health podcast – Divabetic

09/09/202309/09/2023

Gabriela Hearst: Advocate for Sustainability In Fashion

My New York Fashion Week festivities began with the 92Y’s Fashion Icons with Fern Mallis and Gabriela Hearst. Coming directly from New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ fashion event at Gracie Mansion appeared to knock Fern off her game, but Gabriella Hearst sparkled when she hit the stage.

Gabriela Hearst wears multiple hats. She is the founder and creative director of her namesake fashion brand, creative director of Chloé, and is a wife and mother. She’s also the leading advocate for sustainability in fashion. Her website states her line is committed to making the highest quality possible product with the lowest impact on our environment.

But she works in a luxury business where clothes and handbags pay bills and salaries. Balancing the books between the environmental and business bottom lines can be challenging.

One of the keys to her success, she admitted to Fern, is that she rarely listens to advice from men. She feels women will find the solutions for climate change.

Gabriela believes less is more. Galvanizing metal, like silver and gold, to produce the hardware on Chloe’s luxury bags creates a lot of toxic waste. Her solution? Cut back on the amount of different metals being used. She and Chloe use only one gold and one silver to produce their handbags.

Additionally, 60% of fabrics used are “lower impact” materials, and Under Chloé no longer sells cotton T-shirts, to avoid the water-intensive production of that fabric.

Cashmere has been replaced by recycled cashmere, and denim by circular denim, made of a mix of recycled cotton and hemp or linen.

Gabriela Hearst was born in Uruguay, where she learned a commitment to sustainability working on her family’s ranch. She applied what she learned to fashion. She started her signature clothing line with an environmentalist approach. However, she doesn’t believe “vegan” leather is an environmentally friendly choice. “For as long as we are eating meat, leather is a byproduct of that,” she told the Guardian. “So it is a good fabric to use. When I go home to my ranch in Uruguay, they ask me – what’s happening in the north? They are having to burn leather, because people want to wear polyester instead. The idea that vegan shoes are helping the environment is just good marketing.”

Earlier this week, the Museum of honored Gabriela Hearst with the 2023 Council Award for Artistry of Fashion.

She told WWD that winning the 2023 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashionmeans to her, “It’s a recognition for the team. I feel that we’re moving in the right direction,” she said.

Dr. Joyce F. Brown, president of FIT, said, “The industry is moving toward collections with a conscience. Gabriela is a role model for designers who are embracing their responsibility to reduce and prevent climate change. She leads by example using deadstock fabric, eliminating plastic in her work, and she even created the first carbon-neutral runway show.”

Over the next two weeks, she will present her Gabriela Hearst collection in New York and show her final Chloé collection on Sept. 28 during Paris Fashion Week. As reported, Gabriela Hearst is stepping down as creative director of Chloé this fall after a three-year collaboration.

Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller is a passionate advocate for sustainably in fashion. Catherine shares how ‘Cloth Swaps’ are helping fashionistas get their fix without harming our environment on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast.

With a few simple swaps, you can help live your best life while managing your diabetes. Our experts offer straightforward, simple, and fun swap ideas for drinks, medications, self-care, and fashion. Plus, we share style tips and words of inspiration to help you maintain a healthy habit.

Developing these habits isn’t always easy. Adapting to a new routine can be tricky, and it’s often tempting to want to return to old ways if we don’t see immediate results. One of the biggest mistakes people make when forming a new habit is taking on too much too quickly. Focus on what’s working in your diabetes self-care plan before overhauling diabetes management. Instead of decluttering the entire house, why not focus on one room or closet? Why not focus on the calories you drink rather than everything you eat? If you want to eat healthier, try replacing one dessert daily with a piece of fruit rather than cutting out sugar completely. If you’re going to get into hiking, start with a walk at lunchtime. Setting small goals you can achieve will help keep you motivated along the way.

Guests include Catherine Schuller, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Patricia Addie-Gentle RD, CDCES, MaryAnn Horst Nicolay, MEd, NDTR, and Mama Rose Marie. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.

The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic presents a diva-style approach to diabetes empowerment on this podcast for fashion lovers. We’re playing our Buy, Borrow, or Burn! fashion game features plus-size swimwear and iconic swimsuits worn by Halle Berry, Farrah Fawcett, and Annette Funicello.

Plus, get the scoop on what Hemoglobin A1 C is on ‘Sexy Little Numbers’ with Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES.

