Type 2 diabetes is not inevitable even if you're at high risk for it. Keep it at bay with these prevention strategies (13 Photos)
Jennifer Abbasi on Nov 22, 2011 at 12:40PM
chime in now
Next time you sit down for a meal, look at the food on your plate. How colorful is it? If it’s meat or refined pasta, white potatoes or rice, white bread and milk, that’s a recipe for diabetes. Eating colorful foods is “my number one diabetes prevention tip,” says Yi-Hao Yu, M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director of Endocrinology at Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut and a member of the Northeast Medical Group, Yale-New Haven Health System. That’s because naturally colorful foods like red peppers, blueberries and leafy greens contain antioxidants, substances that protect cells against free radicals, which trigger inflammation in the body that can contribute to insulin resistance, Dr. Yu explains. Instead of meat, go for pink salmon; swap white potatoes for butternut squash; and garnish with slices of mango or apricot. Another bonus, says Dr. Yu: “Colorful meals means that you’re eating a variety of nutrient-dense food, lots of veggies and fruits, and less calorically dense foods, which are good ways to prevent obesity.”
