Living your best life happens one step at a time. In a sea of too much, and often conflicting health information, Healthy Bites provides the simple, specific information and guidance you need to make a small step – or, a “healthy bite” – toward a healthier and happier life. Local wellness expert, board-certified health coach and lifestyle counselor, Mikaela D. Martin, of Guidance for Growing in Souderton, writes the monthly Healthy Bites. For more healthy living news and tips, her website at www.guidanceforgrowing.com.
To support the important message of American Diabetes Month, November’s “healthy bite” focuses on gaining insight into this disease and learning behaviors that will prevent against prediabetes and type-2 diabetes.
Insight into diabetes, from The American Diabetic Association (ADA):
In type 1 diabetes, the body doesn’t produce insulin, a hormone necessary for converting food into the energy we need to live. Only about 5% of people who have diabetes have type 1; far more common than this form of the disease, is type 2. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Before people develop type 2 diabetes, almost all have prediabetes, which is identified by blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. In some cases, long-term damage to the body, especially the heart and circulatory system, may already be occurring during prediabetes.
Common complications from diabetes include vision loss, high blood pressure, depression, gum disease, nerve damage, stress, stroke and kidney disease. Here are some surprising statistics from the ADA:
- In 2005-2008, 28.5% of people with diabetes aged 40 years or older had diabetic retinopathy, a condition that leads to impaired vision and can cause blindness.
- In 2008, a total of 202,290 people with end-stage kidney disease due to diabetes were living on chronic dialysis or with a kidney transplant in the United States.
- In 2007, diabetes contributed to a total of 231,404 deaths.
While genetics play a role in the development of both types of diabetes, we can influence our risk of developing type 2 diabetes by adjusting our lifestyles. Exercising, eating well and maintaining a healthy weight can delay and even prevent type 2 diabetes.
Behaviors that reduce risk for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes:
The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) recently showed in a study that people with prediabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes simply by making changes in their diet and increasing their physical activity levels. For those at risk to develop prediabetes, these same lifestyle recommendations can be applied. According to the American Diabetic Association, “While the DPP also showed that some medications may delay the development of diabetes, diet and exercise worked better. Just 30 minutes a day of moderate physical activity, coupled with a 5-10% reduction in body weight, produced a 58% reduction in diabetes.” These are easy, inexpensive, safe and small steps that will lead to big changes!
- Diet – A diabetes prevention diet is filled with real foods (not food products or fad diets); is rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates; includes beans, nuts and seeds; has lots of whole vegetables and grains; and meets your caloric needs. Foods that interfere with a healthy diet include an excess of fruit juices and fruits; artificial sweeteners; and simple carbohydrates such as white bread, white rice, white pasta, candy, soda and other sweets.
- Physical activity – Adults, aim for 30 minutes most days; children and teens, aim for 60 minutes most days. Any type of activity that gets your heart rate up and your brow a little damp can help you meet this goal. Try walking, an exercise class, cleaning the house, weight lifting or yard work.
Be sure you also know your numbers. Check in with your doctor for a blood glucose test, and take the diabetes risk test at www.diabetes.org.
The prevalence of diabetes and its related healthcare costs is sharply increasing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), the number of Americans with diabetes has nearly quintupled in the past 30 years – and those numbers continue to rise. Today, every 17 seconds someone is diagnosed with diabetes, and recent projections show that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes in 2050. This year, 25.8 million adults and children in the United States have diabetes and another 79 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in the United States is $174 billion. That means the cost of caring for someone with diabetes is $1 out of every $5 in total healthcare costs. Chances are that every person reading this article knows someone who has been diagnosed with prediabetes or diabetes. This month’s “healthy bite” brings community- and self-awareness to a disease that affects us all.
For more information on diabetes and American Diabetes Month, visit the ADA online at www.diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES. You can also sign up for our health and wellness newsletter at http://guidanceforgrowing.com/subscribe/ for healthy living, diet and exercise tips.
