health risk – Divabetic

10/16/202410/16/2024

Lily Pond Using Single-Use Plastics

I’m temporarily obsessed with creating a lily pond made from single-use plastics for my upcoming Princess Frogs Halloween display on West 69th Street (between Columbus and Central Park West).

I used an assortment of single-use plastics, including Sprite and Seltzer water bottles, yogurt containers, coffee cans, Chinese takeout lids, bubble wrap, and thin packing foam.

Single-use plastics are goods made primarily from fossil fuel–based chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of immediately after use. Plastic pollution is very real, and single-use plastics are small but have a significant impact.

According to EarthDay.Org, Americans purchase about 50 billion water bottles annually, averaging about 13 bottles per person in the U.S.! That means using a reusable water bottle could save an average of 156 plastic bottles annually.

At least 14 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans every year, according to EarthDay.Org.

Single-use plastics can pose several health risks and contain chemical additives that act as endocrine disruptors. These additives mimic hormones and disrupt the body’s signaling, leading to a range of health issues, including hormonal imbalances, reproductive problems, and cancer.

If you’re thinking about getting crafty, check out YouTube. There are so many wonderful instructional videos. I enjoy watching the Ultimate Paper Mache channel with Joanie. My only wish is that she would occasionally switch up the hoodie for a twin set.

To create my lotus flowers, I watched a craft video on YouTube on how to make Lotus Flowers, but it was beyond my skill set, so I turned it off and went to work.

I ripped off the labels on the Sprite and Seltzer bottles. I cut the bottles in half and then cut flower shapes on the circumference of each half. The final step was painting the inside with a dusty rose before adding hot pink highlights.

My friend Lauren gave me some scraps of bubble wrap and thin packing foam. I cut the bubble wrap into 4-inch strips and painted both sides with dusty rose paint. I cut triangle shapes on one side of the strips and then tied them off before inserting them with glue into each plastic bottle.

There won’t be enough room in front of the townhouse on West 69th Street to host my display for these lovelies, but it doesn’t matter. I had a blast making them.

Many people have been wondering why I created Princess Frogs for Halloween. Last year, two women who saw my Dastardly Ducks display commented that they were grateful for a break from the gore and horror of the other street decorations, especially given the current violence in the world.

Secondly, there were so many girls dressed as princesses trick-or-treating that I wanted to celebrate them.

Everyone deserves to feel like a princess.

05/26/202305/27/2023

Sugar Substitutes, Gut Health and Type 2 Diabetes

The whole conversation around the risks of consuming sugar, added sugars, and artificial sugar substitutes is confusing for anyone, especially those with diabetes.

The health risks associated with consuming too much sugar in your foods and drinks are alarming. But sugar is sneaky. When you think you figured it out, you look closely at nutrition labels, only to discover manufacturers have ways of hiding sugar in foods and drinks marketed as ‘healthy.’

When you know, a 16 oz bottle of Coke contains almost ten teaspoons of sugar; you think you’re making a better choice by reaching for a Diet Coke or Coke Zero. But recent studies suggest that fake sugars can also have unexpected effects on your gut and metabolic health and even promote food cravings and insulin resistance, leading to Type 2 diabetes. Not to mention, quitting Diet Coke can lead to headaches and withdrawal symptoms. I know because I’ve experienced the vicious cycle of quitting Diet Coke several times without much success.

And what about these murmurs that diet drinks make you fat? Morning TV shows love to share results from studies that have found using artificial sweeteners and drinking high amounts of diet soda is associated with an increased risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome. One study also reported a link between the high consumption of diet drinks and the increase in belly fat in older adults.

Drinking water is a great alternative. But if you’re like me, you enjoy a carbonated drink from time to time. So what do you do? A glance at the cold drinks shelves at my local bodega reveals a plethora of diet drinks. Every company offering a popular sugar-sweetened beverage now offers a sugar-free alternative. Each contains a list of ingredients a mile long with names only a scientist could understand.

