Health Department recommends nutrition tips to reduce your risk for diabetes
By Janessa VandenBerge, MPH, CHES® and Cortney Nicholson, MS, CHES®, Eau Claire County Health Department
In honor of Diabetes Alert Day and National Nutrition Month, the Eau Claire City-County Health Department recommends that all adults take the one-minute Prediabetes Risk Test at PreventDiabetesWI.org to find out if they’re at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
In Wisconsin, one in three adults has prediabetes, but 90% of those people don’t know they have it. If left untreated, prediabetes can turn into type 2 diabetes, which can increase your risk of other chronic diseases like heart disease and stroke. The good news? Prediabetes can be reversed if caught early! There aren’t always signs and symptoms of prediabetes, which is why it's important to be screened regularly by taking the prediabetes risk test or talking to your doctor. If you find out you’re at high risk (if you score 5 or higher on the risk test), making small changes to your diet can lower your risk of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes:
Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables. Fruit in your oatmeal? A vegetable in your soup or pasta? Choose colorful fresh, frozen, canned, or dried fruits and veggies.
Balance the other half of your plate with whole grains and lean protein. Try to make at least half of your grains whole grains! Add brown rice to your stir-fry, and go for lean protein like fish, skinless chicken breast, or beans.
Add a serving of low-fat Wisconsin dairy to your meal. Enjoy a yogurt parfait for breakfast, add cheese to your sandwich, or make a smoothie with low-fat milk.
Sip healthy drinks. Sweet coffee drinks, juice drinks, energy drinks, and soda are a major source of added sugar. Try switching them out for water, unsweetened tea, or sparkling water.
Cook at home. Sodium is often hidden in fast foods and highly processed foods, which can include breads and rolls, cold cuts and cured meats, sandwiches, pizza, soup, and chicken.
Check serving sizes. Follow recommended serving sizes on the nutrition facts label. Instead of eating out of the box or bag, use a plate.
Participating in a National Diabetes Prevention Program can decrease your risk of developing type 2 diabetes by half. Find out more about a free, local prevention program below.
Marshfield Clinic Health System
What: Year-long, CDC-recognized lifestyle change program that helps prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Who: People age 18+ who score 5 or higher on Prediabetes Risk Test and haven’t been diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Where: Virtual, WebEx
When: Virtual Information Session, Thursday, March 23, at 4 p.m. Class begins Thursday, March 30, at 4 p.m.
Registration: Email wes.prediabetes@marshfieldclinic.org for screening, eligibility, and details on how to join the program. You do not need to be a current Marshfield Clinic Health System patient.