Track your progress: Watch yourself succeed with a few easy steps. Prepare for the long run: Recognize the support you have to keep you going. Think About How You …. Eat in a Typical Week.

Do other people, such as friends, family, or coworkers, influence what you eat? Do you prepare your meals ahead of time, or decide in the moment what to eat? How comfortable are you with reading a nutrition label? How often do you eat out and where? What makes it easier for you to eat healthier?

What makes it harder? Move in a Typical Week. How much of your commute is spent walking or biking? How much time do you make for physical activity around the house, such as walking the dog, cleaning the house, or gardening?

How often do you dedicate 30 minutes per day for physical activity, such as walking, biking, or swimming?

What are your favorite ways to be active? What makes it easier or more enjoyable for you to move more? Step 3 : Find a cue or hint for when to use your new routine. Your cue could be one of these: A specific time or place A feeling or emotion Other people in your life An action right before or right after a regular routine Tips: Make your new routine easy and the old one harder.

Decide how you can make this new routine more rewarding. Create opportunities to repeat and practice your new routine until it become automatic. First Stop : Set a Weight Loss Goal.

Subtract that number from your current weight to determine your goal weight. Second Stop: Make a Nutrition Plan for Healthier Eating. Make a plan. Your plan only needs two key ingredients to work: It should be based on healthy eating. It should be something you can keep doing. Some basics to get started:.

Master Portion Sizes Size it up: get a handle on portion size. Choose the Best Foods: Decoding Food Labels, Eating a Healthy Variety, and Quality Calories Use the Nutrition Facts label to make healthier choices. Make Work, Home, Grocery Stores, and Restaurants Work for You.

Take the work out of eating at work. Bring a healthy lunch from home instead of eating out. Keep fruit and vegetables in the fridge at work for snacks.

Make home your healthy place. Keep a few healthy snacks on hand in case food cravings hit. Create a grocery store game plan. Restaurants: Order with ease. Keep Moving: Set an Activity Goal for Healthier Movement.

Example activity chart Goals: Number of days a week being active: How many active minutes each time: Total number of active minutes each week: Goal date: My physical activity goal for now: 3 20 60 March 1 My intermediate physical activity goal: 4 30 April 15 My ultimate physical activity goal: 5 30 May Find some healthy tips for being active.

Track Your Progress: Watch Yourself Succeed With a Few Easy Steps. Prepare for the Long Run: Get Support and Look Ahead. Get support. Consider these few examples of support: Ask if a friend would like to walk with you after dinner.

Invite your kids to cook a healthy meal with you, or make a date night out of cooking with a partner. Share your successes with people you can trust to encourage you.

Go online. Remember, your doctor, physician assistant, or nurse practitioner can help you meet your goals. Look ahead.

Last Reviewed: April 6, Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Your chances of getting it depend on a combination of risk factors such as your genes and lifestyle. The risk factors include:. If you are at risk for diabetes, you may be able to prevent or delay getting it. Most of the things that you need to do involve having a healthier lifestyle.

So if you make these changes, you will get other health benefits as well. You may lower your risk of other diseases, and you will probably feel better and have more energy. The changes are:. The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice.

Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health. How to Prevent Diabetes. What is type 2 diabetes? Who is at risk for type 2 diabetes? The changes are: Losing weight and keeping it off. Weight control is an important part of diabetes prevention.

For example, if you weigh pounds, your goal would be to lose between 10 to 20 pounds. And once you lose the weight, it is important that you don't gain it back. The certified diabetes educators at John Muir Health are firm believers that those at risk for diabetes can develop a flexible care program with the help of a diabetes team.

Important clinical trials have shown that exercise, healthy eating, and modest weight reduction can prevent diabetes. It takes time and effort to reduce your risk of diabetes; however this investment in your health is a valuable one!

Although cutting out fatty foods and sweets and motivating oneself to maintain a daily exercise program can take some discipline, the payoff is tremendous because people at risk for diabetes are much more prone to developing cardiovascular disease.

Heart disease is two to four times more prevalent in those with diabetes and the risk of stroke is two to four times higher; high blood pressure manifests itself in the majority of adults with the disease; and diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease.

medical director of the Diabetes Center at John Muir Health. Zlock says. Those more predisposed to diabetes are Hispanic Americans, African-Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, older adults, women who have had gestational diabetes, people who are overweight or inactive, and people with a family history of diabetes.

If you fall into one of these groups, you should be especially careful to monitor your lifestyle and follow the suggestions below.

Changing sedentary behavior can be as simple as standing up from your desk and walking around for a few minutes every half hour. Wearing a fitness watch or device that reminds you to walk at least steps per hour may also be helpful.

Still, it can be hard to reverse firmly entrenched habits. Limiting sedentary time, including prolonged sitting, has been shown to reduce your risk of diabetes. Eating plenty of fiber is beneficial for gut health and weight management. It may also help prevent diabetes. Studies in people with prediabetes and older women with obesity show that this nutrient helps keep blood sugar and insulin levels low 32 , Soluble fiber and water form a gel in your digestive tract that slows down food absorption, leading to a more gradual rise in blood sugar.

Thus, eating more soluble fiber may reduce fasting blood sugar and insulin levels 34 , Insoluble fiber has also been linked to reductions in blood sugar levels While many studies on fiber and diabetes use fiber supplements instead of high fiber foods , getting more fiber from foods is likely beneficial.

Eating a source of fiber at each meal may help prevent spikes in blood sugar and insulin levels, which may reduce your risk of diabetes. Indeed, studies link vitamin D deficiency to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes 37 , Some studies also show that vitamin D supplements may improve many aspects of blood sugar management in people with prediabetes, compared with control groups 38 , 39 , However, current research is mixed on whether vitamin D supplements prevent the progression from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes 40 , Good food sources include fatty fish and cod liver oil.

