How to Prevent Diabetes, What Are the Best Methods

Diabetes is a chronic disease that arises when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. This leads to raised glucose levels in the blood and can cause long-term damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues.

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes where the body is able to produce insulin but it is either not sufficient or the body is not responding to its effects, leading to a build -up of glucose in the blood. It usually occurs in adults, but is increasingly seen in children and adolescents. Much of type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed. This article aims to show you methods on How to prevent diabetes?

Pre-diabetes is a term that is used to identify people who are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is potentially the early stage of diabetes. It is a condition which many people have but may not be aware of. People with pre-diabetes are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a condition where the level of glucose (sugar) in the blood becomes higher than normal, although not high enough to be diagnosed with diabetes.

It is at this stage that the onset of diabetes can be delayed or even prevented with the correct changes to a currently unhealthy lifestyle. Unfortunately people do not show symptoms and so are often not diagnosed early enough.

Primary prevention involves preventing risk factors that lead to chronic diseases, infections and injuries. Types of primary prevention include physical activity and nutrition. Secondary prevention reacts to prevent further exacerbation of a known problem in the case of diabetes prevention of complications. Types of activities used in secondary prevention include using medication to treat conditions such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol or screening for high blood glucose levels.

Individual level primary and secondary prevention takes place in the medical care delivery system, such as at a doctor's office or hospital. Population based primary and secondary prevention takes place at the community, state or national level and public health agencies and non-profit organizations coordinate these efforts.

Secondary prevention including screening as well as early detection and treatment is complementary to primary prevention and improved information technology.

Improved prevention strategies have the potential to contribute greatly to discontinuing the escalating diabetes epidemic and even reversing and decreasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the long run.

The following points will deeply help on How to prevent diabetes:

1. Regular eating intervals must be adhered to, ie eating 3 times a day. Skipping meals will force you to overcompensate on your next meal time.

2. The quantity of foods (portion sizes) you should eat is individual and varies from person to person. The factors that play a role in determining what portions you should eat depends on your weight status, activity levels, the type of medication you use, your gender, age and level of glycaemic control.

The best way to gain knowledge on how many portions you need to consume of the different foods on a daily basis is to consult a registered dietician. She/He can calculate a practical nutritionally balanced eating plan taking your lifestyle as well as the above mentioned factors in consideration.

3. The types of foods and drinks

3.1 Carbohydrates

The consumption of different types of carbohydrate foods affects our blood glucose levels in different ways. We classify carbohydrate foods on how they affect people's blood glucose levels using the Glyceamic Index (GI). The fibre in whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables delays digestion and causes the slow release of glucose into the blood stream that is beneficial. High fibre foods usually have a low GI value. The milling of grains removes the fibre from the grains and produce white flour. This also happens when we remove the fibre from fresh fruit when making fruit juices. Low fibre foods have a high GI value as they are more rapidly digested and glucose is faster absorbed into the blood stream causing higher blood glucose levels.

Including low GI carbohydrates usually high in fibre to the expense of high GI starches usually low in fibre (made from white flour) is recommended. Whole grains such as rolled oats, barley, brown wild rice, bulgur wheat, pearl wheat (stamp koring) quinoa, health / rye breads, whole grain cereals, legumes (lentils, dry beans, chick peas) contain not only fibre but additional nutrients important towards lowering cholesterol and weight loss

The quantities of starch we eat affect the blood glucose control levels just as much as the type of starches we select into our diet. Thus even when selecting high fibre low GI starches it is advisable to always keep your starch portion SMALL A quarter of your plate should be filled with whole grains, a quarter with lean proteins and half of your plate should be filled with all types of vegetables. All types of vegetables and fresh fruit consumed in a controlled manner have a low GI and you should try to include five portions of vegetables and fruit (combined) into your diet on a daily basis.

