Diabetes and Weight Management
Being overweight raises your risk for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. It can also increase the risk of high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol and high blood sugar. If you’re overweight, losing your extra weight may help you prevent these conditions. You don’t have to lose a lot to improve your health – even losing between 10-15 pounds can make a big improvement to your health. [6]
To lose extra weight, it’s important to choose nutritious foods and control your portion sizes. The plate method, described below, can help you understand proper portion sizes:
Looking at your basic 9-inch dinner plate, draw an imaginary line down the middle of the plate and divide one side in half.
Fill the largest section with non-starchy vegetables, like salad, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and carrots.
In one of the smaller sections, put a grain or starchy food such as bread, noodles, rice, corn or potatoes.
In the other smaller section, put your protein like fish, chicken, lean beef, tofu, or cooked dried beans.
In addition to watching what you eat, it’s important to get regular physical activity, especially as you age. Being active for 30 minutes a day, even through walking, cleaning up the house, dancing or playing with your kids can help make a difference in your weight and diabetes management. [6]