The Most Crucial Eating Habit To Prevent Diabetes
What and how you eat
directly impacts your risk of developing type 2 diabetes. So, it's simple logic
to make a habit of reducing the stuff that most directly leads to the deadly
disease: sugar.
An estimated 34
million Americans have diabetes, more than 10% of the U.S. population,
according to the National Institutes of Health. Another 88 million adults or
34.5% of Americans have prediabetes, a disorder characterized by blood sugar
levels that are high but not yet to the level indicating type 2 diabetes.
When your body doesn't
produce enough insulin or uses it ineffectively to keep your blood sugar in a
healthy range, that's called insulin resistance. Your cells become numb to the
hormone and can't efficiently use glucose for energy. Insulin resistance often
leads to type 2 diabetes.
The disease is so
common (as the numbers above suggest) that many people may not be aware of how
serious and frightening it is. Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity,
cardiovascular disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver, and dementia.
If understanding the
devastating potential outcomes of a diabetes diagnosis has renewed your
interest in being more aware of your sugar intake, great! But here's another
idea: Instead of focusing on cutting carbs and sugars out of your diet,
establish eating habits that prevent diabetes. Since sacrificing the foods you
love can be so unpleasant, focus on how you can eat healthy without denying
yourself. That gets to the most crucial eating habit for avoiding diabetes,
according to many nutrition experts:
Eat as if you already have diabetes.
"The diet we
should all be on is the optimal diet of people with diabetes," says
registered dietitian nutritionist Wendy Bazilian, Dr.PH, RDN, a doctor of
public health and exercise physiologist certified by the American College of
Sports Medicine. "You want a stable, steady release of blood glucose to
enter the cells to make energy efficiently."
This is because stable
blood sugar is critical to optimal metabolic health. And it affects many facets
of your overall health—your energy, sleep, mood and cognition, and immune
system function.
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"Uneven eating
patterns, like skipping meals and eating heavily at dinner because you're
starving, cause too many blood sugar spikes, which increases risk for
diabetes," says registered dietitian Catherine Sebastian, MS, RD, manager
of health communications at The Wonderful Company.
That advice may sound
radical, but it's very logical and doable, because it's essentially the same
healthy eating style that supports heart health, reduces inflammation, prevents
weight gain and obesity, and reduces risk of certain cancers.
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Another important
thing to consider when "eating like you already have diabetes" is
that you don't need to cut out carbs completely.
"Cutting out
carbs is a misconception," says Sebastian. "You want carbohydrates
that contain fiber. And you should always have a protein source in every
meal."
And some fat, adds Dr.
Bazilian. "Have protein, fat, and carbs in your meal." Having the
three macronutrients ensures you're getting nutrients, including fiber, that
slow the absorption of sugars into the bloodstream as well as promote satiety.
How to start this habit
Making a habit of
eating like someone who already has diabetes can be challenging, just as
establishing any routine can be. The key is to make a decision to commit to
your health and well-being before making any changes to your day-to-day life,
says Nick Frye, MS, a licensed clinical professional counselor and behavioral
counseling manager for OPTAVIA, a weight loss and health coaching company.
The first step is
finding your "why," "which is what we call the fundamental choice,"
he says. "It's an intentional commitment to identifying and following your
north star. It's a mindset shift that sets direction and foundation for future
action. All other habits to come are made in service to your fundamental
choice."
So, for example, if
eating like a diabetic is the habit you want to adopt, the first step is to
determine what you want to get out of that habit. If it's "to optimize my
health and avoid diabetes," personalize it with something emotionally
meaningful to you, like "so I can be healthy enough to dance at my
granddaughter's wedding in 20 years."
"Mindfully and
intentionally become the author of your story," suggests Frye.
"Skipping this mental exercise and jumping prematurely into action may
deliver temporary success but is likely to result in long-term failure."
Next step: taking baby steps
woman pouring water
into glass surrounded by fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and notebook
Remember Newton's
First Law of Motion? A body at rest will remain at rest unless acted upon by an
outside force. Well, that's the principle behind habit creation: you must start
moving and then keep moving. Frye recommends starting small with micro-habits
because "small, repeatable behaviors lead to significant results. Habits
set people up for sustainable change."
You can find advice on
how to eat like a diabetic on the American Diabetes Association website and
elsewhere. But to start, build these micro-habits into your day and see where
they take you.
Eat something within the first hour of waking.
"Put something in
your mouth, break your fast," advises Carly Knowles, MS, RDN, a registered
dietitian nutritionist with Organic Valley, an independent cooperative of
organic farmers. "It fixes so much. It sets a mindset shift that food is a
priority."
Knowles also works in
private practice with women with gestational diabetes. She says her golden
piece of advice to them is to eat for energy in the morning. "It's not so
important what you eat but that you eat—could be five almonds or a few
spoonfuls of yogurt—something. Otherwise, you may get to lunch with a blood
sugar crash, causing brain fog, cravings, and binge eating."
Go half and half.
If you're trying to
avoid white bread by switching to 100% whole wheat but are having trouble
making the switch, go half and half. "Make half of your daily grains whole
grains and half refined grains that are enriched," suggests Elana Natkier,
MS, RD, a registered dietitian and consultant to the Grain Foods Foundation.
Eating the enriched
bread won't increase your risk of diabetes, and it will ensure you're getting
the added iron, folate, vitamin A, and thiamine. Natkier points to a 2019
analysis of studies in Advances in Nutrition, which found no association
between refined grain intake and risk of type 2 diabetes when comparing the
highest and lowest intake groups.
Take a stand.
Brazilian also
recommends establishing this micro-habit: Stand up after you finish a meal. The
act alone marks a transition and signals to your brain that the meal is
completed. "Standing up starts the mechanics of digestion and it starts to
tell our cells to open up to receive blood sugar," Bazilian adds. For the
same reason, go for a walk after every meal. She cites a study in Sports
Medicine, showing that even just two minutes of walking after a meal can
improve blood sugar levels when compared to sitting or laying down.
Drink this.
Have a glass of water
before every meal. It'll likely satisfy the intense hunger and help you avoid
overeating. "Eating too much food can also make your blood sugar out of
balance," says Bazilian. Too much of any one macronutrient can be
detrimental to health, too.
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