You’ve probably noticed that food portions have increased. Some portions are called “super size,” while others provide enough food for at least two people.
Sadly, the calorie content at popular U.S. fast food restaurants has shot up over the past three decades, according to a new study.
TIME magazine reported on a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which compared food at 10 fast food restaurants: Arby’s, Burger King, Carl’s Jr, Dairy Queen, Hardee’s, Jack in the Box, KFC, Long John Silver’s, McDonald’s and Wendy’s over twenty years: 1986, 1991, and 2016. Researchers found that, on average, the calorie content of entrees went up by 30 calories a decade, while the calorie content of desserts went up by 62 calories a decade. Menu items also had a major increase in sodium content – about a 4.6% daily value increase per decade for entrees.
If seeing is believing, these ice cream cones on Tumblr are a perfect example of how enormous our portion sizes have grown!!
Whether you’re eating at home, at a restaurant, or on the road, these tips can help avoid portion distortion.
Eat your food off a plate instead of out of the box or bag.
Avoid eating while watching TV or doing other activities.
Eat slowly and stop eating when you start to feel full.
Cut meal servings in half.
Internationally recognized nutritionist and portion-control expert Dr. Lisa Young, Ph.D., RND ( Author of The Portion Teller Plan) joins us on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast. Other guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Dr.Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDE, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Catherine Schuller, and Diabetes – What To Know Facebook Community member Crystal. Throughout the podcast, we will play music from Dolly Parton’sDumplin’ Original Motion Picture Soundtrack courtesy of SONY Music.
How much are you really eating?
More than you think, especially if you think these servings seem small.
Dr. Lisa Young’s The Portion Teller Plan will teach you how to understand portion sizes to lose weight and stop dieting, regardless of your portion personality. Are you a mindless muncher who snacks all day, a dinner lover who enjoys one big meal a day, or a volume eater who always wants to sit down with a huge plate of food at every meal? No matter your eating habits, The Portion Teller Plan offers a personalized eating plan that is right for you. Instead of giving up the foods you love, learn to smartsize them with the help of one of the country’s leading nutritionists.
Diana Ross’s iconic performance in Lady Sings The Blues inspires us to discuss the link between diabetes and depression and diabetes distress.
When Diana Ross chose to make her feature film debut playing the role of Billie Holiday in the biopic Lady Sings The Blues; there were more than a few skeptics. The Motown Queen’s solo career started as a slow burn – only one of her four post-Supremes albums to date had made the US Top 40.
Thankfully, she persevered through people’s doubts and the physically and emotionally grueling film production. Her captivating performance on film and record earned her an Academy Award nomination and a #1 solo Pop Album in the US — aptly, on the chart date that would have been Billie’s 58th birthday, April 7, 1973. The double LP features Ross singing gems from the tragic singer’s catalog, such as God Bless The Child, Strange Fruit, and the title song.
Sadly, Billie Holiday had already been gone for 13 years when Lady Sings The Blues was released.
Why Is It Called the Blues?
In the 19th century, the English phrase blue devils referred to the upsetting hallucinations brought on by severe alcohol withdrawal. Over time it was shortened to the blues, which described states of depression and upset, and it was later adopted as the name for the melancholic songs that the musical genre encapsulates.
If you’re feeling blue, symptoms include sadness, lack of sleep, or loss of appetite. Depression has these symptoms and more, including prolonged insomnia, significant weight loss or gain, and extreme fatigue or disinterest in regular activities.
Many people with diabetes struggle with depression. The daily demands of diabetes can be stressful and lead to symptoms of depression. Diabetes can cause complications and health problems that may make symptoms of depression worse. Don’t be afraid to seek help.
What Is Diabetes Distress?
According to our friends at Diabetes.UK, diabetes distress is what some people feel when they’re overwhelmed by the relentlessness of diabetes. This can lead to diabetes burnout.
Diabetes distress has been described as worrying about not taking enough care of your diabetes but not feeling motivated to change. Symptoms include avoiding going to appointments or checking your blood sugars, making unhealthy food choices regularly, and feeling alone and isolated.
