America has been deemed the most obese nation in the world by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). And it’s no surprise considering the types, amount and ease of access to foods. The waistlines of Americans is also increasing at an alarming rate because of the sedentary life style of it’s population. These two facts are a direct cause of the increase rates in pre-diabetes and diabetes in the country.
Although Mexico is currently the second most obese country in the world, not too long ago it was considered the most obese country on the globe by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization.
According to a recent article published by HuffPost – Barry Popkin, an obesity expert at the University of North Carolina, attributes much of the spike in Mexican obesity to increased consumption of cheap sugary drinks and mass-marketed snack foods (the type of things that got Americans fat as well), which have displaced home-cooked meals, along with fresh fruits and vegetables.
At the opposite end of the obesity scale is Japan. It’s considered the healthiest nation in the world for three main reasons – Japanese people eat well, consume smaller portions and are more active. Another reason I believe they are healthier is the fact that the American way of eating has not been encouraged. Although it is available and growing exponentially, it normally cost more to eat at an American style fast food restaurant and children are taught from an early age to believe that eating healthy foods at home is the way to go.
The rates of pre-diabetes and diabetes in Japan is, not surprisingly, some of the lowest in the world, in-spite of the fact that they belong to an Asian Pacific group which is a risk factor for this type of disease.
The take away lesson here is that your diet and activity will either increase or decrease your chances of preventing pre-diabetes from impacting your health. You are in control of what goes in your mouth and how much you move your body each day.
If you are concerned about developing pre-diabetes then talk to your doctor. Diabetes has devastated my family – blindness, kidney transplant, even death – and this is my reason for being passionate in dealing with it. I have adopted a healthy lifestyle and I believe this is the reason I am able to avoid this terrible disease.
It is estimated that by the year 2050 half the population of the US will be affected by diabetes. It’s currently placing a huge burden on the healthcare system and the cost will only increase in time.
Don’t become a diabetic statistic – adopt a healthy lifestyle change now and enjoy the benefits of that change for years to come. Visit How to Prevent Pre-diabetes for more information.