Tag: t2d

Posted on

Chaka Khan: Woman Like Me (Living With Diabetes)

The Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan, was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure in 2011.

Experts say over time, diabetes damages the small blood vessels in your body, causing the walls of the blood vessels to stiffen. This increases pressure, which leads to high blood pressure.

Chaka Khan decided to give up on meat and dairy after her diagnosis.

“I went on a radical change in lifestyle,” she says. “I was on liquids for a year, and that gave me a good jump-start.”

Her new meal plan helped her drop 60 pounds and stop using her oral medications to manage her diabetes.

Last year marked Chaka Khan’s fiftieth year in the music industry. “I ran away from home and quit school. I knew what I wanted to do,” she told Jennifer Hudson on Jennifer Hudson’s talk show.

A lot of people know about Chaka Khan’s life of excess. Many speculate that her strange behavior on Versuz with Stephanie Mills was caused by substance abuse.  However, the star vehemently denies the allegations even though the superstar almost died mixing sleeping pills and cocaine once and suffered from alcohol addiction, which she eventually recovered.

Drinking too much alcohol can raise blood pressure. Having more than three drinks in one sitting temporarily raises blood pressure. Repeated binge drinking can lead to long-term increases in blood pressure.

Her latest song, Woman Like Me, hints at an earlier classic, I’m Every Woman, which she made famous but with a sharper edge. It’s her first single on Sono Recording Group  SRG-ILS Group. It was produced by Gregg Pagani, who also co-wrote it with Francesca Richard and Jeffrey Anderson.

“My song, Woman Like Me, addresses the women of today. And a lot of the tribulations women are going through,” she told Jennifer Hudson. “Much of it is based on insecurities and looking outside yourself for gold when you are the gold.”

Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman was her debut solo single from her first album, Chaka (1978). It was Khan’s first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. “I’m Every Woman” was produced by Arif Mardin and written by the successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

The Queen of Funk, Chaka Khan, is inspiring Divabetic’s podcast. Mr. Divabetic interviews Chaka Khan’s former bandmember and producer, Ivan Hampden Jr.,  Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Pam Butler MS, CDE, Constance Brown-Riggs MSEd, RD, CDCES, CDN, Holly Clegg, the author of six cookbooks including Kitchen 101, Mama Rose Marie and real-life diva, Ginger Vieira, who is the author of Your Diabetes Science Experiment and record-setting competitive powerlifter living with type 1 diabetes.

 

Posted on

Divabetic Mysteries: Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu, Part 1

Divabetic Mysteries podcast, Tomorrow Is Not On The Menu is packed with loads of diabetes information, and self-care tips wrapped up in a cozy mystery radio drama.

Brief Synopsis: The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, lands his to-die-for job as a caterer for the nation’s hottest health guru, Wendy Wattage’s Wellness Retreat on the Jersey Shore. Everything seems low pressure and low calorie until the body of the nasty food critic, Marilyn Macaroni, is found stabbed to death with one of Max’s new chef knives. Now he’s the prime suspect in a big, fat murder investigation!

Can he and his team of friends, diabetes educators, and his nosey Italian mother, Mama Rose Marie, find the killer before the police arrive? Or will he be trading his fruit suit for coveralls with stripes?

Weight loss murder never tasted so good.

Starring Mr. Divabetic, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Mama Rose Marie, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES, Maryann Horst Nicolay MEd, NTDR, Kathie Dolgin aka ‘High Voltage,’ Seveda Williams, Dave Jones, Catherine Schuller, and Lorraine Brooks. Produced by Leisa Chester Weir. Special thanks to Wendy Radford.

Posted on

Divabetic Shares A Halloween Ghost Story with Listeners

Enjoy this special Divabetic podcast for Halloween.

Our regular Divabetic podcast featuring an all-star lineup of guests resumes next month for National Diabetes Awareness month in November.

 

Did you know that Halloween’s sugar consumption will likely surpass the $36 billion record set in 2021?

Understanding how food affects blood glucose is the first step in managing diabetes. But many people, especially at Halloween, when candy is so plentiful,  love to give their unsolicited advice about what we’re putting in our mouths.

Many assume that eating candy causes diabetes.

