This year’s Mystery podcast, Murder As Plain As Vanilla, is set in a real place – The Hedges Inn in East Hampton, NY. Our excellent narrator, the lovely Lorraine Brooks, explained how the Hedges Inn was named after one of the Hamptons’ founding families who settled there in 1644.
Two hundred years later, the restored family home became a boarding house. Word quickly spread nationwide about Mrs. Hedges’s delicious New England cooking. Her outstanding reputation turned her home into a place where the elite liked to meet and eat.
When Mr. Divabetic’s arch-nemesis baking sensation Renata Whisk calls, offering a chance to participate in the Visions of Vanilla baking competition, he can’t refuse. After all, it’s an invitation to compete against culinary giants Best-Selling Cookbook Author Lily Frost, Green Thumb Gourment, Hazel Honeywell, and the Cannoli Countess and, most importantly, a chance to pay back his debt owed to his mother.
But before Max’s hands touch flour, he discovers the dead body of the Vanilla King of Madagascar lying in a bed of roses. As luck has it, Max is the last person to see the Vanilla King alive. Rumors start swirling about Max’s past involvement in legendary TV Chef Sweet Sally Buttercup’s untimely demise. To prove his innocence, he enlists his team, USA Today’s best-selling author Tonya Kappes, health educator MaryAnn Nicolay MEd, NDTR, and his mother, Mama Rose Marie.
But when another baker’s dead body is found near Max’s station, even his mother tastes a recipe for disaster. Could he be ladling out something lethal?
Now, armed with only Renata Whisk’s Puffed Pastry recipe, a rolling pin, and his team’s expertise in solving murders and dispersing diabetes health information, Max has no choice but to solve the mystery or at least die trying. To win the Visions Of Vanilla grand prize, it will be a fight to the death.
Co-Starring Lorraine Brooks, Catherine Schuller, Dave Jones, Seveda Williams, and Amparo Peterkin. Script Editor Wendy Radford. Producer, Leisa Chester Weir. Music from the Broadway Cast albums of Anything Goes courtesy of SONY Music.
Diabetes doesn’t have to dim your sparkle during the holidays. We’re presenting a Holiday Sugarfree Baking Party on Thursday, November 30, 2023, at 7 PM, EST.
During this fun-filled BakingParty on Zoom, The Diabetic Pastry Chefprepares a Sugar–Free holiday dessert recipe and shares expert baking tips for substituting sugar substitutes in recipes.
Plus, Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller shares a sneak peek at Divabetic’s Gift Guide 2023. She showcases her new jewelry line, Power Pieces, made from upcycled comic books. These one-of-a-kind heroic adornments celebrate the inner power in all of us.
Win 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 BakingParty to enter our gift drawings to win.
Over 150 people have participated in our past Divabetic Baking Parties on Zoom, so don’t miss out!
Register on Eventbrite. Register closes at 3 PM, EST.
There’s a good indication that murder might be part of the recipe when Nantucket’s ten-time reigning Baking Champion’s last name is ‘Coffin.’ Tune into Divabetic’s Mystery Podcast, Kill Me Madam.
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.
During this fun-filled Baking Party on Zoom, The Diabetic Pastry Chefprepares 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 Partieson Zoom, so don’t miss out!
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.
If you have followed your favorite celebrity on social media, gone to a gym, or picked up a fashion magazine, you have probably heard about the keto diet. But what is it, what are the pros and cons of adhering to a keto diet, and what information should you share with your healthcare collaborators?
We will discuss these issues on October’s Divabetic podcastwith my special guest, Dr. Michael Grego. He is a Naturopathic Physician, a Chiropractic doctor, and the author of 3 books: The Nutritional Ketogenic Diet, Clean Keto vs Dirty Keto, and the latest best-selling book, The InsulThin Diet.
Keto is short for ketogenic, a process during which your body uses fat as its primary fuel source instead of carbohydrates. Calories on this diet primarily come from sources of dietary fat, such as butter, oil, and nuts, and moderate amounts of protein-rich foods, such as meat, full-fat cheese, fish, and eggs.
