5 Tricks to Prevent Diabetes
Put that doughnut down! There are sweeter choices for the 79 million adult Americans with prediabetes -- a condition that makes blood sugar levels too high to be healthy, but not high enough to qualify for type 2 diabetes.
Walking 30 minutes a day (at least 5 days a week) and losing 5% to 10% of your body weight can lower your type 2 diabetes risk by 58%, but if you have trouble sticking to that tried-and-true approach, here are some clever ways to prevent diabetes:
- Cut back on red meat. One palm-sized daily serving of red meat increases your diabetes risk 19%. Gobble down a hot dog, a sausage patty, or two bacon strips daily and your risk soars 51%.
- Keep a food journal. Recording every bite you eat each day can double your weight loss, and that's a big part of the diabetes prevention plan.
- Get busy. Sex eases stress and increases self-esteem, and that helps you make healthier food and activity choices.
- Sip coffee. Three cups of Joe a day decreases your risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Eat Greek. A Mediterranean diet (veggies, fruits, nuts, olive oil, seafood, and not much dairy or meat) slashes your risk of type 2 diabetes by 83%. Embrace the sunny foods of the Mediterranean starting with these quick and easy recipes:
Every step away from type 2 diabetes is a step toward the life you deserve: healthy, happy, and long.
Are you at risk for type 2 diabetes symptoms? Check out these 12 diabetes risk factors.
RealAge Benefit:
A woman with diabetes who adopts an aggressive disease management program can make her RealAge as much as 6.1 years younger, and a man who does so can make his 7.3 years younger. Take the RealAge Test!
