Don’t Miss Divabetic’s Gift Guide

This November, we’re sharing gift ideas to help you live life to the fullest in Divabetic’s Gift Guide.

Gift-giving can be stressful, especially when you’re shopping for someone’s wellness and are committed to finding the perfect present. We’ve rounded up our favorites from practical to “just because” for 2023 with exclusive discounts for you to enjoy. You’ll find many options we hope to infuse a little bit of joy or ease into your daily diabetes life. We sourced gift ideas from our community members, including people living with diabetes and professionals who work with people with type 1, type 2, and prediabetes.

Let us know what you think of our suggestions, and feel free to email me with your favorites, too —after all, you’re the expert on what will put a smile on your loved one’s face.

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The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free culinary diabetes program with Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef on November 30, 2023 at 3 PM, EST. 

During this fun-filled Baking Party on Zoom, The Diabetic Pastry Chef prepares a holiday Sugar-Free Dessert recipe, demonstrates her favorite kitchen tools, and shares expert baking tips for substituting sugar substitutes and alternative flours in recipes.

Win a Splenda Baking Kit! Plus, gifts courtesy of Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes’s Camper Cozy Mystery 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 enter our gift drawings to win.

Celebrate National Diabetes Awareness Month with us. Over 150 people have participated in our past Divabetic Baking Parties on Zoom, so don’t miss out!

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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 along with 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 a 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’ 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 that they teach.

Meghan Trainor Diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes

Meghan Trainor has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes during her pregnancy. The singer is set to welcome her baby boy in early February.

Approximately 2-5% of pregnant women develop gestational diabetes according to the American Pregnancy association.  this number may increase to 7-9% of mothers who are more likely to have risk factors. The screening for this disease usually takes place between your 24th and 28th week of pregnancy.

The 26-year-old mum to be is just two months away from welcoming her bundle of joy but now has to take extra care with her blood sugar levels as a result.

 

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Gestational diabetes is diabetes diagnosed for the first time during pregnancy. It is a temporary (in most cases) form of diabetes in which the body does not produce adequate amounts of insulin to regulate sugar during pregnancy. It may also be called glucose intolerance or carbohydrate intolerance.In women with gestational diabetes, blood sugar usually returns to normal soon after delivery.

“I got gestational diabetes, but so many women have it,” Meghan told Jimmy Fallon via a video call on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

“It was just the unknowing. I didn’t know what it was. It’s like a genetics thing. My mom had it and she didn’t even give me a full warning.”

The songstress added: “I just watch what I eat now. I write everything now, I check my blood. And we’re good now. I’ve been crushing it.

If you’ve had gestational diabetes, you have a higher risk of getting type 2 diabetes. You’ll need to be tested for changes in blood sugar more often.

Tonight, we’re talking about BODY IMAGE & DIABETES with musical inspiration from Meghan Trainor. Guests include Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic’ , the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach (Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE), Style Blogger Doris Hobbs, Emmy Award winning Producer Linda Bracero Morel,  Poet Lorraine Brooks and Mama Rose Marie. Throughout the podcast we will be playing selected songs from Meghan Trainor’s “Thank You” album courtesy of SONY Music.

Donny Hathway’s “This Christmas” Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Donny Hathway’s “This Christmas” celebrates the 50th anniversary of the release of this popular, festive anthem with a new animated video.

The video was animated by Fantoons and drawn by famed cartoonist Lonnie Milsap. In the clip, Donny Hathaway takes a stroll through Chicago’s streets, passing by people in the community who are in the Christmas spirit.

“I’m thrilled for all the people who have loved this song forever and for all those who are just discovering this treasure,” his daughter, Lalah Hathaway said in a statement. “YOU ARE GOING TO LOVE IT!”

Join us tonight, Tuesday, December 8th for Divabetic’s Annual Holiday edtion of Diabetes Late with musical inspiration from Harry Connick, Jr. and his 16 piece big band.

Mr. Divabetic’s guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Dan Houdeshel,  Pendulum Glucose Control‘s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Orville Kolterman and Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy, Author Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE and Mama Rose Marie.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Harry For The Holidays album courtesy of SONY Music. Harry Connick, Jr.’s second Christmas album, Harry for The Holidays is as much a salute to his New Orleans musical roots as it is to the season.

Tune In to December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast featuring Holiday Music from Harry Connick, Jr.

We’re talking about ’Eating Right, Being Bright’ during the holidays with musical inspiration from Harry Connick, Jr. and his 16 piece big band on December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast scheduled for Tuesday, December 8, 2020, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST.

Harry Connick, Jr. is among today’s most successful and multi-talented artists, who has garnered acclaim in both  music and acting. His won both Grammy and Emmy awards as well as received Tony nominations.

Harry Connick, Jr.’s wife, Jill Connick is a breast cancer survivor.  The couple credit timely screening and early detection for her good health and well-being. Together they have teamed up to encourage people 50 years and older to talk with healthcare providers about colon cancer screening, including the modern, noninvasive options.

Podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Lorraine Brooks, Dan Houdeshel, Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry Chef’ and Pendulum Glucose Control‘s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Orville Kolterman and Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy Author Hope Warshaw, MMSc, RD, CDE.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Harry For The Holidays album courtesy of SONY Music. Harry Connick, Jr.’s second Christmas album, Harry for The Holidays is as much a salute to his New Orleans musical roots as it is to the season.

TUNE IN 

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic for this free, fun Virtual Baking Party with special guest, Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef on Thursday, December 10, 2020, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom.

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Is Chocolate Throwing A Wrench Into Your Healthy Diet?

“Deck the halls with bars of chocolate!!! Fa la la la la la la la!”

Chocolate seems to be everywhere this holiday season and it even shows up in the strangest formations!

