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| Picture 1: Eating nuts such as yellow nutsedge can help you to prevent diabetes |
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of 2014, 422 million people worldwide had this disease, and in 2016 alone 1.6 million people died from the disease.
And in the United States, as of 2015, 30.3 million Americans (9.4% of the population) had diabetes, that’s according to the US CDC.
However, the disease, which is caused by genetic factors (type 1 diabetes), or which occurs when the pancreas (an organ behind the stomach) does not produce enough insulin, can easily be prevented when one is careful about his lifestyle.
So, what kind of life can you live to prevent this disease? What change should you make to your life? What food options should you consider? What habits should you adopt?
Here are some of the best ways you can prevent becoming a diabetes patient.
1. Munch A Handful Of Sunflower Seeds Every Day
A study done at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and published in the journal PLOS Medicine, suggests that eating healthy fats found in seeds, such as sunflower seeds, can help you to prevent developing type 2 diabetes.
How This Food Can Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
According to the research, seeds increase the sensitivity of the cells of the body to insulin, thereby helping to improve blood sugar control.
Use This Information
- Bake a sunflower cake every weekend.
- Sprinkle a handful of the seeds in your breakfast porridge or oatmeal.
- Eat it with your jelly sandwiches.
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| Figure 2: Global prevalence of diabetes rose from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014. Are you living a lifestyle that will help you to prevent it? |
2. Eat Lots Of Fresh Blueberries, Red Grapes, And Apples…
Research done by Harvard University, and published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), has revealed that eating whole fruits can reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
However, the study revealed that eating blueberries, grapes, and apples are more effective in preventing diabetes than other fruits. Blueberries are the most effective, followed by grapes, and then apples.
According to the researchers, these three fruits contain high levels of anthocyanins, which increase the uptake of sugar from the blood. So, use fresh fruits as your main sources of vitamins and minerals.
… And Avoid Fruit Juice
On the other hand, the study found out that drinking all kinds of fruit juice increased the risk that one can develop diabetes. The study discovered that eating fresh blueberries instead of three servings of fruit juice can decrease your risk of developing type 2 diabetes on average by about 33%.
3. Chew A Handful Of Nuts Every Day
A review of 29 studies which looked at the data of more than 800,000 people worldwide by an international group of researchers, and published in the journal BMC Medicine, suggests that eating 20 grams of nuts a day, or a handful, can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by about 40%.
How Nuts Can Help Prevent The Disease
Obesity is one of the risk factors for the development of diabetes. It causes insulin resistance or makes the cells of the body become resistant to insulin, thereby inhibiting the absorption of excess blood sugar by the body’s cells.
Nuts are very rich in fiber and nutrients, as well as healthy fats and antioxidants. These substances reduce the risk of growing overweight by helping to limit overeating, thereby preventing obesity-related diabetes.
4. If You Are An African-American Woman, Eat A Fiber-Rich Diet
A study carried out by the Boston University School of Public Health over an eight-year period, and involving 40,000 African-American women, has revealed that African-American women who eat a lot of cereal fiber in their diet can reduce their risk of developing diabetes.
How Cereal Fiber Will Help You
Cereal fiber lowers insulin production and the production of glucose after one eats a carb-rich diet and so can help to stabilize blood glucose levels in the body.
Use This Information
- Eat a cup of Fiber One from General Mills, which contains 36 grams of fiber, instead of eating a cup of Country Corn Flakes, which contains less than 1 gram of fiber.
- Instead of eating white bread for breakfast, eat food made from grains such as three slices of wholemeal bread or bran bread.
- Instead of eating a cup of corn Chex (which contains 0.3 grams of fiber), eat oatmeal which contains 4 grams of fiber.
- Instead of eating a cup of rice Chex that contains just 0.3 grams of fiber, eat a cup of raisin bran which contains between 5 and 8 grams of fiber.
5. Eat 2½ Handfuls Of Black-Eyed Peas Every Day
Do you love eating black-eyed peas? If not, you might consider eating it more often. That’s because research done by the University of Eastern Finland, and published in the British Journal of Nutrition, suggests that eating 5 grams of plant protein a day can help you to prevent diabetes.
In fact, the study found out that men who eat a lot of plant protein can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by about 35%, and eating 5 grams of plant protein every blessed day can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by about 18%.
6. Consume ½ A Cup Of Cooked Carrots Every Day, If There Is A History Of Diabetes In Your Family
Research done by Stanford University in 2013, and published in the journal Human Genetics, discovered that beta carotene, which is found in large quantities in carrots, can help to prevent type 2 diabetes in this group of people.
Although the scientists do not yet know the exact relationship between beta carotene and diabetes prevention, they concluded after reviewing CDC data that eating about 6.5 mg of beta carotene every day helps reduce type 2 diabetes risk.
7. Use Olive Oil To Fry Your Fish
A study authored by Lampusi et. al., and published by the US National Library of Medicine, suggests that eating olive oil can help to prevent the disease.
How Olive Oil Will Help You
Olive oil contains high amounts of phenolic compounds, such as oleuropein and flavonoids, which improve the function of the endothelia, or lining, of the body cells so that body tissues can absorb glucose.
Olive oil also contains oleic acid, which reduces the amount of insulin that the body releases, as well as increases the sensitivity of the body cells so that they can absorb a lot of glucose from the blood after one eats.
8. Drink Non-Alcoholic Red Wine
One factor that can increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is the inability of the cells of the body to process insulin, a condition known as insulin resistance.
A study carried out by researchers at the East Anglia Norwich Medical School in the UK, and published in the journal Nutrition, has revealed that drinking red wine can help you to prevent this disease.
How Red Wine Will Help You
Red wine contains high amounts of flavonoids, which contains high amounts of a protein called adiponectin. Adiponectin helps to lower the resistance of the body’s cells to insulin so that one’s body can better regulate the levels of glucose in the blood.
9. Exercise Every Day
Research has revealed that exercising can increase the sensitivity of your body’s cells to insulin. Consequently, large amounts of glucose can be absorbed into your cells, thereby reducing the levels of glucose in your blood.
In fact, one study published by the National Library of Medicine revealed that people with prediabetes who do moderate-intensity exercise can increase their insulin sensitivity by about 51%, whilst high-intensity exercise can increase insulin sensitivity by about 85%.
So avoid a sedentary lifestyle and ensure that you engage in physical activity every day. Draw up an exercise regimen and discipline yourself to follow the regimen to ensure that you get regular exercise.
Related: 11 Best Ways to Prevent Diabetes
Key Points To Remember
To prevent diabetes so that you can enjoy wellness:
- eat nuts, seeds, and blueberries often;
- eat oatmeal and black-eyed pea often;
- prepare carrot stew with olive oil; and
- give yourself a red wine treat once in a while.
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