Cut Back on Red Meat, Drop Diabetes Risk

Want to cut your risk for diabetes by a third? Simple. Just ease up a bit on the red meat and opt for healthier alternatives. We're talking about lean protein sources, such as beans, nuts, and fish.

Here's why they're better for your blood sugar.

Red Meat Risks
Turns out that eating a daily serving of red meat (beef, pork, lamb) or processed meat (bacon, hot dogs, sausage, many deli meats) is a big risk for type 2 diabetes. For example, a small daily serving of beef (less than a typical burger) ups your diabetes risk 19%. Think that's bad? Scarfing down a hot dog, a sausage patty, or two bacon strips every day boosts diabetes risk by 51%! There's an extra troublemaker in processed meats: preservatives. They weaken your ability to produce blood-sugar-controlling insulin. The iron in red meat, surprisingly, may do the same thing.

Red Meat Alternatives
So pull the same switcheroos the YOU Docs do: Swap out meat for healthier proteins: fish; skinless poultry breast; combos of beans, lentils, chickpeas, nuts, and whole grains; and nonfat or low-fat cheese or yogurt. Instead of increasing your diabetes risk by, say, 50%, you'll cut it by that much or more.

Yummy Meals
These swaps mean tasty eating, too. How about stuffed whole-wheat pizza, Asian salmon with brown rice pilaf, turkey roll-ups with baked red potatoes, or grilled shrimp with peanut sauce and snow peas?

Give this Garlic Roasted Salmon & Brussels Sprouts recipe from EatingWell a whirl.

Eat less meat without missing it.