Don't Want Diabetes? Eat Your Greens

Diabetes can cause a lot of issues as it progesses, and what's scary is that about 30% of people who have Diabetes don't even know they have it in the first place (see: Warning Signs of Type 2 Diabetes )! Since Diabetes can cause kidney disease, poor circulation, blindness, and eventually can become fatal if it's left untreated, it's important to keep prevention as a key part of your daily life. If Diabetes runs in your family or you live a sedentary lifestyle or are overweight (but be aware, even thin people can get Diabetes- it's not a 'fat' disease), then preventing Diabetes is particularly beneficial for you. Learn how what you eat can actually keep Diabetes at bay!

Scientific research has shown that people who eat just one serving of dark greens a day (this means your broccoli, spinach, collard greens, kale) reduce their chances of getting Diabetes by 10% or more! This is just in one serving of your dark vegetables, which you can have steamed, raw, boiled, or even mixed into your favorite dish! Even eating just a dark greens salad counts as this daily serving, and who doesn't enjoy a nice salad with their meal?

What else helps to keep Diabetes at bay is to watch your fat intake. Keeping your fat intake at 30% of your daily caloric needs (on a 2,000 calorie diet, that means between 600 and 700 calories you ingest can be from fat) or less helps out your pancreas, which is responsible for maintaining how you process sugars (insulin). When your pancreas is happy and doing well, so is your overall body, and when you watch your fat intake, you are also keeping yourself in check when it comes to heart disease and high blood pressure as well!

Eat more walnuts and flaxseed (you can drink flaxseed as a tea or even use flaxseed oil in cooking). The acids found in walnuts and flaxseeds help regulate blood sugar and glucose levels and can reduce your chances of getting Diabetes by 20%! Since about 25 million American adults have Diabetes, it's a very serious condition. Prevention is key, and you can prevent Diabetes just in the foods you add to your diet!

Source:

RealAge: 3 Foods That May Fend Off Diabetes