Diabetes is in the news again — did you see? Two recent studies on people who are considered ‘pre-diabetic’ — exhibiting a tendency toward diabetes, yet without fully manifesting the disease — established that there are simple lifestyle changes one could make to stop or slow the progression toward diabetes.

Note that I said simple. Not easy. Nothing here is impossible, but some of it is challenging.

Still, when you consider the possibility of forestalling Type 2 Diabetes, it might be worth it to:

  • Cut your fat intake. No more than 30% of your daily calories should be fat. In an average diet, that’s 50-60 grams of fat.
  • Cut saturated fat intake down to less than 10% of your daily calories. This is the tough one: we’re looking at 15-20 grams of saturated fat. That’s not very much at all.
  • Exercise! You knew that was coming. The goal is 2 ½ hours of moderately intensive exercise: get up and get moving. Playing video games is not exercising — and I don’t want to hear how fit your thumbs are!
  • Eat more fiber. This is your fruits and veggies. Your mom was right: some stuff is good for you. You want at least 25 grams of fiber every day. Nuts, legumes and whole grains also offer fiber.
  • Whole grains are your friend. Eat at least three servings every day (which will also help you achieve that whole eat more fiber thing). Whole grain intake helps with blood sugar control.
  • Lose weight. Now, if you’re doing all this other stuff, the weight grain won’t be too tricky. Exercise more, a healthy diet, and increased fiber intake can help the pounds drop off. Even a small lose can have a huge positive effect.

The researchers found that individuals who followed these steps and received support from family members, friends, and study staffers were able to reduce their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes by almost 60%. That’s the type of news we like to read about!