Statistics from the National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) state that 7.8 percent of Americans have diabetes and 25.9 percent of adults are pre-diabetic (have high blood sugar levels but not enough to be diagnosed with diabetes). The risks increase with age, if you have a family history of diabetes or if you're overweight, but you can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes through diet and exercise. A study conducted by the NIDDK showed that lifestyle changes reduced the risk of diabetes by 58 percent.
Preventive Diet
Eating regular meals helps prevent type 2 diabetes by avoiding spikes in blood sugar and by maintaining a normal weight. This is a lifestyle diet defined by watching what, how much and when you eat. The diet should include whole grains, fruits, vegetables, fish, lean meat and healthy fats (unsaturated, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids), while limiting saturated fats and cholesterol (from animal products), trans fats (in commercially prepared baked and fried foods), alcohol and sweets. You can develop your own diet by following guidelines from MyPyramid.gov, the DASH Diet recommended by the American Heart Association, or popular plans such as the Mediterranean or South Beach Diets.
Carbohydrate Regulation
Carbohydrates have a bigger impact on your blood sugar than proteins or fats because they're digested and absorbed into the blood stream more rapidly. When blood sugar quickly increases, more insulin is circulated; and persistently high insulin results in diabetes. In addition to maintaining stable blood sugar by eating about the same amount of carbohydrates at regular times during the day, you can help prevent diabetes by choosing carbohydrates according to their glycemic value.
The glycemic index (GI) assigns a number from 0 to 100 that indicates how rapidly foods raise blood sugar and how high the levels rise. Foods rated at 70 or above (high glycemic) have an unhealthy impact; they should be limited or eaten together with low glycemic foods to balance their effect. Foods that are "white"---think processed flour and sugar---are typically high glycemic foods: white bread (GI of 70), short grain white rice (72) and starchy vegetables such as potatoes (93).
Foods with a GI of 55 or less are low glycemic. This list includes fruits, beans, vegetables and meat--apples (38), bananas (55), broccoli (10), carrots (49) and beans (30 to 50). All meats are low in carbs, but consider their saturated fat and cholesterol content.
Exchange System
The exchange system was developed specifically to help diabetics control blood sugar, but it's a diet that can be easily used by anyone concerned about preventing diabetes. The exchange system allows a variety of food choices and has built-in portion and calorie control. Foods are grouped together according to category, such as starches, fats, fruits, vegetables and meat. All of the foods in a group are about equal in calories, carbohydrates, protein and fats, so any item within the group can be "exchanged" for another. A daily menu plan simply specifies how many "exchanges" from each group should be included per meal and it's up to you to decide which food, or exchange, you want to eat. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute provides a guide to help you begin this type of diet and the American Dietetic Association has detailed food exchange lists.
