November is American Diabetes Month, and 57 million Americans are at risk for type 2 diabetes. Here are some tips to help prevent it.
Eat healthier foods. Eating a small amount of healthy carbohydrates every meal can help in preventing type 2 diabetes. Pick carbs that are fresh or ones that are minimally processed starchy vegetables (potatoes), beans (lentils), fruit and whole grains. You should steam or broil them with spices, herbs or a little olive oil.
Reduce refined sources of carbs. This includes white bread, sugar and white rice. Completely getting rid of them isn’t necessary, but you should try to make more nutritious swaps when you can and limit portion sizes.
Exercise more. This will help you keep a healthy weight, lose weight, deal with stress and sleep better. Also, working out helps manage a healthy blood sugar level, regardless if you have diabetes. Just 1,000 calories worth of activity during a week causes your muscles to use sugar more efficiently and prevents the sugar from hanging around your blood. Additionally, research indicates that if a woman has 37 or more inches around her waist, she is 12 times more likely to get diabetes than a female with 32.5 inches.
You can learn more about diabetes at www.diabetes.org.
Source: Three Steps to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
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Jamie
