Little changes in your life can add up to a HUGE decrease in your risk of developing diabetes. You don’t have to do something dramatic to help protect your body.
- Drinking just one regular soda every day can raise your risk of developing diabetes more than eighty percent. All those empty calories can add up to weight gain — a major risk factor for diabetes. Switch to diet soda if you must drink soda; drinking water or unsweetened tea is much better for you!
- Skipping breakfast can raise your risk of developing diabetes as much as fifty percent. They don’t call it the most important meal of the day for nothing! Skipping breakfast means you’ll probably be hungrier at lunch and likely to eat more. A high fiber cereal with low fat milk can help your body respond better to insulin and reduce your risk of diabetes.
- Eating lots of processed meats can raise your risk of diabetes by more than forty percent. The preservatives in hot dogs, bacon, and other highly processed meats may hinder your body’s ability to make insulin. Switch to preservative-free varieties of your favorite meats to help protect your pancreas.
- Depression can raise your risk of diabetes by nearly twenty-five percent. Major depression can alter your body chemistry, possibly making you a higher risk for diabetes. A daily walk can counteract both the depression and the diabetes risk, according to research from Duke University.
- Watching two hours or more of television every day can raise your risk of diabetes by fourteen percent. Unless you’re on the treadmill while you’re watching your favorite shows, your TV time could be better spent exercising. Try to limit tube time to your favorites — no more than ten hours on the couch per week.