Type 2 Diabetes has tripled in the last 30 years, and much of the increase correlates to the dramatic upsurge in obesity. Currently sixty-one percent of the adult population is classified as overweight or obese with a parallel increase in overweight children and adolescents. Currently diabetes afflicts more than 20.6 million people in the United States with Type 2 accounting for up to 95 percent of all cases.

But, there is good news: Diabetes can be prevented. By losing a modest amount of weight, getting 30 minutes of physical activity 5 days a week and eating healthier, people with pre-diabetes can delay or prevent getting type 2 diabetes.  A great resource for starting your own personalized diabetes prevention plan can be found by checking out this web site: www.ndep.nih.gov.

For those that already have type 2 diabetes, management is the focus.  A big part of diabetes management is improving blood glucose control. While diet is the major factor effecting blood glucose levels, diet also plays a role in managing blood pressure, and cholesterol levels which are also important when you have diabetes. Eating home prepared meals helps people manage their diabetes because they know what is going into the food they eat.  They are also better able to control portion size which helps with blood glucose control and weight management.

Cindy Farricker, RD CDE