• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Youtube
  • Change Locations
Set Your Location
Chefs for Seniors
  • Home
  • Menu
    • Menu Examples
    • Current Clients: Submit Your Menu
  • Services
    • Senior Meals Program
    • FAQ
    • What is a Personal Chef?
  • Locations
  • Franchise
  • More
    • Careers
    • Testimonials
    • Refer a Client or Patient
    • MA & LTC Insurance Meals
    • Blog
  • Get Started
  • Menu Menu
Blog
Uncategorized

Simple Steps to Prevent Diabetes: What You Can Start Doing Now

Today, more than 37 million people in the United States have Diabetes, and 96 million adults have prediabetes (a condition where blood sugar levels are high but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes). This is not a disease that is particular to the elderly population- we are seeing more and more young adults and even children developing this condition. As this disease is seemingly on the rise, we begin to ask ourselves: how can we lower our risk of developing diabetes? The good news is that prediabetes and type 2 diabetes are largely preventable, in fact, 9 in 10 cases can be avoided simply by making some lifestyle changes. Here are some actions you can take to reduce your risk!

Cut Processed Sugar & Refined Carbs from Your Diet

Medical experts suggest that one of the leading causes of diabetes is a diet high in processed foods and sugar, which can be found in pre-packaged snack foods and soft drinks. These foods increase blood sugar and insulin levels, which can increase your risk for diabetes. There are simple diet-swaps that are easy to make, such as drinking more water instead of soda, whole/sprouted grains rather than highly-processed carbohydrates and eating lean protein instead of processed meat. Click here to read our article about 7 Foods That Regulate Your Blood Sugar.

Get Moving

Being at a healthy weight reduces your risk for diabetes, so ensuring at least 30 minutes of movement a day is important for overall health. This can include walking, swimming, dancing, biking, lifting weights, etc. Studies suggest that even a brisk walk for 30 minutes each day reduces the risk for type 2 diabetes by 30%. Not only does regular exercise prevent diabetes, but it is also important for preventing other diseases such as heart disease and other cardiovascular conditions.

Cut Tobacco and Alcohol

This may seem like an obvious solution for overall wellness, but both tobacco and alcohol have been shown to contribute to insulin resistance. Those who smoke have a nearly 50% higher chance of developing diabetes, and you can add that to the long list of health problems associated with tobacco use. Small amounts of alcohol are acceptable, but should not be consumed regularly or in large quantities. Alcohols like beer, wine and flavored liquors have a particularly high sugar content and should be avoided entirely if you are prediabetic or diabetic.

Build a Better Plate

Multiple studies have shown that eating smaller meals throughout the day is better for the body than eating larger meals less frequently. Large meals can be burdensome on the body and can be more difficult to digest, whereas small meals and snacks help us feel full but do not cause the dramatic spike in blood sugar and insulin. When structuring your plate for a meal, it is important to include adequate amounts of fruits, vegetables, quality protein and whole/sprouted grains.

It is also important to note that certain foods should be paired together to avoid blood sugar spikes- for example, carbohydrates should always be paired with a protein source. When you eat a carbohydrate on its own, such as a piece of fruit, your body will quickly break that down into sugar, therefor naturally increasing your insulin levels. Proteins take longer to digest, so pairing the two together helps slow down digestion to avoid spikes and crashes in blood sugar. For example, if you eat an apple, have a little peanut butter with it; if you eat cottage cheese, have some jam or fruit as well.

See Your Medical Provider Regularly

Although there’s no cure for type 2 diabetes, it is possible to prevent it. In addition to making these lifestyle changes, seeing your doctor at least once a year can help you keep track of your health. Regular check-ups and lab work can help identify your blood sugar levels so that you can develop a plan for delaying the onset of diabetes and other health conditions

April 27, 2022/by Maddie
Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on Pinterest
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit
  • Share by Mail
https://chefsforseniors.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/diabetes.jpeg 347 520 Maddie /wp-content/uploads/2023/01/logo-r-chefs-for-seniors-clients-personal-chef-near-me-250-1.png Maddie2022-04-27 17:08:412023-01-19 07:29:26Simple Steps to Prevent Diabetes: What You Can Start Doing Now

Recent Posts

  • Making Healthy Eating Easier: Diabetic Meals Delivered to Your Door
  • 4 Easy Ways to Increase Your Protein Intake
  • Food Allergy vs. Food Sensitivity: What’s the Difference?
  • 5 Mental Health Tips for Older Adults
  • 7 Herbs and Spices With Surprising Health Benefits

Want a break from cooking?

Across the US, our team of personal chefs are ready to prepare surprisingly affordable, delicious, and home-cooked meals right in your own kitchen! We are the #1 in-home meal service for seniors.

Get My Free Quote

View Locations

Chefs for Seniors has locations across the US!

Personal Chef Near You

Huntsville
Scottsdale
Tucson
Central Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas
Contra Costa
LA South Bay
North San Diego
North Orange County
East LA County
Palm Springs
San Diego Inland
South San Jose
West LA
North Denver
Fort Collins
Fairfield County
New Haven County
Boca Raton
Bradenton
Flagler-Volusia
Florida Keys
Fort Myers
Hollywood-Pembroke Pines
Lake County
Martin-St. Lucie
Miami
Melbourne
Naples
Parkland-Coral Springs
Osceola County
Pinellas County
Sarasota
The Villages
West Palm Beach
Atlanta
Northeast Atlanta Metro
Boise
South Bend
Des Moines
Overland Park
Montgomery County MD
Essex County MA
Boston
Northwest Metro Detroit
Minneapolis
Kansas City
Las Vegas
Bergen County
Central NJ
South Jersey
Upper Manhattan
Syracuse-Rochester
Charlotte
Durham
Gaston County
Greensboro
Raleigh
Tulsa
Portland
Lower Montgomery County PA
South County RI
Charleston
Fort Mill
Myrtle Beach
Nashville
Arlington TX
Fort Worth
Georgetown TX
North Houston
Flower Mound
McKinney TX
Southeast Houston
Salt Lake City
DC-Fairfax County
South Richmond
North Snohomish County
Tacoma
Madison
South Central WI
Southeastern WI

 

 

 

 

 

Learn More

  • Blog
  • Franchise
  • Privacy policy
  • Accessibility statement

Connect with Us

Locally Owned

All Chefs For Seniors locations across the US are independently owned and operated. When you choose Chefs For Seniors, you are supporting small business owners in your local community.

© 2023 All rights reserved. | WordPress Web Design by Bizzy Bizzy
Long Distance Caregiving Best PracticesThe Importance of Nutrition After a Hospital Discharge
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more×

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Terms and Conditions
Accept settingsHide notification only