These simple steps may be all it takes to stay healthy and stop worrying about sugar problems. This condition is growing at a scary rate, but it's also one of the most preventable diseases around.
1. Nudge the Scale
Shedding even 10 pounds can significantly slash your risk. Even extremely
overweight people were 70% less likely to develop diabetes when they lost just
5% of their weight-even if they didn't exercise. If you weigh 175 pounds,
that's a little less than 9 pounds! Use our calorie calculator to see how many
calories you consume-and how many you need to shave off your diet-if you want
to lose a little.
2. Pick the Right Appetizer
May we recommend the salad? Eating greens with vinaigrette before a starchy
entrée may help control your blood sugar levels. In an Arizona State University
study, people with type 2 diabetes or a precursor condition called insulin
resistance had lower blood sugar levels if they consumed about 2 tablespoons of
vinegar just before a high-carb meal. "Vinegar contains acetic acid, which
may inactivate certain starch-digesting enzymes, slowing carbohydrate
digestion," says lead researcher Carol Johnston, PhD. In fact, vinegar's
effects may be similar to those of the blood sugar-lowering medication acarbose
(Precose).
3. Ditch Your Car
Walk as much as you can every day. You'll be healthier-even if you don't lose
any weight. People in a Finnish study who exercised the most-up to 4 hours a
week, or about 35 minutes a day-dropped their risk of diabetes by 80%, even if
they didn't lose any weight. This pattern holds up in study after study: The
famed Nurses' Health Study, for example, found that women who worked up a sweat
more than once a week reduced their risk of developing diabetes by 30%. And Chinese
researchers determined that people with high blood sugar who engaged in
moderate exercise (and made other lifestyle changes) were 40% less likely to
develop full-blown diabetes. Why is walking so wonderful? Studies show that
exercise helps your body utilize the hormone insulin more efficiently by
increasing the number of insulin receptors on your cells.
4. Be a Cereal Connoisseur
Selecting the right cereal can help you slim down and steady blood sugar. A
higher whole grain intake is also linked to lower rates of breast cancer, type
2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke-and cereal is one of the best
sources of these lifesaving grains, if you know what to shop for. Some tips:
Look for the words high fiber on the box; that ensures at least 5 g per serving.
But don't stop there. Check the label; in some brands, the benefits of fiber
are overshadowed by the addition of refined grains, added sugar, or
cholesterol-raising fats. Decode the grains: Where that fiber comes from
matters too, so check the ingredient list to find out exactly what those flakes
or squares are made from. Millet, amaranth, quinoa, and oats are always whole
grain, but if you don't see whole in front of wheat, corn, barley, or rice,
these grains have been refined and aren't as healthy.
5. Indulge Your Coffee Cravings
If you're a coffee fan, keeps on sipping. The beverage may keep diabetes at
bay. After they studied 126,210 women and men, researchers at the Harvard
School of Public Health found that big-time coffee drinkers-those who downed
more than 6 daily cups-had a 29 to 54% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes
during the 18-year study. Sipping 4 to 5 cups cut risk about 29%; 1 to 3 cups
per day had little effect. Decaf coffee offered no protection. Caffeine in
other forms-tea, soda, chocolate-did. Researchers suspect that caffeine may
help by boosting metabolism. And coffee, the major caffeine source in the
study, also contains potassium, magnesium, and antioxidants that help cells
absorb sugar
6. Go Veggie More Often
Consider red meat a treat-not something to eat every day. Women who ate red
meat at least 5 times a week had a 29% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than
those who ate it less than once a week, found a 37,000-woman study at Brigham
and Women's Hospital. And eating processed meats such as bacon and hot dogs at
least 5 times a week raised type 2 diabetes risk by 43%, compared with eating
them less than once a week. The culprits? Scientists suspect the cholesterol in
red meat and the additives in processed meat are to blame.
7. Spice Up Your Life
Cinnamon may help rein in high blood sugar. German researchers studied 65
adults with type 2 diabetes who then took a capsule containing the equivalent
of 1 g of cinnamon powder or a placebo 3 times a day for 4 months. By the end,
cinnamon reduced blood sugar by about 10%; the placebo users improved by only
4%. Why? Compounds in cinnamon may activate enzymes that stimulate insulin
receptors. The sweet spice has also been shown to help lower cholesterol and
triglycerides, blood fats that may contribute to diabetes risk.
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/photos/7-ways-never-diabetes-slideshow/-photo-2467048-035500759.html
No comments:
Post a Comment