Dodging Diabetes
The number of Americans with type 2 diabetes has doubled since 1990 and the number of children and adults who are on the verge of becoming diabetic-a condition known as "pre-diabetes"-is about 41 million. How do you know if you are at risk? A few things can increase your likelihood of developing diabetes:
Regardless of how many risk factors you have or don't have, there are no guarantees in life, so I recommend that we all do something about reducing our risk. Prevention is the key to beating diabetes and there are so many things that can be done to help prevent this disease. First, eat as if you were a diabetic who has their blood sugar under control. That doesn't mean artificial sweeteners, sugar-free cookies and diet soda are on the menu. Potato chips made with fat substitutes are not going to make the cut either. Basically, the emphasis should be on eating fresh produce-at least 5 servings of vegetables and 4 servings of fruit a day-and choosing mostly whole grains and starchy vegetables for complex carbohydrates. Those healthy items should be balanced out with small amounts of lean protein, especially beans, tofu, and fish (if you have diabetes, beans are considered a starch, but if you don't, they are considered a protein). Also, try to moderate the amount of fat you eat, adding little bits to your meals when cooking or dressing salads, and emphasize healthy fats from olive oil and canola oil, nuts, flaxseeds, fatty fish, and avocado. You should eat these types of balanced meals regularly throughout the day (no one should ever skip meals). The strategy behind this regimen is to control your blood sugar (also called insulin). Controlling blood sugar helps to minimize hunger, cravings, and dips in energy levels. When these physical states are under control, it is easier to eat less and control your weight. This eating pattern also helps reduce the production of insulin, which is important since over time, too much insulin can damage tissue and organs, which can lead to type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Eating in this fashion can not only help prevent diabetes, it may also help control your weight, lower your blood pressure, and reduce your risk of heart disease. Second, you should lose some of the excess weight you may be carrying. I can't emphasize this enough. Extra weight increases insulin resistance, which means your body doesn't respond to the normal amount of insulin you make in response to a meal, so your pancreas has to pump out more insulin to flood your blood stream until enough insulin gets into your cells to be used for energy. Eventually, the pancreas gets tired of working overtime and the body succumbs to diabetes. Additionally, extra insulin floating around in your blood promotes weight gain. This is a vicious cycle, as you can see, and it must be stopped. Finally, get moving! Walk, dance, take the stairs, pop in a yoga video. Any amount of activity is better than none, but your ultimate goal should be at least 45 minutes of brisk activity five times a week. Exercise helps to make cells more sensitive to insulin, which means that the pancreas won't have to do extra work. Physical activity not only lowers your risk of diabetes, it helps protect against heart disease, high blood pressure, and a host of other health ailments. Making changes is not easy, especially when they involve eating and exercise. If you have the luxury of time, make these changes gradually. I believe in the power of prevention, and I believe in you. I know that you are capable of seizing your good health and maintaining it for the rest of your life.
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o you ever think about diabetes? Does it ever cross your mind that you could be at risk for developing diabetes? The disturbing truth is that in this day and age, the risk is very real-and the disease doesn't discriminate by age anymore. What used to be called "adult-onset diabetes" is now officially called "type 2 diabetes" due to the fact that so many children and young adults have recently developed this form of the disease.