Before engaging in any dietary plan, please consult with your healthcare collaborators.
Throughout the podcast, we feature music from The Essential John Luongo album courtesy of SONY Music.
Our music inspiration, John Luongo, is considered the first to create dance remixes and extended mixes of our favorite songs. He’s a DJ, remixer, writer, publisher, and manager.
We’re talking about ‘PRE-DIABETES, PCOS & REGAINING YOUR POWER’ with musical inspiration from Angie Stone.
Angie Stone is an American singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer living with type 2 diabetes. She rose to prominence in the late 1970s after joining the hip-hop ensemble The Sequence.
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 1999. “I was always on the go, and thought I was too busy to develop something like this,” Stone said. “I thought at the time that diabetes went along with bad habits, but I was the last one in my family to eat junk food.”
Angie Stone didn’t realize her family history of diabetes and ongoing weight issues made her more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
“I came to accept my diabetes when I realized just how many people around me, even in my own family, were living with diabetes,” she says. “It gave me back a lot of courage to see all these people just like me, going places, involved in normal things, and I became determined to learn what I needed to better manage my diabetes.”
Today, Angie Stone’s diabetes health seems to be seeing brighter days.
According to reports, she lost one hundred pounds after undergoing gastric sleeve surgery.
Still, she’s alienated me with the lyrics to her song, 2 Bad Habits.
“You’re like sweet, brown sugar to a diabetic Got me overdosing, I’ma need a paramedic Yeah I said it If I can’t see you at all, I’m going through withdraws, I Just can’t get enough of you, baby”
Making light of mismanaged diabetes in a love song isn’t my cup of tea. I’m certain anyone with a friend, co-worker, or loved one who experienced a diabetes-related complication would agree with my opinion.
Pre-diabetes means blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Prediabetes makes you more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a condition that causes an imbalance of female sex hormones. As a result, women with PCOS often don’t have menstrual periods or only have periods on occasion. It is the number one cause of female infertility. PCOS causes insulin resistance, the hallmark of type 2 diabetes.
More than half of women with PCOS develop type 2 diabetes by age 40.
Although PCOS is not curable, the condition can be treated. Insulin resistance in PCOS may be treated to help improve symptoms of PCOS and to prevent diabetes.
Like many women, Angie Stone put off taking care of her health to take care of others and manage her career. “I was always on the go, and thought I was too busy to develop something like this,” she said. “I thought at the time that diabetes went along with bad habits, but I was the last one in my family to eat junk food.”
Podcast guests: Poet Lorraine Brooks, PCOS Diva founder Amy Medling, Dr. Beverly S. AdlerPhD, CDE, Dr. Sara (Mandy) Reece PharmD, CDE, BC-ADM- PCOM, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Jeff James, and Mama Rose Marie.
Angie Stone has released her anticipated 10th studio album Love Language on all music platforms. The 11-track album features contributions from songwriters/producers Walter Milsap, Candice Nelson, and Balewa Muhammad and includes guest appearances from Musiq Soulchild and, for the first time, her son, Swayvo Twain.
Catherine Schuller moderates a panel featuring Dr. Julianne Arena, MD, FACOG, ABAARM, Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide to Love And Intimacy With Diabetes co-author, COO for Diabetes Sisters Donna Rice MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES, and photographer, Amparo. Amparo discovered, quite unexpectedly, in the ER that she has diabetes after doctors told her her glucose level was over 800! Over the past six months, she’s been taking charge of managing her diabetes while facing hormonal changes during menopause – it’s a true Divabetic Victory story.
After our panel, Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef, demonstrates how to make her famous Sugar-Free Rum Cake Recipe and shares baking tips using popular sugar substitutes in your favorite recipes.
Stacey was attending culinary school when she was diagnosed with diabetes. She thought her career was over, not to mention her lifetime love affair with desserts. Her devastation gave way to innovation, resulting in the inventive and simple substitution system presented in her book. Stacey Harris, a caterer specializing in pastries, has been baking and collecting recipes since she was a teenager. She is a member of The American Diabetes Association, and her baking techniques have been featured in their magazine, Diabetes Forecast. Her book, Sugar-Free Sweets, is available now.
