Here’s how a plant-based diet may reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is something that affects nearly 34 million Americans. That’s a massive statistic and, get this — it’s estimated that 90-95% of that number represents those with type 2 diabetes.
While this is shocking, there are steps we all can take to help slash our risk of type 2 diabetes, and we’re sharing all the details on what science shows about why a plant-based approach may be the way to go.
But First, What Causes Type 2 Diabetes?
Before we dive in, let’s take a closer look at what type 2 diabetes is.
It starts with insulin resistance, where your cells no longer respond properly to insulin (a hormone that lets blood sugar into our cells). When this happens, your pancreas starts to produce more insulin as a method to try to get the cells in the body to start responding. But, when they don’t, your pancreas is not able to keep up, and not only that but blood sugar levels spike.
This is where prediabetes often sets in, followed by type 2 diabetes.
So, what’s the big deal? Having constantly high blood sugar levels has been linked to an increased risk of many chronic conditions, such as heart and kidney disease, and even vision loss.
How a Plant-based Diet May Help Reduce Your Type 2 Diabetes Risk
The good news is that this is a condition that we have a ton of power over reducing our risk through a healthy lifestyle and clean eating.
And, when it comes to eating habits, one study suggested that diets that are even just modestly high in fruits and vegetables may help prevent type 2 diabetes. This is thought to be linked back to higher intakes of vitamin C and carotenoids in fruit and vegetable-rich diets.
Other research has suggested that adding just one-third cup of fruit or vegetables, as well as adding grains to your diet may reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by an impressive 29%.
Other Steps to Staying Healthy to Help Reduce Your Risk of Diabetes
In addition to eating more plants, here are some other ways to take care of your body, and thus potentially reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Exercise regularly
- Reduce stress
- Be mindful of portion sizes
- Steer clear of refined, processed, sugary, and artificial foods
Eating More Fruits & Veggies is More Important Now than Ever
The research is clear, adding more plants to our diet may be a super simple, delicious, and no-brainer way to help reduce type 2 diabetes risk. So, whether you are already eating plant-based or want to try adding more fruits and veggies to your diet, here’s one more motivating factor.
Want to eat more plant-based but simply don’t have the time for meal prep? See what Veestro’s meal delivery service can do for you! It may be exactly what you need to stick to your plant-based eating goals (no prep work required).
