4 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Diabetes Risk Naturally

 Make these easy adjustments to slim down and prevent the disease By Alyssa Shaffer

Photo by: Ronnie Kaufman/Getty Images  
4 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Diabetes Risk Naturally-You really can lower your chances of developing type 2 diabetes by making small changes to your diet and exercise habits and losing a little weight. Incorporate these simple lifestyle shifts to slim down.

1. Go to bed a half-hour earlier
Studies show that low levels of sleep can increase diabetes risk. Shortening your shut-eye affects insulin and other hormone levels as well as blood sugar metabolism. So make it a point to start your typical nightly wind-down routine about 30 minutes earlier than usual so you end up dozing off sooner.

 
2. Make smart substitutions
Instead of totally overhauling what you eat, just give your favorites a healthy update. Try broiling, barbecuing or baking foods instead of frying; choose brown rice rather than yellow or white; and even if your southwestern  abuelita  insists on using flour tortillas, go with corn (or try whole wheat).

3. Divide and conquer…your plate
To keep portion sizes in check, use this visual trick: Divide your plate in half. Fill one side with fruits and vegetables. On the other side, use one quarter for lean protein, like chicken or fish, and the other for a carbohydrate-rich food, such as brown rice.

 
4. Move more throughout the day
Doing at least 30 minutes of activity five days a week is important, but you don't have to do it all at once. If you're watching TV, stand up and jog around your living room during commercials. Take a walk after dinner. Put on music and dance while you do chores

THE HEART CONNECTION
What's diabetes got to do with your ticker? A lot, actually. Three facts all Latinas should know:

If you have type 2 diabetes, your heart disease risk goes up—significantly. In fact, your chances are the same as a person without diabetes who's already had a heart attack.

Heart attacks in diabetics can be “silent.” Diabetes impairs your nerves, which sense pain. So if you have the disease, you're more likely to experience a heart attack with subtle signs, such as sudden fatigue instead of chest pain.

You may need to consider preventive medication. Some experts recommend that women with diabetes begin taking an aspirin a day if they're over 60 and have heart disease risk factors.

SOURCES:  Jane Chiang, MD, senior vice president of medical affairs and community, American Diabetes Association. Jane L. Delgado, PhD, president, National Alliance for Hispanic Health, and author, The Buena Salud Guide to Diabetes and Your Life. Paula Diaque Ballesteros, RD, nutrition educator, Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston.Tara Narula, MD, associate director, Cardiac Care Unit, Lenox Hill Hospital/North Shore-LIJ, American Heart Association spokesperson

SOURCE:Woman's day