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If you have been paying attention to the news at all, you know that diabetes is quickly becoming one of the most common ailments in the United States and many parts of Europe. Some have even said that the prevalence is reaching epidemic proportions. Why? What causes diabetes?

First of all, it is important to realize that there are two types of diabetes: Type 1 is congenital and cannot be prevented. Type 2 is not congenital, although there may be a tendency for it to run in families, and it can be prevented. Neither type of diabetes can be cured, but they can both be managed well in most people through medication and lifestyle.

With so many people now being diagnosed with diabetes, you may be wondering if you are at risk. In order to know that, it is important to know what causes diabetes. The two most significant reasons for developing type 2 are inactivity and obesity, but there are other risk factors as well, which include:

A family history of the disease. If a parent or brother or sister has type 2, you have that as a risk factor Hypertension. If you or a close family member such as a parent or sibling has high blood pressure, you are at greater risk for developing diabetes.

Being over age 45. The older you get, the more chance you have of getting diabetes.

Irregular cholesterol levels. Having too much “bad” cholesterol or too little “good” cholesterol increases your risk of diabetes.

Insulin resistance. If your doctor has determined that you are insulin-resistant, that is often seen as a precursor to diabetes. Some doctors even call this “pre-diabetes.”

Developing gestational diabetes. It is by definition temporary; that is, it occurs only during pregnancy and goes away after delivery of the baby. But, having gestational diabetes increases the risk of getting type 2 diabetes later on.

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Just a little update. I was diagnosed with diabetes in August of 2008 and am continuing my struggle to keep my blood sugar levels under control since that time. I have referred to this experience as a yo-yo one. It seems like one meal it is down but then it will spike again. This is just a journal of those experiences with a hope to give someone who is learning to deal with diabetes the experiences of someone that is also on that journey.

If you have not been to an education class about diabetes my first suggestion is to find one. Go to the American Diabetes Association’s web site at diabetes.org and locate a class near where you live. This helped me in a tremendous way. I received much needed information.

One of the things I learned is about carbs. One carb serving is 15 grams of a carbohydrate. It is also called a carb exchange. You have to learn to read the labels. When you eat too many carbs at one setting your blood sugar levels will increase. Our bodies need some carbs to produce insulin but when we eat too many carbs there may not be enough insulin to reduce the blood sugar levels. (These are my terms and are not scientific or medical-you need to do your own research for your body). If you have not seen a medical doctor that is a good place to start. I also have a support group I attend with an registered nurse and dietitian leading the group.

I can eat two or three carbs at a meal without my sugar spiking. (I call it spiking but the blood sugar gets high).There are starchy vegetables that will cause your sugar levels to rise. Some condiments do too. You have to learn how they affect your body by testing. I will not go into that here as I discussed it in another article which you can find on Article Bank in the bio box below. In the middle of this you need to make sure what you are eating does not affect your heart either. Did I say you need to educate yourself?

Learn to read labels. If the label shows that the food has 35 grams of carbohydrates then you count that as two carbs but remember that you have 5 grams more than just two. If there are 41 grams then you count that as three even though you are not eating exactly 45 grams.

Fiber counts too. If dietary fiber is 5 grams or more you can subtract these grams from the total because they are removed from the body. Sorry, 4 grams or below doesn’t count. So check the label and find something that is 5 grams or more. In the example above using the 41 grams of carbs with 5 grams of fiber you get to count only 36 grams which would be 2 carbs. If you are always going over in grams you might have trouble too so be sure and watch that.

I will discuss other foods that have worked for me in another article.

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