Avoiding diabetes involves reducing your risk factors and treating pre-diabetes before significant damage to your body occurs. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) states that 57 million Americans have pre-diabetes, a potentially reversible type of diabetes characterized by abnormally high glucose levels that are not yet high enough to qualify for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. Dietary changes and exercise are often more effective at preventing the development of type 2 diabetes than medications.
Step 1
Speak with your doctor about your personal risk factors for diabetes, and set up yearly glucose fasting tests if your risk is higher than average. Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include being over the age of 45 years, a positive family history for the disease, being overweight or obese, having diabetes during pregnancy or giving birth to a large baby (more than 9 lbs.), high cholesterol or blood pressure, inactivity, a history of polycystic ovarian syndrome or other insulin-related disorders, and a personal history of stroke or heart disease.
Step 2
Lose weight if you are overweight or obese. People with risk factors for diabetes can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes by losing just 5 percent of their body weight, according to the National Diabetes Education Program.
Step 3
Eat a balanced diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, dried beans, lean meats and non-fat dairy products. The ADA suggests choosing non-starchy vegetables, eating fish two to three times each week, and cooking with liquid oils instead of solid fats that are high in saturated and trans fats.
Step 4
Exercise for at least 30 minutes every day to lose weight and avoid diabetes. The ADA states that this level of exercise, when combined with a five to 10 percent reduction in weight, results in a 58 percent reduction in diabetes. When possible, engage in a combination of aerobic exercise, strength training and flexibility exercises.
Step 5
Watch your portion sizes, and choose snacks wisely. Eat only when you are hungry, and avoid high-calorie, sugary snack foods such as candy, cookies and cakes. Eating a salad or broth-based soup before a meal will help control hunger and the urge to overeat.
Step 6
Stop smoking immediately. In addition to increasing your risk of developing diabetes, smoking significantly increases the risk of several diabetes complications, including stroke, heart attack and kidney disease. The Mayo Clinic states that smokers are three times more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than diabetic nonsmokers.
Tips and Warnings
- The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that everyone over the age of 45 years undergo a fasting glucose test to look for pre-diabetes.