If you’re wondering why sugar substitutes seem more prevalent in our food and drink choices, one reason could be the Food and Drug Administration’s proposal to stop companies from labeling a food “healthy” unless it adheres to strict new limits on added sugars. Savvy companies can conform to the proposed rules by replacing added sugars in foods with artificial sweeteners.

“When companies reformulate their foods to contain less sugar, it leads them to use more non-nutritive sweeteners,” said Jotham Suez, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told the Washington Post.

Studies show that when countries such as Chile and Australia instituted similar policies to reduce sugar consumption, there was an increase in artificially sweetened foods and beverages.

“These low-calorie sweeteners are ubiquitous in the food supply, and so people often aren’t even aware that they’re consuming them,” said Allison Sylvetsky, an associate professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences at George Washington University.

Many sugar substitutes are often hundreds of times sweeter than table sugar. Some are synthetic, while others, like stevia and monk fruit extract, are referred to as “natural” because they’re derived from plants.

The confusion surrounding what to do makes me feel like I’m talking from two sides of my mouth. Divabetic has hosted several Sugar-Free Baking Programs on Zoom, and we have shared dozens of Sugar-Free Dessert Recipes. Both of these offerings have proven to be very popular with our community. We’ve even rewarded our followers with free gift baskets of popular artificial sweeteners. But after seeing the new findings, I’m unsure how to proceed.

The World Health Organization cautioned people to limit their intake of sugar substitutes because of their potential for “undesirable” long-term effects, including detrimental effects on gut and metabolic health.

What the heck is Gut Health?

Gut health refers to the health of the entire digestive system — the parts of our body responsible for breaking down our food into individual nutrients we use to run our bodies.

If you suffer from frequent discomfort, gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and heartburn, your gut has difficulty processing food and eliminating waste. People with chronic fatigue may have imbalances in the gut.

Health Studies Seem To Only Make It More Confusing!

According to a Cedars-Sinaistudy, one type of bacteria in the gut may contribute to the development of Type 2 diabetes, while another may protect from the disease. The researchers admitted it is too early to know how people can change their microbiome to reduce their diabetes risk.

In the meantime, experts recommend using artificial sweeteners sparingly because science changing all the time. Many of these old and new sugar substitutes seem destined to spur ongoing concerns and confusion. All we can hope for is to use them in moderation as we strive to live our best diabetes lives.

06/16/202006/17/2020

Divabetic Mystery Phrase #17

Can you complete our Divabetic Mystery Phrase below? Diabetes self-care can be emotionally taxing, but reframing your mind-set with positive affirmations can have powerful results.

Constant worrying or self-doubt about what you are or are not doing isn’t empowering. That inner dialogue isn’t true, or even real.

If you’re struggling to cope with your diabetes diagnosis: try repeating positive affirmations to yourself each morning to steer your mood in the right direction. This way of thinking can be helpful when the mental burden of diabetes management gets tough.

We also encourage you to seek out a therapist like our colleagues, Dr. Beverly S. Adler CDE, PhD, Janis Roszler or Dr. Wendy Satin Rapaport LCSW, PsyD.

“People without diabetes can feel loneliness, anger, guilt, and shame or use denial, rebellion or secrecy. The addition of diabetes to your daily life increases the likelihood of complex emotions,” says Dr. Wendy Satin Rapaport aka ‘The Diabetes Pysche’. She adds, “My goal is to help you recognize these normal and demanding feelings and then move past them to do better.“

“Wisdom is avoiding all thoughts which weaken you.” – anonymous

Making your diabetes wellness your top priority will help you find the life flow that you can manage and maintain.

Like many habits, inner strength, resilience and/or wherewithal can be attained states the Power of Positivity website. It doesn’t matter if someone is thought of as weak or timid; they can still overcome life’s challenges

Inner strength comes from knowing you have the tools you need to handle life’s challenges. If at first you don’t succeed then rely on your strength for progress. Optimism is a source of courage and confidence. It motivates us to set goals, to take risks. It encourages persistence in the face of obstacles.

We’re talking about overeating, binge eating and food addiction on Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast with Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Mama Rose Marie, Dr. Lori Shemek PhD, Megrette Fletcher MEd, RD,CDE and Cat Beach with music from Kelly Clarkson.