Many people feel like this sometimes, but you must get help.
Billie Holiday was a true artist of her day and became a social phenomenon in the 1950s. Her soulful, unique singing voice and ability to boldly turn any material she confronted into her music made her a superstar of her time.
Today, Billy Holiday is remembered for her masterpieces, creativity, and vivacity, as many of Holiday’s songs are as well known today as they were decades ago. Holiday’s poignant voice is still considered to be one of the greatest jazz voices of all time.
Billie Holiday inspires us to talk about the ‘MILESTONES’ related to diabetes wellness with a stellar lineup of guests featuring Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES,Susan Wiener RD, CDCES, Best-Selling Author Brenda Novak, Poet Lorraine Brooks and Mama Rose Marie.
This Divabetic podcast features music from across Billie Holiday‘s extraordinary career, including What A Little Moonlight Can Do, Them There Eyes, That Ole Devil Called Love, Blue Moon, Strange Fruit, God Bless the Child, and more courtesy of SONY MUSIC.
Sweet Romanceco-authors Janis Roszler & Donna Rice explore Barbie’s impact on Love, Sex, and Intimacy for People with Diabetes on Divabetic’s next podcast, In Bed With Barbie And Sometimes Ken, scheduled for Thursday, July 27, 2023, at 1 PM, EST.
For the past 64 years. Barbie has been a part of our lives, a cultural touchstone, or as Megyn Kelly referred to her on her podcast, the quintessential image of what a woman should be but never will be with her teenie tiny waist, enormous boobs, and forever legs – basically a sex or beauty object.
Greta Gerwig’s big screen makeover and the related marketing blitz are making us revisit and reevaluate Barbie in a whole new way, including our bedrooms. I say this because of Ken and Barbie’s exchange about having a sleepover in the movie trailer that’s constantly on TV.
If they’re confused about what to do in the bedroom, you might be too, especially if you’re dealing with sexual health issues related to diabetes. That’s why we’re taking a laser beam focus on the way Barbie and, sometimes, Ken have shaped and molded people’s thoughts, ideas, desires, and fantasies about sex, love, and intimacy who are living with diabetes.
Our podcast guests: Janis Roszler PhD, LMFT, RDN, LD/N, CDCES, FAND, and Donna Rice, MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES, the co-authors of Divabetic’s forthcoming e-book Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide to Love And Intimacy with Diabetes.
Do you know how much added sugar is in your favorite Summer drinks?
Soda isn’t the only beverage containing sugar. Bottled ice teas, juices, and your favorite afternoon coffee drink are loaded with more sugar than most junk foods. Beverages are the top source of added sugars. Some have more sugar than a glazed doughnut!
A 16-ounce Starbucks Chai Latte at Starbucks has 42 sugar grams or over 10 teaspoons of sugar.
My Turkey Hill Lemonade Tea contains 33 grams of sugar in one serving or basically 8 teaspoons of sugar!
American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that women should consume no more than 100 calories per day, or about 6 teaspoons of sugar, and for men, 150 calories per day, or about 9 teaspoons.
According to the AHA, American adults consume an average of 77 grams of sugar daily, more than 3 times the recommended amount for women. The AHA suggests limiting added sugar to no more than 100 calories per day (about 6 teaspoons or 24 grams) for most adult women and no more than 150 calories per day (about 9 teaspoons or 36 grams of sugar) for most men.
Check the nutrition label to determine how much a beverage contains added sugars. You will see “added sugars” underneath the line for “total sugars.” Make sure to look at the serving size. If your beverage has 2 servings, you have just had double the calories and sugar.
On this episode of Divabetic’s podcast, we talk about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade. Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller, Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. This podcast features music from ‘The Essential Sade’ album courtesy of SONY Music.
Mr. Divabetic hosts this podcast on tips, advice, and strategies for turning around a Prediabetes or a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis. Guests include Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND, and gospel music recording artist, Pat Lacy.
