to be a vegan, the mayor did have to admit on Monday that he does eat fish. “I aspire to be plant-based 100% of the time. I want to be a role model for people who are following or aspire to follow a plant-based diet, but, as I said, I am perfectly imperfect, and have occasionally eaten fish.”

We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘ADDED SUGAR’ on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast with musical inspiration from Sade.

Divabetic’s podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller, Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. Throughout the podcast, we will be featuring music from ‘The Essential Sade’ album courtesy of SONY Music.

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?

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with our special guest, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

 

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Patriotic Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe by Splenda

Our friends at Splenda have been graciously donating Baking Kits for our free Baking Parties with the Diabetic Pastry Chef on Zoom.

Patriotic Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe from Splenda 

Ingredients

3/4 cup vegetable oil spread, room temperature

2 small eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup Splenda® Monk Fruit Granulated Sweetener

1 cup almond flour

2 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cup stevia-sweetened semisweet chocolate chips

Red food coloring

Blue food coloring

Star sprinkles (optional)

Click HERE for the Full Recipe

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?

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with our special guest, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

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Patti LaBelle Inspires A New Attitude In Diabetes Outreach

Patti LaBelle‘s outspoken attitude about living well with type 2 diabetes at a Luther Vandross Tribute concert changed my life 20 years ago. She said, “diabetes doesn’t control me, I control my diabetes!”. Those words inspired me to coin the phrase ‘Divabetic’ (Divabetic.Org).

My former boss, Luther Vandross, never spoke openly about his type 2 diabetes beyond a prescription refill. At that moment,  watching her on stage, I wished that I had the chance to talk about diabetes self-care with Luther prior to his stroke. Like everyone else, I thought he had his type 2 diabetes in the bag and didn’t need any support, or encouragement. When I found him on the floor after experiencing a stroke (related to mismanagement of type 2 diabetes) in April 2002, prior to the release of Dance With My Father, I deeply regretted my ignorance. To this day, I still wonder “what if?”

Patti LaBelle’s candidness or ‘new attitude’ about her diabetes health is probably the singular reason why I started a nonprofit organization. As hard as it might seem to ask for help, it’s worth it when you know there’s someone looking out for you. You deserve an entourage – a group of loving collaborators supporting you to live your best life!

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?

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with our special guest, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Wednesday, June 29, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

REGISTER NOW

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