“Recent estimates project that as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes in 2050 unless we take steps to stop diabetes.” – American Diabetes Association, National Diabetes Month 2014 Fact Sheet
Type 2 diabetes – the kind where insulin is not used or produced most efficiently – is usually preventable. And yet it accounts for 90-95% of diabetes cases, according to WebMD, a medical reference site catered to the layperson. The cause? Lifestyle. Type 2 diabetes, according to WebMD, “can be prevented or delayed with a healthy lifestyle, including maintaining a healthy weight, eating sensibly, and exercising regularly.” Many other medical experts concur.
In other words, the same reasons causing the obesity epidemic are responsible for Type 2 diabetes as well. Left untreated, Type 2 diabetes can lead to the same complications as Type 1, according to the Mayo Clinic: Heart disease, heart attack, stroke, lower-extremity amputations, vision deterioration, kidney damage, and even hearing loss. With US News reporting that a staggering 1 in 8 Americans are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes (February 20, 2013), the impact weighs heavily on the general population.
Alarmed, yet? For those diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the good news is that the complications can be kept at bay by eating right and exercising. For this reason, the American Diabetes Association (ABA) is launching its new campaign during November, National Diabetes Month. The theme is “America Gets Cooking? to Stop Diabetes®”, and its premise is that nutrition is the major factor contributing to the onset of Type 2. The ABA’s focus is on empowering Americans that they can control their likelihood of Type 2 diabetes.
So, how to cook? Here are the main nutritional points for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels. Use the following:
- Whole grains
- Plenty of raw or lightly-steamed vegetables
- Little to no sugar
- Low-fat, unprocessed proteins (chicken, turkey, low-fat red meat, tofu, legumes)
- Healthy fats, such as avocados, nuts, and olive oil
At Rockaway Care Center, we offer a bariatric plan to handle obesity, which in turn reduces the risk of diabetes. In addition, for our elderly population, we pay close attention because the risk of diabetes 2 increases with age. We also offer exercise classes on a regular basis. All in all, since nutrition and movement can keep diabetes Type 2 in check, we at Rockaway Care Center are part of the hope to stop diabetes. In commemoration of National Diabetes Month, we encourage everyone to make a nutritional and exercise plan, and routinely keep it at. Here’s to your health!