Enjoy this poem, A Little Respect, by Lorraine Brooks. Lorraine shared this poem on Divabetic’s podcast inspired by Aretha Franklin.
Over the years, Lorraine has shared poems shedding light on society’s shame and blame directed at people with diabetes’s size and shape. Aretha Franklin struggled with several undisclosed issues (pancreatic cancer, type diabetes, tobacco use) and fluctuating weight issues throughout her career. It’s been reported that at age 34, Aretha started yoyo dieting with alternating weight loss and gain.
A LITTLE RESPECT by Lorraine Brooks
Look at me.
Look at the pain
In my eyes.
All that you see
Is my
Overweight size.
Inside is a person
Who needs to
Be heard.
Needs to let go of
The hurt
I’ve incurred.
I’m not uninformed
And I’m not unaware.
I am not lazy
And yes, I DO care.
I haven’t abandoned
My health or my needs.
I’ve just redefined
What it means
To Succeed.
I am not here
To live up to your charts
Or conform to your standards
For my body parts.
It’s not called depression
It doesn’t need meds
I won’t go to blazes and
I won’t drop dead.
I don’t have the answer
To all of life’s queries,
I don’t want to hear about
All of your theories.
Just treat me with value
As part of the clan
And do not compare me to those
Smaller than.
Look at me
Look at the smile
I reflect
And treat me with love
And a little
Respect.
Enjoy this episode of Divabetic’s podcast with music from Aretha Franklin.
Aretha Franklin was considered the legend of legends, a groundbreaking singer with the fortitude to transcend race and genre, using voice as the bulldozer to break down every barrier set up in her way.
Aretha’s health journey sparks a discussion about the uncertain connection between pancreatic cancer and diabetes. Long-standing diabetes can be considered a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. It causes a modest increase in the risk of 1.5- to two-fold. Other risk factors for pancreatic cancer include smoking, chronic pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), family history of pancreatic cancer, obesity, and specific genetic syndromes.
Guests include Poet Lorraine Brooks, Dr. Wendy Satin Rapaport, Diabetes Strong’s owner Christel Oerum, Beautyphonics CEO and “Beneath The Makeup” Author Suzanne Perez, Jessica Clark, and Trisha Artman.
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.”
“Food noise has been running my life, and I didn’t even know it until I took Mounjaro,” said Rosie O’Donnell on the Plus SideZ podcast.
Mounjaro is the brand name for Tirzepatide an injectable prescription drug used to treat Type 2 diabetes. The drug is prescribed along with diet and exercise to help improve blood sugar levels. Like most drugs, Mounjaro may cause mild or severe side effects such as diarrhea, heartburn, constipation, belly and body aches, and pain.
Rosie O’Donnell and my boss, Luther Vandross, were friends on and off-camera. They suffered the same issues related to body image, yo-yo dieting, living with type 2 diabetes, and food and sugar addiction.
I appreciate her honesty and straightforwardness in sharing her experience and mindset in this interview. She managed to find the right words to express her struggle with food addiction in a way that’s clear, concise, and easy to understand.
“My life was out of control without it (Mounjaro),” says Rosie on the podcast. “I do believe I was addicted to food, I was addicted to sugar, and I could not shake it.”
Rose O’Donnell opens up on the podcast about ignoring her Prediabetes diagnosis, living with Type 2 Diabetes, getting a gastric sleeve surgery (2013), having a heart attack (2012), ongoing weight issues, and how weight loss medications changed her life.
“[My doctor] says to me, ‘I don’t care if you lose more (weight). It’s about your numbers for your A1C’ and your something else. But they’re going down, and that’s a good sign. So I don’t want to lose it too fast anyway because it freaks me out,” she told Newsweek.
Additionally, Rosie hired a chef to make her calorie and protein-appropriate meals.
Since taking the medication, Rosie has lost over thirty pounds and hasn’t experienced any side effects. She says she hasn’t gained weight since using the medication – that’s a big deal for her. She’s happy about losing weight slowly because, in the past, she’s been plagued by unwanted attention related to weight loss. It’s sabotaged her efforts to maintain and sustain weight loss.
