Healthful, plant-based foods can demonstrably improve both insulin sensitivity and blood pressure, according to new research from comprehensive review and meta-analysis of nine studies. Moreover, plant-based diets can prevent or reduce weight gain, as well as reduce low grade inflammation, two other factors that contribute to a person’s risk of diabetes.
A “predominantly plant-based” diet centers on both healthful plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes, and less healthful ones, such as potatoes and sugars. These types of diets could also include some products of animal origin.
Divabetic® (divabetic.org) is a national nonprofit diabetes outreach organization committed to changing attitudes in people at risk, affected by and living with diabetes. We strive to encourage prevention, early action and above all, education.
Divabetic® was inspired by the late R & B legend, Luther Vandross, and created and founded by his long-time assistant, Max Szadek. Divabetic®, a combination of the word ‘diabetic’ with the letter ‘V’ inserted for Vandross, evokes feelings of power and the positive attitude associated with the great DIVAS Luther loved like Patti LaBelle.
Heading into our tenth year of podcasting, Divabetic declares this to be the year of ‘the Diva’! We’ll be featuring music from only DIVAS on our free monthly Diabetes Late Nite podcasts for the next 12 months courtesy of SONY Music.
Enjoy music from LaBelle, Celine Dion, Ann Margaret, Phyllis Hyman and more to lift your spirits and motivate you to live well with diabetes. Between your favorite diva musical selections, the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic will interview Certified Diabetes Educators CDE’s), Best-Selling Authors, Beauty & Fashion experts, Chefs, Celebrities and passionate people living with diabetes.
Why Divas? “Divas have always been the bedrock of Divabetic’s glamorous approach to educating people about diabetes,” says Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek. “My former boss, Luther Vandross loved the divas too.”
Divabetic’s podcast library contains 150 podcasts averaging over 1,000 listeners per podcast. All podcasts are available on demand for free at i-Tunes, and Blog Talk radio. Divabetic’s podcasts were mentioned in Diabetes Forecast Magazine’s Recommended Diabetes Podcasts List in January 2019.
Divabetic® (divabetic.org) is a national
nonprofit diabetes outreach organization committed to changing attitudes in
people at risk, affected by and living with diabetes. We strive to encourage
prevention, early action and above all, education.
Luther Vandross
Divabetic® was inspired by the late R & B legend, Luther Vandross, and created and founded by his long-time assistant, Max Szadek. Divabetic®, a combination of the word ‘diabetic’ with the letter ‘V’ inserted for Vandross, evokes feelings of power and the positive attitude associated with the great DIVAS Luther loved like Patti LaBelle.
You’re not alone. The link between guilt and diabetes may derive from the social stigma and common misconception that diabetes is an easily preventable condition. Many Americans still believe type 1 is caused by eating too much sugar and that the sole cause of type 2 is obesity.
“It’s natural for people to feel like they’ve done something to bring it on,” says Susan Guzman, PhD, director of clinical education at the Behavioral Diabetes Institute in San Diego. “It’s common for people to look inward for some sort of causal event because it makes them feel more in control. But when it comes to diabetes, there are a lot of things out of our control.”
We’re celebrating Divabetic’s 8 Year Anniversary of Diabetes podcasting with musical inspiration from Patti Austin.
Grammy Award-winning Singer Patti Austin is in constant demand globally for live performances, thanks to a legacy of recordings that started in 1955, continued through the ‘60s with success as a teenage R&B star before establishing herself as a mainstay among jazz and soul audiences through her ‘70s recordings. By the ‘80s, Austin became known to the wider international audience as a result of the Grammy-nominated “Baby Come To Me” and “How Do You Keep The Music Playing”, her early ‘80s classic duets with James Ingram.
In New York, they referred to Patti as the “Queen of Studio” for her singing abilities. When she arrived on set to work for Randy and Michael Brecker, Patti met Luther Vandross for the first time. The moment created a lasting friendship.
