Are You at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes?

WHA is passionate about helping members successfully manage their diabetes and is just as passionate about educating members about the prevention of diabetes. Before people are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, they nearly always develop pre-diabetes, in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Pre-diabetes should be taken seriously as it can begin causing damage to the body.

But it isn’t all bad news! The good news is you can take steps to prevent and manage diabetes. Here are three helpful steps to get you on the right track:

1. Maintain a healthy weight. Your body mass index (BMI), a measure of body fat calculated using your height and weight, should be in the healthy range. Visit the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to calculate your BMI.

2. Eat wisely. Choose pastas, breads, cereals and crackers that show “whole” or “whole grain” as the first ingredient. Eat more fruits and vegetables, aiming to eat dark yellow and green veggies like broccoli, spinach and squash every day. Cut back on foods containing saturated fats like butter, whole milk, high-fat ice cream and cottage cheese. Visit our Healthy Living/Healthy Recipes Center for Diabetes Friendly Recipes at mywha.org. Visit MyFoodAdvisor  for recipes and tips from the American Diabetes Association.

3. Exercise regularly. Physical activity helps you lose weight and control your cholesterol and blood pressure. It also helps your body use insulin. Try to be physically active for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. If you haven’t been active in a while, start slowly with a gentle exercise like walking.

Have a minute? Learn your risk for type 2 diabetes and take the Diabetes Risk Test now at http://diabetes.org/takethetest.

For more information from WHA, please visit mywha.org/diabetes.