There are two main types of diabetes – type 1 and type 2 diabetes. We know that sugar does not cause type 1 diabetes because our immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells in our pancreas.

Type 2 diabetes is a combination of insulin resistance and pancreatic failure. That said, there’s enough shame and blame already associated with diabetes that it’s too much when someone feels obligated to tell us what we can and cannot eat.

One of our Facebook community members, Rosemary R., perfectly summed up our feeling on the subject:

“Having had diabetes since 11 years old and now 73, you do the math. It is only a part of my life, not the whole. I live a full and varied life. I tell new folks I meet about my condition to alert them to the possibilities of “lows” & how to help me.

Essentially, it’s my responsibility to look after myself just like anyone else. My only beef is that sometimes those “in the know” tell me, “oh, you are a diabetic and shouldn’t be eating that.”

My choice and my responsibility. I own my actions, taking care that any risk is managed and minimized and that I don’t become a burden to family, friends, workmates, the community at large, and the health system. My mantra has always been “moderation in all things.” I thank those who accept me for who I am. I lead a full and satisfying life.”

The American Heart Association suggests limiting adding sugars 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.

You can also access the Van der Voort Ghost Story using this QR code:

Posted on

Divabetic Mysteries: Suspect Boulevard, Part 1

How did the lady in red wind up dead at the bottom of the pool on the lush estate of one of the world’s most famous writers? To solve this mystery, we have to step back in time.

SYNOPSIS

On a bright sunny morning, our happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, arrives at the resplendent Beverly Hills estate of NYT Best-Selling Author and Socialite Marjorie Melbourne Blaze. He’s here to deliver the keynote address at the Annual Heart of the Diva Gala on diabetes and women. But he soon learns that a roomful of rich and famous faces is full of way more drama than he had ever expected . . . and now murder. So can Max and our team find the killer before this red carpet event is covered in blood? Divabetic’s story of diabetes mystery and intrigue stresses why it can be deadly to blame others for your heart’s misfortunes.

FEATURING

Max “Mr. Divabetic’ Szadek, Lorraine Brooks, We Are Diabetes Founder Asha Brown, Catherine Schuller AICI, CIP, Susan Weiner MS, RD, CDCES, CDN, Chef Robert Lewis aka ‘The Happy Diabetic,’ USA Today Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDCES and Mama Rose Marie. Produced by Leisa Chester-Weir.

Posted on

“I Sought Out As Much Information And Support As I Could”: Della Reese

When I found out I had Type 2 diabetes, I was upset because I knew nothing about the condition and had nothing to fight it with,” said “Touched By An Angel” actress and music legend Della Reese. “So I sought out as much information and support as I could,” the entertainer explained. “I talked to my doctor about an aggressive diabetes management plan that included daily exercise and smaller portions.

Before landing the role as Tess on “Touched by an Angel,” Reese was an accomplished singer who rose to national fame in 1957 with her song, “And That Reminds Me.” She had several other hits, including “Not One Minute More,” “And Now,” “Don’t You Know?” and “The Most Beautiful Words.”

When she made the move to television, Reese saw success in parts on series including “The Love Boat,” “MacGyver” and “The Young and the Restless.” She also had her own television variety hour called “Della” and was the first black woman to co-host “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” She went on to play Tess in “Touched by an Angel’s” 1994 debut and continued through the end of the series in 2003.

“I’m proof that you can take control of your life. You can be stronger than diabetes,” she added. “I lost 20 pounds and lowered my blood sugar from between 275 and 300 to between 67 and 110.”
According to the University of Michigan, blood sugar levels of 300 mg/dL or more can be dangerous. If you experience mental confusion, nausea, or dizziness, proceed to the emergency room. Please be proactive and talk to your doctor if you’re worried about any symptoms of high blood sugar.
Click HERE to convert your blood sugar levels to an A1C using the American Diabetes Association’s Conversion Calculator.
Della Reese passed away in 2017. She was 86.

 

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Join the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Mother’s Day-themed Baking Party with special guests, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef and Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, on Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

Win gifts courtesy of Arthel Neville Design FABULOUS East/West Tote, Dr. Remedy’s Enriched Nail Care gift set, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes‘s Camper Cozy Mystery, Walden Farms Zero Calories, Zero Net Carbs Salad Dressings, 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.

