Ideas for T-shirts
with Health Messages

An On-going List

(2008 Dec blog post)

!Preliminary! I plan to update this list of ideas continually.

INTRODUCTION :

I had a serious quality-of-life health problem around 2003 to 2006. I have documented that problem in my 'I was a Sugar Guinea Pig' blog post.

It was actually becoming a life-threatening problem, but I found the cause and solution in time.

I kept looking for things to add to my diet (minerals, vitamins, herbs, supplements like glucosamine and chondroitin). But I finally found that the problem was something that I had to remove from my diet. That problem was sugarS, with a capital S on the end. SugarS like table sugar (sucrose) AND high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), which is in everything nowadays, from cokes to candy bars to sweet rolls.

In any event, in trying to figure a way that I could get the word out --- better than these blog posts --- I finally realized that I should put my message on T-shirts --- and wear those T-shirts frequently.

It took me over a year of doctor visits (mostly wasted) and web searches (I thank Berners-Lee for HTML and the web!) to find the clues that led me to realize that my over-indulgence in sugars (and starches) was at the root of my health problems. And I feel that if I can clue just one person into that message, and save that person a lot of grief and a lot of time, I will have accomplished a mission that makes my time spent on earth worthwhile.

The picture by the title, above, shows me wearing my first T-shirt design at the completion of a 5K run. I wear my 'NO added SUGAR' T-shirt on all my training runs (several times a week) and at races (an average of about one to two per month).

    [An image, representative of both the front and the back of my first 'sugars' T-shirt, is shown at the bottom of this web page.]

CHANGING THE DESIGN :

After getting a little feedback on the shirt, I realized that some people think that I am talking only about table sugar (sucrose). People often think I am forgetting about other sugars, like HFCS (high fructose corn syrup). Au Contraire, mes amis.

To avoid further misunderstanding like this, I plan to change the wording on my T-shirt from 'NO added SUGAR' to 'NO added SUGARS'.

One woman came up to me at a run and read my shirt as 'no sugar added'. I do not know if she is dyslexic and she thought that I think I am so sweet, that there is no need to add sugar to me. In any case, I think I will have to be a little more wordy and change the phrase to

"Just say NO
to added SUGARS."

I had my T-shirts made at a local screen printer. I had to have a minimum of 24 made. I am using (and have given away) most of them, so it is an appropriate time to update the design and order more.

START OF THE LIST OF IDEAS :

I have ideas for multiple designs, so I am going to record them here, so that I do not forget them. And I will have the ideas for reference --- for touch-up and for seeding more ideas.

So here are my health-oriented T-shirt designs, mostly in plain-text form --- starting with my first T-shirt, pictured on this page. Most have to do with sugarS and triglycerides. Other health-issue designs will address rampant medical errors and other health system issues.

T-SHIRT 1 :

Front1 :

NO added
SUGARS

"That stuff is poison."
Gloria Swanson, in the book 'Sugar Blues'

Back1 :

NO refined
FLOURs

"Everyone has to find out for themselves ... the hard way."
Gloria Swanson

T-SHIRT 2 :

Front2 :

Just say NO
to added SUGARS

"That stuff is poison."
"Everyone has to find out for themselves ... the hard way."
Gloria Swanson in the book 'Sugar Blues'

Back2 :

NO added SUGARS = NO type-2 DIABETES

      Just say NO to :

      • sugar waters (Coke, Pepsi, Red Bull, Gatorade, etc.)
      • sugar on starch (donuts, sweet rolls, cake, pie, etc.)
      • sugar goo (candy bars, chocolate mints, popcicles, etc.)

      Just say SELDOM to starches = long-chains of sugars :

      • refined flour (most bread, pizza dough, crackers, etc.)
      • potato starch (fries, chips, baked, sweet, etc.)
      • white rice

      Bottom line :

      • eat like our distant ancestors --- B.R., Before Refinement
      • bye-bye obesity
      • bye-bye type 2 diabetes
      • bye-bye pre-diabetes (neuropathy, painful joints, etc.)

T-SHIRT 3 :

Front3 :

Just say NO
to added SUGARS

"That stuff is poison."
"Everyone has to find out for themselves ... the hard way."
Gloria Swanson in the book 'Sugar Blues'

Back3 :

      Just say NO to added SUGARS,
      especially :

      • sucrose (granulated table sugar)
      • high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) - It's everywhere!

      Also, NO to added SUGARS under OTHER names :

      • syrup
      • corn syrup
      • dextrose
      • glucose
      • maltodextrin
      • maltose
      • lactose
      • galactose
      • fructose
      • cane sugar
      • honey
      • molasses
      • etc.
      • etc.
      • etc.
      • etc.
      • etc.
      • etc.

      Read Ingredient Labels!

      Stop obesity and diabetes-2 now!
      These two make a real health system too expensive.

T-SHIRT 4 :

Front4 :

Just say NO
to added SUGARS

"That stuff is poison."
"Everyone has to find out for themselves ... the hard way."
Gloria Swanson in the book 'Sugar Blues'

Back4 :

      Just say NO to added SUGARS.

      They kill softly --- first knee pains --- then itchy feet,
      cracked heels, eye problems, lower back pain ---
      via high triglycerides ( > 150 mg/dL ) ---
      breaking down capillaries, stopping nutrients.

      Read Ingredient Labels!

      Stop obesity and diabetes-2 now!
      These two make a real health system too expensive.