“Another thing (besides music) that bonded me to Luther was our weight issues,” she said. The two dialed each other often. “When touring, if we were in the same city, we attended movies together.” “He would usually pick some silly movie like [Scary Movie]” she said, expanding on the personal side of their relationship in a loving, humorous way.
“I had type 2 diabetes,” says the former 285- pound singing sensation. “I had obesity-driven diabetes,” continued the now 140-pound Austin. To reach her new weight, Patti Austin had gastric bypass surgery and the result has been remarkable.
Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDE, CHWC, FAND, Chris Pickering co-founder of ‘The Betes Bros, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Mama Rose Marie.
Throughout this podcast we will be featuring songs from ‘The Best Of Patti Austin’ album courtesy of SONY Music.
After finding his former boss, Luther Vandross in a coma on the floor and later feeling the media neglected giving enough attention to Luther’s diabetes, Max Szadek has fought for greater awareness of the disease through his organization Divabetic.
Max ‘Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek is talking about ‘Diabetes & Pride’ on Diabetes Late Nite podcast with musical inspiration from Ricky Martin scheduled for Tuesday, June 11, 2019, 6 PM, EST.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Stonewall Uprising (June 29, 1969). It is widely considered to be the single most important event leading to the gay liberation movement.
Since Ricky Martin came out in 2010, he’s been a prominent voice for LGBT rights both in the U.S. and in his native Puerto Rico. Ricky Martin said, “I just wanna be free,” upon receiving GLAAD’s Vito Russo Award, which honors gay entertainers who promote equal rights. Martin opened up his life to Vanity Fair in its April 2012 issue and spoke candidly about his twins, Matteo and Valentino, and his longtime partner, Carlos Gonzalez.
As an openly gay man, Mr. Divabetic is honored to shine the spotlight on members from the LGBTQ+ community living with diabetes. Guests include Stephen Bernstein, Greg Rubin, Maria Salazar, Catherine Schuller and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach.
“As a gay man I can relate to the ‘shame’ and ‘blame’ many people experience with type 2 diabetes experience regarding their diagnosis,” says Max Szadek. “Claiming who I am as a gay man has helped me take charge of my own health issues. I hope this podcast will inspire others facing similar challenges in their diabetes self-care. You’ve got to love yourself to take charge of your health!”
Diabetes Late Nite is a fast-paced, full-filled hour of diabetes education and wellness advice that encourages listeners to “laugh a little, learn a lot.”
A recent study reports that as little as one cocktail a day may contribute significantly to high blood pressure (hypertension) according to an article on Everyday Health.
“If you only drink a moderate amount of alcohol ( 7 to 13 drinks per week), ask your provider to check your blood pressure at each visit,” said Amer Aladin, MD, lead author of the study and a cardiology fellow at Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. “If your blood pressure is elevated you should take appropriate measures to reduce it, which possibly means reducing your alcohol consumption.”
Why Does Alcohol Stress the Heart?
People who drink alcohol may be more likely to eat unhealthy foods and exercise less. Alcohol consumption may also increase inflammation and oxidative stress in the body, which may have a negative effect on heart health.
“The takeaway is that if you are suffering from high blood pressure, take a look at your alcohol consumption,” says Sarah Samaan, MD, a cardiologist with Baylor Scott & White Legacy Heart Center in Plano, Texas,. “If you drink regularly, cutting back to just a few times per week may make a significant difference.”
Tune in to April’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast to hear more about diabetes and heart health with musical inspiraion from Luther Vandross on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6 PM, EST
Guests include FANDROSS CEO Seveda Williams, Keith Anthony Fluitt, Diabetes Advocate Dan Houdeshell, Pam Henry MEd, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian, Zhacary Smith, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach. Throughout the podcast we will be playing music from Luther Vandross’s “Forever, For Always, For Love” album courtesy of SONY Music.
