How to Prevent Diabetes

Diabetes. You may know it as the disease that American Idol runner up Crystal Bowersox has. It means she has high blood sugar because her body does not use or produce insulin properly. If there is too much glucose in the blood, it can lead to serious health complications. Aside from Crystal, at least 171 million other people worldwide suffer from this disease, or roughly 2.8% of the world population.

There are two classifications, called type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 is characterized by loss of the insulin-producing beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas leading to insulin deficiency. Type 2, meanwhile, is characterized by insulin resistance which may be combined with relatively reduced insulin secretion. The defective responsiveness of body tissues to insulin is believed to involve the insulin receptor. This is the most common type.

It’s a chronic disease that’s difficult to cure. Blood sugar levels must be kept as close to normal as possible with the use of insulin injections or oral medications. While there is no known preventive measure against type 1, there is a way to circumvent type 2 – and that is by eating the right food.

1) Eliminate sugar. This one should be a no-brainer. There are lots of sugar substitutes out there, so pick the healthiest option (I personally prefer Splenda, as aspartame has an iffy reputation). It would also help to google what are the other names for sugar because some savvy producers couch it in different ways so as to trick the consumers into buying their products. Want a list of the different names for this culprit; here are a few: barley malt, beet sugar, carob syrup, corn syrup, corn syrup solids, dextran, dextrose, diatase, diatastic malt, ethyl maltol, fructose, fruit juice, glucose (solids), golden syrup, high fructose corn syrup, lactose, malt syrup, maltodextrin, maltose, mannitol, molasses, refiner’s syrup, sorbitol, sorghum syrup and sucrose. I’m sure there’s more, but this is a good start. If you see any of these as the first or second ingredient in the product you are about to buy, leave it on the shelf.

2) Eat whole instead of refined. Carbs, that is. A US study suggests that eating more brown rice and whole grains instead of white rice may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. White rice actually adds to the risk of diabetes due to its high glycemic index.

3) Fill up on fiber. Load up on veggies and the whole grains mentioned above. Avoid processed food. Make your body work for its nutrients.

4) Eat small frequent meals instead of few large ones. Doing so levels out your insulin and your blood sugar. Eat to fill your stomach with something, not to feel full. Or as a character once said in a Legally Blonde book, graze.

5) Drink lots and lots of water. Not only does this help prevent diabetes, but flushes out toxins from your body and gives you healthy glowing skin. And by the way, soda does not count as water. How many times do I have to mention the evils associated with those?

The funny thing about the above diet is that it sounds suspiciously like the much raved about Southbeach Diet. Thus, if you stick to it, not only will you prevent diabetes, but you will also have a healthier heart and have a great body. See, this diet was originally invented by cardiologist Arthur Agatston to prevent heart disease in his own patients before it quickly rose to fame as a way to lose weight. If that isn’t a great motivation to prevent diabetes, I don’t know what is.