Portion Control - The First Step To Preventing Diabetes
Preventing diabetes if you're predisposed to it can be easy
. The biggest step in preventing the disease is maintaining a healthy weight. If you're already overweight you can still stop diabetes in its tracks by losing any extra weight and keeping it off. Easier said than done right? Not necessarily.
I'm sure you've heard this 1000 times but to lose weight you need to control the calories you're taking in. If you eat 2000 calories a day you must burn MORE than 2000 calories a day. Sounds daunting but it's really not. In all honestly it doesn't matter where your calories come from either. Studies show diets low in fats, protein or carbs results in the same loss after a year. That doesn't mean you can load up on 2000 calories of ho-ho's and be ok. You need to limit the amount of sugar, fats and alcohol. These foods are known as empty calories. You don't have to eliminate all of it, just eat or drink it in moderation. No more 6 packs of beer per night! A glass of red wine is certainly ok.
There really isn't some complicated formula to moderating your intake. Hold your hand in front of you and make a fist. Any portion of food (meats, rices, pasta, etc) should not be bigger than your fist. It's really that simple. If that steak is 16 ounces you better have hands the size of Shaquille O'Neal. You can eat all the green veggies you want!
Here's a little guide to help you understand what a portion looks like
A medium potato is the size of a computer mouse
A ounce of cream cheese is the size of a domino
A cup of fruit is the size of a baseball (YUM!)
An ounce of meat is the size of a pack of matches
A cup of broccoli is the size of a light bulb
A medium peach Is the size of a tennis ball
Obviously this little bit of information isn't going to be the end all too preventing diabetes. But I hope that you learned a little bit about how to control your portions and REALLY hope that if you're predisposed to diabetes that you do everything in your power to prevent. Yes, that means giving up the Oreos.