Did you miss Divabetic’s new outreach program, Clued Inn: Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience, sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim, on Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City? Don’t worry, you can still enjoy plenty of great information about diabetes and heart health at: Know Diabetes By Heart
Rolling Stone magazine credits Frankie Knuckles as being one of the most important DJs of all time. Unfortunately the ‘Godfather of House Music’ as Frankie Knuckles was commonly known died of diabetes complications at the age of 59 in 2014.
Born in the Bronx, New York, in 1955, Knuckles started his career as a DJ in the early 1970s. of the Eighties and Nineties’ He quickly became one of the most prolific house music producers and remixers in the 80’s and 90’s.
At his Chicago clubs the Warehouse (1977-82) and Power Plant (1983-85), Knuckles’ marathon sets, typically featuring his own extended edits of a wide selection of tracks from disco to post-punk, R&B to synth-heavy Eurodisco, laid the groundwork for electronic dance music culture— are widely attributed to the birth of the term “house” music (an abbreviation of ‘Warehouse’).
Frankie Knuckles created numerous dance classics, including early Jamie Principle collaborations “Your Love”(1986) and “Baby Wants to Ride”(1987); “Tears”(1989), with Satoshi Tomiiee and Robert Owens; “The Whistle Song”(1991); and his remixes of Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody”(1989), Sounds of Blackness’s “The Pressure” (1992), and Hercules and Love Affair’s “Blind” (2008). As his star rose so did the status of his collaborators which included Luther Vandross, Diana Ross, Madonna, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson.
“[When] you’ve got someone as big as Luther Vandross and Michael Jackson sitting there saying, ‘Whatever you want, however you want it, I’ll stay here as long as you need me,’ that’s the reward right there,” Frankie Knuckles said in 2011. He went on to win a Grammy Award for ‘Remixer of the Year, Non-Classical’ in 1997.
The award-winning DJ’s death was due to Frankie Knuckles began to develop diabetes health-related complications in the early-2000s reported the Chicago Tribute.
In July 2008 he had his right foot amputated: He’d broken it during a 2000 snowboarding accident in Switzerland, leading to a bone disease exacerbated by late-breaking diabetes.
“When I saw it was gone I had a good cry, but when I woke up the next morning I felt 1,000% better,” Frankie Knuckles told the Guardian in 2011. “I didn’t realize how much pain I’d been in until it was gone. It was like all of a sudden the sun came out.”
Diabetes health-related complications can include nerve damage and poor blood circulation. These problems make the feet vulnerable to skin sores (ulcers) that can worsen quickly.
More than 80 percent of amputations begin with foot ulcers. A non-healing ulcer that causes severe damage to tissues and bone may require surgical removal (amputation) of a toe, foot or part of a leg.
The good news is that proper diabetes management and careful foot care can help prevent foot ulcers. In fact, better diabetes care is probably why the rates of lower limb amputations have gone down by more than 50 percent in the past 20 years.
“We lost Frankie way too soon,” said Frankie Knuckles Foundation (FKF) committee member Robin Robinson. “He was always ahead of his time. He recognized the power to unite people who had never partied together before. Gay and straight, black and white, young and old, rich and poor, they all came together to crush the traditional social divisions in their mutual love of his DJ-created music that was made for dancing together.”
The Frankie Knuckles Foundation (FKF) is a not for profit educational, and cultural organization dedicated to the advancement of Frankie Knuckles’ mission as the global ambassador of house music through media, conservation and public events continuing and supporting the causes he advocated.
The FKF is a recognized 501c3 and focused on these initiatives: music in schools, LGBTQ youth homelessness, AIDS research / prevention & diabetes research / education.
On April’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast, Dan Houdeshell will share how his son’s untimely death, Kevin, spurred his family to take action to pass legislation to help save the lives of millions. Tune in to our exclusive interview on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST.
Kevin Houdeshell, who was living with type 1 diabetes died at 36 years old because his pharmacy refused to give him insulin after his script had expired.
Kevin Houdeshell
“He tried three times to call his doctor’s office and, four days later, he passed away from not having his insulin,” his sister, Amy Houdeshell told USA Today.