T-SHIRT 5 :

Front5 :

Just say NO
to added SUGARS

Dear A.M.A. docs, Please wake up.
It's the TRIGLYCERIDES, guys and gals ... they're
a better predictor of cardio problems than CHOLESTEROL.
A few of many, many references :

Fasting Triglycerides, High-Density Lipoprotein, and
Risk of Myocardial Infarction, Dr. Gaziano, et. al. ;
Circulation, Vol. 96, pp 2520-2525, 1997.

Triglyceride Concentration and Ischemic Heart Disease:
An EightYear Follow-Up in the Copenhagen Male Study,
Jeppesen, et al ; Circulation, Vol. 97(11), pp 1029-1036, 1998.

Fasting Compared With Nonfasting Triglycerides and Risk
of Cardiovascular Events in Women ; Dr. Bansal, et. al. ;
JAMA, Vol. 298, pp 309-316, 2007.

Nonfasting Triglycerides and Risk of Ischemic Stroke in
the General Population, Dr. Freiberg, et. al. ;
JAMA, Vol. 300(18), pp 2142-2152, 2008.

Back5 :

      Just say NO to added SUGARS.

      How do you reduce your blood triglycerides to the
      recommended level, namely less than 150 mg/dL?
      Cut out sugars --- and most starch, like refined flour.
      Just say NO to cokes, sweet rolls, donuts, pie, candy, most cereals, ...
      Just say SELDOM to white bread, white rice, potatoes, ...

      Read Ingredient Labels!

      Stop obesity and diabetes-2 now!
      These two make a real health system too expensive.

T-SHIRT 6 :

Front6 :

Just say NO
to added SUGARS

Like ill effects of tobacco and smog, the ill effects
of sugars take many years to reveal themselves.

To pay for treating the ill effects, let us tax ADDED sugars
just as we tax tobacco and gasoline now.

SUGARS TAX TABLE (proposed)

% sugarS
(by weight)
 
___________ 		Tax Rate
(cents per gram
of sugarS)
___________
2 % or less 0
tween 2 % and 8 % 0.1
8 % or more 0.5

      Examples :

      Typical sugary box of cereal (27% sugarS) --- tax: 52 cents
      Box of low sugar cereal (less than 8% sugarS) --- tax: 3 cents.

      Typical bottle of ketchup (24% sugarS) --- tax: 66 cents

      12 oz. can of coke (14% sugarS) --- tax: 23 cents
      bottle of water (0% sugarS) --- tax: 0 cents.

Back6 :

Just say NO to added SUGARS.

Like ill effects of tobacco and smog, the ill effects
of sugars take many years to reveal themselves.

To pay for treating the ill effects, let us tax ADDED sugars
just as we tax tobacco and gasoline now.

SUGARS TAX TABLE (proposed)

% sugarS
(by weight)
 
___________ 		Tax Rate
(cents per gram
of sugarS)
___________
2 % or less 0
tween 2 % and 8 % 0.1
8 % or more 0.5

      Examples :

      Typical sugary box of cereal (27% sugarS) --- tax: 52 cents
      Box of low sugar cereal (less than 8% sugarS) --- tax: 3 cents.

      Typical bottle of ketchup (24% sugarS) --- tax: 66 cents

      12 oz. can of coke (14% sugarS) --- tax: 23 cents
      bottle of water (0% sugarS) --- tax: 0 cents.

T-SHIRT 7 :

Front7 :

Just say NO
to added SUGARS

"That stuff is poison."
"Everyone has to find out for themselves ... the hard way."
Gloria Swanson in the book 'Sugar Blues'

Back7 :

      Just say NO to added SUGARS.

      There are plenty of good alternatives, from Mother Nature.

      Say NO to :

      • sugar water --- Coke, Pepsi, Mtn Dew, Dr Pepper, Sprite, Red Bull, ...
      • sugar on/in starch --- sweet rolls, glazed donuts, filled donuts, cakes, pies ...
      • sugar goo --- candy bars, fudge, taffy, cotton candy, popcicles, ...

      Say YES to :

      • water with a slice of lemon/lime, real fruit juices
      • raisins, apples, melons, tangerines, berries, ...
      • carrots, cauliflour, radishes, broccoli, spinach, ...

      Read Ingredient Labels!

      Stop obesity and diabetes-2 now!
      These two make a real health system too expensive.

T-SHIRT 8 :

Front8 :

Just say NO
to added SUGARS

... the killers of capillaries ...
and thus the killers of joints (cartilage)
... knees, spine, hips, etc.

Don't buy stock of sugar "food" manufacturers.

Back8 :

Just say NO
to added SUGARS.

Replace cokes, sweet rolls, pies, etc.

... with fruits and veggies ... whose
macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients
are assembled by Mother Nature.

Don't buy stock of sugar "food" manufacturers.

Below is a representation of my first T-shirt design ---
based on my sugar experiences, which are
documented on my 'I was an Inadvertent Sugar Medical Experiment' blog page.

Here is the cost, in May 2008, of 24 t-shirts in design #1 above :

$30.00 for art charges, at $30.00 per hour
$40.00 for screen charges, one time fee ($20.00 per side)
$24.00 ?for the single color? (would have been more for multi-color)
$124.80 for 24 T-shirts, Gildan Adult 6.1 oz 100% ShortSleeve, white, $5.20 each
             (14 large, 5 medium, 5 small)
$10.94 sales tax
______
$229.74 total ($115.00 was paid in advance ; balance on pick-up)

Average price per shirt was $9.57.

I have posted some of my designs for T-shirts (mostly preliminary ---
needing font improvements, for example) --- and for hats and buttons
--- at my zazzle.com page.

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Posted 2008 Dec 18.
Page changed 2009 Mar 14.
Changed slightly, to improve printing, 2009 Aug 25.