Guest include Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Kendra Charisse Porter body expert, style architect, and founder of Honor You ( image consulting agency), Dalia Strum, consumer and business strategic digital media expert and fashion-related social media shopping consultant and special guest, Alexis living with type 1 diabetes from New York City.

05/10/202305/17/2023

Senator Mark Rubio Plans To Cut Junk Food And Soda from SNAP

“This subsidization of junk food is fueling American health crises,” Florida Senator Mark Rubio wrote, who plans to introduce legislation that would “explicitly exclude” sugar-sweetened sodas and prepared desserts from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Food and Nutrition Service. He aims to rework the program to push for healthier food options such as milk and pure fruit juice. However, his adversaries argue his intention is strictly to lower government funding.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, reaching 38 million people nationwide in 2019 alone. More than 65% of SNAP participants are in families with children.

“More than 40 percent of U.S. adults are obese, and roughly half have diabetes or prediabetes. These diseases can be debilitating. They are also extremely expensive, costing hundreds of billions of dollars in medical costs each year,” Rubio wrote. “That SNAP plays a role in their spread is immoral, irresponsible, and reprehensible.”

Approximately 96 million American adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes. Of those with prediabetes, more than 80% don’t know they have it.

How do you feel about your overall health? Are you aware of your risk of prediabetes?

Could You Have Prediabetes?

Take The Prediabetes Rick Test NOW

Prediabetes means you have a higher-than-normal blood sugar level. It’s not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes yet sufficient to be considered type 2 diabetes yet. But without lifestyle changes, adults and children with prediabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. There’s good news, however. Progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes isn’t inevitable.

Eating healthy foods, making physical activity part of your daily routine, and staying at a healthy weight can help bring your blood sugar level back to normal.

“If soft drinks and sweets are no longer SNAP-eligible, corner stores and supermarkets will have more incentive to stock healthier foods.”

The US Department of Health reports calories in sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda can contribute to weight gain and lead to other health risks, including obesity, tooth decay, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

According to a Harvard Medical study, replacing one daily serving of a sugary drink with a healthier beverage was associated with almost a 20% lower risk of death.

Facing your health risks and issues can be scary and overwhelming but there are

Our friend and colleague, Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND, is an internationally recognized nutrition, diabetes, and prediabetes expert. Let her Prediabetes: A Complete Guide help you “reset,” improve your overall health, and get yourself in better shape.

Prediabetes: A Complete Guide, 2nd edition

Jill Weisenberger also offers courses, Prediabetes Turnaround and Prediabetes Meal Planning, to help you build motivation for healthy habits and prevent type 2 diabetes.

The USDA report Mark Rubio cites that 20 cents of every dollar spent under the benefits program go toward “sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts, salty snacks, candy, and sugar.”

“There is nothing compassionate or responsible about spending taxpayer dollars on empty calories that contribute to health crises,” Rubio stated.

We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade.

Sugar is everywhere. But do we understand the impact it has on our diabetes health?

You may think of sweets, chocolate, sodas, table sugar, and perhaps fruit if asked to name sugary foods. But sugar also appears in savory foods such as ready meals, soups, salads, sauces, and ‘healthy’ foods such as breakfast cereals and yogurt. Furthermore, starches such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes also convert to sugar in our bloodstream, having the same impact on our bodies. These ‘hidden sugars’ can add a surprising amount to our daily intake.

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

01/16/202301/16/2023

The Sweetest Taboo Is Not Good For You: Added Sugar

Happy Birthday to Sade Adu!

With over 60 million albums sold worldwide, 4 Grammys, and holding a CBE, Sade is one of the most successful British female artists in history,

She’s inspiring us to talk about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ on Divabetic’s free monthly podcast.

Sugar is everywhere. But do we understand the impact it has on our diabetes health?

You may think of sweets, chocolate, sodas, table sugar, and fruit if asked to name sugary foods. But sugar also appears in savory foods such as ready meals, soups, salads, and sauces, and ‘healthy’ foods such as breakfast cereals and yogurt. Furthermore, starches such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes also convert to sugar in our bloodstream, having the same impact on our bodies.

Problems occur when you consume too much added sugar — that is, sugar that food manufacturers add to products to increase flavor or extend shelf life.

These ‘hidden sugars’ can add a surprising amount to our daily intake.

According to the National Cancer Institute, adult men take in an average of 24 teaspoons of added sugar per day. That’s equal to 384 calories.

