A lot of people are developing diabetes nowadays because of unhealthy lifestyle, access to fast food chains, and lack of exercise. However, if we can prevent diabetes, then we can avoid its complications to the heart, eyes, kidneys and feet. 

 

A 10-year study conducted at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in Bethesda, Maryland showed the 5 best ways to prevent diabetes. Just focus on these five attributes:

 

1. Try to achieve your normal weight. 

2. Don’t smoke. People who didn’t develop diabetes were non-smokers or they had stopped smoking for at least 10 years already.

3. Be physically active. People who exercised regularly were more likely to have normal blood sugars. 

4. Avoid or limit alcohol intake. The more a person drinks, the more they are prone to engage in other unhealthy habits like eating too much, smoking and lack of exercise.

5. Choose healthy foods. According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Jared Reis, among all five factors, being overweight was linked most strongly to diabetes risk.

I have listed here some suggestions on making healthier food choices. If possible, choose the ones on the left and limit or avoid eating the ones on the right.

 

1. Carbohydrates: Although all carbohydrates make our blood sugar rise, there are so-called bad carbohydrates that make it rise quickly, while good carbohydrates are absorbed more slowly. Hence, whole wheat products and spaghetti are generally healthier than white rice and white bread. Diabetics also need to lessen their fat intake and should try to limit eating fried foods, fried rice, French fries and egg noodles. 

 

Choose These	Limit or Avoid These
Brown rice	White rice or Fried rice
Wheat bread	White bread
Baked potato	French fries
Spaghetti	Egg noodles, mami, miqui

 

2. Protein and meat products: Choose lean meats, and remove visible fat from pork and beef. Try vegetable sources of protein like tofu and beans. Moreover, chicken and turkey have less fat compared to pork and beef. 

 

Choose These	Limit or Avoid These
Baked, broiled, grilled, or stewed meats	Fried meats
Lower-fat cuts of meat, such as tenderloin and sirloin	Higher-fat cuts of meat, such as ribs
Turkey bacon	Pork bacon
Low-fat cheeses	Regular cheeses
Skinless breast of chicken or turkey	Poultry with skin
Baked, broiled, steamed, or grilled fish	Fried fish
Tofu steamed, or cooked in little oil; Baked beans

 

3. Vegetables and fruits: Most vegetables and fruits are excellent sources of good carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Ideally, the average adult should consume two cups of vegetables and two cups of fruits per day. For diabetics, try to reduce your rice intake while increasing your vegetable intake. Just be careful with your choice of salad dressing, which could be loaded with fats and calories. 

 

Choose These	Limit or Avoid These
Fresh vegetables, lightly steamed, roasted, or grilled	Canned vegetables with lots of sodium. Vegetables cooked with butter.
Fresh cucumbers, cabbage	Pickled vegetables (high in salt)
Vinaigrette dressing and light salad dressings	Regular mayonnaise and Thousand Island dressing
Fresh fruits in moderation	Canned fruits in heavy sugar syrup
Low-sugar jam or preserves	Regular jam, jelly, and preserves; Raisins

 

4. Drinks: This is the pitfall of many diabetics. Drinking too much coffee, sweet juices and sodas can contribute to weight gain. A glass of soft drinks may contain as much as 7 teaspoonfuls of sugar. It’s equivalent to eating half a cup of rice already. Plain water is still your best choice.

 

Choose These	Limit or Avoid These
Plain water or sparkling water	Regular sodas; Energy drinks
Unsweetened tea (add a slice of lemon)	Sweetened tea and iced tea
Coffee, black or with added low-fat milk and sugar substitute	Coffee with sugar and cream

 

5. Desserts and snacks: 

 

Choose These	Limit or Avoid These
Low-fat yogurt	Regular ice cream
Gelatin	Cakes with icing, pastries
Baked snacks, such as baked chips, puffed rice and corn snacks	Snacks fried in fat, such as pork rind (chicharon), potato chips, corn chips
Regular popcorn in moderation	Buttered popcorn

 

Therefore, if you want to lose weight, you may want to avoid eating desserts and junk foods altogether. There are, of course, some healthier desserts like yogurt and fresh fruits. 

 

Indeed, diabetes can be a deadly disease. It’s unfortunate that many diabetics have poor knowledge on which foods to choose and which foods to avoid. I hope this article will help everyone make healthier food choices. Remember, it’s within your power to prevent and control diabetes.