Rosie feels the biggest benefit of the drug has been eliminating “food noise.” Food noise refers to the constant thoughts or recurring ruminations about food which could contribute to overeating and thus living with overweight and obesity. I’d never heard this term before listening to Rosie’s interview, but it perfectly captures a person’s mindset about food addiction.
I wish these types of drugs and sensitive and respectful talk about food addiction were around when Luther was alive. I witnessed him struggle unsuccessfully to conquer his food addiction and then suffer from complications related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes because of it.
I discuss Luther’s ongoing struggle with food addiction and yo-yo dieting on this Luther Vandross Tribute podcast. Guests include Lisa Fischer, Jason Miles, Jeff James, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, and Chuck Flowers. By the time Luther Vandross headed to the studio to record his fifth album Give Me the Reason, in 1986, he had lost considerable weight. Sadly, he regained weight as he began to tour for the album.
To her amazement, Rosie O’Donnell has found that she is no longer interested in snacks – not even cookies using the drug. “I’m free from food,” Rosie declared on the podcast.
Clinical trials studying Mounjaro (tirzepatide) for weight loss found the following results: Participants lost an average of 12-22% of their body weight over about 68 weeks when using the highest doses of Mounjaro (10-15 mg) along with diet and exercise.
Eli Lilly’s research found that around half of the participants in their study, who were both obese and had diabetes lost around 15 percent of their body weight while taking tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro.
Rosie is advocating affordably to help make this LIFE-CHANGING medication accessible to countless individuals whose lives have been transformed by its effectiveness over the last year.
Take this 1-minute testto find out your risk for prediabetes. Now is the time to take action. The CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program helps people with prediabetes make lasting lifestyle changes to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.
Working with a trained coach teaches you to eat healthy, add physical activity, and manage stress. With other participants, you’ll celebrate successes and work to overcome challenges. Click HERE to learn more.
Mr. Divabetic hosts this episode of Divabetic’s podcast on tips, advice, and strategies for turning around a Prediabetes or a Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis.
Guests include Jill WeisenbergerMS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND, and gospel music recording artist, Pat Lacy. Jill Weisenberger is recognized internationally for her expertise in nutrition, diabetes, and prediabetes. She worked as a nutrition counselor, diabetes educator, and health coach in hospitals, research, and private practice settings. Jill helps leverage resources, recipes, and scientific insights to find better ways to improve eating and smart living, reduce the risk of mismanaged diabetes health-related complications and support better health.
Jill is the author of Prediabetes: A Complete Guide, 2nd edition, Diabetes Weight Loss Week By Week, 21 Things You Need to Know About Diabetesand Your Heart, and The Overworked Person’s Guide To Better Nutrition. Additionally, she offers the Prediabetes Meal PlanningCrash Course, Prediabetes Turnaround, Type 2 EatingGuide, and a Stick With ItVideo Course.
Vocalist Pat Lacy, who has worked with The Sounds of Blacknessand Luther Vandross, shares her experience of ignoring a prediabetes diagnosis, initially denying living with type 2 diabetes, and then how she turned her attitude and health around. This podcast features music from Pat Lacy’s upcoming gospel album, I’m Taking You To Church.
Take this 1-minute testto find out your risk for prediabetes. Now is the time to take action. The CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program helps people with prediabetes make lasting lifestyle changes to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.
Working with a trained coach, you’ll learn to eat healthy, add physical activity to your life, and manage stress. With other participants, you’ll celebrate successes and work to overcome challenges. Click HERE to learn more.
On this episode of Divabetic’s podcast, we pay tribute to Doris Day. Her music, films, glamour, and perkiness are sources of happiness for many people.
