Let’s get into the ABCs of Diabetes. There are three different types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, but it is most common in children and adolescents. When you have type 1 diabetes, your body produces very little or no insulin, meaning you will need daily insulin injections to balance your blood glucose levels. The sooner this type of diabetes is diagnosed, the better the quality of life for diabetic patients!
• Type 2 diabetes is the type that affects 90% of diabetics and is most common in the adult population. In this type of diabetes, the body is unable to properly use the insulin it produces. Treatment for this type of diabetes is a healthy lifestyle, including increased physical activity and a healthy diet. Unfortunately, over time, most patients with type 2 diabetes will need to start taking diabetes medications and/or insulin to achieve glucose control.
• Gestational diabetes, also known as “Pregnancy Diabetes,” is a type of diabetes that is associated with high blood glucose levels during pregnancy. This type of diabetes causes complications for both the mother and the baby. Fortunately, it disappears after the baby is born, but care must be taken, as both the mother and the baby have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life.

Now let’s talk numbers! In 2021, 10% of the adult population aged 20 to 79 will suffer from diabetes. Almost 1 in 2 adults with diabetes is undiagnosed. At this rate, the total number of people with diabetes is expected to increase to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045. This is certainly not a good thing! But is it avoidable? Unfortunately, healthy food is not always the most affordable and the numbers support this fact. 3 out of 4 diabetics live in low- and middle-income countries. As healthcare professionals, we must be very careful to provide the right guidance to our patients, because in 2021 alone, diabetes caused 6.7 million deaths.

The two main risk factors are unhealthy food consumption and low physical activity. With lifestyle modifications including physical activity and a healthy diet, we can delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. So let’s give you some practical suggestions to improve your health!

1. Choose water, coffee or tea instead of fruit juices, other soft drinks with or without gas;

2. Eating at least three servings of vegetables every day, including green leafy vegetables;

3. Eating up to three servings of fresh fruit each day;

4. Choosing nuts, fresh fruit, or yogurt instead of unhealthy snacks between meals;

5. Limiting alcohol consumption;

6. Choosing white meat or seafood instead of red meat or its processed by-products;

7. Choosing whole grain bread, rice or pasta instead of regular ones.

8. Choosing unsaturated fats (olive oil, corn oil, or sunflower oil) instead of saturated fats (butter, coconut oil, or palm oil).