Are you walking the line between prediabetes and a type 2 diagnosis?

Posted on March 28, 2018 by Virginia Tims-Lawson

Even doctors will tell you that type 2 diabetes is one of the most preventable diseases. But it takes willpower and commitment.

But let me ask you… would you rather work at eating better and being more physically active than resigning yourself to a lifetime of medication and possibly needles?

Well, if you’ve been told you’re teetering that fine line between prediabetes and a full-blown type 2 diagnosis, you are at a crossroads…

An old friend of mine, who happens to be a doctor, once told me that it’s easier to avoid disease than it is to cure it. That same doctor profoundly believed that food is medicine.

So if you decide to take a long hard look at your diet, for starters, I have some information you’re going to want to put to use…

Antioxidants are diabetes kryptonite

Of course, sugars and carbohydrates are the major foods you need to eat a whole lot less of, to put blood sugar spikes behind you. Every time your blood sugar spikes, you inch closer to that type 2 diagnosis.

Foods that help you maintain a healthier weight just so happen to also be the foods that can help you tame your blood sugar… like plenty of nutrient-rich fresh vegetables and lean meats. And don’t forget to avoid the processed stuff like the plague.

But to really ramp up your anti-diabetes diet, make the most of what you eat by choosing foods highest in antioxidants, and here’s why…

Several studies have shown that certain nutrients, such as vitamins C and E, lycopenes and flavonoids were associated with a reduction in type 2 diabetes risk. But most recently, a team at the Center of Research in Epidemiology and Population Health in Villejuif, France, suspected there might be a further dietary link.

Since these previous studies looked only at isolated nutrients, not at the total antioxidant capacity of the diet, the researchers set out to verify whether overall diet, according to its antioxidant capacity, is associated with diabetes risk.

They followed 64,223 women for 35 years. Each participant completed a dietary questionnaire at the beginning of the study, including detailed information on more than 200 different food items.

Using this information, together with an Italian database providing the antioxidant capacity of a large number of different foods, the team calculated a score for “total dietary antioxidant capacity” for each participant. The group then analyzed the associations between this score and the risk of diabetes occurrence during the follow-up period.

The results were clear.

Women with the highest antioxidant scores had a reduction in diabetes risk of 27 percent compared with those with the lowest scores.

In fact, diabetes risk diminished with increased antioxidant consumption up to a level of 15 mmol/day, which could be achieved through eating antioxidant-rich foods such as dark chocolate, tea, walnuts, prunes, blueberries, strawberries or hazelnuts… to name a few.

The foods and drinks that contributed the most to a high dietary antioxidant score were fruits and vegetables, tea and red wine (consumed in moderate quantities).

Getting more antioxidants in your diet

So, if you want to stay healthy and keep that type 2 diagnosis far, far away, it looks like getting more antioxidants in your diet could certainly help.

To do this, you’ll need to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.

If you prefer your vegetables cooked, just remember these few things to preserve their antioxidant capacity:

• Don’t peel

• Minimize chopping

• Don’t soak in water pre-cooking

• Cook quickly at a high heat rather than slowly on a lower heat

• Don’t cook in copper pots (this reduces the amount of vitamin C)
• Frozen veggies are good sources of antioxidants
• Steam or microwave to retain the most nutritional value

You can also get a boost of antioxidant power from green tea or matcha (a type of green tea made from powdered tea leaves), which you can add to yogurt or your morning smoothie.

Another good way to up the amount of antioxidants you get in your diet is through a quality supplement. I get mine in Peak ResV+ Superfruits™.

Take charge with the power of antioxidants. Eat more fruits and vegetables, enjoy awesome antioxidant drinks like green tea and supplement wisely.

Sources:

sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/11/171109224048.htm

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