Over 150 people registered for our last Divabetic Baking Party on Zoom, so don’t miss out!

REGISTER NOW – FREE REGISTRATION

Posted on

Why We Need Weight-Neutral Approach For Diabetes Management

Plus-size Fashion and Travel Blogger, LGBTQ+ Influencer Alysse Dalessandro Santiago shares how seeking out a weight-neutral doctor’s approach helped her improve her diabetes self-care on October’s Divabetic Podcast with music from Carly Simon.

Alysse says, “It’s taken me a long time to be my own healthcare advocate and challenge the pervasive narrative around plus-size or larger-bodied people living with type 2 diabetes.”

Alysse told her doctor, “I am here for diabetes management. I understand that you have been trained to look at my weight as an indicator of my health. But I look at my A1C as an indicator of my health, so can we focus on that?”

She encourages other plus-size and larger-bodied people to advocate for their diabetes health. “Doctors are there to help and care for you. Their job is to care for you as an individual. When a doctor looks at you as a number on a chart or on the scale, they’re not looking at you as an individual. So if you don’t feel like they are listening to you, then you need to leave and find someone else.”

Alysse’s proactive approach to finding a weight-neutral doctor paid off! Finally, she can focus on the tools she needs to have tighter blood sugar management than the scale numbers. One self-care tool that she loves is the FreeStyle Libre Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) System. Alysse says the FreeStyle Libre has helped her to lower her A1C from 11 to a 7. But that’s not all! An added bonus of using the FreeStyle Libre for Alysse has been avoiding triggers related to her binge eating disorder.

“The FreeStyle Libre holds me accountable and tunes me in.” She adds, “The FreeStyle Libre’s alarms make me say, Hey, I emotionally feel like I want to eat, but physically I’m not actually hungry. My blood glucose levels are high, and I should not be eating right now. I’m emotionally hungry. What else can I do to self-soothe?“

The “weight-neutral” movement: a therapeutic approach to improving the health of individuals by focusing less on BMI and more on lifestyle behaviors. Studies suggest weight cycling is more strongly linked with specific adverse health outcomes than having an obese BMI. If your doctor’s appointments start and end with a phrase like: “You need to lose weight,” maybe it’s time to find a new doctor.

*The A1C test—also known as the hemoglobin A1C or HbA1c test—is a simple blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past 3 months.

Plus-Size Fashion and Tavel Blogger, LGBTQ+ Influencer, Alysse Dalessandro Santiago guests on Divabetic’s October podcast with musical inspiration from Carly Simon. Hosted by Mr. Divabetic.

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

In honor of National Diabetes Awareness Month, the happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic presents its Once In a Blue Moon program. This free, fun-filled, informative hour of diabetes outreach is intended to rejuvenate and reignite your attitude. The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, Maryann Nicolay MEd, NDTR, Wendy Satin Rapaport LCSW, PsyD, and Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller share expert ways to expand food choices, add sparkle, and boost spirits.

So have some fun spending time with us during our Once in A Blue Moon program on Thursday, November 11, 2021, 7 – 8 PM EST on Zoom.

 

REGISTER NOW – FREE PROGRAM

Posted on

Win A Splenda Gift Basket at Divabetic’s Baking Party on Zoom!

Win a Splenda Gift Basket at Divabetic’s free, fun Virtual Baking Party with special guest, Stacey Harris aka “The Diabetic Pastry Chef” on Thursday, September 23, 7 – 8 PM, EST on Zoom. No purchase is necessary. 

Splenda Sugar Blend and Brown Sugar Blend Sweeteners each contain pure sugar (sucrose) and Splenda Original Sweetener (sucralose). These products provide functional properties for your baked goods (such as browning, volume, texture, and moisture retention) with only half the calories and carbohydrates of sugar.

Splenda Original Granulated Sweetener can be used for baking and cooking. It measures and pours just 1-to-1 like sugar. 1 cup of Splenda Original Granulated Sweetener is equal in sweetness to 1 cup of sugar.

