What are my risk factors to becoming a diabetic?
Diabetes mellitus type II is the clinical diagnosis of having persistent elevated blood glucose because your pancreas does not produce enough insulin and your liver produces too much sugar. A person is at risk of developing diabetes based on predisposing factors such as: high calories and fat diet, being overweight, hypertension, high cholesterol, age, gender, race, smoking, high blood glucose level, lack of exercise, and family history. As a person gets older their risk for developing diabetes goes up. A person who is diabetic is at risk of developing chronic kidney disease, heart disease, or stroke.
How can I reduce my risk factors of becoming a diabetic?
- Weight management. Achieving a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 to 25 may indicate optimal weight based on your height and weight. A BMI over 25 indicates you are overweight, and a BMI of 30 indicates you are obese.
- Physical exercise or activity on a daily basis
- Smoking cessation
- Balance diet based on a 1800-2000 calories per day diet
- Reducing your blood pressure
- Reducing your total cholesterol level
- Reducing you blood glucose level
What is a diabetic diet?
- 8 serving of protein per day. 1 serving=1 ounce. Protein consists of lean meat, fish, poultry, pork, beans, reduced-fat cheese, and egg.
- 14 servings of carbohydrates per day. Carbohydrates consist of low-fat or 1% milk, light yogurt, starchy vegetables, fruits, bread, pasta and grains.
- 3 or more servings of non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, green beans, cauliflower, carrots.
- 5 servings of fat. Fats include margarine, olives, nuts, salad dressing, and mayonnaise, etc.