Doris Day was the queen of early ’60s comedies, coyly flirtatious films filled with sexual innuendo and double entendres. The most famous of these, Pillow Talk (1959), the first of three that co-starred Rock Hudson, established her persona as an independent and successful career woman, as comfortable in the board room as she was in jazz clubs. Like her other roles, her character didn’t see herself as incomplete without a husband—an idea still quite revolutionary at the time. She got on with her life. Her characters often had chic apartments, exciting jobs, and smashing wardrobes. In most of her films, Doris showcased a spunky, can-do personality and jaunty independence.
Doris Day experienced many professional and personal ups and downs in real life, but nothing seemed to dim her dazzle. She said, “No matter what happens if I get pushed down, I’m going to come right back up.”
Often Doris Day credited her pets for their support during hard times. She was a lifelong animal lover and advocate who used her celebrity status to make a difference for animals.
Pets can help their owners overcome depression through their companionship and unconditional love. They possess the natural ability to help you relax and enjoy life more. Pets can also help when you experience times of loneliness. They can also help lower blood pressure; if trained, they can alert their owners to dangerously low blood sugar levels.
Pets can also help you improve your lifestyle. Eric O’Grey’s weight had ballooned to 320 pounds, and he was spending more than $1,000 a month on medications for high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and high cholesterol when his naturopathic doctor suggested he adopt a shelter dog.
Eric took that advice, heading to the Humane Society, and adopted an obese middle-aged dog named Peety.
Together, Eric and Peety started walking for at least a half-hour a day. Eric also adopted a plant-based diet. Ultimately Eric lost 140 pounds, and Peety lost 25 pounds.
Hear Eric’s interview on this episode of Divabetic’s popular podcast.
Another book, Elle & Coach: Diabetes, the Fight for My Daughter’s Life, and the Dog Who Changed Everything, describes how a trained diabetes alert dog can help alert its owner to low blood sugar levels. It’s the true story of a Type-A mom struggling to care for a daughter with Type 1 diabetes and of an incredible service dog who changes their lives for the better.
Listen to our interview with Elle & Coach author Mark Dagostino about his book on this podcast:
Our Doris Day Tribute Podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Dr. Beverly S. Adler PhD, CDCES, Neva White DNP, CRNP, CDCES, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Mama Rose Marie, Best-Selling Author and Romance Psychology Expert Rachel Van Dyken and Marguerite van Reenen from South Africa.
The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, plays his food game, ‘Serve, Taste or Trash,’ at the fifth annual Summer Streets – NYC. Here’s how you play: Mr. Divabetic lists 3 fruits and vegetables. Among the three food options, you must choose which one you’d serve, which you’d taste, and which you’d be willing to trash.
For this food game, the choices are melon, red pepper, and eggplant.
Nearly seven miles of New York City’s streets, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, will be opened up for everyone to play, run, walk, and bike.
Mr. Divabetic is a 2011 WEGO Health Activist Award finalist and the happy healthcare host of Diva TalkRadio. Diva TalkRadio is Divabetic’s dynamic free online and mobile podcast channel where tens of thousands of fans, followers, and listeners turn to laugh a little and learn a lot. The channel features a line-up of live and archived programs and specials. Guests include healthcare professionals, beauty, image/style, fitness experts, entertainment industry leaders, and VIPs: women and men living with, at risk of, and being affected by diabetes.
Learn how to become your own ‘Diabetes Bodyguard’ on this episode of Divabetic’s popular podcast with musical inspiration from one our all-time favorite divas, Whitney Houston.
Enjoy an exclusive first listen of “Whitney Houston – I Wish You Love: More From ‘The Bodyguard’” before the album’s release date courtesy of SONY Music. This 25th anniversary of The Bodyguardsoundtrack album features the hit song, I’m Every Woman, echoing the recent statistics that 1 in 10 women are now living with diabetes.
Throughout the podcast, we will talk to experts about ways to safeguard you and your family from experiencing diabetes health-related complications such as stroke, blindness, and amputation.
Guests include Dr. Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDE, Constance Brown Riggs MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach featuring Patricia Addie Gentle RN, CDE, Mindy Bartleson, T1D, blogger at “There’s More to the Story”, and author, Hairstylist & Salon Owner, Karline Ricketts, and America’s #1 Energy Conductor, Kathie Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’.