Stacey Harris aka ‘The Diabetic Pastry’ plans to demonstrate one of her favorite sugar-free recipes, answers your questions, and provide tips for baking with popular sugar substitutes, and other sugar alternatives including Splenda.

After being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, Stacey Harris (The Diabetic Pastry Chef) taught herself how to make pound cake, pecan rolls, pies, muffins, cupcakes, and other baked goods with about half the carbs you’d get from a traditional bakery item.

“I started experimenting by using almond milk or whole milk mixed with water to cut down on carbs, then tried different flours, incorporating white whole wheat flour, soy flour, oat flour, black bean flour, and other alternatives into my brownies, cakes, and cookies,” she said in a How 2 Type 2 article.

She adds, ”To cut back on sugar, I started using all-natural substitutes, like agave nectar, and trying erythritol. I also bake with a store-bought blend of sugars that tastes delicious.”

REGISTER NOW – FREE REGISTRATION

 

Enjoy our exclusive interview with Angela Bofill on this episode of Divabetic’s monthly podcast.With her strong, distinctive alto, Angela Bofill carved a niche as an outstanding interpreter of soul ballads and became a mainstay on the Quiet Storm radio format. Angela Bofill suffered two strokes but neither stroke could take away her positive, humorous personality and her fighter spirit.  Podcast guests: Angela Bofill, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, San Francisco & Palm Springs drag performer Mutha Chucka, and Evetta Petty from Harlem’s Heaven Hats.

Posted on

Hip-Hop Pioneer André “Doctor Dré” Brown Appears on Divabetic’s Luther Vandross Tribute Podcast

André “Doctor Dré” Brown appears on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast. Doctor Dré has been a vital part of hip-hop culture and a crucial catalyst for its global popularity since its inception. A former DJ for Beastie Boys and co-founder of 1980s rap group Original Concept, Doctor Dré co-hosted (alongside Ed Lover and Fab 5 Freddy) Yo! MTV Raps, the landmark program that introduced a generation of hip-hop fans to their favorite rappers and the culture. Doctor Dré developed Type 2 diabetes in 2007.

Since that time he has suffered a series of health setbacks including an amputated toe, charcot foot, and blindness. Far from sullen, though, the hip-hop pioneer remains optimistic while trying to stay diligent to a healthy lifestyle routine that reduces the severity of some of his ailments.

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. Check out our free monthly podcasts (available on iTunes and BlogTalkRadio) and our free Zoom outreach programs.

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.

We’re celebrating the musical legacy of Luther Vandross and raising awareness for diabetes health-related complications (such as vision loss) on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast.

Guests include Andre “Doctor Dre” Brown, Nat Adderley Jr.,  Dr. Khoshnevis, Danny Clay, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE.  Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s album, The Night I Fell In Love courtesy of SONY Music.

Posted on

Give Me The Reason For Yo Yo Dieting

A much thinner image of Luther Vandross appears on the Give Me The Reason album cover than his fans have previously seen. We are discussing the perils of yo-yo dieting, the music industry’s fat-shaming ideology, and the myths surrounding type 2 diabetes on this year’s Luther Tribute podcast.  

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.

For Luther Vandross’ fifth album Give Me the Reason, the album comprised nine tracks including the hits: So Amazing, There’s Nothing Better Than Love, Stop To Love, and Give Me The Reason.

Divabetic’s Luther Vandross Tribute podcast guests include Lisa Fischer, Jason Miles, Jeff James, Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, and Chuck Flowers. 

 

Posted on

Attend the Women With T2D Summit

If you have high blood sugars, you need to attend the Women With T2D Summit!

This virtual event was created to help women with type 2 diabetes cut through the noise and find their best-personalized diabetes care plan.

The summit brings together 20+ speakers from diverse backgrounds, including physicians, dietitians, fitness pros, psychologists, and even regular people with T2D sharing what works for them.

You’ll get all the information you need in one place, plus you’ll walk away more motivated, better equipped, and with a clear path to make progress on what can seem like a problem too big to handle – your diabetes.

The summit starts in just a few days on June 29th. Since it’s virtual, you can soak up all the content from the comfort of your own home.

REGISTER NOW

 

Proudly powered by WordPress