Key points to remember when selecting carbohydrate foods for your daily eating plan:

Aim for a minimum of five portions of fresh fruit and vegetables per day, as they all have a low GL and are high in fiber.

Select high-fiber /low-GI starches and limit your intake of refined starches (those with a high flour and sugar content). Remember that GI only applies to starches.

Eat one to two portions of whole grains each day.

Control your portions. The quantity of carbohydrate foods you eat affects your blood glucose levels.

Fresh fruit is the best snack to enjoy.

3.2 Proteins

As protein foods contain fats the main objective is to select protein foods lean to lower the total saturated fat content of the diet. Including proteins into the diet enable you to keep the quantity of starches small that enhance glycaemic control.

Dried beans, peas and lentils are not only low-fat sources of protein, but also contain soluble fibre that has a cholesterol-lowering effect. Replacing some animal proteins with legumes can help to lower your intake of saturated fats. The high soluble-fibre content in legumes is also responsible for a slower digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, which contributes to an improved blood glucose response after a meal.

As white fish contains significant less saturated fat as red meat and fatty fish contains essential fats with health benefits make fish is an excellent protein source to include into your diet. Find tasty innovative ways to prepare fish.

Key points to remember about proteins:

Lower your intake of saturated fats by avoiding protein and dairy foods that are high in saturated fats such as fatty meats, processed meats and hard cheeses.

Select all low fat milk and milk products and low fat cheese. Lean protein total fat content is less than 10 g fat / 100 g food

Use skin less chicken when using stir frying and stewing as cooking methods. Remove the skin afterwards when roasting chicken in the oven or on the coals.

Eating protein enables you to consume smaller portion of starch, which will improve your glycaemic control.

A small amount of protein is sufficient to sustain our body's growth and metabolic processes.

Choose your proteins lean. The most to least desirable protein foods are fatty fish, white fish, legumes, lean meat and chicken, eggs, low-fat soft cheeses and hard cheese.

3.3 Fats

Fats play an essential role in your diet and support many metabolic functions in the body. The fats that increase blood cholesterol levels and decrease the insulin sensitivity of the cells originate from animal sources. These fats are solid at room temperature and are saturated of nature. Unsaturated fats, especially mono unsaturated fats does not increase cholesterol, keeps your cells healthy and sensitive to insulin. It is thus recommended that you replace all saturated fats in your diet with unsaturated fats. Tran's fats are a type of fat the food industry sometimes use when manufacturing baking items as well as in Fast foods. Tran's fats do have the same unhealthy qualities than saturated fats and should be avoided

All types of fats are calorie dense and can contribute to weight increase if consumed fats without discretion. It is thus important to control the amounts of healthy fats to include into your daily diet.

The essential fatty acids we found in fatty fish such as sardines, pilchards, mackerel and salmon have numerous health benefits that protects you against heart disease. It is recommended that you include a minimum of three portions of fatty fish per week into your diet.

Key points to remember when selecting fats for your daily eating plan:

Limit your intake of saturated and trans-fats and choose unsaturated fats when possible.

Oleic acid (a monounsaturated fat found in olive oil, canola oil, avocados and some nuts) has superior health benefits and should be the oil of choice in our diet.

Avoid exceptionally low-fat diets, as your body needs a certain amount of healthy fats to enable it to function normally.

Eat fatty fish at least three times a week for the beneficial effects of Omega 3 fatty acids.

Control the quantity of all fats in your daily eating plan, as all fats are calorie dense and will add weight.

3.4 Salt

A high salt intake can aggravate high blood pressure. Avoid adding salt to food after cooking. Cook by adding the minimal salt to food by using a variety of herbs and spices. Use salty condiments such as soy sauce and Worcester sauce sparingly

He became interested in how to prevent Diabetes through health awareness, fitness, and nutrition after seeing his paternal grandmother get taken away by the disease. His father experienced loss of eyesight at an age of 67 as well as drastic weight loss due to poor lifestyle choices that caused the disease.

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