Sugar Shock – Divabetic

08/30/202408/30/2024

Chobani Zero Sugar Yogurts

Have you tried Chobani’s Zero Sugar yogurts? If so, please share your comments to add to our upcoming blog post.

Small changes can help manage diabetes, but where do you start? Many zero-sugar, less-sugar, and reduced-sugar foods have a strange aftertaste or leave you unsatisfied and wanting to eat more. The more these products proliferate in grocery store aisles, the more hopeless our search becomes. We’d love to hear what works or doesn’t for achieving your diabetes health goals. Let’s help each other out with some valuable insights!

Mr. Divabetic talks to nationally-recognized Registered Dietitian and Diabetes Care and Education Specialist Jill Weisenberger MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND about The Beginner’s Guide To What To Eat With Type 2 Diabetes digital download.

Podcast guests include Catherine Schuller, Poet Lorraine Brooks, Patricia Addie-Gentle RD, CDCES, MaryAnn Horst Nicolay, MEd, NDTR, and MamaRose Marie. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.

With a few simple swaps, you can help live your best life while managing your diabetes. Our experts offer straightforward, simple, and fun swap ideas for drinks, medications, self-care, and fashion. Plus, we share style tips and words of inspiration to help you maintain a healthy habit.

Developing these habits isn’t always easy. Adapting to a new routine can be tricky, and it’s often tempting to want to return to old ways if we don’t see immediate results. One of the biggest mistakes people make when forming a new habit is taking on too much too quickly. Focus on what’s working in your diabetes self-care plan before overhauling diabetes management. Instead of decluttering the entire house, why not focus on one room or closet? Why not focus on the calories you drink rather than everything you eat? If you want to eat healthier, try replacing one dessert daily with a piece of fruit rather than cutting out sugar completely. If you’re going to get into hiking, start with a walk at lunchtime. Setting small goals you can achieve will help keep you motivated along the way.

10/21/202310/21/2023

The Bride Of Frankenstein Halloween Display

I received a package filled with lightning bolt-shaped styrofoam a few weeks ago. I didn’t throw them away. The shape was fantastic. Even though all of my Halloween Duck, Duck, Ghoul! displays are done. I wondered what I could make with the styrofoam. The styrofoam’s shape reminded me of the Bride Of Frankenstein’s eyebrows. So, I decided to make one more display. I studied pictures from the original movie.

According to Google, The Bride Of Frankenstein was created as a collaborative project between and his old university affiliate, Dr. Septimus Pretorius. The scientists create the Bride to give it to the monster as a mate, but the monster only wishes to have a friend.

The Bride’s gown in the 1935 movie is sublime. But its simple elegance and draping didn’t work on a duck. And trust me, I tried everything, including a Large Federal Express packing bag – I thought the corners would be perfect for the shoulders. So, I abandoned the idea of knocking off the original gown and let my imagination take over. When the legendary Vogue and Harpers Bazaar journalist Diana Vreeland wrote “the eye must travel” in her book in 1980, I doubt she was referring to the front door of Dollar General. But that’s precisely where my thrifty spirit for crafting took me.

After a fruitless search, I wandered into my local hardware store. Inspiration hit when I spotted mops and a package of large coffee filters. I ventured to two more stores in search of paper dollies to complete her dress. I topped off my display when the cheapest wig I could find on Amazon.

Throughout October, health guru High Voltage travels to select schools around New York City to create awareness and excitement to empower private and public schools to take a stand against the sugar industry. During these Shocktober rallies, High Voltage presents a powerful demonstration showing teens how to “Sugar Shock” their favorite drinks. Sugar Shock demonstrations allow teens to discover how much-added sugar they consume daily; when they do, most are SHOCKED!

Watch this video to see how many grams of sugar are in popular drinks!

Major sources of added sugars are sugary beverages (regular soft drinks, sweetened tea, coffee, energy drinks, and fruit drinks), candy, desserts, and sweet snacks (cakes, cookies, pies). Smaller amounts come from dairy desserts, milk products (ice cream, sweetened yogurt, and sweetened milk), breakfast cereals and bars, and other items.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugars to 100 calories per day (6 teaspoons of sugar) for most women and no more than 150 calories per day (9 teaspoons) for most men.

We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast.

Added sugar is everywhere. But do we understand the impact it has on our diabetes health?

If asked to name sugary foods, you may think of sweets, chocolate, sodas, table sugar, and perhaps fruit. But sugar also appears in savory foods such as ready meals, soups, salads, sauces, and ‘healthy’ foods such as breakfast cereals and yogurt. Furthermore, starches such as bread, pasta, rice, and potatoes also convert to sugar in our bloodstream, having the same impact on our bodies. These ‘hidden sugars’ can add a surprising amount to our daily intake.

Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller. Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. Throughout the podcast, we play music from ‘The Essential Sade’ album courtesy of SONY Music.

09/16/2023

How Much Sugar Is In Starbucks Apple Crisp Oatmilk Frappuccino?

Starbucks Apple Crisp Oatmilk Frappuccino combines apple, cinnamon, and brown sugar in your brew to taste apple pie filling.

You might assume you’re ordering something healthy because it contains oat milk, but think again: Apple Crisp Oatmilk Frappuccinos pack a big sugar punch!!

According to the Starbucks website, a Grande size Apple Crisp Oatmilk Frappuccino contains 60 grams (or 15 teaspoons) of sugar. Additional nutrition information: Total Carbohydrates: 70 grams, Calories:420

Oat milk is a non-dairy milk alternative like soy and almond milk. An 8-ounce glass of oat milk contains 4 grams of protein compared to dairy milk, which has twice as much: 8 grams of protein in every 8-ounce glass.

But this grain-based milk is gluten-free, and many brands are free from the major allergens.

Oat milk and dairy milk also differ in carbohydrate content. Original varieties of oat milk can have up to 24 grams of carbohydrates per serving, while dairy milk has 12 grams.

Expert Tip: The American Diabetes Association recommends you look at the Total Carbohydrate instead of the Net Carbson the Nutrition Facts label. The total carbohydrate on the label includes all three types of carbohydrates: sugar, starch, and fiber.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends eating no more than 12.5 teaspoons of sugar daily, or about 50 grams (the same amount found in Starbucks’ super popular Grande Pumpkin Spice Latte and a 16 oz. bottle of Coke!). You are having a day’s worth of sugar in one drink!

Limiting added sugar consumption to 10 percent of a person’s daily total calories is the idea. Americans get about 16 percent of their calories from added sugars on average.

How Much Added Sugar Are You Drinking?

America’s #1 Energy Conductor, Kathie Dolgin aka High Voltage, shows how much added sugar is in popular drinks in this video – it’s shocking!! 4.2 grams equals a teaspoon, but the nutrition facts round this number down to four grams. Using this equation, you can easily look at any drink to see how much sugar it contains.

We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade on this episode of Divabetic’s podcast.

Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Tameka Milline, Catherine Schuller, Kathy Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage’, and Stephanie MacKendree. Throughout the podcast, we play music from The Essential Sade album courtesy of SONY Music.

Over time, consistently taking in more sugar will lead to insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is when cells in your muscles, fat, and liver don’t respond well to insulin and can’t easily take up glucose from your blood, leading to prediabetes.

Prediabetes means your blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.

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.

Prediabetes 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.