Introduction
Diabetes is a serious health condition that affects millions of people around the world. While there are many factors that can contribute to the development of diabetes, experts agree that diet plays a major role. Eating the right foods can help prevent or manage diabetes, while eating the wrong foods can increase your risk. In this article, we’ll discuss the most common ways people get diabetes and provide tips on what to eat and what to avoid. We’ll also discuss how to make healthy food choices and how to create a balanced diet that can help you manage your diabetes.
Most People Get Diabetes This Way, Experts Say — Eat This Not That
Diabetes is a serious health condition that affects millions of people around the world. According to experts, the majority of people who develop diabetes do so in the same way — through poor diet and lifestyle choices.
The most common cause of diabetes is eating too much sugar and processed foods, and not getting enough physical activity. Eating a diet high in refined carbohydrates, such as white bread, white rice, and sugary snacks, can lead to insulin resistance and eventually diabetes.
In order to prevent diabetes, experts recommend eating a balanced diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Eating foods that are high in fiber, such as beans, legumes, and whole grains, can help to regulate blood sugar levels and reduce the risk of developing diabetes.
In addition to eating a healthy diet, experts also recommend getting regular physical activity. Exercise helps to regulate blood sugar levels and can help to reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each day.
Finally, it is important to maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing diabetes, so it is important to maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise.
By following these simple tips, you can reduce your risk of developing diabetes and live a healthier life.
Experts agree: Diabetes has become an American epidemic. Contrary to popular belief, diabetes isn’t just something you’re born with, and it doesn’t just involve blood sugar. Diabetes affects the blood vessels, heart, brain, and circulation, and it can be debilitating or fatal. The type of diabetes that’s skyrocketing is type 2 diabetes, which is directly caused by diet and lifestyle choices. This is how most people develop diabetes, it’s completely within your control. Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
Diabetes is the body’s inability to process sugar (a.k.a. glucose). When someone who doesn’t have diabetes consumes sugar, the pancreas releases an enzyme called insulin, which converts that sugar into energy. In someone who had diabetes, the pancreas either doesn’t produce insulin, or the body becomes resistant to insulin. Blood sugar then builds up in the arteries. That increases the risk of serious medical consequences like heart disease, dementia, blindness, poor circulation, even amputation.
Experts say the biggest risk factor for type 2 diabetes is a diet high in processed foods and added sugar. (The body considers them to be the same difference: Once ingested, processed foods quickly break down into sugar.) When the body is swamped with sugar, it can become resistant to insulin.
A large 2019 study published in JAMA Internal Medicine linked consumption of “ultra-processed” foods (think chicken nuggets, sugary cereals, and frozen dinners) to a higher risk of developing diabetes. Researchers followed 100,000 people for six years and found that those who ate the most ultra-processed foods (about 22% of their daily diet) had a higher risk for developing diabetes compared with people who ate the least ultra-processed food (11% of diet)—even after adjusting for other major risk factors like weight and exercise! For every 10-percentage-point increase in the amount of ultra-processed food eaten, diabetes risk rose 15%.
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It’s especially important to limit or avoid beverages with added sugar, like sugar-sweetened sodas. “Frequently drinking sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with weight gain/obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney diseases, non-alcoholic liver disease, tooth decay and cavities, and gout, a type of arthritis,” says the CDC.
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A diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein (especially fatty fish, like salmon) and good fats (like avocados, nuts and olive oil), like the Mediterranean Diet, may reduce your risk of diabetes and other chronic illnesses like heart disease and cancer. A 2020 review of studies published in the journal Nutrients concluded “there is consistent evidence regarding the inverse association between the adherence to a Mediterranean diet and incidence of type 2 diabetes.”
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To reduce your diabetes risk or manage diabetes, getting regular exercise is key. Exercise make muscles more sensitive to insulin and helps the body utilize insulin levels better. Even gentle movement, like walking, can help a lot. One study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that getting 30 minutes of low-intensity exercise (like walking) each day, combined with a low-fat diet, reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. And to get through this pandemic at your healthiest, don’t miss these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.