His parents, Dan and Judy Houdeshell, were stunned to learn what had happened. “In the wee hours of the morning, we are wondering how can your son, or anyone, stand in front of a pharmacy desk and be turned away for a life-sustaining medication,” says Dan.
Kevin’s unawareness about his worsening diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) may be due to a pervasive lack of information within the community reports Insulin Nation.
“I have been in contact with so many people [with Type 1] since Kevin’s death [who] are not aware of DKA, its symptoms, the results if not rectified, and how fast DKA can kill someone or put them in grave danger,” Dan told Insulin Nation. “Many (others) in the medical profession (including ER hospital settings) are not are not aware of what can happen if someone goes without their insulin for any amount of time.
A year after Kevin died, he appeared with his wife and daughter on local TV and their heart-wrenching interview helped trigger what is now known as Kevin’s Law in Ohio.
Kevin’s Law allows pharmacists to give up to a 30-day supply of even expired prescriptions of life-sustaining drugs.
“I never imagined we would reach so many people with that one little story about my brother,” Houdeshell said.
Currently HB 64 (also known as Kevin’s Law) has been passed in 12 states and allows a pharmacist to dispense an emergency supply of insulin to a patient without a current prescription.
“No one should have to die because of an expired prescription and can’t get hold of your doctor,” said Amy and Kevin’s parents, Dan and Judy Houdeshell.
Dan Houdeshell feels that there is still much work to be done even in states that have passed legislation. “It’s important to note some versions of the law have flaws,” he told Pens & Needles. “Some states allow only one refill, EVER. That is not acceptable.”
Diabetes Late Nite inspired by Luther Vandross
TUNE IN: April’sDiabetes Late Nitepodcast on Tuesday, April 9, 2019, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST. Guests include FANDROSS CEO Seveda Williams, Keith Anthony Fluitt, Diabetes Advocate Dan Houdeshell, Pam Henry MEd, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian, Zhacary Smith, and the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach. Throughout the podcast we will be playing music from Luther Vandross’s “Forever, For Always, For Love” album courtesy of SONY Music.
Don’t miss Clued Inn, the first-time ever Diabetes & Heart Health Escape Room Experience scheduled for Diabetes Alert Day, Tuesday, March 26, 2019 in New York City. Register now: https://cluedinn.org/
Have you noticed that you reach for food when you’re feeling stressed, bored, lonely, mad, or sad?
When your habit is to use food instead of paying attention to what these emotions are trying to tell you about your underlying needs, those needs go unmet. And of course, those unmet needs will continue to drive emotional eating!
Emotional eating is using food to regulate emotions, in other words, attempting to manage your mood with food.
Emotional connections to food are normal; we eat to socialize, express love, have fun, soothe a hurt, and reward ourselves for a job well done. And there’s nothing wrong with that! Emotional eating only becomes a problem when it’s the primary way you cope with or avoid your feelings.
Emotional eating does sometimes leads to binge eating – but binge eating is not “just” overeating. In fact, it is defined as eating a significantly larger amount of food than most people would eat in a similar period of time under similar circumstances. During a binge, a person feels out of control or feels that they can’t stop eating. Some describe it as a trance-like state.
Other guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, R & B Singer Alyson Williams, ‘Here & Now’ Songwriter and Entertainer Terry Steele, Seveda Williams, Luther Vandross Historian Leon Petrossian and Luther Superfan John Price.
Throughout the podcast we will be featuring selected songs from the album entitled ‘Busy Body’ courtesy of SONY Music. On ‘Busy Body’, Luther Vandross’ third album features ‘Superstar’, ‘For the Sweetness Of Your Love’, and the duet with Dionne Warwick entitled ‘ How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye’.
Two-time Grammy winner James Ingram, whose wonderful voice instantly evokes the classic R&B sound of the 1980s, has died. He was 66.
He died from a battle with a form of brain cancer reported TMZ. Sources close to the singer tell us James Ingram had been fighting the cancer for an extended period.