Recently, I stumbled upon a chocolate store that sells chocolate in the shape of wrenches when I was wandering around the Holiday Market at the Oculus in New York.

I took one look at the chocolate wrenches imagined how one bite of chocolate has the power to derail a healthy diet faster and leave your good intentions spinning out of control!

Every day in the news there seems to be another conflicting health study about chocolate. One day, the media is exclaiming that a bar of chocolate is healthier than workout and then the next day they’re telling you to avoid it at all costs. I’m sure I’m not the only one confused about this topic.

Thankfully, these chocolate wrenches inspired me to reach out to Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND via Twitter for her advice about chocolate. Below are Jill’s answers to my questions:

Q: Can chocolate can be a part of a healthy diet?’

JW: You bet it can be!  Unless you have an allergy or other intolerance, any food can be part of a healthy eating pattern. I always tell my clients that you can eat anything you want. You just can’t eat everything you want and in any quantity that you might want.

Q: Do you actually eat chocolate?

JW: Chocolate is one of my favorite foods, so I am queen of making of it fit. In fact, I eat a small amount of chocolate nearly every day. Since I look forward to it daily, it helps me stick to a good diet all day long. I build my chocolate in as a treat. And I never think of it as a cheat.”

Q: Should I believe any of those health studies they love to show on TV?

JW: A few pieces of good news about chocolate. Research has found that dark chocolate might help lower insulin resistance, which is especially important to people with prediabetes and type 2 diabetes. Other studies suggest that chocolate can help with certain types of cognition among adults, lower blood pressure and reduce chronic inflammation. The compounds in chocolate that probably help confer health benefits are naturally-occurring flavanols, a group of phytonutrients also found in tea, fruits and vegetables.

Q: Can you share some tips for eating chocolate?

JW: 1.  You cannot eat chocolate with abandon. It still has calories, added sugars and saturated fats. Fortunately, about half of the saturated fat in chocolate is stearic acid, which does not raise cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, the other half is palmitic acid, which does raise cholesterol levels.

2. When buying cocoa powder, read labels. Avoid the types that say Dutched cocoa or processed with alkali. This type of processing destroys the flavanols.

3. Choose the darkest chocolate you can. There is no guarantee that any particular chocolate is rich in flavanols because some types of processing destroy them. But chocolate with a greater amount of cocoa solids is likely to have more flavanols than chocolate with a smaller percentage of cocoa solids.

4. Choose chocolate candy over chocolate baked goods. And skip the caramels and cream fillings. The research suggests that chocolate has benefits, not other types of chocolate desserts.

5. Sit down, slow down and love the heck out of it. No guilt allowed. When you eat mindfully – whether it’s chocolate or your dinner – you have another opportunity to experience happiness.

Q: Any final thoughts you’d like to share for chocolate lovers?

JW: I’d rather satisfy a chocolate craving with chocolate than try to satisfy it with something else. Pick your favorite treat and treat yourself. I really enjoy dark chocolate-covered almonds. I feel good about both the chocolate and the nut. Sometimes I want plain chocolate. Or maybe chocolate that I melt with peanut butter and use as a dip for apple slices or a graham cracker. Another treat is melted chocolate with strawberries. Still another is a bowl of fresh raspberries with chocolate shavings. These are all healthful ways to enjoy a sweet, delicious treat.

Jill Weisenberger is your resource for all things nutrition, food and diabetes. Whether she’s speaking, writing, chatting on social media, appearing on TV or working with individuals, her candid and energetic approach appeals to busy people, and her sound nutrition and fitness advice gets results. In fact, her appreciation for science and ability to translate science into actionable information earned her a place in US News & World Report’s 10 Dietitian’s You Need to Follow on Social Media.

Food & Nutrition Solutions by Jill offers healthy and delicious recipe ideas and nutrition strategies that are based in sound nutrition science. Whether you’re looking for disease prevention or management, nutritious meals that people actually want to eat, or truths (and myths!) about the latest food trends, get reasonable and realistic tips from expert Jill Weisenberger.

Her specialties include weight control, heart health, diabetes, prediabetes, wellness and nutrition for people with hectic lives. She’ll make nutrition science understandable, realistic and oh so delicious.

On December’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast we’re celebrating a Blue Christmas. I chose this theme in December because ‘Blue’ is the color that I feel is most closely associated with diabetes and more importantly, it gives us an opportunity to raise awareness for the mental health issues related to diabetes. Guests include Chilbrook Kennels Breeder Author, Diabetes Alert Dog and Scent Detection Expert, Debby Kay, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Susan Weiner MS, RDN, CDE, CDN, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach featuring Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Rachel ZinmanDr. Mandy Reece PharmD, CDE, BC-ADM, and America’s #1 Energy Conductor, High Voltage.

Throughout the podcast we will be featuring songs from the new “Christmas with Elvis and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra” album courtesy of SONY Music. The album brings together Elvis Presley’s best-loved yuletide performances from “Elvis’ Christmas Album” (1957) and “Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas” (1971) re-imagined with sublime and exquisite new arrangements performed by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Are you feeling ‘blue’ this holiday season?

If so, you’re not alone. While it’s true that sadness and/or depression at holiday time can be a reaction to the stresses and demands of the season, people with diabetes are more likely to be depressed than others states David Spero BSN, RN for Diabetes Self-Management.

Diabetes can cause complications and health problems that may worsen symptoms of depression. Depression can lead to poor lifestyle decisions, such as unhealthy eating, less exercise, smoking and weight gain — all of which are risk factors for diabetes.

The good news is that diabetes and depression can be treated together. And effectively managing one can have a positive effect on the other.

If you think you might be depressed, seek help right away. Your doctor or diabetes educator can refer you to a mental health professional.