The purpose of World Menopause Day is to raise awareness of menopause and the support options = for improving health and wellness.
We’re taking you inside some of the most beautiful homes to raise awareness for diabetes in a new way with our new podcast series, Divabetic Home Tours.
From the kitchen and bathroom to the family room and bedroom, diabetes affects all aspects of your home life.
We’re sprinkling between pictures of rooms with diabetes advice and videos from Homeworthy’s most gorgeous homes to spark your interest in self-care.
Welcome to the Divabetic House Tours: the Kips Bay Show House New York edition.
Celebrated interior designers transform a luxury Manhattan home into an elegant exhibition of fine furnishings, art, and technology each year. This event began in 1973 when several dedicated Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club supporters launched the Decorator Show House to raise critical funds for after-school and enrichment programs for New York City children. Over the decades, the project has become a must-see event for thousands of design enthusiasts and is renowned for sparking worldwide interior design trends.
Throughout our tour, enjoy Divabetic’s exclusive audio of wall-to-wall diabetes advice and conversations room-by-room to help you keep your house a home.
Start in our state-of-the-art kitchen and meet Jill Weisenberger RD, CDCES, who chats about how to make your food environment less stressful.
Outside stress triggers our drive for comfort food, including excess sugar-sweetened beverages and sweets such as baked goods. At the same time, during stressful moments, we tend to lower our intake of whole foods, fruits, and vegetables. This, in turn, leads to a higher risk of insulin resistance, excess visceral fat, and type 2 diabetes.
MaryAnn Nicolay talks about reading nutrition labels. One tip for people with diabetes or prediabetes is to focus on the total carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and calories to help reach your health goals.
Plus, before you, treat yourself to Paulette McWilliams’ soulful song, Mama’s Kitchen Table.
Gospel Singer Pat Lacy shares how she practices portion control. One option is to reduce your carbohydrate portion sizes and keep them to less than a quarter of your plate. Still hungry? Fill up on green vegetables and eat lean protein and healthy fats instead.
Foods high in good fats include vegetable oils (such as olive, canola, sunflower, soy, and corn), nuts, seeds, and fish.
Stroll through the spacious family room where Lorraine Brooks and RachelZinman get comfy on the sofa and talk about the feelings related to managing diabetes in today’s world.
Clarence Waldron tells how acting F.A.S.T. after experiencing a stroke was the key to his recovery.
Don’t leave before clicking on the LINK to share a free pre-diabetes test with our loved ones.
The Center for Disease Control offers a National Diabetes Prevention Program to help people with prediabetes make lasting lifestyle changes to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes.
Relax in the luxurious spa-inspired bathroom, where you can pick up tips from beauty and style tips experts and find out how diabetes can affect your skin, hair, and teeth.
For instance, hair loss can be a symptom of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Experts believe it is caused by hormonal imbalances, poor circulation due to hyperglycemia, or an autoimmune disorder. Hair loss can often be reversed with medications and by tighter blood sugar management.
Falling can be a concern if you live with diabetes and have peripheral neuropathy or nerve damage (loss of sensation in the feet, legs, and hands), retinopathy (damaged blood vessels in the eyes), and hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Mama Rose Marie offers an easy tip for anyone afraid of falling in the shower.
Crawl into bed for some pillow talk on addressing and overcoming intimacy and sexual health concerns.
Even though people with diabetes are at a higher risk for sexual problems, a study in Diabetes Care found that only about half of all men with diabetes and 19 percent of women with diabetes have broached the topic with a doctor.
Dr. Janis Roszler PhD opens our eyes to what intimacy can mean for people affected by sexual health issues related to diabetes.
Many men with erectile dysfunction, for instance, later learn that they have diabetes. For people with diabetes, sexual problems can indicate nerve damage, blocked arteries, and even out-of-whack hormones.
Ambrice Miller founded Relic Interiors, a dealing company that curates incredible art, antiques, and beautifully handcrafted furniture. She gives a tour of her English countryside home.