In addition, sun exposure can increase vitamin D levels. For some people, supplementing with vitamin D daily may be necessary to achieve and maintain optimal levels. Speak with a doctor to get your vitamin D levels checked before starting a supplement. Eating foods high in vitamin D or taking supplements may help optimize vitamin D levels, which may help reduce your risk of diabetes.

Many foods undergo some form of processing. Yet, highly processed foods have undergone significantly more processing and often contain added sugars, unhealthy fats, and chemical preservatives. Examples include hot dogs, chips, frozen desserts, sodas, and candy bars.

Observational research associates diets high in ultra-processed foods with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes Conversely, cutting back on packaged foods that are high in vegetable oils, refined grains, and additives may help reduce your risk of diabetes 43 , This may be partly due to the anti-diabetes effects of whole foods like nuts, vegetables, and fruits.

Minimizing your intake of highly processed foods and focusing on whole foods may help decrease your risk of diabetes. Another study linked daily green tea intake to a lower risk of type 2 diabetes Coffee and tea have antioxidants known as polyphenols that may help protect against diabetes Added sugars and syrups may increase blood sugar levels and detract from their protective effects.

Type 2 diabetes in kids is on the rise. If your child is at risk of diabetes, implementing some of the prevention tips from the list above can be helpful. Here are some ideas for preventing and managing diabetes that are more specific to kids 48 , 49 :.

Many of the tips on the list above apply to preventing diabetes in kids. Parents can facilitate other healthy behaviors by encouraging exercise, offering nutritious foods, and limiting screen time. Rather than viewing prediabetes as a stepping stone to diabetes, it may be helpful to see it as a motivator for making changes that can help reduce your risk.

Eating the right foods and adopting other lifestyle behaviors that promote healthy blood sugar and insulin levels will give you the best chance of avoiding diabetes. Read this article in Spanish. Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.

VIEW ALL HISTORY. This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts. Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.

This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses 1, 2, 3 are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers. Misinformation about diabetes is everywhere. We'll show you which commonly held notions about diet, exercise, weight gain, and more are true — and….

If you live with diabetes, you can lower your A1C score by making changes to your routine. Learn about the practices that may help.

Heart disease is two to four times more prevalent in those with diabetes and the risk of stroke is two to four times higher; high blood pressure manifests itself in the majority of adults with the disease; and diabetes is the leading cause of kidney disease.

medical director of the Diabetes Center at John Muir Health. Zlock says. Those more predisposed to diabetes are Hispanic Americans, African-Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, older adults, women who have had gestational diabetes, people who are overweight or inactive, and people with a family history of diabetes.

If you fall into one of these groups, you should be especially careful to monitor your lifestyle and follow the suggestions below.

If you are at very high risk, obese, and under 60 years of age, your doctor may also recommend medication. Preventing Diabetes. Diabetes Diabetes During Pregnancy Diabetes Management Foods that Fend Off Diabetes Managing Pre-Diabetes and Preventing Diabetes Preventing Diabetes.

Diet and exercise Weight loss resulting from healthy eating and increased physical activity enables muscle cells to use insulin and glucose more efficiently, thus lowering diabetes risk. If your cholesterol is high, talk with your doctor about steps you can take to lower it.

Learn more about getting your cholesterol checked. Quitting smoking is hard, but millions of people have done it successfully. In fact, more than half of Americans who ever smoked have quit.

You could be one of them! Get more tips to help you quit smoking. This content on preventing diabetes was adapted from materials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Diabetes Prevention Program, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Reviewed by: Loraine Fick Health Communications Specialist Division of Diabetes Translation National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by ODPHP or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.

MyHealthfinder Health Conditions Diabetes Take Steps to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Health Conditions Take Steps to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes.

The Basics Take Action. The Basics Overview Diabetes is a leading cause of disability and death in the United States. Diabetes also increases the risk of serious health problems like: Heart disease Stroke Blindness Nerve damage, which can lead to amputation removal by surgery of a toe, foot, or leg Kidney failure The good news is that you can do a lot to prevent or delay getting type 2 diabetes, including: Reaching and staying at a healthy weight Staying active Eating healthy Quitting smoking.

Types of Diabetes What is diabetes? Diabetes is a chronic long-term condition. What is type 2 diabetes? What other types of diabetes are there? Type 1 diabetes seems to be caused by a problem with the immune system the system in your body that fights infection.

Gestational diabetes is a type of diabetes that some people develop during pregnancy. Gestational diabetes increases the risk of health problems for you and your baby.

For example, gestational diabetes can make it more likely that you or your baby will develop type 2 diabetes later in life. Learn more about gestational diabetes. Am I at Risk? Am I at risk for type 2 diabetes? Many things can put you at risk for type 2 diabetes.

For example, you may be at risk if you: Have prediabetes Are older than 45 years Are overweight or have obesity Have a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes Are African American, Alaska Native, Native American, Asian American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander Have high blood pressure or high LDL "bad" cholesterol Are physically active less than 3 times a week You're also at higher risk for type 2 diabetes if you: Have had gestational diabetes diabetes during pregnancy Have given birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds Have polycystic ovary syndrome a health condition where the ovaries make more male hormones than normal Learn more about the risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

What is prediabetes? Symptoms What are the symptoms of type 2 diabetes? Take Action. Take Action Talk to Your Doctor Talk to your doctor about your risk for type 2 diabetes. Ask your doctor or nurse how to prevent type 2 diabetes. Ask about diabetes prevention programs near you or online.

If you're pregnant or planning to get pregnant, talk to your doctor or midwife about gestational diabetes. Find out if you need to get tested for diabetes. Cost and Insurance What about cost?