“He will always be cherished, loved and remembered for his genius, his love of family and his humanity. I am blessed to have been so close,” says actress Debbie Allen.
He was a staple of the romantic Quiet Storm R&B radio format, alongside Divabetic’s inspiration Luther Vandross and others such as George Benson, Anita Baker and Barry White. His collaborations with Patti Austin — 1981’s “Baby Come to Me” and “How Do You Keep The Music Playing” helped define adult contemporary R&B in the early ’80’s.
Originally raised in Akron, Ohio, a teenaged Ingram pounded the pavement in ’70s Los Angeles, making demos for a publishing company and churning out tunes for his band Revelation Funk. Comparing himself to his bandmates, Ingram underestimated his own vocal abilities. “I knew I couldn’t sing,” he said. “I wasn’t trying. I was just doing background.”
After the band broke up, James Ingram got great backup gigs, working with Marvin Gaye. He would sing and write demos at a studio on Sunset Boulevard for $50 per song. The studio had a relationship with veteran producer Quincy Jones, who heard Ingram’s recording of “Just Once.” Jones, impressed, called Ingram.
“I hung up on Quincy,” he told the Tribune. “I was never no singer. I never shopped a deal, none of that. My wife said, ‘James, that was Quincy.’ He called back, and we started talking. I said, ‘Yeah, that’s me.’ He put that on his album.”
James Ingram ended up singing that song and “One Hundred Ways” on Jones’ 1981 album, The Dude. Both songs ended up in the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. His performance of “One Hundred Ways” won him the Grammy in 1981 for best male R&B performance. In 1984 he won his second Grammy, for “Yah Mo B There” with singer Michael McDonald. Throughout his career, Ingram was nominated for 14 Grammys.
He won back-to-back best original song Oscar nominations in 1993 and 1994, for co-writing the Dolly Parton (February’s Divabetic Inspiration) duet “The Day I Fall in Love,” from Beethoven’s 2nd, and Patty Smyth’s “Look What Love Has Done,” from Junior.
James Ingram won hearts with “Somewhere Out There,” his 1987 Peter Asher-produced duet with Linda Ronstadt. The song was featured in Don Bluth’s animated movie An American Tail, the emotion-tugging power ballad rose to number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1987 and won the Grammy for song of the year.
Tune in to February’s Diabetes Late NItepodcast with musical inspiration from Dolly Parton on Tuesday, February 12, 2019, 6 PM, EST. We’re talking about ‘SELF ACCEPTANCE & DIABETES’ with Poet Lorraine Brooks, Dr.Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDE, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP, Lisa R Young, PhD, RDN and more. Enjoy selected songs from Dolly Parton’s new album Dumplin’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack courtesy of SONY Music. TUNE IN
Fine Artist Susan McCaslin’s Plate Poetry Project will be on display at Mosaic Central Farm Market on Sunday, June 3, 2018 as part of Divabetic’s Diabetes Awareness Day outreach program.
What words do you bring to the table?
Emotions can influence what, when, and how much we eat. For example, you have probably heard that some people eat to cope with stress. Others eat to preoccupy themselves when they feel bored.
When you eat based on your emotions, it can hinder your diabetes wellness management. Often, situations that trigger certain negative emotions prompt eating.
If you have recently eaten and find yourself craving food again, do a quick emotional check. Do you want food because you are hungry—or to fill an emotional need?
Eating is such a central part of our lives that food becomes associated with almost everything we do. If we’re happy, sad, angry, celebrating, grieving, lonely, or bored, we eat. Emotions become connected with food.
Each Plate Poetry Project place setting (5 pieces) has a complete statement written on it depicting a conversation that someone had while eating.
Visitors are encouraged to interact with the table and take apart the place settings to read each statement.
The eight Plate Poetry Project statements are:
“She says I am always eating too much”
“Be happy and eat joyfully for good health”
” You always help me when I need it the most”
“Love is my drug of choice not food”
It hurts when you say I am too heavy”
“How dare you step on my dreams”
“He helps me face illness with lots of love”
“So tough when I hear you cry at night!”
