sugar sweetened beverages

09/13/2023

McDonald’s Phases Out Self-Serve Soda Fountains

According to the State Journal-Register of Illinois, McDonald’s plans to phase out the do-it-yourself stations, eliminating them over the next decade as franchise owners cite hygiene, theft, and consumer eating habits.

Slashing soft drinks from your diet is a quick way to improve your health and lose weight. Sugar-sweetened soft drinks are the leading sources of added sugars in the American diet. Frequently drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney diseases, non-alcoholic liver disease, tooth decay and cavities, and gout, a type of arthritis. But giving up your soda habit isn’t always an easy task. While some people can function just fine without soft drinks, others need their fix starting at breakfast.

Soda Is Engineered To Make You Drink More

According to Gary Wenk, director of neuroscience undergraduate programs at Ohio State University and author of “Your Brain on Food,” it’s all in the beverage’s design.” He believes your favorite soft drink brand is engineered with enough sweetener, caffeine, and carbonation to make you continuously want to grab and gulp.

“Free refills are a big draw for people,” Kim Derringer, who operates three McDonald’s franchises in Springfield, Ill., told The State-Journal Register.

“I don’t see anything taking that away.”

Most People Don’t Know How Many Calories Are In Soda

Even though it’s widely known that soda can contribute to weight gain, most adults don’t know how many calories are in a bottle of soda, a new study reveals.

The research, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and based on data from 3,926 adults, shows that eight in 10 adults — 84.4 percent — know that sugar-sweetened beverages can promote weight gain. However, nearly the same percentage of adults — 81 percent — did not know (or inaccurately stated) the number of calories in 24 ounces of soda. (There are 251 to 350 calories in a 24-ounce soda).

If you’re having a soft drink on occasion – say a few times per month – there’s no need for concern. But if you’re having more than one soda per day, you could be putting yourself at risk for health conditions, stroke, and dementia.

“The key is finding (another) beverage you enjoy,” Msora-Kasago said. “Unsweetened milk is always a great place to start because in addition to quenching thirst, milk provides many important nutrients such as protein and calcium.”

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?

You may think of sweets, chocolate, sodas, table sugar, and perhaps fruit if asked to name sugary foods. 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.

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.

05/10/202305/17/2023

Senator Mark Rubio Plans To Cut Junk Food And Soda from SNAP

“This subsidization of junk food is fueling American health crises,” Florida Senator Mark Rubio wrote, who plans to introduce legislation that would “explicitly exclude” sugar-sweetened sodas and prepared desserts from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Food and Nutrition Service. He aims to rework the program to push for healthier food options such as milk and pure fruit juice. However, his adversaries argue his intention is strictly to lower government funding.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) is the nation’s most important anti-hunger program, reaching 38 million people nationwide in 2019 alone. More than 65% of SNAP participants are in families with children.

“More than 40 percent of U.S. adults are obese, and roughly half have diabetes or prediabetes. These diseases can be debilitating. They are also extremely expensive, costing hundreds of billions of dollars in medical costs each year,” Rubio wrote. “That SNAP plays a role in their spread is immoral, irresponsible, and reprehensible.”

Approximately 96 million American adults—more than 1 in 3—have prediabetes. Of those with prediabetes, more than 80% don’t know they have it.

How do you feel about your overall health? Are you aware of your risk of prediabetes?

Could You Have Prediabetes?

Take The Prediabetes Rick Test NOW

Prediabetes means you have a higher-than-normal blood sugar level. It’s not high enough to be considered type 2 diabetes yet sufficient to be considered type 2 diabetes yet. But without lifestyle changes, adults and children with prediabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. There’s good news, however. Progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes isn’t inevitable.

Eating healthy foods, making physical activity part of your daily routine, and staying at a healthy weight can help bring your blood sugar level back to normal.

“If soft drinks and sweets are no longer SNAP-eligible, corner stores and supermarkets will have more incentive to stock healthier foods.”

The US Department of Health reports calories in sugar-sweetened beverages such as soda can contribute to weight gain and lead to other health risks, including obesity, tooth decay, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

According to a Harvard Medical study, replacing one daily serving of a sugary drink with a healthier beverage was associated with almost a 20% lower risk of death.

Facing your health risks and issues can be scary and overwhelming but there are

Our friend and colleague, Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, FAND, is an internationally recognized nutrition, diabetes, and prediabetes expert. Let her Prediabetes: A Complete Guide help you “reset,” improve your overall health, and get yourself in better shape.