“Excess sugar’s impact on obesity and diabetes is well documented, but one area that may surprise many men is how their taste for sugar can have a serious impact on their heart health,” says Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health as reported in the Havard Health publishing.

“The effects of added sugar intake — higher blood pressure, inflammation, weight gain, diabetes, and fatty liver disease — are all linked to an increased risk for heart attack and stroke,” says Dr. Hu. “Basically, the higher the intake of added sugar, the higher the risk for heart disease.”

How much is okay?

The American Heart Association suggests that women consume no more than 100 calories (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) and men no more than 150 calories (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams) of added sugar per day. Your daily allowance of added sugar daily is about the same as a 12-ounce can of sweetened soda.

Unfortunately, the more sugar you eat, the more you crave! Experts say it can take a few days to weeks to get over an addiction to refined sugar once you start. But you can do it!

Set yourself up for success by telling yourself that you got this.

“Words are powerful,” says our friend, Kathie Dolgin, author of Sugar Savvy Solution: Kick Your Sugar Addiction for Life and Get Healthy. “If you think resisting sugar is going to be hard, it will be hard,” she told Women’s Running. “Change that negative self-talk if you are going to take control of your diet and your health. Believe you can do this!”

Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Tameka Milline, Divabetic Image & Style Icon Catherine Schuller. Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie McKendree.

Throughout the podcast, we will feature music from The Essential Sade album courtesy of SONY Music. The ESSENTIAL series features the biggest hits and best-loved songs from Sade! Plus full-liner notes and photos for the complete experience. Includes ‘Smooth Operator,’ ‘Your Love is King,’ ‘Hang on to Your Love,’ ‘The Sweetest Taboo’ and more.

03/16/2022

Judging And Grudging by Lorraine Brooks

On Divabetic’s March podcast, Poet Lorraine Brooks reads her latest poem, Judging and Grudging.

Judging and Grudging is about Lorraine’s recent real-life encounter with a podiatrist. “I felt she was quite offensive in her lack of knowledge and her lack of using the appropriate language,” says Lorraine. “She was making judgments about me and how I handled my diabetes.”

Judging and Grudging by Lorraine Brooks

My new podiatrist, who has never met me,
Feels it is her duty to address my diabetes,
Which does not offend me, although her comments make it clear
That she doesn’t “get” me.

She asks for my latest a1c, and the date,
And l dutifully tell her it was just last month,
that l stay on top of my bloodwork every 90 days,
And it’s been hovering around 8.

She doesn’t even look up from my feet
She shakes her head and makes that disapproving face,
While telling me l could “do better”, and l should lose weight
But in that moment, l refused to feel defeat.

I politely said, with all due respect, that statement is offensive
You have not done a history or proper exam,
You are making assumptions about who and what l am,
And your assessment of me is anything but comprehensive.

First of all, l am type 1, not 2,
I’ve had this disease for over 40 years, and yes, it is a struggle.
But l have no complications, and that includes my feet,
And now l feel l must educate you.

Everything in my life is not a result of what you see.
Every medical concern needs to be addressed objectively.
Whatever you would tell someone of average size
Is exactly what you should be telling me.

Pinched nerve? Tell me what to take, what to avoid, help me to cope.
Gastric reflux? Give me some practical advice l can use.
Don’t assume everything is about my size
Meet me where l am. Offer me hope.

Acknowledge that weight is just another statistic
That health, and well-being, are what you prescribe.
Tell me I’m ok without reservation
And examine yourselves to be more realistic.

Mr. Divabetic discusses language’s power to help or harm someone’s ability to manage their diabetes self-care with guests, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDCES, FADCES, and Lorraine Brooks. March’s musical inspiration is Prince and the New Power Generation. We feature songs from their Love Symbol album to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its release, 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?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts Divabetic’s upcoming free, fun Virtual Mother’s Day-themed Baking Party with special guests, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef and Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, on Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

Win gifts courtesy of Arthel Neville Design FABULOUS East/West Tote, Dr.’s Remedy Enriched Nail Care gift set, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes‘s Camper Cozy Mystery, Walden Farms Zero Calories, Zero Net Carbs Salad Dressings, and Peak 10 Skin’s Save My Sole Foot Rescue Cream during Mr. Divabetic’s random drawings. You must be present at our Baking Party to be entered in our gift drawings.

Over 150 people registered for our last Divabetic Baking Party on Zoom, so don’t miss out!

Tag: health podcast