10 Simple and Natural Ways to Avoid Type 2 Diabetes

Taking 200 mg. to 400 mg. of this Asian herb daily lowers blood sugar as much as 20 percent. How? By helping your pancreas produce a steady stream of sugar-controlling insulin, Canadian researchers say. Ginseng can lose effectiveness if used nonstop, so take it for two months, then take two weeks off before starting your next two-month treatment.

Adding 1 Tbs. of this light, nutty-tasting oil to your daily diet could cut your risk of diabetes 29 percent in one month, say University of California, Davis, researchers. Walnut oil is rich in two healthy fats (alphalinolenic acid and linolenic acid) that help reverse insulin resistance, so your cells quickly burn blood sugar for energy, says Fred Pescatore, M.D., medical director of Medicine 369 in New York. Like walnuts? Eating two ounces daily will do the trick too.

Snacking on three cups each week of yogurt containing live probiotic bacteria cuts your diabetes risk 28 percent, reports the journal Diabetologia. Those healthy bacteria improve your pancreas’ ability to control blood glucose, say the researchers.

Harvard research suggests slimming to within 10 pounds of your goal weight takes such a burden off your pancreas, it cuts your risk of diabetes five-fold — and eating one fiber-rich baked potato (with the skin) daily can help you shed those pounds.

New research suggests that just eating a few tablespoons of creamy avocado daily can steady your blood sugar for hours. Avocados are rich in oleic acid and phytosterols, nutrients that help your body use glucose properly, stopping blood sugar from spiking, says David Katz, M.D., president of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. 

Dread vacuuming, dusting and the like? Knowing this will make it less of a drag: Fitting 25 minutes of activities like those into your day improves your insulin sensitivity — and reduces your risk of diabetes — within 72 hours, say the researchers at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco.

Drinking three cups of this fruity brew daily can prevent the big blood sugar surges linked to full-blown diabetes, say Swedish researchers. Compounds in rose hips (galactolipids) nourish the liver, helping it absorb blood sugar and quickly burn it to produce heat. Try this one from Buddha Teas ($6.99, Amazon).

You read that right! Simply boiling up your own pasta (regular or whole-grain), instead of reaching for packaged instant noodles, helps protect you from the blood sugar surges that mark pre-diabetes. Fresh and dry pasta contain a sugar-stabilizing form of protein that breaks down when the pasta is processed. Eat more whole grains (such as brown rice, slow-cooking oats and homemade popcorn), too. They’re loaded with fiber that also stops sugar surges, plus they contain minerals that help your muscles use blood sugar for fuel, say Harvard researchers.

According to a study in the British Medical Journal, eating two cups of sweet potatoes weekly can cut your diabetes risk as much as 25 percent. Sweet potatoes are rich in carotenoids, nutrients that heal and energize your pancreas, helping it produce sugar-controlling insulin, says study coauthor Minoru Sugiura, Ph.D. And it's so easy — you can make a 'baked' sweet potato right in the microwave.

A leisurely bath, a warm drink, a little quiet time...a nightly routine that helps you drift off easily improves your blood sugar control 45 percent. That’s better results than even prescription meds offer, say Temple University researchers. Plus, it can reverse prediabetes in 72 hours. Adequate sleep cuts your carb cravings 50 percent or more — and that’s the ticket to great blood-sugar control, the study authors say. Need help catching those z's? Try this Ayurvedic tonic — it'll put you right out!