Prediabetes: A Complete Guide, 2nd edition

Jill Weisenberger also offers courses, Prediabetes Turnaround and Prediabetes Meal Planning, to help you build motivation for healthy habits and prevent type 2 diabetes.

The USDA report Mark Rubio cites that 20 cents of every dollar spent under the benefits program go toward “sugar-sweetened beverages, desserts, salty snacks, candy, and sugar.”

“There is nothing compassionate or responsible about spending taxpayer dollars on empty calories that contribute to health crises,” Rubio stated.

We’re talking about ‘THE SWEETEST TABOO’ aka ‘SUGAR’ with musical inspiration from Sade.

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

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

06/12/2017

Asparagus with Zucchini Rings by Holly Clegg (Father’s Day Celebration) Pt. 2

Our Divabetic Father’s Day Celebration takes on a ‘Spaghetti Western’ theme to encourage you to embrace your ‘inner cowboy’ and keep riding high with diabetes health!

Cowboys, like today’s miners and farmers, symbolize courage, optimism, and plain hard work. They also remind you that success isn’t only measured with materials, but by where you find satisfaction.

One of our favorite experts, Best-Selling Cookbook Author Holly Clegg shares this Southwestern menu for a Divabetic Father’s Day Celebration. Holly’s menu includes Southwestern Roasted Vegetables, Asparagus with Zucchini Rings., Vodka Pasta, Beer Bread , Butternut Squash, Black Bean and Feta Enchiladas with Salsa Verde, Southwestern Pasta (We will be posting one recipe each day throughout the upcoming week).

Asparagus with Zucchini Rings by Holly Clegg

This veggie captivated my attention at a dinner for 300 people so I went home to make them. Simple ingredients, eye-catching and unbelievably delicious- they add flair and flavor to any plate. Make ahead, refrigerate, and cook when ready to serve.

Makes 10 bundles

Ingredients:

1 medium zucchini

1 pound asparagus, trimmed discarding ends

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven 400°F. Coat foil lined baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Cut zucchini into 1/4-inch diagonal slices and hollow out hole in center of each slice, leaving an edge (like napkin ring). Place about 3 asparagus, depending on size through hole, and lay on baking sheet.

3. Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste. Roast 25-30 minutes or until tender and browned.

Nutritional information per serving: Calories 50 Calories from fat 45% Fat 3g Saturated Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 4mg Carbohydrate 5g Dietary Fiber 2g Sugars 3g Protein 2g Dietary Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 1/2 fat

With over 1 million cookbooks sold, Holly Clegg has become a culinary expert on easy healthy everyday recipes through her nationally recognized best-selling trim&TERRIFIC® and Eating Well cookbook series, including Eating Well Through Cancer, (English, Spanish and Chinese editions), Eating Well to Fight Arthritis and Diabetic Cooking with the American Diabetes Association. Holly Clegg attended the Cordon Bleu Cooking School, London. For more information, visit About Holly or The Healthy Cooking Blog for more recipes and tips.

LISTEN NOW: The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic shines the spotlight on author and chef, Holly Clegg, in this half-hour special edition of Diva Talk Radio. This fun-filled food frenzy will feature expert advice on quick, flavorful and healthy eating from Holly’s latest book, ‘Too Hot in the Kitchen: Secrets to Sizzle at Any Age’

Health Headlines: Santa Fe, N.M. residents are considering a new tax on sugary sodas and other sweetened beverages to boost access to pre-kindergarten

The 2 cents-per-ounce tax would apply not only to traditional sugary sodas but also sweetened sport drinks such as Gatorade, many caffeinated energy drinks, sweetened teas, lemonade and some coffee drinks that contain sweetened syrups.

Santa Fe Mayor Javier Gonzales, a key proponent of the tax, says that the proposal includes an incentive for the beverage industry to come up with healthier products by exempting lightly sweetened beverages. That exemption applies to drinks with 10 grams of sugar or less per eight fluid ounces.

San Francisco, Oakland and Albany, California, Boulder, Colorado, Chicago, Illinois, and Philadelphia, PA stunned the industry by approving ballot measures in favor of soda taxes.

With that public momentum, a soda tax may be coming to a city near you. READ MORE

In 1914, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson proposed a special revenue tax on soft drinks, beer and patent medicine after the outbreak of World War I caused a decline in imports and a corresponding decline in credit created by import tariffs. This proposed taxation measure was not however linked to the anticipated health outcomes of reduced sugar sweetened beverage consumption.