Men and women experience low libido as a result of poorly managed diabetes. If your sex drive is stalled, look at your diabetes management and take steps to lower your blood glucose levels. Then, consider your medications. Certain drugs, such as antidepressants, can reduce sexual desire, so be sure to talk to your doctor.
Divabetic’s Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide To Love And Intimacy With Diabetes is available on Amazon
Finally, if you don’t stumble on any surprises, crawl into bed for guidance on overcoming sexual health and intimacy concerns.
Plus, at the end of the tour, you can get a copy of Divabetic’s Top Questions to discuss at your next Doctor’s visit.
Divabetic: It’s All About Attitude!
This Homeworthy episode features the beautiful Connecticut home of renowned interior designer Bunny Williams. Bunny graciously invites us to tour her 1860s Falls Village home and discover her converted barn that was originally a garage, but is now filled with many of her and her husband John Rosselli’s extraordinary antiques.
We’re sharing excerpts of interviews from our favorite Divabetic podcasts over the years.
This excerpt is from our Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis Turnaround podcast with Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND, and gospel singer 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 Weisenberger is the author of Prediabetes: A Complete Guide, 2nd edition, Diabetes Weight Loss Week By Week, 21 Things You Need to Know About Diabetes and Your Heart, and The Overworked Person’s Guide To Better Nutrition. Additionally, she offers the Prediabetes Meal Planning Crash Course, Prediabetes Turnaround, Type 2 Eating Guide, and a Stick With It Video Course.
Gospel Singer Pat Lacy, who has worked with The Sounds of Blackness and Luther Vandross, shares her experience living with type 2 diabetes and how she modified her lifestyle to take charge of her health.
This podcast features music from Pat Lacy’s upcoming gospel album, I’m Taking You To Church.
Diabetes and menopause can team up to have various effects on your body. Knowing what to expect and how to manage it is what we will be discussing in Divabetic’s Menopause & Diabetes Panel Discussion & SugarFree Baking Demonstration on Zoom in honor of World Menopause Day on Wednesday, October 18, 2023, from 7 – 8:30 PM.
Catherine Schuller moderates a panel featuring Dr. Julianne Arena, MD, FACOG, ABAARM, Sweet Romance: A Woman’s Guide to Love And Intimacy With Diabetesco-author, COO for Diabetes Sisters Donna Rice MBA, BSN, RN, CDCES, FADCES, and photographer, Amparo. Amparo discovered, quite unexpectedly, in the ER, that she has diabetes after doctors told her her glucose level was over 800! Over the past six months, she’s been taking charge of managing her diabetes while facing hormonal changes during menopause – it’s a true Divabetic Victory story.
After our panel, Stacey Harris, The Diabetic Pastry Chef, demonstrates how to make her popular Sugar-Free Rum Cake Recipe.
One lucky winner will win a Divabetic Prize at the end of the program.
The purpose of World Menopause Day is to raise awareness of menopause and the support options = for improving health and wellness.
We’re sharing excerpts of interviews from our favorite Divabetic podcasts over the years.
This excerpt is from our January 2023 podcast with international yoga teacher and author Rachel Zinman, who lives with Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults LADA diabetes. (LADA) is a type of diabetes that starts in adulthood and slowly gets worse over time. Like type 1 diabetes, LADA happens when the pancreas stops making insulin. That’s usually because an autoimmune process is damaging cells in the pancreas.
In her book, Yoga for Diabetes, Rachel Zinman shares her journey and the hard-won wisdom gained from her own experience of yoga and diabetes. Read how her yoga and meditation practices helped her to overcome years of frustration and confusion about managing her diabetes. Listen to Divabetic’s full interview with Rachel Zinman and her guided meditation, “Compassion Meditation,” focusing on self-love and compassion to help inspire you with a new attitude.
We’re talking about sleep and nighttime diabetes self-care management with musical inspiration from Gladys Knight & The Pips on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, if you get less than 7 hours of sleep per night regularly, your diabetes will be harder to manage. Too little sleep can increase insulin resistance.
People with insulin resistance have built up a tolerance to insulin, making the hormone less effective. As a result, more insulin is needed to persuade fat and muscle cells to take up glucose and the liver to continue to store it.