Today I’m thinking of my boss, Luther Vandross, on the anniversary of his passing. Luther changed my life twice. First, he hired me to be his assistant, and then his stroke, related to mismanaged type 2 diabetes, made me a diabetes advocate.
In 1995, he moved me from San Francisco (where I worked in Regional Theater) to New York City to become his full-time assistant. It was two years after I worked on my first Luther tour, Never Let Me Go, in 1993.
It was a dream come true for a kid who loves soul music from Rochester, NY (I was a diehard WDKX listener) without professional connections. In 2003, I became his caregiver after he suffered a stroke due to mismanaged type 2 diabetes which led me on a path as a diabetes advocate.
My lack of knowledge regarding my grandmother’s diabetes and self-care dismissed concerns I might have had that mismanaged diabetes could destroy someone’s quality of life and health until it was too late. Calling diabetes ‘a touch of sugar’ is like saying a Great White shark is a Goldfish.
Luther was a generous, kind, funny, and hugely talented man. But sadly, I witnessed him struggle with food addiction. In reflection, I feel Luther’s behavior was similar to other addicts. He was either sober, abstaining from carbohydrates, or using, binge eating. No one talks about food addiction as they discuss or glorify drug use. But in my opinion, Luther was wrestling with a monster just as powerful and seductive as cocaine. Unfortunately, he lost the battle. He felt trapped in his body, and it caused him physical, mental, and emotional heartache.
But that’s not the whole story. Luther was a complex, multi-dimensional man, just like a multi-dimensional artist who was a successful songwriter, producer, vocal arranger, and vocalist. On many of his biggest hits, he showcases all of these skills.
The first time I met him, the sheer magnitude of his talent blew me away. He embodied the American Dream to me. He never had a Plan B because he felt if he did, then he wouldn’t pursue his dream. His bravery has influenced my life decisions and given me the strength to pursue my dreams.
Every July 1st, I renew my desire to help those at risk, affected by, and living with diabetes to ‘keep their house a home’ by learning to delay or prevent a mismanaged diabetes complication such as stroke.
Enjoy Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast guests, including Lisa Fischer, Jason Miles, Jeff James, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, and Chuck Flowers.
By the time Luther Vandross headed to the studio to record his fifth album, Give Me the Reason, in 1986; he’d become one of the most successful soul singers of the first half of the eighties. His four previous albums have been either certified platinum or double-platinum in America.
Luther Vandross’s fifth album, Give Me the Reason, comprised nine tracks, including the hits: So Amazing,There’s Nothing Better Than Love, Stop To Loveand Give Me The Reason. We chose to spotlight this album because this is the first time Luther showcased his 100-pound weight loss on the album’s cover. He was not able to maintain or sustain the weight loss. Luther lost and gained at least a hundred pounds more than eight times while I worked for him. We’re discussing yo-yo dieting, self-love, and the power of positive talk can help you overcome feelings of failing or self-loathing related to body shape and size.
Today, I continue to present diabetes outreach with dazzle! Divabetic’s robust schedule includes newsletters, blog posts, virtual programs, and podcasts. I also work full-time for violinist Itzhak Perlman. Since Mr. Perlman, who has polio, uses a motorized scooter, I spend most days dealing with accessibility issues regarding air and ground travel and hotel accommodations. Mr. Perlman’s exuberance for life, humor and kindness, not to mention talent, make it all worthwhile. Although soul music and Rhythm and Blues will always be my first love, I’ve learned to appreciate classical music.
Itzhak Perlman is truly amazing! And yes, Mr. Perlman has listened to and enjoyed Luther’s music.
Over the past 20 years since Luther’s stroke, I have lost none of my passion for helping others at risk, affected by and living with avoid a similar fate to Luther’s. I am still keenly interested in eradicating the shame and blame associated with type 2 diabetes and elevating the conversation surrounding food addiction.
Throughout the podcast, we will feature music from Luther Vandross’s Give Me The Reasonalbum courtesy of SONY Music.
