Preventing Diabetes
November is American Diabetes Month, so we thought we'd give you some information on this silent killer. In addition to a higher risk for heart disease, complications of uncontrolled blood sugar include stroke, kidney failure, neuropathy and blindness. In addition, over 60% of non-traumatic amputations are due to diabetes. Many of us know at least one person with "sugar", but the CDC predicts that by 2050, 1 in 3 persons will have diabetes. Those are some scary stats!Fortunately, what you eat does make a difference. Check out the tips below to find out how you can prevent this ugly disease.Bite This:
- Brown rice. A recent study out of Harvard found that eating just 2 servings of brown rice per week cut the risk of diabetes by 10%. Persons eating 5 or more servings of white rice per week have a 20% higher risk of getting diabetes. A serving size is 1/2 cup.
- Beans. And oats, fruit, barley and other foods high in soluble fiber slow the absorption of carbohydrates in the blood stream, which help manage blood sugar.
- Mono-unsaturated fat from olive, canola, peanut oil and nuts helps reduce the risk of heart disease- a major complication of diabetes.
- Lean protein. Foods high in protein such as lean beef, poultry, eggs and low fat dairy products take longer to make blood sugar rise. They also provide satiety, which may aid in weight loss.
- Small portions. Getting heavy is one of the biggest risk factor
.