If you have insulin resistance, you want to become the opposite—more insulin sensitive (cells are more effective at absorbing blood sugar, so less insulin is needed).
Mr. Divabetic discusses insulin resistance and sensitivity with Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND, in this video.
A lack of sleep makes you hungrier the next day and reduces how full you feel after eating.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. Children and teens need more.
Gladys Knight, known as The Empress of Soul, doesn’t have diabetes, but the disease is close to her heart. Her mother, Elizabeth Knight, died of complications from the disease in 1997. A five-time Grammy award winner, Gladys Knight is as busy as ever gracing the entertainment world with her exceptional voice. Yet she never misses an opportunity to voice the message of early detection and treatment of diabetes.
Gladys shares her final words of wisdom: ” Do something about diabetes … Know more, do more!” Knight feels nearly as passionate about spreading that message as she does about the incredible singing career her mom helped her launch some 54 years ago.
Podcast guests include Stacey Harris aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef, Mary Ann Hodorowicz, RD, LDN, MBA, CDE, CEC, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach, SleepyHead Central founder Tamara Sellman RPSGT, CCSH, Poet Lorraine Brooks and Mama Rose Marie.
Divabetic’s faith-based diabetes community outreach program, “Hat Boxing Competitions,” was presented in multiple tri-state area churches.
This program celebrates the glamour and style of church hats in a hat box decorating contest. Refereed by healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, this is one competition where everyone wins.
Our program consisted of a Hat Fashion Show celebrating Divas Of Distinction, a Diabetes Care and Education Specialist’s Presentation, a Speed Boxing competition, a Chair Workout, live entertainment, Hat Boxing Presentations and Speeches, and a Grand Prize presentation.
Several weeks before the program, contestants picked up hat-boxing packets containing plain hat boxes, diabetes information, stroke survivor testimonials, and healthy lifestyle messages at the church sanctuary. We also included tips from our favorite diabetes educators, nutritionists, and workout instructors.
Enjoy this nutrition tip from our interview with Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND from our Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis Turnaround podcast.
Over 30 contenders from Bethel Deliverance International Church (Wyncote, PA) showed off their creativity at one program.
Hat Boxing contestants brought their decorated hat boxes to the competition. Entries were decorated with messages of diabetes information, encouragement, and empowerment and presented to the judges.
New York Fashion hat designer Evetta Petty, the New York City Hat Boutique Harlem’s Heaven owner, shares how she stays on track with type 2 diabetes while running a successful small fashion business.
Carrie Underwood inspires us to discuss Faith and Diabetes on this episode of Divabetic’s popular podcast.
Podcast guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Dr. Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDE, Neva White DNP, CDCES, Mama Rose Marie, Poet Lorraine Brooks, and special guest Carrie from New York.
Help Us Light the Way During National Diabetes Awareness Month (November)
Approximately 96 million American adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes. Did you know that over 80% don’t know they have it? Prediabetes increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
This November, join Divabetic’s Blue Candle initiative and encourage your friends, co-workers, and family members to be screened for pre-diabetes. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) offers a quick, easy online Pre-Diabetes risk test.
Be by their side when they check, and share your experience of living well with diabetes so they can see that living well with diabetes is possible. Together, we can help others come out of the dark, address their diabetes health status, and start living their lives to the fullest.
Clarence Waldron talks about his stroke, recovery, working as Senior Editor and Writer of Jet Magazine, and his memories of Luther Vandross and Aretha Franklin.
Twenty years ago, Clarence interviewed Luther’s mother, Mrs. Mary Ida Vandross, for Jet Magazine after Luther suffered a stroke due to mismanaged type 2 diabetes.
Clarence’s story is an excellent reminder of why it’s essential to ACT F.A.S.T. if you or a loved one is experiencing a stroke. The acronym FAST (Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties, and Time) has been used by the National Stroke Association, American Heart Association, and others to educate the public on detecting stroke symptoms. Earlier treatment results in a greater chance of recovery, a reduced likelihood of permanent disability, and a lesser need for extensive rehabilitation.