The Plate Poetry Project is made possible thanks in part to the generous donation from Onieda. Oneida offers the largest selection of flatware and a great assortment of dinnerware, serveware, cookware, bakeware, and more.
An important component of diabetes self-management, but often unaddressed, is the topic of emotional well being.
If you are having a hard time, reach out for help. Involve family members and friends to help support your weight loss efforts. Support groups, therapy, and members of your health care team can also help.
Our Plate Poetry Project video series aims to assess the emotions associated with managing diabetes and the underlying reasons attributed to those emotions.
Divabetic presents Diabetes Awareness Day featuring a Dog Fashion Show, Health Screenings, Healthy Food Tours, Diabetes Alert Dog Demonstrations, Poetry Readings, Art Displays & More at Mosaic Central Farm Market in Fairfax, VA on Sunday, June 3, 2018, 9:30 AM – 2 PM.
RAIN OR SHINE: Here’s a complete listing of Diabetes Awareness Day Events & Activities at Mosaic Central Farm Market:
9:30 AM Lions Free Sight & Hearing Screenings for Adults & Children (until 12 PM):Lions Club District 24A Sight and Hearing Van will also offer a paper screening test for diabetes and blood pressure testing.
10 AM Healthy Food Tourof Mosaic Central Farm Market with Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator Nadine Young RD, CDE with Virginia Hospital Center: Learn how the season’s best fruits, vegetables and artisanal foods can fit into your meal plan. Visit different booths to pick up tips on preparing seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as local dairy, grain and protein products so you can build your healthy plate.
10:30 AM Dog Fashion Show Registration & Rehearsal: Dogs of all breeds and sizes are welcome to compete on the red carpet for fabulous prize awards compliments of Mosaic Central Farm Market vendors. REGISTER NOW: https://goo.gl/forms/WWxkBrs7ugpfK38P2
10:45 AM Healthy Food Tourof Mosaic Central Farm Market with Dietitian Nadine Young RD, CDE with Virginia Hospital Center: Learn how the season’s best fruits, vegetables and artisanal foods can fit into your meal plan. Visit different booths to pick up tips on preparing seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as local dairy, grain and protein products so you can build your healthy plate.
11:30 AM Dog Fashion Show: See the best dressed dogs pose on the Red Carpet at our 2ndAnnual Dog Fashion Show. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic:
12 PM Diabetes Alert Dog Demonstration & Talk: Find out how dogs help people manage their blood sugar high’s and low’s, answer your questions and share resources for purchasing a diabetes alert dog and/or training your own pet. Presented by internationally known Scent Detection Dog Expert, Debby Kay and Health Educator, Kathy Gold RN, CDE
1 PM Plate Poetry Project & Workshop: What’s Eating You? Fine Artist Susan McCalsin’s Plate Poetry Project explores the conversations that people have with themselves while eating. Divabetic volunteers help adults and kids to express their mealtime thoughts and concern after reading aloud several of her poems.
Acoustic Blues Musician and songwriter, Rick Franklin will be performing throughout at Diabetes Awareness Day. Rick’s musical style of blues is known as the “Piedmont” style identified with such legendary players as Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller and William Moore along with players and friends like “Bowling Green” John Cephas, John Jackson, and Archie Edwards.
Stop by the Capital Jazz Festfeaturing Luther Vandross’ longtime collaborator, renowned bassist, producer and songwriter Marcus Miller. Marcus Miller hosts the Late-Night Jam Session on Friday, June 1, 2018, 11:30 PM – 2 AM. The Capital Jazz Fest takes place at Merriweather Post Pavilion, located at 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia, Maryland. The venue is 28 miles northeast of Washington, D.C. and 18 miles southwest of Baltimore.
Founded in 2005, Divabetic promotes diabetes wellness. We take diabetes education out of the clinical setting and combine it with art, music, and fashion to broaden the appeal of diabetes outreach. Join us!
