Changing your food choices could help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. New research has confirmed that specific nutrients could have a role in lowering the risk of the disease. This information is especially important if you’ve got pre-diabetes or you’re at risk of getting diabetes. The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition say that eating a diet rich in wholegrain and cereal fibre, sticking to certain types of fat and eating carbohydrates that slowly raise your blood sugar levels (low glycaemic index) will definitely benefit you.
Simple steps to tune up your food choices to lower your risk:
1. Replacing bad fats with healthy fats. There is evidence that this improves the body’s response to insulin, which will help regulate blood sugar levels. The table below demonstrates some examples of certain foods you should avoid or cut down in your diet and replacement alternatives to ensure your diet includes good fats. The UK guidelines for bad fats in the diet (also known as saturated fat) is no more than 20 grams a day for women and 30 grams a day for men. Not only will lowering your bad fats be beneficial for lowering the risk of diabetes, research suggests that it helps reduce other health problems such as heart disease. Find out more about fats on the NHS website.
2. Including high amounts of fibre in the diet. The current UK guidelines for daily fibre intake is 30 grams. On average most people eat 18 grams of fibre per day, which is way below the recommendation. There is evidence that low amounts of fibre (below 18 grams per day) could lead to an 18% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Not only this, evidence suggests that fibre is essential for improving overall health. The picture below gives some easy tips on ways to increase your fibre intake.
3. Including low glycaemic index food in the diet. Different types of carbohydrates behave differently in the body. Glycaemic index ranks carbohydrates (i.e. between 0 and 100) according to the blood sugar response after eating a meal, where some foods cause a rapid rise in blood sugar levels and others cause a slower rise. There is evidence that diets high in glycaemic index (i.e. ranking of more than 70) increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly if you have high amounts of body fat. Therefore, choosing low glycaemic index foods (i.e. ranking of 55 or less) can help with managing blood sugar levels and help lower the risk of developing diabetes. The table below provides suggestions of low glycaemic index alternatives to high glycaemic foods.
For more information about your risk of type 2 diabetes, click here.
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